A lot of bickering about this new LS. I thought the reception would of been better. It looks to me as though it's more lukewarm than hot. If you check back on my past posts, I was more optimistic than I am now.

I wonder the reception and comments were back in 06 when the 2007 460 was debuted. My guess is that it was better

Two things would immediately solve any perception issues with this new LS

either or:

1. A full blown electric LS Tesla style car

2. A V12 with turbo.

Either of these two above would elevated the LS and the Lexus brand.

Lexus almost took no risk in this new model.

 

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I doubt more then 2% of the people interested in the LS would care about a all electric version. Who wants a flagship luxury sedan that can't be really be driven on long trips.

V12 turbo would be nice, affordable 430-450hp V8 would suit me just fine. My big issues are with the styling inside and out. I don't think the interior is that nice and find the design bland and disappointing, the exterior styling looks more like a stretched Altima. Just looking at it I can't imagine someone would pay more for this new LS then what they paid for the older V8 version. I like what Genesis has done with the G90 much more then the new LS.

 

This is exactly how it’s been for every release of every new model on CL I can remember lol. It was the same way for the current LS. Hell, 430 owners still hate on the 460 to this day.

People here don’t like change.

It doesn’t help that Lexus releases the car to the press and then waits forever to release it to dealers.

Will I buy an LS500? I really don’t know. Have to see it and drive it in person. I don’t see how anybody can say anything about this car is bland lol.

Im at a point where I’m going to go to an S Class, go to an SUV, or just keep what I have probably until something else really fires me up.

 

Can't really see why. Granted, for Cush-O-Philes like me, 460 is not quite as soft-riding, but, without doubt, they are both excellent luxury sedans. And the last 460 I sampled with the Mark Levinson...that stereo is insanely good.

Didn't you say, in an earlier post, that you'd like to have an S550, but are not (yet) convinced that it is worth the extra $$$$$ over the LS? (On that, BTW, I generally agree).

 

I don’t get it either, but they do.

I actually got a lease quote on a $107,000 S450 that was $1,100 a month. I would pay $150 more a month for an S class. Wouldn’t pay $400 more which is what an S550/S560 would be.

Lease rates for the new S450 are really great. That’s a problem for Lexus, as an example the deal I got on an ancient 17 LS460L with a $89,900 sticker and $13,000 off was $1,250. That’s more than a 740 or an S450 by a lot (740 is doable for $1100-1150)

 

That's Lexus Jill. Low risk and no risk. What a ripple the industry would have been buzzing about if a V12 was being introduced.

I think that Lexus stumbled a little bit here. They have a fantastic chassis/drive train, amazing tech and of course the price. But they chose to wrap it all in a styling exercise that's just not a standout. If it is a standout, it's in the wrong way.

In this segment you need to get noticed yet still cater to the tastes of the people who are ready to drop the big lease payments on such vehicle. That's usually an older crowd and they are not prone to shouting about their car's styling statement. The LS430 and the LS460 were cars that came along at a different time. The styling "drift" that's happened since is an indication of trendy fads taking over some segments of the vehicle styling world.

I still think it's interesting that the LS already has a competitor... itself. The Lexus LS+.

 

But would you pay $300 more per month than the actual lease price for a G90 V-6? Hyundai seems to be putting pretty good money in to keep Genesis lease rates low.

 

I don’t know, the S Class is a pretty special car.

 

Totally agree with the fad-issue. IMO, there's simply too many of them in the industry today. I could list many of them here, but this is probably not the proper thread for it.

 

Absolutely agree with both of you on the 5LS styling...

 

I disagree with Lexus missing the boat by making an expensive tech-laden LC500h when they should have gone with a PHEV. How many luxury sedan PHEVs are selling? The S500e, 740e and S90 T8 sell in miniscule amounts, and to me they look more like engineering exercises than actual products.

The 740e runs a turbo four with a big battery pack but the huge weight makes it a poor compromise - there's not much battery capacity for long range electric driving and the tiny engine has miserable efficiency from hauling all that weight. The S90 T8 has the same problem. Lexus probably saw all this and decided to go with an evolution of its LHD/TSD system for decent efficiency and more driver involvement.

I'll go as far as saying PHEVs are a dead end unless you have a big 50-100 mile battery pack. This is all pointless anyway because luxury EVs like the upcoming Porsche Mission E will take over from their dino-powered predecessors.

 

imho there are many types of car buyers. Have you ever seen families that had all Hondas, all Toyotas, all BMWs, all Mercedes, etc.? I used to notice these things because I was walking my puppy 2X/day 365 days/yr. rain/shine. Then there are others who simply treat car buying like a roulette wheel. Every time the wheel spins, it is starting from scratch, and an evaluation is made as such (isn't it funny casinos will post what the previous results were on a roulette wheel as if it makes any difference towards what the next spin will yield).

I own a LS430 and don't care for the 460 simply based on looks. I just don't like the way it looks. Does that make me a hater? On the Nissan forum there was always this debate about which was the best Maxima, the 3rd or 4th gen. I would argue there were no sporty Maximas starting with the 5th gen, some would say you're a hater then.

I don't think the LS500 is drop dead gorgeous, but then again, I like A8's, so maybe the LS500 is a bit too "look at me" for my tastes. But I like the vehicle overall. My buddy said it has more packages than the USPS during the holidays. So far, I have never bought the same car make twice. Then again, in my lifetime, I have only purchased 3 new cars. The LS was used. Still have all 4 cars in the garage/driveway, though I am looking to get rid of the Nissan and regain some space.

 

Yes, if they were to offer it, a lot of people would be talking. The 600h was supposed to be the Lexus version of a V12, I don't think it caught on with the V12 crowd.

I do think we will see a LS500 coupe in the next year or so.

 

That, I wouldn't bet on.....but if it does happen, I'll stand corrected.

 

Why would you not bet on it?