My wife is tiny lol 5 ft 115lbs lol and she can BARELY open the trunk. I mean seriously, is that normal? It just doesn't seem right.

 

Sounds like the trunk struts need to be replaced. Easy DIY, about $25 on Amazon or e-bay. Pretty common.

 

Part of it is normal, but I saw a post where there are stronger struts which make the lid easier to open, but harder to close? Anyway, it took my wife quite a while to get used to the soft close trunk....imho it's the hinged design which seems to be gone with most mfgs. My BMW 3 is a small car, I would say its trunk is heavier than the LS430 (it may literally be a heavier piece of metal). It too has new Lesjefors struts, so the appearance that it is heavy is normal with these designs. I think car cos got rid of these to save production costs, but also for the remote closers. They save space which I like....