Agree totally!!...as if it didn't already look enough similar to an S-class.
I like the front too. Copied from RX330 like BR1AN said, but family resemblance is not a bad thing.

 

Aside from a white stripe in the rear lights I see no difference. It would be great if someone that is a little more computer literate then I am would post a side-by-side (03 v. 04) front and back pic for comparison - eh?

 

Yup...no change aside from turning the half orange stripe into a long white stripe like the old LS400's.
I actually like the half orange stripe better.

Here's a side-to-side comparison pic I made:

 

BTW I happened to find the current limo LS430 with white stripes in the rear.
So the change in the rear could be nothing new eh?

http://www.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~mechb...hi/gallery.htm

 

well thats a model car, and im sure u can buy an after market light set with a white strip, i persoanlly think the orange is better

 

Um while I'm at it, let me make a pic for the front comparison too...
BTW, is it just me or does anyone feel that the wheels are changed as well?
Take a close look at the two pics...they do look a bit different from the current ones I think.
Higuma did you see different wheels on your friend's new LS430?

 

Duh...my eyes are so bad I couldn't tell a model car from the real.
And yes...I'd personally even go as far as making the entire stripe orange. The orange color conveys better ambiance than white in this case IMO.

 

yeh the orange ;flows; with the red

 

I don't know about you guys, but the "new" look LS is quite nice !!! To me, the front is quite elegant and refreshingly beautiful. The rap-around chrome front grille, the slightly raised rear (trunk) end, the new tail lights with white strips, the tipped chrome exhausts are all nice features in this new refresh release. C'mon guys, why is it we allow MB-fans to diss Lexus with comparos to the S-class. Regardless of what Lexus does, some myopic MB fans will forever look at it from an MB-lens and conclude it must be a "copy" of their favorite Merc. I challenge these Merc die-hards like ychadcha to come up with copies of the RX, GX, LX, ES, IS, GS, and SC in the Merc line-ups ???? ANY ??? Puleaze hold your tongue and stop dissing Lexus. They make great products, in some cases better than Merc products (C-class and E-class), in some cases competitive (S-class), and in some cases no competition (AMG sedans, coupes and CLK's). Not to start a Merc-Lex flame war, but I am tired of people coming in to CL and finding excuses to bash Lexus from their jaundiced eyes. Give it up or find somewhere else to spew your stuff

Now stand back, and take a long long look once again at these pictures and tell me if this new redesign/refreshing of the LS 430 isn't far more elegant than the 3rd gen (01-03). If you cannot see the subtle yet unmistakable differences, I submit you need to have your vision checked. Maybe it is down to 15:15

I love the new refreshing (obviously) and cannot wait for it to arrive on the shores of the US. I am sure it will sell out quick. Wanna bet ???

 

Front end looks much sharper, a significant improvement !

I like it.

 

I was away for the day and see plenty of discussion... I was also going to say that in looking at your posted pictures the car in question has Celsior Badges and the first line of the article speaks of the relationship to the current Celsior ( Celsior being written in English not Kanji ). To clarify I will try to post some pictures of my friend's new Celsior later this week if I can.. getting detail of grill - wheels and taillights for you...

I know ( maybe I should say I'm sure ) that his new car is AWD and I believe that the Celsior has been available like this - at least here in Hokkaido - for a few (3) years... I will check and clarify this as well... We seem to get an inordinate amount of AWD cars here that don't seem to be seen anywhere else.... Honda Civic R AWD ( Acura RS in USA ) lots of twin turbo AWD Celicas, Nissan Skyline GT 250 four (AWD).. and so on........

Cheers,

PS: I also have my doubts about the V-12 offering - I think we might just see a refined V8 at 5 liters....

 

From the rear, the exhaust pipes are EXPOSED on the new one.
Also, the taillights that reside on the trunk... on the new LS, the top is somewhat narrower.... not just the white stripes...
IMHO, the white stripes are more modern....

.. and what's with the funky-shaped mirror ?

I like the treatment of the new headlights.... if only conversion does not cost too much here in US... back home, facelift conversion like this cost at most 3 grands for front & rear ends... quite affordable if you can afford buying an LS...

 

Thanks XeroKool for the comparison pics (I had asked for them earlier in this thread).. it makes the subtle changes much easier to spot.

 

Also, remember when the ES300 was "freshened" in 2000 (I think it was '00) before the total redesign? They put the same white strips on the brake lights. It was a minor change, but just enough to let everyone know it was a newer model. A year later, the totally redesigned ES came out.

 

Great observation, gewe21!! No wonder I felt like something just didn't look quite right besides the white stripe.
It seems as if the new tail can't quite decide if it wants to be the trapezoid ex-E-class (which the current one does) or the triangular S-class. (Sorry bluestar but I have to say the LS430 tail has always been a blatant imitation.)
And you're right about the exhaust pipes.

As for the side mirrors...the photo was taken somewhere outdoors when the car was casually parked, with the side mirrors folded! The normal showroom LS430's you see purposely don't have the side mirrors folded, for better appearance of course.

I too like the new headlights a lot, but again as I said in this previous thread, it simply looks like another S-class imitation. I mean, look at the hood lines, the overall shape of the headlights, the grills...what can you say...
I found an S-class pic of a similar angle and made a side-to-side pic for comparison: