Saw my first new LS 500 in traffic

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg) 04/05/2018 at 14:32 • Filed to: None

9

34

Hot damn, what a heavenly profile. I’m sure lots of people will hate it, but I love it almost as much as the LC 500. Lexus, sweetie, you’re doing amazing. Now if you could only bring the GX and LX into this century...

This is one of the only full-sized luxobarges I can think of that isn’t making any effort to be big or square or imposing. Not that I dislike any of those things, but this is a refreshing change. Even the sleekest of S-Classes and the Panamera look upright by comparison. In fact, the only other big sedan I can think of which looks quite so long and low and sinuous is the Fisker Karma. And that’s quite possibly the coolest looking modern sedan there is.

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 14:44

1

Can’t stand the rear quarter window/busy rear window profile with both the rear quarter window and soft pillar in the door (inelegant, somehow, reminds me of some malaise era cars), nor the grille. But I am sure it is nice to ride in.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 14:46

1

If I become Vice Persident of *Anything* I am getting this or a Panamera(Sport Turismo of course) as my company car.

Ash78, voting early and often > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:00

2

See, I kinda liked the curvy box of the prior LS models. It was unique. This looks like a fancified Mazda6 to me. Or maybe a Tesla S at the right angle. Neither are bad things, I just don’t see a Lexus here.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:03

1

Saw one in tan(of course) near the Lexus dealer on a test drive. They are quite beautiful.

interstate366, now In The Industry > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:05

1

The most striking thing to me is how big it is in person.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > fintail 04/05/2018 at 15:07

0

So am I:

dogisbadob > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:16

0

I didn’t know there was a new LS!

And there is nothing wrong with the GX and LX. They are tough durable well-made trucks with the legendary Toyota quality along with luxury and prestige :o)

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 04/05/2018 at 15:19

0

The Panamera ST is pretty fantastic.

fintail > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:21

2

nice interior color.

The pod sticking out of the dash hood triggers me a bit, weird. Hopefully the touch interface is better than on the IS.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > dogisbadob 04/05/2018 at 15:22

1

Yes but for the money they need to me more than tough. They are laughably old-fashioned, even for me. And I love them as a concept, but I would never ever spend $90k on an LX when all the competitors just offer more...car.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:27

1

I wish I had nice things

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:27

1

To me they tried to make it a fastback but then got stopped halfway by the interior design team to preserve headroom and visibility.

IMO business as usual for Japanese car styling.

Successful fastback roofline:

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 15:31

1

Same, saw one about a week ago. What a looker! I think Lexus is finally making their design language work.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 16:14

1

Got to drive one around Indy, yes THAT Indy. They nailed it with this gen LS.

The engine is fully aft of the front suspension centerline. You can feel it when you push one around. It turns in shockingly well for a full-on luxo-barge. Like I was surprised by how much fun it was to toss it around from apex to apex around the infield course.

And that 3.5TT V6 GOES when you stomp the loud pedal.

The touch interface works quite well. And the voice command system is superb.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > fintail 04/05/2018 at 16:16

0

The touch interface is much better than the IS. And the LS has the best voice command system I have ever seen in a vehicle, apart from using Siri or Google.

Snowrydr01 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 16:50

1

The Cruiser and the LX are a weird vehicle. They are more akin to the G-Wagon mententality, its not a size/features to cost ratio. Its especially evident when you look at the LC against its brother the Sequoia. The Sequoia beats it in almost every measurable metric and yet the LC is WAY more.

Snowrydr01 > Snowrydr01 04/05/2018 at 16:55

1

Also, DONT BRING IT TO THE CURRENT CENTURY! I am a recent 100 series LX (model year 2000)owner and i love it. Not because its old but because its interior room to outside envelope ratio is great. I am all for safety but the 2000 LX is roughly the size of a modern 4 runner and it feels like i could land a plain in it. The quality of an 18 year old lx makes me want a current LC or LX but they are SO much bigger of an envelope for not much more room. A new generation will only make it worse.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Snowrydr01 04/05/2018 at 18:52

0

I had a 100-Series LX as well (mine was a 2001). I liked it despite its shortcomings. The problem I think is that the LX, Land Cruiser, and G-Wagon, despite their similarities, all target different people. The G-Wagon earns its loyalty from its excessive, obnoxious cool factor. It screams “money” and anyone who wants that will settle for nothing less. The Land Cruiser doesn’t really *need* to be brought into this century either, because it has earned its loyalty through decades of name recognition, like the G-Wagon. However, it targets the the opposite sort of people: those who want a quality product that does the same thing it has always done without frills, and without shouting about itself.

