Nope, I got it too lol

 

Is your AC compressor electric?
So you don't feel a temp difference from the vents when engine cuts off?
​​​​​

 

It's a normal belt driven compressor. If there's enough of a temp differential between what I have it set to and what it is inside, it won't shut the engine off or will fire it back up to keep it cooling. If you set it on MAX A/C it straight up won't shut off at stops, thus nearly eliminating the feature in Vegas for 4-5 months.

 

I remember when Doug Demuro drove an old LS400 back to back with the LS500 when it was new in 2018, and then compared the driving experience in the LS400 to being in a base model modern Camry. Comments section was livid.

 

that was steve reminding his wife not to park over the blue tape when she comes home.

had never heard of cletus mcfarland. looked up his channel, skimmed a video and wish i hadn't.


it was like watching dumb and dumber.

but 'cletus' is another youtube star so good for him. idiocracy sells.

 

Doug went a little far. The reality is the modern Camry is dramatically closer to the old LS than it was then, but still is nowhere near the same level of refinement and ride quality. Quietness? Yeah all cars have gotten much quieter than they were then.

 

iirc he compared the driving position to a camry and that the LS didn't "feel" like driving some big cumbersome car... which idk those both sound like good things to me lol

but it was overall a botched review, he just briefly drove it around town and never made it to any kind of highway speeds which is where the car really stands out from say, an ES/camry

 

the cletus thing is just an act lol... it first started when he was an employee at 1320video and they just randomly made this video as a joke


anyway pretty sure his real name is garrett and he's well spoken when not doing the cleetus routine

 

At 21:54 he literally says that the LS400 would "never pass for anything more than a base level midsize car" after referring to the Camry about half a dozen times prior. It was obviously a very negative review which is why the comments section was so indignant.

The torque steer from a V6 Camry alone would kill any possible comparison to the LS but the gap between a modern Camry and the original LS400 is a lot smaller than the gap between the LS500 and the LS400. Even if it is underwhelming compared to its current rivals, there's just no comparing a modern flagship sedan to one made 35 years ago.

 

100% agree...



I also think part of it was it being a Gen 1 he was driving. They felt austere and Toyota-ish compared to the Gen 2 LS especially the refresh model.

 

i sit corrected

to be fair i've never driven an original LS, only mine and matt farah's million mile lexus so maybe doug is more on point than i'd like to think... but again it doesn't look like he ever exceeded like 45 mph in that video, and the depth of the engineering doesn't really start to become apparent unless you start pushing things a bit

would be very interested in his response to a 1998 LS with all that extra performance

 

He's not really on point, the Gen 1 still feels markedly better than a Camry...

 

Yours is a MAJOR step up, there is a clear generation divide for a reason. It's to the point that while I want to have a 95, 2001, 2006 (in inventory already), and 2009 AWD Ultra, I am hesitant to get a 1st gen unless it's maxed out and imported with near no miles. My LS collecting will start once I have a D2 W12 in my fleet and a 3rd gen Bentley to complete my W12 collection....

Then it will be random cars I find cool but the two long rows of cars in my storage barn will be the LS from old to new on the left, the W12s on the right, and the Bentley in the back of the center isle. I plan to keep the R8 at home with whatever it is I'm using as a daily at the time, likely my 2012 since I am trying my hardest to find a 15/16 W12 in silver for the collection. Issue being there are 6 2016s and about 25 2015s so my chances are extremely low.

 

I don't know about Doug, but if the average person got their hands on an LS400 they would probably complain that it's only as quick as a 4-cylinder naturally aspirated Camry with "slow steering" that drinks a lot of fuel. I think only enthusiasts would really appreciate or notice the refinement and power delivery of the V8 and the balance of a proper RWD platform without struts.

 

i agree for the vast majority of buyers the ES is the much more sensible choice... unless you're someone who can consider driving itself to be an activity and not just a means of getting to the next activity, the true potential of the LS will go largely unnoticed

had my grandparents been faster drivers they may have thought more carefully about giving 17 year old me the car way back then haha