I've had my pre-owned certified 2018 LS500 for 10,000 mi and I absolutely hate it.

It's the prettiest car in most parking lots where ever I go and love the power.

I just can't get comfortable in the seat. It's like the left bolster just won't lay down. I find myself sitting at an angle with my knees pointed towards the gear shifter to keep my leg off of the far left bolster because it is so uncomfortable.

All the controls in this car are too complicated and I'm not some fuddy-duddy who doesn't know how to use technology. I love technology and gadgets and consider it to be a hobby.

This car is just a big complicated mess!! I drove my mother's 2014 LS last week and it did not have the blind spots and super complicated screen in my opinion. Felt like a much smaller car even though it's not really that much smaller. This car feels huge, like a boat. My wife hates it too.

I came from a 2015 Q70L and I miss it so much. It was a simpler car and the transmission shifted sportier which made it funner to drive. This LS seems to have crazy blind spots, thank God for the technology in it otherwise I would have already crashed it.

Anyone else have buyers remorse?

 

I don’t hate mine but I wouldn’t buy one again. I’m fact I’m trading it for a 22 ES300h on order. I had my massage seat back bladder replaced twice in ~7K miles. But my main reason for not buying again is the turbo lag and lag off the line. I do more city driving due to covid and the LS is really a better highway car. Constant stop and go means the car is a slug and has irregular power delivery, it’s not smooth.

The LS500 is what it is I think because journalists complained about the LS not being sporty etc so Lexus made an LS for them (who don’t really buy cars by the way).

The ES has physical buttons for the seat and steering wheel heater / ventilation plus a touchscreen, YES!!!

 

I too have a 2018 LS Lexus AWD. Not like my three different GS Lexus cars or my first LS Lexus in 1990. Climate Controls too much a complicated process, flat run tires the biggest mistake Lexus did in the LS, and the ratings from Consumer's Report now has the car rated in the mid 40 out of 100. Ratings get worst each year. I personally loved the LS, but not what I had in past Lexus autos. I have a 2022 Ultra Luxury ES on order for delivery later in December. Has almost everything the LS has except massage seats and one or two other items. The LS will have a major overhaul in 2025. I will use my new ES as a transitional auto until I see what happens to the LS and the future of electrified autos from Lexus.

 

Loved mine. I only kept it a year but that's normal for me.

The infotainment system isn't the most intuitive but I didn't find myself having to use it a lot. I just got in and drove. Climate controls always stayed on auto. The heated/cooled seats activated automatically. Anytime I needed slight adjustments on the seat, I used the buttons on the side.

The problem with your seat might be a bad air bladder or seat control unit which is very common on these cars.

The only thing I hated was the tech was dated compared to German brands.

 

I also have the UL trim on order. Only thing I will miss is the massaging seat. I won't miss the air suspension to be honest, I drove both cars back to back and the ES is amazing over rough roads considering it's not air ride. My super long and somewhat floaty LS would scrape the front bumper on some dips in the road on my street, a few doors away, it's embarrassing at times.

What I really want is a PHEV AWD ES but it's not yet available. As soon as it is out, I will be first in line. FYI my wife has the RAV4 Prime, that is the PERFECT drivetrain, pretty much. We traded a Tesla Model S P100D for the R4P, mainly due to quality. I would probably consider a BEV Lexus but not another garbage quality Tesla. I spent over $200,000 CAD on my loaded Tesla and had way the hell too many issues. I would take some quality issues for a $35K-$45K car but not when you spend that much. What a ****-hole company run by a con-man.
The seat ECU was replaced when the first bladder was replaced.

 

That’s what happen when Lexus tries to please the press and journalists. Lost the very essence of the LS, supposed to be uncomplicated, linear and smooth power with the most comfortable seats.

 

Have a 2018, 60,000 miles, terrific car - been awesome. Very limited issues, never with the seat bladder. However, I agree FULLY with the uncomfortable seat. I have posted about the knots in the seats that protrude from the bottoms (my post “What problems have YOU had with your LS?”… something of that nature). The bulges are obviously a part of the massage mechanism at rest. But man, I was shocked about how extremely uncomfortable the seats were. The seats were eventually redesigned and this was addressed. Unfortunately, I just have to live with the knots, and I have learned to live with the seats by adjusting my leg position and seating position. I am 6 ft 4 in, 220 lbs. Slim to medium build. The left bolster CUTS through my lower thigh - it’s crazy. My leg actually loses circulation on the left side, and I constantly have to rest my left leg on the door to find comfort. That’s my big gripe about the car - and I wanted to back up the poster’s sentiments!

