I too am a previous LS owner and currently drive a 2016 LX 570. I've been eagerly awaiting the new LS, as my previous one was written-off after a head-on collision. I think the car saved my life. Since owning that LS in 2014, I've owned an S550 sedan and an S63 AMG coupe, both 2015 model years. The technology in those cars was really second-to-none. However, unlike my Lexus vehicles, both of these cars were plagued with electronic glitches. I'd be driving down the highway on a perfect day and I'd get a warning that the radar was dirty, and the entire system would shut down. Further, for the first 2 weeks of owning the S550, the central display wouldn't work, so I couldn't access any of the infotainment features. Not only that, the service at the local Benz dealership was atrocious. I'd have to wait for a shuttle after taking either car in for service, and the average oil-change bill was well into the hundreds of dollars. Having bought 2 of the most expensive cars they sell, I'd think I'd get at least some respectful treatment. I feel like I'm a bother everytime I walk through the doors. Contrast this to my experience at Lexus. I've owned, in this order: 2010 GX, 2011 IS-F, 2013 LX, 2015 LS, 2016 LX. I've never had to take a shuttle during service the dealership has given me a car, often right off the new-car lot. I'm greeted with a smile and a handshake everytime I stop by the dealership, and I'm on a first-name basis with everyone in the service and sales areas. Further, they know the name of my partner, and treat him with the same respect. So, I'm really keen to continue with the brand and have been eagerly awaiting this new LS.

My frustration grew to new levels this week when I read about the new UX crossover coming to market later this year. It has some of the most advanced technology ever to be seen in a vehicle. It has predictive hybrid braking and battery management, meaning it gathers data the more you drive, and, based on your previous driving behaviour linked to GPS position, the vehicle is able to actively manage regenerative braking, highway coasting and recharge, etc.
Further, the airvents are accented with wireless technology each control's LED light source is wirelessly powered using EM resonance between two coils vibrating at the same frequency.

Ok, the airvent thing might be a bit gimmicky, but my point-is, shouldn't the LS, as the flagship, be the car that this new technology is debuting in? Especially this smart-hybrid system. Also, I'm a bit unimpressed with the lack of cutting-edge technology debuting in this new LS. For example, the two S-class cars I owned had night-vision, a cool feature where if pedestrians were detected at night, a panel of the LED lights would shift and highlight the people on the side of the road and flash three times to both draw my attention to them and their attention to me. It had a cool cabin fragrance atomizer, cylinder deactivation, configurable interior lighting, heated arm rests even.

As I said, I'm really a fan of the brand, and the service, but, all things considered, am I making the best-choice?

 

A significant portion of your frustration with Mercedes comes down to the dealership experience, which is unfortunately but separate from product design and tech innovation.

To that end, a large part of the Toyota reliability also comes from being conservative and staying with proven design and implementations. The LX570 were introduced in 2007 and remain largely the same car with the same engine. Mercedes has gone though 2 full generations of GL in that same time span.

The winter in your region is downright brutal. The LX570 is actually the perfect car for that. I would keep that and drive that thing to the ground, while perhaps look for something more dynamically interesting than the LS as the fun car.

 

Interesting write up! If the Germans didn't have these technical glitches, one could argue, there wouldn't have been the space for Lexus to make's it strong hold. Or how Genesis is doing now as Lexus started to rest on some of it's laurels. The dealership experience and they they treat your and your partner well is a value. Respect!