edit let me ask your guys' opinion....do you think a LS500 would sell for $50k CPO in 3-4 years?

No matter the trim or the powertrain, the LS offers an insulated, muted driving experience. The steering feels weighted a touch heavier in the F Sport, and the 245/45RF-20 front and 275/40RF-20 rear tires may be a bit stickier than in other models that employ 245-width rubber at every corner (on either 19- or 20-inch wheels). But that’s going to take track time to verify.

First impressions of the V-6 are those of an easygoing companion that overdelivers on thrust. Lexus claims a zero-to-60-mph time of only 4.6 seconds for the rear-drive LS500, and that’s in a dreadnought that weighs nearly 5000 pounds. We think Lexus’s claim is too quick, considering 4.6 seconds is all we could get out of the more powerful and lighter LC500. The EPA has yet to sign off on fuel-economy ratings, but we surmise that Lexus’s estimates of 19 mpg in the city and 29 mpg highway for the rear-drive LS500 and 18/27 mpg with all-wheel drive are on target. It would be nice if the turbo V-6 had a discernible voice, though.

The LS500h does have an exhaust note—which is a lot like a Tacoma’s. But otherwise it is hard to determine that anything exotic is going on with the hybrid system or with the magically complex transmission. Lexus claims the LS500h with rear-wheel drive will glide to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds (again, probably optimistic), with the all-wheel-drive version taking another tenth. Fuel-economy estimates are 25 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway for the rear-drive LS500h. Knock 2 mpg off each number for the all-wheel-drive version.

The LS has long been a stalwart, beautifully built, and often boring machine. Lexus has taken a few more design chances with this latest version, and that may pay off in getting it noticed. That is, if anyone cares about big sedans with trunks anymore.

Lexus has started to engineer cars that have a pulse, and the new LS fits with that focus. The 2018 LS feels more connected to the road than before, but it’s not overconnected. Although Mercedes-Benz has not one but two sporty AMG variants, there’s a reason Audi doesn’t build an RS 8 and BMW doesn’t make an M8. Full-size luxury sedan customers generally prioritize comfort and quietness over sportiness. The LS delivers on comfort and quietness, though one tester we drove with 20-inch wheels (19s and 20s are available) had some tire noise. If you insist on a sportier driving experience, Lexus offers the LS 500 F Sport, which noticeably changes the driving experience compared to the non-F-Sport model most buyers will choose. The F Sport variant transmits more through the suspension and has some steering feel as well as sharper turn-in, but you never forget you’re behind the wheel of a 206.1-inch sedan. The brakes are much better than those of the last-gen LS F Sport, which were overly sensitive. Also, the standard LS feels softer but still drives well. I found the suspension to be a bit floaty, but if I drove a 2018 LS, I’d simply tailor the custom setting of the multimode driving system to how I want it to respond.