jrmckinley

Here's what my letter would look like after today...anybody else?

Dear Lexus Designers,
I am driving a loaner RX today. I was never a fan of these and certainly don't mean to offend anyone that owns one...but I am really hoping that you don't take many (or any) cues from the RX styling over to the next gen LS. I'm not a fan of what Toyota and Lexus are designing on new cars and it has me nervous of what to expect in the next LS. The new RX, NX, 4Runner and Prius share very similar sharp and harsh angles in the front (around fog light) and rear (tail lights). I was behind a new Prius over the weekend and the rear tail lights go down so far that they are almost even with the upper portion of the wheel well. Not to mention they stick out from the car almost like an old Plymouth (maybe the 1957 Plymouth Fury was your design influence??!!). The new 4Runner suffers harsh shaping around the fog light on the trail edition but maybe that should get a pass since it's a truck and gives it a "mean" look. Also the interior of the RX has a gigantic screen that sits up and looks like someone simply glued an old iPad to the center of the dash. C'mon Lexus, give us something better... especially in the flagship sedan that we love.

In short, please keep in mind the LS is a luxury car that needs to have classic lines and an elegant interior. Look to the S class and Rolls Royce as examples - beautiful lines that are still "rounded" yet updated and classic as opposed to jagged edges. You can add a sporty look to a plush LS sedan by changing the wheel options and adding minor ground effect kits and slightly different interior features (instrument panel/gauges, etc). Please leave the harsh angles, "floating roof", and the attempted futuristic look to other car manufacturers like Nissan who don't have a flagship sedan...and don't incorporate any of that into the LS. And don't overdo it with the interior or give me a key that looks like an iPhone (hint: 7 series) - keep the car elegant, simple, yet incredibly refined and technologically up-to-date.

PS- I would 100% support you removing the traditional gear shifter and going to a button/wheel approach as seen in many other cars- it really opens up the center console area and I think would open the door to possibilities of a completely different interface and experience.

comotiger

I agree the sharp and harsh angles on the RX, NX, even the GS, and the Toyota siblings is being taken a bit too far. I would say these vehicles are targeted more at 30 year olds than at 50 or 60 year olds that is probably the likeliest demographic for the LS flagship. So, I am sure Lexus will be more conservative with its LS redesign. I think the dash on the current LS is very nice, and very much prefer the shift lever on the center console. I rest my hand on it, especially on long drives, and don't care for the S-class stalk on the steering column. Otherwise, the S class dash is world class! An expanded sunroof a la S-class would be nice but not essential.

I would like to see a "first-world" option. Have some solar panels on the roof to power fans or AC to cool down the cabin when parked in sunshine and temp inside exceeds 100F. I believe Mercedes introduced this several years ago in the S class, and later offered in the Maybach. Maybe it's time to bring it back for the "masses".

AJT123

I agree 100000% about leaving the shifter as is. You can't argue the space removing it frees up, but it just doesn't look right to me.

Doublebase

Yeah I'm not a big fan of the sharp/jagged lines that I'm seeing on Lexus and some other Japanese companies. I'd like them to go in a different direction or perhaps smooth it out a little...I like the German look of their cars.

Kennyr44

My ML350 has no center shifter and I hate not having it to rest my hand on.

jrmckinley

A panoramic roof is an absolute must for the next generation LS. They make the interior feel so open and in a car like that it really changes things up. I hadn't heard of the solar panels to cool the car in extreme heat but that would actually be nice. So many cool things they could do- I would like to see a way to stream your phone to the nav screen so I could use Google Maps, Waze, or whatever I wanted. I also imagine some form of "smart" or "connected" car options will be included. Fun to think about. Hope they pull through.

comotiger

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which mirror the smartphone on the nav screen, are standard options on many $20K cars nowadays. I am surprised Lexus did not introduce this as a standard option already. It better be available in the 2017 MY cars, let alone in the 2018 LS.

Rhambler

I'm sure it will look nice.

Here's what I want:

1. Full-size spare. I CANNOT STAND RUN FLATS AND NO SPARE. S550 and 750i both don't have spares, at all, relying on run flats, with crappy rides and getting stranded. If Lexus did this, I honestly wouldn't buy one. Yes this may sound unimportant, but to me it means a lot having had crappy run flats before and one failing, leaving me stranded with no spare. Forget that and they ride like utter crap.

2. A copy of Audi's instrument cluster and MID. I want to see radio station, phone, temp, range. nav info, etc. etc. in the instrument cluster ALL AT ONCE. No mode button switching. Audi can do it, so can you Lexus.