2021 LS500 vs 2009 LS460
 

(Spoiler alert: They liked LS460 more)

Thanks for the spoiler. Makes me feel better about my coche.

The part that surprised me the most was that poorly built flexing center console on the LS500. That's unthinkable on any new Lexus product, nevermind the flagship of the brand. The LS460 is built like a sledgehammer by comparison, and it's going on 11 years.

Covered this in another thread but the fact that the LS500 scored 13/100 on Consumer Reports (lowest Lexus product in the overall brand) was certainly shocking, compared to the stout reliability that the LS460 had. Add the (arguably) better ride/comfort/noise insulation that the LS460 delivered....can't disagree with the decision.

Strange to see another LS500 thread :eek3:

I think the LS500 looks way better than the LS460 which IMO was bland and boring. I kinda like the new direction Lexus took with their flagship....took me a little while to warm up to the LS500 which I didn’t like at first.

That video covers pretty well a lot of the gripes of many longtime and repeat LS buyers who were disappointed with the LS500.

The issue with the LS500 is its not a true LS. When the new ES has more space than the LS - there is a problem.
I’m surprised Lexus didn’t do an extensive refresh on it. It will most likely be discontinued soon.

The ES has had more legroom since it's 5th generation. This is nothing new

2017 LS460
Rear leg room 35.8 in.

2020 LS500
Rear leg room 38.9 "

2012 ES350
Rear leg room 35.9 in.

2017 ES350
Rear leg room 40.0 in.

2020 ES350
Rear leg room 39.2 in.

Wow...LS460 has less rear leg room than the LS500...hmmmmm

I like their reviews. I like those wheels on the LS500, I havent seen those before. That red interior is hideous IMO

I agree with everything in the video. Bear in mind too that LS460 is not a LWB car, and the LWB car will ride better and comparing to a newer lower mileage LS460L would tilt it even more towards the LS460.

It does sound like the tweaks they made for the refresh helped with the ride which is great, remaining issues are with interior space, and the headroom thing is a big issue I have found too. I'm 6' and in the front of the LS500 the top of the windshield cowl feels very low and close to my head. They found the 460 felt much bigger in the back, and its a SWB and is 8 inches shorter than an LS500. I also totally agree with their assessment of the power delivery of a V6 vs the V8, I found that in all the flagship cars comparing their 6 cyl engines to their V8 engines, the V8 just has another level of smoothness and sophistication and make the cars feel much more special.

In terms of the console, I always had issues with creaking consoles in my LS460s, in fact I dissassembled them both and lined them all with felt trying to solve it. Consoles in the german cars are WAY tighter.

And, this car has the Oliver Enterprises exhaust mod! @Oliver Enterprises Is that owner a member here?

Rear legroom measurements don't translate into actual feeling of room in my experience. There is no question that the LS460L has way more legroom than an LS500 even though the measurements would say differently. I do a leg cross test. In a SWB LS460 and in the LS500, by knee rests against the front seats with my leg crossed. In the LS460L its nowhere near the front seat.

Maybe (?) because of better-padding in the seats. All else equal, the more stuffing (and greater thickness) you put into the cushions and backs of the front seats, the less-legroom there is likely to being the rear, because of the thickness/density of the padding protruding into clear space for legroom. Some vehicles get around that limitation by scalloping out the rear of the front seats, but that takes a hard surface.......and cuts down on the amount of padding you can put into the seats for comfort.

It's been reported on CL that the LS460L had 4.7" more rear legroom than the SWB. Having sat in the rear seats of both, frankly it feels like more than that.

BTW, I wouldn't trust any manufacturer-provided specs on legroom. For a few years, the Lexus Canada website notoriously claimed the LS460L only had ~1" more rear legroom than the SWB, which is obviously incorrect. I'd try to find 3rd-party measurements with an explanation of how it's measured, otherwise it's impossible to know the reference point.

I always go with combined legroom instead of only rear leg room, because that depends on how far back the fronts seat is reclined. Alex on Autos does the same thing.

Lack of the effortless V8 kills the character of the car. I know this is a dead beaten horse at this point but what Lexus did is unforgivable.