5th Generation (2018+) Lexus LS 500 & LS 500h Megathread

[SteVVT-i]

It's stunning in person. It's a complete 180 in past designs. The box look that was made curvy is now a stylistic knock-out.

You have to see it in person. Especially the front and side. The rear is my least favorite part.

More to come KREW will chime in as well.

#lexuslens
View attachment 2049

wooooooowwwwww!!! Im now in love

 

[White Beach]

It's stunning in person. It's a complete 180 from past designs. The box look that was made curvy is now a stylistic knock-out.

You have to see it in person. Especially the front and side. The rear is my least favorite part.

More to come KREW will chime in as well.

#lexuslens
View attachment 2049

The more I see, the more I love the new LS! I've always needed time to digest/understand the design of every new Lexus model and they've always grown on me in the end. This is surely the case with the new LS and now I'm in love!!!:heart_eyes:

Seeing mikeavelli's photo, I am astonished at how smoothly the side windows integrate with the side pillars, which even makes them look like a single grass! This is very subtle and easy to be overlooked, but it helps minimize wind noise to make sure the new LS is the world's quietest car. This is the good example of the CRAZY attention to detail which Lexus has always been famous for.

 

[mikeavelli]

Okay one more.. full video coming.. I'll try to upload tonight...

Great remarks on the C-Pillar Glass... we learned a lot about that particular detail..

#lexuslens

 

[Black Dynamite]

I see some people have been spoiled rotten by the LC and thus expects every production Lexus car to look like it's concept version.

I really don't think its a reasonable expectation to have. Concepts are meant to be forward looking exercises in design. Some results are more realistic than others. The LS concept had hologram technology, do you expect in-car hologram wave sensing technology in late 2017 too?

Or should Lexus just have given up on that part of the concept simply because you believe, "The concept shouldn't have been sent out if it had nothing to do with the production car".

It is reasonable to expect it to look something like the concept, not nothing like the concept. You trash the concept if the people reject it. This si clearly a "Plan B" design, and it is much less worthy of interest to me. And Lexus has a history of staying true to their concept's designs, and not throwing them away entirely.

If you want a cut-rate design, have at it. There is no good reason why they couldn't use the design of the concept and adjust the styling for production. It is unreasonable to expect the production car to look nothing like the concept, given Lexus' history, with the LC most recently.

This looks like just another luxury car, and after waiting 8 years, I think we deserve better. They pretty much told us last year to expect the best, and then they wimp out. Why go all in on the LC, and get all kinds of positive press for it, and then punk out here? Who was bashing the LF-FC Concept, in any way?
BD

 

[zeusus]

It is reasonable to expect it to look something like the concept, not nothing like the concept. You trash the concept if the people reject it. This si clearly a "Plan B" design, and it is much less worthy of interest to me. And Lexus has a history of staying true to their concept's designs, and not throwing them away entirely.

If you want a cut-rate design, have at it. There is no good reason why they couldn't use the design of the concept and adjust the styling for production. It is unreasonable to expect the production car to look nothing like the concept, given Lexus' history, with the LC most recently.

This looks like just another luxury car, and after waiting 8 years, I think we deserve better. They pretty much told us last year to expect the best, and then they wimp out. Why go all in on the LC, and get all kinds of positive press for it, and then punk out here? Who was bashing the LF-FC Concept, in any way?
BD

Not sure what you're looking at.

Another poster said he saw around 80% similarity, I see something between 70-75% similarity. I think its enough like the concept to be suitable for a 2018 model luxury class flagship vehicle.

Some saying this new LS is in no way classy and borderline cheap gimmick aimed at younger buyers and some people like you saying it doesn't look bold or futuristic enough.

I suppose you can't please em all.

 

[mikeavelli]

Exhausted.....I had to upload this clip of the 2018 Lexus LS we were granted access too..Its absolutely stunning....I could stare at the details of the grill for hours...