Now the good (can’t be all negative, not my style). The car itself is absolutely stunning - best looking car in the parking lot, hands down. Love the rapid height, love the air ride (it’s the run flats that destroy the ride, mostly). The rear suspension has been reworked, so again, another fix that has been addressed. My air conditioning and seat settings stay in the Concierge mode - so the seats, steering wheel and air flow all stay at perfect temps - I never deal with these settings. I’m so used to getting to the massage seat settings, I’m pretty sure I could do it blind folded (while stopped off course!). I hook up remotely with Apple CarPlay, so I’m always in that screen anyway.

Lots of highway driving, so the lag off the line doesn’t really matter much to me. I still get it to 60 MPH around five seconds, literally every chance I can. Never misses a beat. That’s good enough for me. I knew what I was getting into - even though the LS 500 may resemble a 4-door sports sedan for the younger buyer, it is anything but a sports car. And I accept that. And have learned to love it for what it is.

Would I buy the same model again? Most likely not. But I never buy the same model of any car, usually. Gotta mix it up, life is short. Had a 2013 GS F-Sport, and liked that car a WHOLE lot. It felt tight as hell, very solid. Just too bad my 7 year old couldn’t even fit in the back seat though. I do love my LS 500 for what it is - I have an unlimited mile warranty until the year 2030. I think I’ll keep it around and rack up as many miles as I can on it. Not a bad car to test how many miles you can put on a car. I’m thinking that I’ll probably kill it with a deer strike before the engine or its components actually start to fail. I’ll definitely keep a posting on it as I approach 100,000 miles, and will share how it fairs through the years/high miles.

 

The 7ES is great. However many complain, regardless of trim level (Non-lux, lux, or F Sport), that the seats are too hard and thin. They feel fine during the test drive but the hardness and thinness wears on you after a month of driving. OK for normal commuting... and JUST ok.. but on longer trips you'll want to put a cushion down.

My 3IS F Sport seats were superior and for really comfortable seats I really like the RX which have noticeably cushy and bouncy soft seats. So while the ES is nice, don't assume all is rosey.

Also we have dashboards with scratch from mere wiping with a microfiber towel lol!

 

The 6ES semi-aniline seats are very comfortable (better than the 7ES), similar to the cushioned seats in the 3GS and 3RX. But the 6ES seats look better because it's cross quilted:

 

I had a 2015 Infiniti Q70L. I liked it. Unfortunately mine got stolen. I enjoyed it while I had it. But, honestly if I have to compare the two.... The LS is faster especially if its an F- Sport which is what I have. I love driving it. The Q70L lacks the power for the size and the technology is outdated. The only thing with the LS and the Q70L is the Q70L is longer then the LS. More room in the back. When I drive my LS I can see the difference cuz when I adjust my seat no one can sit behind me as opposed to the Q70L people can sit behind me. I think the Mark Levinson system is way better then the Bose system. Do you have an F-sport?

 

What rework did they do with your rear suspension to improve the ride quality? I have changed out all the runflats and I still feel previous gen LS's and new ES has a softer more compliant ride.

 

​​​​​​ Lexus revised the suspension on the 2021 LS

https://www.autoweek.com/news/future-cars/a34636133/more-of-what-you-already-love-about-the-lexus-ls500-and-500h-for-2021/

 

the worst so far is the swinging radius in the parking places. It is the worst car I ever drove for that. And yes-it is very big and I have trouble parking it in small parking places. On the island, I live there are only two parking places in which I can park. Terrible for me. I did not know it before I bought it ;-( Also felt the left bolster, but did not pay attention for now. Only have the car for 9 days. On the highway goes well-not perfect, but good enough. It is one year old with 15TKm and 9 years of warranty-not bad for me. We'll see how long I will manage to keep it. I am driving in Spain right now and the highways are pretty good, Heading for Tenerife, where the things a much different-small island with small roads and parking places;-((((

 

So did they apply the new changes to your car or you do you have the newer year model with all the changes?

 

Neither. Mine was a 2018.