Last week I test drove a new LS 500 for the first time. It was sort of on a whim, I have a 2019 ES 350 Ultra Luxury I purchased last year so I don't really "need" a new car per se. It's mostly driven by my curiosity to see just how good of a deal I could work out on one, given that the LS has been a slow seller since the redesign (and as all sedans have been) plus the way the automotive sales have fallen off of a cliff the past two months plus.

I took a fairly long drive, and I was really impressed. It's drives great! Buttery smooth powertrain with power to spare. The example I drove had the air suspension, and I found the ride-handling balance supurb. Calm, confident, and composed. A lot of damping, I can see why previous LS owners would not be happy with this style ride as it's not the plush, magic carpet ride the LS used to have. It even has a little bit of steering feel!

Already having the redesigned ES with the same track pad, I'm used to it so that's a non issue to me. What struck me was how the two are almost the exact same size inside! Being a bigger car, I expected more space in the LS and I'm most disappointed in the headroom. I'm only 5'10" and my hair brushes the headliner sitting up straight with the seat all the way down! Granted, I have the same issue with my ES 350 and have an acceptable work around moving the seat back slightly from optimal so my head is more under the sunroof cutout...I just was surprised it wasn't roomier. The extra width and shoulder room was nice.

As an enthusiast, I understand the finer points on the design and material differences between the ES and LS. Comparing them directly to each other doesn't exactly seem fair. No question the LS is the engineered and built vehicle, yet that doesn't take away from the goodness that is the new ES in its own right. I'm curious though, do current gen LS owners like their cars, and why/why not? All you folks who've lived with your 18+ LS, what do you think of it?

I've got a lot to think about...I'm tempted to make the jump

 

We purchased a 2018 LS500 hybrid that was a CPO. It is super luxury all the way with the Luxury Pkg, ML sound system, 23 way seat adjustments with a massage function (that's way over the top). While it does not have the twin-turbos that the non-hybrid has, it still has plenty of pickup, especially in Sport mode. But i like that it gets 24-25 MPG in town for such a large car. What I do not like is that there are no manual controls for the seat heaters. It is the White Pearl with the darkened vapor chrome wheels. It's a real looker.

 

See the few postings from the Thread "LS500 One Month Update." The one-month review video may answer many of your questions.

 

Honestly you put it plainly the space is the only thing I just don't get, the car is huge and very long but they gave all that space to the backseat is why. I'm also a tall guy and trust me my GS was a little higher than this car. The outgoing LS was better fitted for my height. I do love the car though, every time I drive it I love to take on some windy roads and boy does it still get looks from young and older people wondering when Lexus made this car, I think because there are so few on the road. Yes a year and a half of ownership and I'm still happy with it could it use more power of course it could I mean what car doesn't need more power in our minds, are there features I wish we could get yep, but the end of the day i still have a smile on my face which is enough for me.

 

Was your passenger front door repainted?

THe seat heaters can be adjusted using the seat button behind the shifter

 

Door was not repainted; it's the shading from my garage that is covering the front. As far as the seat button goes it simply brings this option up on the display screen. So you still have to do adjustments using the track pad instead of an easy manual control.

 

Thanks for all your input guys. I always appreciate hearing from actual owners vs. the online blog "reviews" written by someone who maybe spent a few hours with the car and then regurgitated the manufacturer's press release (oh how I miss actual journalists!).

PCW and bigblack01, your cars look great! Those are probably my two top color choices for this car. My ES is white though, and I'm halfway convinced nobody will even notice I got a new car if I go with a white one.

I did encounter a bit of a speedbump with this dealership I visited. I made the mistake of going to the Lexus dealer that's only a few exits down from where I work, and I'm now reminded why I bought my last one from across town and 40 minutes out of my way. It's extremely off putting to me to be talked down to and virtually ignored trying to follow up and buy the car. If I didn't meet their criteria of who they're willing to sell an LS to, it makes sense why they're the only dealership with new 2019's still on their lot (I think they have 4 actually). So they can keep it where it belongs in their collection of past model year vehicles. It's a shame too, because I'm sure it's because I'm relatively young (under 40) didn't show up in a jacket and tie. I'd like to ask Lexus why risk alienating your bread-and-butter buyers by designing cars to go after younger executives (or who are otherwise successful) if your dealership model largely feels like it wants to filter us out?

Phew...now that I'm off my soap box and done ranting, I'm still going to keep my eyes open for another LS elsewhere that's optioned how I'd want. It's a sweet car I think I'd be happy to own, but until then I'll still enjoy my ES 350 UL.

 

When I first started looking at LS', Even though I came to the dealer in a newer BMW X6, one particular dealer wouldn't allow a test drive without running my credit. I didn't let them run it and they had that same car for over 6 months after I inquired about it. Also, I told them the type of deal I wanted and they didn't even consider it.

 

This may be a thread derail, but for years, the closest dealer was 1 hour away, but they treated me like royalty. I was "a customer for life."
Now, I have one 15 minutes away, and it's just not the same. I think corporate should really try to make the experience more homogeneous, but maybe there's much more luxury competition in "the big city."

 

I'm sure it comes down to money. Just call them every few weeks as they drop the price and make your offer. When I bought mine (2015 model year) they were dropping the price by several hundred each month it sat there.

Are you from Cleveland by chance? I was born there a long, long time ago...

 

YIKES! Yeah no thanks, no way I'd let them do that either. They have 4 2019's still on the lot, and now they aren't on the website anymore. There's no money in the auctions right now since overall dealer inventories are so high. I suspect they're destined for the loaner fleet. So who knows, maybe I'll be taking another look when they're CPO lol.

Hey it's all good, I started us down this detour anyway! I suppose I am fortunate I have three Lexus dealers that are all in relatively close proximity. One is 5 minutes from my house, another is 10 minutes from my office, and the third is about a half hour from my office in the other direction.

I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for a one that strikes my fancy again. Like I said above, I suspect the particular car I drove is destined for their service fleet now and I may revisit it if it reemerges as a CPO. With the crazy miles I drive, a like-new CPO does make a lot of sense too for that unlimited mileage warranty.

I am indeed from Cleveland (well I work in Cleveland and live more in the Akron area). Love it here. I think the more I travel elsewhere, the more I appreciate Cleveland. Where's home now?

 

I live in Boise Idaho now, but I've lived all over, including years in San Diego and Guam with the Navy. I left Cleveland when I was a child, but I've heard it's really nice city compared to what it was in 40-50 years ago.

 

I am disappointed with the redesign. The twin turbo v6 is underpowered, the shifter is from a Prius, and the back seats are cramped. The runflat tires are not suitable for a vehicle like this. The powered vertical seat belt height adjuster is gone. The touchpad sucks. By the time you have gotten to train station in the morning you would have figured out how to turn on the heated seats. Foglights are gone too.

 

What do you drive now? How does the torque and 0-60 compare with the 4LS?

 

The v6 is the most powerful LS. I believe the 0-60 is faster than last gen