Road Trippin' 2020 LS inspiration series Kentucky - Utah

[kosoku61604]

I had the opportunity to drive the 2020 LS Inspiration Series from Kentucky to Salt Lake City around mid-March.

A cross country drive has always been on my bucket list and what better car to do it in? I did the drive by myself so plenty of time to think about things, pay attention to the car, the scenery, etc.

The drive itself was enjoyable. Leaving Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Ill and ran into some weather in Missouri. The weather lasted all the way through Missouri and 1/4 of the way through Kansas. After that it was sun...

The "gas spike" had just started. Ill was by far the most expensive to fill up the purple sled at over $5 a gallon (I know Cali is worse!) and Kansas was the cheapest at $3.85 a gallon. The purple sled ALMOST took $90 at one point to fill it up and I averaged around 20 mpg (I'm good with this for a car this size) using cruise control for the majority of the time.

I've driven every Lexus model available to the U.S. The LS I've always appreciated, but never LOVED - until this trip.

Thoughts on the car.
I did see a few other LS's on the road but since I was in the inspiration series the purple color, dark wheels, the white interior and the kiriko glass set me apart - I wasn't mad about it

The technology in this car spoiled me.
16 hrs the first day (lots of rest area stops for rest and pictures) and I felt good when I stopped. Laser cruise with lane detection was a game changer for a road trip like this - even in the Rockies.
HUD - very cool. Although polarized sunglasses and the HUD don't pair overly well.
Apple CarPlay - I'm a fan. Waze with my Spotify playing the entire trip. Not one hiccup the entire ride. I did make the mistake on Waze of putting Christina Aguilera as my navigator to break up the drive. It was funny for about 30 seconds then she annoyed me 😁
Automatic time change was cool too since I went through multiple time zones. I would actually look forward to watching the analog clock move back on its own (I'm a loser).
Automatic headlights and wipers made made life easier when you're not familiar with where you are. I know this is standard on many cars today but this paired up with everything else makes long drives like this even easier and more enjoyable.
Most of the trip out there was i70 and was 70 mph for most of it. Utah went to 80 mph - yes please. The transmission kept up well handling the higher speeds and mountainous terrain with no problem and the car felt sure footed for the entire trip.

I only wish I had a driver so I could have taken advantage of the rear reclining seat.

Kansas/Colorado state line:
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[kosoku61604]

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my favorite picture attached!

 

[Smychavo]

That's awesome, and what a lovely LS configuration! I've seen a few on the road, and they always catch my attention! Did you ever get around to playing with the different drive modes during your trip How'd the powertrain and chassis feel moving it through some corners? How're the vehicle ergonomics for you as far as interacting with any of the HVAC or Infotainment controls?

 

[kosoku61604]

That's awesome, and what a lovely LS configuration! I've seen a few on the road, and they always catch my attention! Did you ever get around to playing with the different drive modes during your trip How'd the powertrain and chassis feel moving it through some corners? How're the vehicle ergonomics for you as far as interacting with any of the HVAC or Infotainment controls?

I did not play with the drive modes. In fact I don't even remember seeing the option for it!

You brought up another great point on the HVAC and infotainment controls - everything goes through the screen. I found this a bit cumbersome even after spending 27 + hours in the car.
To turn on the heating steering wheel (for example) took multiple different selections through the screen. Where as the other models a quick button to select. Maybe its a voice command to turn it on/off?

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Great writeup and photos, and I 100% agree a well optioned LS is fantastic for long trips. The massage seats, the auto cruise control, lane keeping assist, CarPlay, it's a great package. And having been on some medium-distance trips now in the 2021, it's even better with the improved throttle response and ride quality.

I did not play with the drive modes. In fact I don't even remember seeing the option for it!

You brought up another great point on the HVAC and infotainment controls - everything goes through the screen. I found this a bit cumbersome even after spending 27 + hours in the car.
To turn on the heating steering wheel (for example) took multiple different selections through the screen. Where as the other models a quick button to select. Maybe its a voice command to turn it on/off?

Drive modes are the knob sticking out of the right end of the cowl for the gauge cluster, above and slightly behind the wiper stalk.

The commonly used HVAC controls (fan, temp, defrosters) have physical buttons. For the rest, a few years before the 5th generation LS debuted Lexus asked LS drivers (myself included) a lot of questions about how much each control was actually used. For the heated steering wheel and the heated/cooled seats, I always put it on Auto and let it follow the cabin temperature, so I'm OK with the cleaner look of moving those to the screen. On the 2021+ with the touchscreen, it's not even super inconvenient to change.