ClubClub

In all seriousness, I have confidence in the new 2018 LS 500 and im sure it will end up being a great car. The only slight concern i have about the LS 500 is that its probably going to weigh about 4,300 pounds for the RWD version. Keep in mind that the 1996 LS 400 that I used to drive was only 3,800 lbs. How did these cars get so heavy? A simple 300 lb weight reduction would do wonders for performance around corners and acceleration and braking. A 3.5 liter V6 really isnt bad at all, as long as youre ok with some turbo lag when you punch the gas pedal.
I just hope that the new LS 500 still has that plush ride that the LS models are supposed to have.

MJG87

I don't understand the irrational fear of Turbocharged engines a lot of people have? Lexus and Toyota are well known for engine build quality and reliability, the 1JZGTE and 2JZGTE are well known in the performance world as being some of the strongest, most reliable performance engines ever built. The new GTR is Twin Turbo V6. So are countless other performance and luxury cars.

The reliability of these engines usually only becomes an issue when you modify them, just like any Lexus V8 could fall apart if you started messing with them too much.

They will be well built and if maintained correctly and not played with too much they will be fine.

I have a 20 year old V6 twin turbo Mitsubishi in my driveway at home, it is heavily modified and gets a flogging and hasn't skipped a beat. Either has my modified Evo at 16 years old.

Obviously there will be some division between people who want to drive a V8 vs a V6, but the reliability of the engine shouldn't be a terrible concern, especially if Lexus builds it.

On top of all this it opens up a whole new world of performance for Lexus, how many people here wish we could mod our cars more for performance. Driving a factory twin turbo Mid sized V6 will likely not feel too different to driving a quad cam high revving V8 that realistically doesn't make much power in the grand scheme of things. We shoudl all be excited to see where it goes in the future.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Well, taking this argument to its extreme, a quad turbocharged 2 cylinder engine could conceivable make as much horsepower as our naturally aspirated V8, but no-one in their right mind is going to put one in a luxury automobile. It's not only about horsepower but smoothness, quietness and reliability (a 2 cylinder engine running continuously at 16,000 rpm isn't going to last as long as an 8 cylinder loafing along at 2,000 rpm).

ClubClub

MJG87

I don't understand the logic of this comment. Have you driven a twin turbo V6/Straight 6 (or Twin turbo V8 for that matter)? The idea of a twin turbo V6 with 2 smallish turbos is that it will make smooth linear power, little to no noticeable lag and it won't have to rev its guts out to make power. It won't be like driving a 2.0L with a set of big cams and a big single that comes onto boost and breaks your neck (think Evo or STI)

We have small capacity quad cam V8's, not 7.0L big blocks. A good V6 TT will make more power, more torque, use less fuel, and be lighter than our engines. And there is no reason it would be any less reliable.

Edit: For the record, I'm not bashing the V8 at all, I love mine, but the power isn't particularly inspiring, and there is a reason Lexus isn't really looked at as a performance brand.

SW17LS

As to why has the LS gotten heavier, it's much bigger than your LS400, 10" longer to be precise.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

MJG87: No-one is arguing that you can't get the same level of power out of a turbocharged engine. Or that it will use less fuel than a V8 (the most likely reason Lexus has gone this route, along with BMW, Mercedes and most other manufacturers). But I'm sure all will agree that an 8 cylinder engine is smoother than a V6, turbocharged or otherwise.

As far as reliability is concerned (again taking the example to the extreme). Formula 1 teams (using 1.6L turbocharged V6, 15,000 rpm, 1000 HP engines) will go through 8 engines a season (if they even make it through the entire season with the maximum allowed 8 engines). So high power, high revving, small capacity engines do have durability limitations.

MJG87

I have a GS460, it is smooth as silk, you arent wrong. I have faith that Lexus will get it right. A well built V6, with well optimized turbos and a good tune, will have just as much of a smooth and likely a broader curve than than a V8, couple it with a good 8 or 10 speed Auto, which goes a long way to ensuring it feels smooth, and I don't think it will be too much of a difference. The application of TTV6's doesn't show what it is capable of as configuration as it is usually used in more performance oriented vehicles.
I don't think they would waste millions of dollar's and hundreds of thousands of man hours destroying the legendary smoothness and reliability our vehicles are known for. Definitely dont write them off just yet.
The Toyota Aristo (though it was TT Inline 6) was gloriously smooth even when driving a car 20+ years old.

The sound, thats a while different box of frogs, worlds apart but both lovely in different ways and much more a personal choice.

ClubClub

both engine configurations are great
its obvious they shouldve just included a V8 and TTV6 version of the ls 500 rather than just a 6 cylinder

SW17LS

And the V8 version is coming...

roadfrog

My issue with a V6 isn't reliability, nor power - I'm confident they'll get it right....it's about the "feel" and the sound and so on. Look, they make a Mustang GT that gets almost as much performance out of their V6 version....but I would still want the 5.0.....

There's no replacement for displacement.

SW17LS

I think if you drive some of these TTV6s you'd find the feel is just fine. I've come around on the engine most of the way. I'd prefer a V8, but I'm not going to pay $10,000+ for one over a TTV6.

MJG87

Definitely an extreme example. Anything working that hard is going to have troubles. A top fuel dragster gets rebuilt a few hundred times a year too.

I am not denying the V8 is great, but the V6TT will be very interesting to see and may liven Lexus up a bit, we all know it needs it.

ClubClub

a well maintained lexus V8 should be able to last about 200-225k miles

my guess with the TTV6 will be 125-175k. turbos probably need replacing 125-150k depending on how hard the car was driven

MJG87

Not a bad guess, but we will have to wait and see obviously. Maintenance is key, you might be pleasantly surprised.