 

[meth.ix]

too bad the windows were tinted

 

[Levi]

It is reasonable to expect it to look something like the concept, not nothing like the concept. You trash the concept if the people reject it. This si clearly a "Plan B" design, and it is much less worthy of interest to me. And Lexus has a history of staying true to their concept's designs, and not throwing them away entirely.

If you want a cut-rate design, have at it. There is no good reason why they couldn't use the design of the concept and adjust the styling for production. It is unreasonable to expect the production car to look nothing like the concept, given Lexus' history, with the LC most recently.

This looks like just another luxury car, and after waiting 8 years, I think we deserve better. They pretty much told us last year to expect the best, and then they wimp out. Why go all in on the LC, and get all kinds of positive press for it, and then punk out here? Who was bashing the LF-FC Concept, in any way?
BD

I agree, but I just do not take the FL-FC into account now, it was "just" a concept, and I look at the new LS as if we had no concept. I think if you would not have seen the concept, it the new LS would not be that bad. The LC is once in a lifetime case (well two if we count the LFA).

But look at the Germans, remember how BMW went from VFL to 7 Series?

 

[White Bear]

I understand that's the rationale that Lexus' new LS, BMW and Mercedes are using, but I guess I personally prefer the approach Lexus used with the NX 200t and Audi's (which uses the actual displacement in liters plus a "t" do denote boost in its badges beyond the A, Q or R model names) versus the arbitrary equivalencies. And now, at Lexus, "500" is just as likely to denote a 5-liter V8 as a 3.5-liter twin turbo V6. How do you tell them apart were Lexus to offer the 5-liter naturally aspirated V8 in the LS or the 3.5-liter twin turbo in the LC?

I think they are taking on a horsepower-/torque-related numbering system.But really, what the others are naming their cars is probably the most important factor. The marketing people would want an LS350 competing with an S550 (or whatever...too lazy to look up exact model names).

 

[White Beach]

Quite in-depth review of the exterior/interior of the new LS!

 

[Gecko]

I understand that's the rationale that Lexus' new LS, BMW and Mercedes are using, but I guess I personally prefer the approach Lexus used with the NX 200t and Audi's (which uses the actual displacement in liters plus a "t" do denote boost in its badges beyond the A, Q or R model names) versus the arbitrary equivalencies. And now, at Lexus, "500" is just as likely to denote a 5-liter V8 as a 3.5-liter twin turbo V6. How do you tell them apart were Lexus to offer the 5-liter naturally aspirated V8 in the LS or the 3.5-liter twin turbo in the LC?

Truth is that Lexus has been doing this for a long time with hybrids: GS 450h with 3.5L V6, LS 600hL with 5.0L V8, IS/RC/GS 300h with 2.5L I4, etc. Pretty soon, everything is going to be F/I and that just creates another layer with naming.

Lexus LS 350t F-Sport AWD.

Omg. No!

 

[Gecko]

It's stunning in person. It's a complete 180 from past designs.

 

[mikeavelli]

too bad the windows were tinted

I could not share the interior. It's stunning. And I loved the color

 

[ydooby]

I understand that's the rationale that Lexus' new LS, BMW and Mercedes are using, but I guess I personally prefer the approach Lexus used with the NX 200t and Audi's (which uses the actual displacement in liters plus a "t" do denote boost in its badges beyond the A, Q or R model names) versus the arbitrary equivalencies. And now, at Lexus, "500" is just as likely to denote a 5-liter V8 as a 3.5-liter twin turbo V6. How do you tell them apart were Lexus to offer the 5-liter naturally aspirated V8 in the LS or the 3.5-liter twin turbo in the LC?

