webra

This is the more natural rival for the 740e
https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/.../first-drive-0

MattyG

That's a Euro site so those prices are UK pricing (which are always wildly inflated for various reasons). What matters is the American pricing structure in USD. The actual test wasn't about which car is an electric/hybrid or not. IRC they said a $100K ceiling and the four major contenders from Germany, Japan, Korea and USA. The past history of the LS600hl shows that it was a pricey addition to the lineup, but who knows it might be a good buy.

At some point there will be other tests, like an all electric or a hybrid test with all of these cars.

Rhambler

Yeah, kind of a weird mix to compare.

No S class, no A8 or regular 7 series.

Instead, we get the Lexus, Lincoln and Genesis, with the hybrid BMW 7 series almost thrown in as an afterthought. I'm curious why they omitted the S, A8 or regular 7, unless they assumed they wouldn't even compare and that's why we got the token 7 hybrid instead.

EDIT: I saw one of those Lincoln's just today, at dusk, with all of its lights on. I liked the rear full LEDs and the front lights. All of the LED lightning made it look really good imo. OH, and it was a limo-service vehicle (I assume) based on the plain numbers on the back.

Toys4RJill

I guess the winner of this comparo gets to be compared to the other German cars. I always thought the LS500 was gonna be compared to the Lincoln Continental.

MattyG

With any of these tests, there's a certain amount of caution to be exercised as they are as much about editorial parameters as anything else. There's a story pitch made by someone in the editorial meeting who says, "hey lets do a... blah, blah, blah test. So this looks like a four country comparison with a $100K ceiling on price. The 740e is supposed to be a real slug with that 2.0t motor and apparently it's the electric boost that helps it more than anything else.

Don't know why you would want a country of manufacturer test anymore. The auto industry is now truly global so you're really only comparing engineering and design expertise, not country of manufacturer per se. The MB was omitted for obvious reasons; it's in a league all its own and it's very, very pricey. The Audi A8? Don't know but it's headed for a brand new model in 2019. Maybe they couldn't get an A8L under the cap.

JDR76

Did you read the article?

It explains that BMW didn’t have a 6 cylinder version available, otherwise they would have used that.

In terms of not including the S Class, they are going on the position that the S Class is number 1. This was a comparison of the others to see who could compete with the MB. This comparison was one car per continent to compare. Odd criteria...but that was their explanation.

chromedome

The 740e only works well if the battery is charged. After 14 miles of EV driving, you're stuck with a tiny 2.0 turbo having to haul tons of luxury sedan and a big battery pack. The MT test complained about the noise and vibration from the engine but didn't mention the fuel consumption once the battery was depleted... It's probably a scary number.

I'm surprised about the LS' driving impressions. MT said it was the sportiest of the bunch with direct handling and good steering feedback. It's like Lexus supersized the IS and benchmarked the Panamera for the LS' handling tuning.

SW17LS

The point was the winner gets compared to the S Class in a future test. It’s a “the s Class” and “everybody else” which I think is accurate.

As for the 740e, they explained that too. It’s all they could get.

MattyG

If anything can be concluded from MT's test, the LS has really taken a sporty direction here. They mention in the article that aside from some ride quality compromises, this big barge is a very athletic handler. It circled their figure 8 with the best fraction of a time, if that's important enough to care. They mention that for those potential buyers who are so-inclined - change the tires and you have a big a** canyon carver.

The big question is: in the quest for younger performance oriented buyers, is Lexus willing do ditch the comfort-and-tomb-like silence crowd that they've traditionally appealed to in this segment for a performance luxe flagship buyer. It seems like this is why the G90 took the win because it's not a car to be overlooked. It provides old school Lexus with new school design and driveability.

As for the S class, it is the king of the hill and so that's why the test would have ended up being ridiculously tilted in favor of the big Merc if cost was no object and drive trains were not limited to six cylinders. Even a six cylinder S would have blown away its competition here. But at a price.

Rhambler

They went “sporty” without being fast.

Look at the S class, 7 and A8...all are blazing fast and drive around like a tomb.

In fact, with adjustable suspension and drive modes these days, you can have it fast and sporty one minute and tomb-quiet, floaty and refined the next, or any mix thereof.

You don’t need to sacrifice one for the other anymore and Lexus doesn’t get it or is incapable of doing it. This engine really disappoints in my opinion.

Mr. Burns

Bland interior, middle of the pack performance, insurance car commercial styling, it has it all.

$72k well spent.

RNM GS3

Sad that a Brand new LS is being compared to 2nd tier luxury cars and a 7series with a 4cyl engine - why the hell did BMW even make this thing for US market.

Basically the G90 offer 95% of LS500 performance plus more room and better ride - all for $30k less. That is huge difference in cost.

I guess they cant even put the LS500 vs S560, 750i and new A8 bec of the lack of V8.
Hopefully they will compare it to the 6cyl versions.

mmarshall

When I was reviewing the Ioniq review last week, I looked over a white G90 they had in the showroom with a Christmas bow on it. If it's bling you want, that interior of that car will knock your socks off. Even outdoes the Continental's interior in some ways....without that silly trick E-release for the inside door handles. Also hard to beat the quality of the hardware/materials and sheet metal Genesis uses, though, from what I remember on my last G90 test-drive (which, admittedly, was some time ago), it wasn't quite as much of a silky magic-carpet ride on the road as I would have hoped. I also, for some reason, (still don't know why, unless it was a suspension re-tuning, as it has the same tires) I found the older Hyundai version of the 2Gen Genesis a little smoother-riding than the newer G80.

RNM GS3

It looks great actually as does the G80.
The interior has a traditional luxury feel of an LS430 or S500 which ppl in this class prefer.
Plus the comfy ride and light steering are a huge selling point.

70k is a steal for the total package compared to new LS.

SW17LS

Quite frankly, you’re describing the previous 4 generations of the Lexus LS, 3 of which I’ve had and loved.

What I want is a soft, smooth, refined, well built “isolation chamber” type car, which always described the LS, and now describes the G90. Just because Lexus has changed what they want to build doesn’t mean I’ve changed what I want to buy. The G90 is basically a clone of the old LS, it’s obvious when you drive it.

And $72k is a steal. My LS460 was $80k and I have one option.