Hey guys, I'm pretty much ready to pull the trigger on a LS 500 later in 2020, but there has been one big issue that I have been reading about here on the LS forums over the last several months.

So apparently there is an issue with the car having a delay in acceleration when a lot of throttle input from a stop? This seems like a big safety issue that should be an easy fix for lexus as it appears to probably be a programming issue.

I would like to know people's ownership experiences with the LS 500 here in regards to that. I am already aware of the Achilles heel of the lexus cars which is the infotainment system, but honestly its not a big deal to me.

I am also debating on whether or not the air suspension is worth it or not. On one hand, lexus air suspensions are supposed to be fairly reliable, but on the other other hand, if just one side goes bad and the car sags, then the car basically has to be towed to the dealer, and I definitely don't want to deal with that. Is there much of a differernce between the comfort of regular springs vs. an air suspension? I intend for this car to be used primarily as a very smooth and quiet car. Thanks guys.

 

Yes, the air suspension is definitely worth it, if you're looking for the most comfortable ride. As for reliability, my 2010 LS460L went 8 years and 264,000 miles without a single issue.

As for the acceleration delay, yes, it is definitely there, but only after a quick breaking like you would do when turning right on red, or trying to avoid something on the highway. I don't know how much of a safety issue it really is, but it really detracts from the ride, in my opinion. Yes, it seems like it should be an easy programming fix, but if it was, I would think that Lexus would have fixed it by now. More likely, they did it intentionally for fuel economy or some BS reason like that. I complain about it every time I take the car in for service, but I doubt it goes anywhere past the service rep. I really wish they would fix it.

 

What do you think of the car overall? How would you rate it? I bet theres some sort of aftermarket programming that could solve that problem

 

I have put 11k miles on mine and only experienced the delay about 3 or 4 times

i would rather have the air suspension than not. I’d hate to spend all that money on a car then regret not having the feature later. I like to raise the suspension when approaching steep driveways. Also when you have passengers in the rear it’ll automatically raise the rear to compensate for the extra weight

 

3 or 4 times is really not bad. Is most of your driving city or highway and what city are you driving in? Another enormous concern is the lunging of the car problem ive been reading about, and the ridiculous safety systems that seem to be causing substantial irritation for owners. I feel like lexus has dropped the ball on what should otherwise be the best sedan on the market now.

 

I have not experienced the delay in my few weeks with this car. I tried to cause it on purpose as I had read about it as well prior to buying it - but no *luck*.

As far as air suspension, I really dislike the default setting that I can't seem to find how to disable. The car is raised way too high, and I use the "normal" setting, so can't even imagine what it would look like in the "high" setting. It looks ugly to me.

One other thing is the back seat space is really small. Like something you would not expect from a full size car. We have a two year old baby sitting in a child seat, and there's barely enough room for him.

Other than that, I would say so far so good. I'm getting 19 miles per gallon street driving only, so that is better than expected.

 

I have the last gen LS, but I would recommend the air suspension simply because it gives you more control; you can soften or tighten the suspension at will. You can also raise the car about an inch if you need to drive over rough terrain, snow, etc.

 

I know what you mean with the high suspension. I forgot the exact term but I turned off the access height control and changed parking height to normal. Now it doesn't look like a truck when it's parked.

 

If I'm not mistaken, adaptive suspension, the ability to change the stiffness, is standard on the 5th gen. The air suspension is optional.

 

As far as I recall, the access height control turns itself back on once you reach 18 mph. So it's pretty much impossible to disable..

 

About the infotainment system: It is track pad based and the track pad is very sensitive and makes it a bit hard to pinpoint your selection on the first try. Not very useful while driving although, on a limited access highway, you could put the car on lane keep and trace and give your attention to manipulating the infotainment system. If you do rely on lane keep and trace I suggest you do so only on a long straight stretch of road where the system is less likely to endanger you than it is on a stretch with slight curves.

 

Has anyone found a solution to the acceleration delay yet?
Bought a used 2019 LS500 recently and now having a couple experiences with the same issue.