Sorry but that's not how consumer perception works. If you visit Lexus's official website now, they've already gone as far as removing the "200t" moniker from the names of ALL models with the 2.0L turbo engine, replacing it with just the word "TURBO". "200t" just sounds that much inferior to the 328i and the C300, when they really are supposed to be competing at the same level, with a ~240hp 2.0L turbo I-4 engine (BMW's underrating practices notwithstanding). See for yourself:

NX TURBO:
http://www.lexus.com/models/NX

IS TURBO:
http://www.lexus.com/models/IS

GS TURBO:
http://www.lexus.com/models/GS

What makes Lexus' intention more obvious is the fact that the rest of the lineup retain the same numeric monikers (GS350, GS450h, IS300, IS350, etc.). It's because the 200t just sounds weak, when its performance really is on par with a 2.8L-3.0L NA engine. As cars are marketed towards regular consumers, not engineers, their names should reflect consumer perceptions, not engineer requirements. Most consumers only want to know a car's market position, not what's actually under the hood. This new, now industry-wide naming trend simply makes more sense for consumers, whether you agree with it from an engineer/enthusiast's perspective or not.

As for worrying about telling a theoretical 5.0L NA V8 LS500 apart from the 3.5L V6 TT LS500, it simply won't happen. There's too little marketing differentiator between the two to build both at the same time. The LS hybrid, on the other hand, has a clear differentiator being a greener alternative, so it can use the LS500h moniker even if it shares the same numeric designation.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

It is reasonable to expect it to look something like the concept, not nothing like the concept

We had *months* of notice from Carmaker1 that the LF-FC was designed *after* the LS500 was final; it's effectively Lexus' own stylists idea of what an aftermarket modded LS500 might look like. I would expect the next LS refresh (2020/2021?) to probably draw in some more LF-FC details, but it was always known this one wasn't going to, because those details didn't exist when it was finalized.

 

[Rydo]

I am 70% in Black Dynamite's corner. As someone who obsessed over the LF-FC for over a year and couldn't wait for the day Lexus would pull another concept to reality, this just seems a little weak.

Something about the C-pillar is ugly compared to the concept, and the rear of this 5LS...please. That's just a facelift of what was there...the LF-FC was far more radical. Far more striking. Far more individual in that sense. This rear is just...plain. It doesn't match the front of the car which they did actually do a very good job on replicating the concept on.

I am going to put in my disclaimer right away that I do realise 5LS was signed off before LF-FC...but as BD has said...don't do 5LS until LF-FC can be released them. Sacrifice LS for another few years but bring your big guns to the show, not your kind of half looks like LF-FC guns.

I know a lot of Audi/Merc/BMW fans who had to admit the LF-FC was just beyond gorgeous, even the very snobby British motoring press loved it. They are all already slating this clumsy at angles interpretation of it.

I have still got to make some points, there just seem to be little aspects that just don't match the Mercedes the Japanese should and can beat.

• There is no Magic Body Control equivalent? Really?
• The door hinges aren't free running like a Merc S.
• That rear middle seat being folded down to make the centre control seems...cheap. I can't put my finger on it but seeing the head rest hanging down just makes it look silly.
• The infotainment...seriously? No Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? Lexus are already embarassingly behind in terms of even how sharp the graphics are, let alone functionality. Autogefeuhl point it out themselves, the whole trackpad thing is hopeless in every test. The last time I checked you don't even get album artwork on a Lexus entertainment screen, but this next gen system doesn't really have any details yet.

Also I must point out the fascination with the flush glass on the car is a little fanboyish, my 2007 Honda Legend has the same thing.

 

[Rydo]

I got a text with the press brochure....

View attachment 2046




Thank you!

Anyone else trawling eBay daily for this.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

I've gotten album artwork from my iPod on the infotainment on every LS since my '05. Doesn't mean every automaker not named "Tesla" shouldn't just admit they suck at this stuff and give us CarPlay, but there you have it

 

[mordecai]

Okay one more.. full video coming.. I'll try to upload tonight...

Great remarks on the C-Pillar Glass... we learned a lot about that particular detail..

#lexuslens

View attachment 2050

That back looks so good! I didn't think much about it but it looks great in video. The wheels look a little small because the LS is such a huge car.

 

[Alexander Li]

Excitingly enough, looks like Lexus has an engine for the new IS F, one with TONS more torque than the comparable M3 and so much more than the old Lexus V8. A hot-rod version of this would likely go to the Fs, and expect an IS F that might have 0-60 times in the 3s.