From the beginning and thru the initial 25 years of its life, Lexus didn’t create a single model that had the “love it or hate it” reviews that the current lineup generates. Every Lexus, including the rebadged Camry’s that get honorary status, have all followed a very simple formula. They were State-of-the-Art technologically, but not over the top. They have always offered features that were accessible to any owner. Unlike most new S-class’s which will have features that many owners never understand or figure how to use. The styling was always modern, yet understated. And not the edgy, in your face, “look-at-me” styling found on every new vehicle made from Kia’s to Lincoln’s. This is new to the Lexus brand. They were always fast, but not race cars. All Lexus’ have been quiet and comfortable, and very reliable. Whenever they released a updated model or created a new line, they would always find their target market while rarely missing the mark on any aspect. A new Lexus was easy to identify and easy to get comfortable with the styling and packaging even over the long term.
Unfortunately those days seem well behind Lexus. I always thought that that exaggerated styling was a sign of a struggling manufacturer. Like they had lost their way and had to gamble on a style that wasn’t for everyone, hoping it would generate some impulse buyers. Because they couldn’t count on brand loyalty.
Not sure how Lexus lost their way when they seemed to have a solid formula for great cars and a successful business model, but let’s hope they figure it out soon. I am hoping this is the last LS released with so few people finding the car satisfactory in anyway.

 

I have to agree that the lost direction Lexus has taken is what drove me from their product. I had 5 Lexus before I left and of those, my 94 LS400 and my 08 LS460 were the greatest cars I've ever owned. Had I not bought a 2014 F Sport LS460, I probably would still be driving one today. That was my mistake, but I wasn't interested in staying with the 13-17, and the new 500 just didn't work for me. I do hope Lexus is listening and finds their way back to where they began.

 

What tires u got?

 

Goodness. I love sharing ideas, opinions, thoughts. There is conversation for legitimate reasons, mostly how Lexus has changed - mostly for the worst. Hey I even created a post, “what issues have you had with your LS 500”. I thought it would be great to share mechanical issues. However, this particular thread seemed to have morphed into “why I hate Lexus”. Not everyone, but this is the general vibe of this post. I’ll be unsubscribing to this one. Chive On, guys.

 

My mother has a LS500 and I like it for the tech and everything, but driving in it for more than an hour and it's not comfortable. I'd much rather drive my LS430.

 

then you must be older than me, dude ;-) I am 69 and only stop for a pee...otherwise could drive it for 10 hours without feeling it. Often I drive with 150-160Km/h and do not notice it at all

 

I'm 41. Just don't find it as comfortable. I really like my 2004 though. However, I could drive my 911 for 10 hours with zero comfort issue. I'll leave the house and head for the mountains and be gone all day and run through tanks of fuel and have a great time.

 

I am longing for my MB 320CDI 4MATIC -it was the perfect car for long driving ;-)And probably will go to MB again-Lexus was not this I was expecting.ES 300h seems more smooth and polished

 

Lexus really didn't hit the mark with the LS500, they catered to journalists and failed for owners. I think the LS will die off at the next refresh cycle, or become a crossover BEV.

 

I find it funny that there is far less room inside the new LS500 - which is a mile longer, than my LS430.

 

Sorry to hear that, I haven't really had any major issue's with mine. It currently has 40K miles and just did the spark plugs which it definitely didn't need even though Lexus requires it. I would say the only thing I hate would be the transmission, they really should have made it a 8-speed. The seat does have some uncomfortable parts to it I will agree with on that. Would I buy another I'm not to sure, then again I will definitely keep it to the end, but I plan on getting a RSQ8. Lexus just wont deliver more powerful engines, which annoys me the most or there lack of listening to customers.

 

I don't quite understand-are you buying Lexus to feel the comfort of a luxury car or do you want a sporty one? Why Lexus should try to make a sporty LS?
Those German fast machines aren't made for comfort, but for showing muscles and being a macho man between the rest of the flock...Don't feel obliged to answer anything ;-)

 

I don't understand how you are going to go from the LS to ES; the ls460 in my opinion is the best of both worlds right now until the new LS comes. The ES is just not as smooth driving as the LS..

 

It's extremely close, you'd be surprised. I had an ES loaner for a couple days and went over the roughest patch of road in my city. I was extremely impressed with the coil suspension of the ES, the smoothest riding coil suspension car ever on that road. The LS air suspension feels just a touch floaty at times but is overall great. I found the ES suspension very close to the LS but way better than any other average suspension setup in terms of ride quality.

 

I’m surprised to see so many people disappointed in the LS500. I don’t own one but drove various LS500’s when I worked at a Lexus dealership. When Lexus sent us to a sales training event on the car in early 2018, I thought the car was fun to drive and looked good in the F-Sport trim. They had a few other flagship vehicles like the 740i, S450, A8, and Model S. I personally thought the S Class was better and everyone at my store thought I was crazy when I said this. They gave me some crazy looks at the event since everyone else was too busy drinking Lexus Kool-Aid and trying to win free stuff. The Gen 10 navigation system was too complex for the typical LS customer as well and was difficult to teach to the older clients.

The LS500 is a great car in my opinion but not a great LS. If it were the successor to the GS or something different altogether , I think it might change how people feel about it. The last LS460’s really captured the big luxury sedan feel very well, just like the LS400’s and LS430’s did. The LS500 is just too different for many previous LS owners. I haven’t driven a 2021 or 2022 model so I can only comment on the 2018-2020 cars.

Personally, I’d rather have a 2017 LS460L over an LS500. I’m not sure that I would ever own an LS500 but I did enjoy driving it a lot. If I went back to working for Lexus and could scoop up a cheap one on trade in, I’d do it.