Older Might Be Better: 2009 LS 460 vs 2021 LS 500
For all the bells and whistles the 2021 LS 500 brings to the party, Throttle House finds the older LS 460 to be the better deal.
In 2021, the Lexus LS 500 carries the flag for luxury flagship sedans. Drop enough cash upon the finance department, and you’ll drive away with a masterpiece. Origami-inspired leather door panels accented with Japanese glasswork. Touchscreens front and rear. A twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 moving the rear or all corners smoothly down the road. Why settle for anything less?
Unless, of course, you’re looking for an LS at a bargain. Thomas Holland and James Engelsman of Throttle House recently paired up the new LS 500 against one of its ancestors, the 2009 LS 460, to determine if the older flagship might be the better deal in every sense of the word.
“These are, technically, S-Class competitors,” said Engelsman. “Presence is important […] [The LS 460] looks like a car, and it looks old now. If I was to draw a car when I was a kid, this is what it would look like.”
While the older LS blends in with its surroundings, the newer LS has more zazz, from the spindle grille to the LC 500 headlights. It even has a new silver shade, though it doesn’t look too different from the LS 460’s silver paint in this setting. However, looks aren’t everything.
“This right here is a special red wood that all comes from the same tree,” said Holland, “so that the grain is consistent. That’s a very important thing […] The seats are incredibly comfortable. There is tons of room here. The steering wheel is very, very nice. The gauges are easy to read. And everything is a switch.”
Meanwhile in 2021, everything’s a touchscreen on the LS 500. And while wood trim is an option, the Throttle House example comes with a $34,600 CAD (~$27,000 USD) Executive Package package featuring Kiriko glass, a boatload of tech, and the wild folded leather door panels. Though leagues above the old LS 460, is the new hotness truly hot enough to sway the duo towards it?
With Engelsman wearing a special sensory-deprivation device, Holland drives his co-host around in both sedans. The LS 500 impresses Engelsman with its overall smoothness on the road, matching the likes of its competitors. The LS 460 matches the newer sedan on the road despite its age, all thanks to that Toyota reliability. Which one wins the day?
“At [$110,000], the new [LS 500] isn’t the value option it used to be,” said Engelsman. “In our mind, a used LS is the most sensible way to go. Fortunately, however used you go, you can’t really go wrong, which is not something you can say for [the competition] with any confidence.”
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