I doubt it. They wouldn't have made this the LS500 if there were. Unless it will be an LS-F or something, which I wouldn't want.

If it were the LS400 I would say yeah, LS500 V8 is coming.

 

With Lexus using the LS500 moniker on this 3.5L TTV6, and considering its power rating slotted between a 740i and 750i, I'd wager the V8 will be an F or 600/600h variant.

 

The first LS was nearly 30 years ago.
Today, times have changed.
We are now in the fuel economy & emissions era.
Thus, today it is prudent to debut with a V6 TT.
Down the track, a V8 TT can always be released subsequently; we know TMC always takes longer to develop their vehicles for greater reliability.


The IS's 2.0T is not that bad.
The 2.0 turbos in Benz, BMW and Lexus are quite similar with 241 bhp.
The main reason for the IS's loss in performance, economy & handling is due to the chassis [body structure].

The IS is actually built on a IS-GS shared platform, which makes the compact IS a little heavier, while the midsize GS a little lighter than using two totally separate & unrelated compact and midsize platforms respectively.

Traditionally, the 3 & 5 Series shared platforms, however the current 3 and 5 Series NO longer share platforms.
The 3 Series is now on its own platform, and with the heavy use of aluminium, the 3 Series is around about 300 lbs lighter than the IS.

The C Class is a more recent design, first released in 2014 as a 2015 model year.
The C Class still shares platforms with the all new E Class released last year.
Because the C Class is a more recent design, it uses nearly 50% aluminium content such that it's 150-200 lbs lighter than the aging IS.

Sad to hear that the new GAL platform in 5LS still not high in aluminium content, hence new 5LS only about 200 lbs lighter.
We know that weight affects performance, economy and handling...
.

 

The IS' 2.0T sucks. It's got the same power on paper but the Germans are underrated so their models significantly faster.

The IS350 F-sport can dance just fine though, better than many of its competitors at debut. That was reflected in media reviews too. On top of that, the IS is about the same weight as the C-class.

Traditonally? That's not the case at all. In any event, they'll be returning to the same platform when they're both on the "G" chassis code. They'll be using the CLAR platform along with several other models.

 

Agreed

But as I mentioned before using 500 moniker for both LC and LS while having 2 different engines is very strange.
Whether they want to admit or not obviously they don't want consumers to know its a V6tt or otherwise they would call it LS350TT, like they put IS200T, NX200T etc.
Not sure who at Lexus thought it would be good idea to drop the V8 completely at launch.
More powertrains is always the answer. All main competitors offer at least 3-4 in US and even more overseas.
Hell the Camry has more engines avail and if they care about fuel economy they should of dropped the Camry V6 bec it outsells the LS by a few 100k cars per year.

 

I can't believe Lexus is launching this car without an AWD option. Up north a lot of luxury car dealers won't even stock their lots with RWD sedans(like Benz dealers stocking only 4Matic equipped E and S classes). Seriously stupid move on Lexus's part, as AWD is a requirement for many buyers.

 

Ok. So you have made your point numerous times. Any chance you see some positives with the LS?

 

it was revealed that an awd variant will be available.

 

That turned out to be untrue.

 

They aren't...the person interviewed by TFL was wrong. It will have AWD available.

 

It is normal for manufacturers to share platforms to reduce costs - even if one platform is only a minor variation of the other.

The Germans are mainly quicker because of their weight; my missus IS is a heavy car - you can feel the weight on initial turn-in.
The beauty of the IS dynamics lies in its very throttle controllable nature at the limits of adhesion; very controllable - no sudden fish tailing.

 

Yeah I'm aware, but the E39 and E36 platforms were quite distinct, as were the E60 and E90 platforms.

 

In the 70's and 80's, the 3 and 5 Series ran on different platforms.
So too the current F30/31 3 Series and F10 5 Series, the latter which uses a derivative of the old 7 Series platform.

However, from 1990-2010, the 3 and 5 Series were derivatives of the same basic platform with MacPherson struts at the front, and multilink at the rear; during which time only the 7 Series on its own platform had double wishbone at the front and multilink at the rear.
Today, 3/5/7 Series all have front double wishbones, but three separate platforms at work...

 

That's a good point about the LC. The 500h variant is of a NA V6 and Hybrid implementation to even further muddle Lexus nomenclature.

 

If that were true, the 3/5 would have similar (if not the same) firewall designs and suspension mounting points, which they absolutely don't. There is absolutely nothing interchangeable when it comes to suspension parts in general between the E39 and E46 (sway bar bushings excepted), for example. This is a big contrast to cars that are on the same platform like the F10 5-series and F01 7-series.