http://www.carscoops.com/2017/01/all...-takes-on.html

Good styling comparison of the new and outgoing LS.

 

You are mixing up different things. The Sport+/S/ECO/Comfort settings are already available in the 4LS. They are suspension settings and have nothing to do directly with ride quietness. Sure, with a firmer suspension in the sport modes, there is slightly more road noise, but not very detectable. I prefer the comfort setting myself, but the car is pretty quiet in all settings.

Correct me if I am wrong, I haven't read anywhere that one can actually choose (dial in) what types of noise can be heard within the LS500. I suppose the active noise cancellation could be turned on and off, but I didn't know you could actually choose to hear specific noises. It maybe true in some of the other models you mentioned, but that is news as far as the LS500 is concerned.

 

No mixing up anything. The current LS460 F-sport already has a sound generator that increases the engine noise. This will absolutely be more involving in the new LS

 

To be clear, they have said nothing about any sort of sound generator on the LS500, in fact they have mentioned active noise cancellation that actually negates engine noise which is the exact opposite.

 

There are two types of sound generators.
The "piped" type, as used in the 4GS, and the electronic speaker type as used in the 3 Series etc.

The sound generators are there to:
(1) add sportiness, but the sound generators are also there to
(2) cover-up [disguise] the harshness of the in-line four cylinder turbos, and the large capacity 3.5L 60 degree V6's with greater reciprocating mass, as used in the 4GS, and 5LS etc.

My missus just swapped her 3IS250 2.5 V6 for a 3.5IS200t.
The 200t uses advanced fluid filled hydraulic engine mount on a separate subframe to smooth out the idle, and masses of sound insulation material to dampen the noise.
Most of the times, the 200t is almost inaudible, but when you can hear the 4 cylinder turbo, it is the famous coarseness of the in-line four.
Like I say, most of the times, the coarseness of the four is totally muted out by the heavy sound insulation material!

I've never driven 5LS's new 3.5 V6 TT, but I suspect it will be "equivalent" to comparing V6 atmos to a turbo four.
Compared to atmos V8, I suspect 3.5 V6 TT will be torquey, but rougher idle, and lots of sound insulation will be used, but the roughness of the large capacity 3.5 V6 TT with high reciprocating mass will always be there.

3.5 V6 TT is going to be the industry standard, just like 2.0 turbo fours.
Lexus must develop 3.5 TT first, because it is the bread and butter volume selling model.

I'm sure Lexus 4.0 V8 TT will come in time, [because TMC electric vehicles headed by President Akio will take a good 5-10 years to develop, especially with a dedicated full aluminium electric vehicle chassis rather than using an inferior internal combustion engine ICE chassis], but such a 4.0 V8 TT is a "halo" model for marketing purposes like LFA and LC500 Coupe...

 

Lexus does both. LC500 is piped in. LCh, LS460, NX is faux. I believe the GSF is faux as well.

 

why would I choose a v8 that is slower and less efficient than the v6tt? Before you mention refinement, you have not driven the 5ls yet so don't speculate. As it stands now I would take the v6tt 10 out of 10 times.

The LC500 comes with the v8 because it is a sports car. Sports car enthusiast want the v8 sound. I highly doubt buyers in the market for a 5LS wants the v8 sound or any engine noise for that matter.

Not sure if you realize but lexus claims 0-60 in 4.5 seconds. That puts it right between the v6tt and v8tt offerings of the germans. I think the s class and 750 is around 4.2 seconds.

 

When I first started test driving these modern day four cylinder turbos, eg in the C Class, I thought - this four is so smooth and quiet - how magnificent.

However, after driving more and more, I eventually worked out that they were intrinsically coarse, but that coarseness was heavily muted with thick use of sound insulation material, and the use of artificial sound, either by piping, or electronic speakers etc, to cover-up the intrinsic coarseness.

The C Class and IS turbo fours also use wonderful engine mounts for a very smooth idle too; they actually idle significantly smoother than my 4GS350 V6...

 

And to add, sound is not fake in the LS, or the GS...

 

However, the sound is extrinsically generated [man-made], as opposed to the natural sound that the engine intrinsically generates.
The extrinsic smoother tones of sound generated by piping or electronic means etc, is used to cover-up the coarser tones intrinsically & naturally generated by the engines.
.

 

Correct, point is it's not an electronic sound. It is in the NX.

 

I drove NX200t in 2015.
Terrible!
Very coarse and much louder.
IMO, it lacks the heavy sound insulation material of IS200t.

I didn't know that NX200t had any artificial sounds by means of piping, or memory card/processor/amplifier/speakers, but I think C Class and IS200t's secret lies in very very heavy sound insulation material.
But at least the artificial sound lets the driver hear something more pleasant, rather than the instrinsic coarseness of the in-line four.

NX200t idles well enough.
NX a little slower because heavier.

 

You know what I am on corner of my seat for....infotainment. I want to see if they reskinned the same old Lexus Navigation, or actually made the hardware and UI brand new. If its the same old sorry system Toyotas got.....man will that be a let down. I can do without the fancy android auto and apple car play, but if the flagship still rocking yester years ui....

 

Well thats expected on an entry level compact luxury SUV. Also thats not limited to Lexus as well, I remember sitting in a friends XC60, and yes that does the power typically not associated with an I4, but the coarseness in cabin is there. It was muted in the XC90 but I could tell I`m sitting in a powered by 4 cyclinders SUV. Certain things you cannot expect to naturally disobey like the clattery coarsness of a 4 cylinder

This is a Twin turbo V6. Yes, its not inline 6 n50ish engines from BMW with their crazy good exhaust note, but i can guarantee without even having sat in one thats it will be not coarse as in the NX

 

For the record in regards to the NX and RC, it's just the F-Sport models that have an ASC control. Regular models do not.