The LX caters to neither of those clients. It’s not for the rappers/real housewives of Beverly Hills like the G, and it doesn’t cater to the old-money, “I inherited this SUV along with my estate in Martha’s Vineyard from my great-great-grandfather” demographic of the Land Cruiser. It is a Land Cruiser, but rep-branded to target normal, affluent families who are looking for a luxury hauler. It’s being cross-shopped against the GLS, the Navigator, the Escalade, and the Range Rover, and I’d have to imagine that people who look at the LX have quite a good deal less brand loyalty than the Land Cruiser. They’re gonna cross-shop features, specs, and driving experience, like any other car buyer. The Land Cruiser, thanks to name and badge, caters to a niche market just like the G does. The point of rebadging it and giving it the plusher trimmings of the LX is to make it more mass-marketable, but given how far behind it is that becomes quite difficult.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/05/2018 at 20:01

6

The best thing about the new LS is the optional cut crystal and folded wool interior trim.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > PanchoVilleneuve ST 04/05/2018 at 20:09

1

Need

Noah - Now with more boost. > PanchoVilleneuve ST 04/05/2018 at 20:15

1

Holy shit! This is incredible.

fintail > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/05/2018 at 21:32

0

That’s good to know - I test drove an IS, and was thoroughly unimpressed with the quality of the ICE systems - and I am coming from a MB designed for the 2010 model year.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > fintail 04/05/2018 at 22:17

0

What year IS? The 14 and newer ICE systems are not all that bad. The 17 and 18s are improved and refined slightly with additional enter buttons for your thumb or 3rd finger on the outside of the mouse.

And while I do not disagree that the Lexus mouse or, Remote Touch Controller, is not ideal, it is certainly not as difficult or horrid as the auto press makes it out to be. It does not take much time to adapt to. And they designed the entire system to be used with verbal commands when driving. You also still have hard buttons for AC and radio controls and do not need the mouse to change either the temperature nor the radio source or stations.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > fintail 04/05/2018 at 22:20

0

Also that pod is for the traction control and snow modes and it doesn’t stick out as badly as that angle makes it appear it does.

When seated behind the wheel, it puts those options easily within reach. Driving modes are on the other side so it is also symmetrical.

fintail > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/05/2018 at 22:21

0

It was a 14 or a 15. Also an IS250, so it was a little tepid overall. German cars can also have weirdo controls and insane menus that some claim one just learns, but the initial experience still leaves one a little cold. No matter, I wasn’t really planning on buying, just testing on a lark.

The resolution of the nav screen also didn’t seem as nice as I expected from a Japanese maker.

fintail > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/05/2018 at 22:23

0

The pod reminds me of a Chevy Corsica or later run Tempo, which also had pods sticking out. In my experience, those those functions are often on a console in a car that hasn’t gone for the column shift.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > fintail 04/05/2018 at 22:35

0

That screen was indeed very poor. The 17+ refresh fills that space entirely and is much higher resolution.

And they did away with the 250 because it was a wet dog. The IS 300 that replaced it is loads better. Same 3.5 V6 as the 350 just a different tune to a broad torque plane for the AWD system. The new IS 200T with the turbo 4 is slow, but RWD-only and can be tuned for more laughs.

And they used those pods because there is no space anywhere else for those buttons in the LS.

fintail > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/05/2018 at 22:53

1

Yeah, the resolution was the sore point - looked like the same screen from a friend’s Prius C that he loathed. Not becoming of a car that was nearly 50K new.

It’s not like the typical LS buyer is going to disengage TC or probably want to bother with changing modes anyway :)

If I was buying an LS, I’d find a 600 - depreciation won’t be its friend, and it is both rare and a non-economy hybrid.

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > PanchoVilleneuve ST 04/06/2018 at 01:31

0

WOW! Now that’s beautiful! Talk about a luxurious interior. I wonder how it feels to touch.

Gerry197 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2018 at 02:16

1

Wow, that’s quite nice looking, something don’t typically think of a Lexus.

Snowrydr01 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2018 at 09:06

1

I agree with almost everything you said about the LC to LX markets. My only slight disagreement is that the re-badging does help and is evident by the sales numbers (and used market) because it seems most buyers when faced with an 85k toyota or a 90k lexus that are essentially the same thing end up with the lexus.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2018 at 10:35

1

This part bugs the crap out of me. C-pillar quarter windows, or split back door glass: choose one, not both.

Christopher Michael > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2018 at 15:14

0

I can think of a few. How about the Infiniti Q80L. The Audi A8L. Jaguar XJ LW....

Amoore100 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/06/2018 at 17:23

1

It’s alright.

I think they should have gone for the LC treatment upfront; having so many converging lines gives the LS a squinty nose that makes it look like it’s about to sneeze.