It "felt" small which is subjective.

I did not realize that the LS has been getting smaller each gen...3rd gen was 107 cu ft., 4th gen 102 cu ft., and now LS500 99 cu ft. Again, 99 is the same as my 1998 Maxima on the inside!

A new S class is 112 cu ft., Audi A8L 111 cu. ft. The Audi got bigger for 2019, as the 2018 was 107 cu. ft. So the Germans and Japanese are moving in the opposite direction. Maybe the LS800 in 2024 will be the size of an Elantra on the inside, but the size of a F250 on the outside!

 

The LS500 is less traditional then ever hence any compromised space. More akin to say XJ and Quattroporte than S-Class and A8 these days.

LS800?? Hah let's hope that's full EV and representative of 800hp like the rumored and upcoming next gen XJ.

 

There is no way the legroom is almost identical to the LS460L. I'm 6'7", and with my 460L, I could push the driver's seat all the way back and then go sit behind the drivers seat with no problem. I tried the same scenario with the LS500 and there was no way I was sitting comfortably in the back seat.

 

Yes, agreed. I'm just about average height maybe a little more 5'11" and the back seat of the 500 was snug for even me; my knees almost hit the back seat. I think the driver's seat was all the way back but still, that shouldn't happen.

I also hit my head getting into the driver's seat.

Such a failure.

A luxury car needs to be ROOMY which is a big part of the experience.

 

the gauges are also weirdly small... i'm happy i test drove the 500 though since now i know i definitely want to hold on to my 400 haha

the 500 was certainly very nice, but not a major leap forward from what toyota was putting out 20 years ago

 

How was the V6? I'm pretty sure I can read your mind here lol but still would like to know your input. I would like to drive a 500 myself just to see.

 

as refined as one would expect from the lexus, very smooth and quiet with perfectly adequate power but not much more than that... it really didn't feel that fast, like hardly any faster than mine, and without the snappy V8 immediacy and noise the sensation of speed really isn't too much despite this being the most "sporty intentioned" LS so far... the inside also doesn't have nearly as much of the airiness and excellent outward visibility that we're used to with our cars, and some of the buttons are like straight from a rav4 or any other lexus so that makes me feel like they got a bit lazy especially considering how they took their sweet time developing this car

and also despite being the most sporty LS so far, it's easily the worst sounding and now that it's got 2 small turbos it doesn't rev in the lovely way the UZ and UR did, and will never come close to sounding as good



and it still has a spindle grille so i'm gonna have to pass

 

New LS500's trunk is reasonably long and wide, but way too shallow; why is the trunk floor so high and shallow when there is no spare tire beneath?

New LS500 has bags of rear legroom.
However, new LS500 has lost both headroom and shoulder room compared to old 4LS.

 

Probably because of RWD and the rear differential/drive-shafts. That setup usually requires a higher trunk floor for clearance than with FWD vehicles. Often, RWD also has a higher floor-hump inside the cabin, for the driveshaft.

 

I haven't chimed in in years, but I still own my 2005 LS430 Ultra . It has a few flaws (cracked bumper in snow, etc.) and rides a bit harder than I recall (although the air suspension is still working fine, thankfully), but I still love it with 135k miles on it. Smooth, quiet, and powerful on highway with amazing headlights -- the best I have tried to date, although I have not tested new cars in 2 years or so. Anyway, I bought a used 2016 cadillac xts as second car two years ago. Wife loves it but I do not. Sound system sucks beyond belief ... Gruff on acceleration with a constant low growl from the back (exhaust? tire?). It is by all means a good car but despite the gorgeous interior, it does not feel like a luxury car in ride quality or perceived noise, even though it is probably objectively fairly quiet. . I enjoyed my 2001 LeSabre better even though I know it was always much louder. At least CDs sounded OK in it.

The Cadillc's XM radio sounds like it is in mono (no soundstage and all from center) and truily squeaky tin on solo violin (I listen to the XM symphony hall channel 76). I mean it is simply awful , unlike my ML stereo on my LS even on XM radio. I know XM is not great but my 2005 LS with XM as an add-on sounds 500% better, and CDs sound amazing... simply amazing... Anyway, when I got the Caddy used in 2017, I looked at a 2012 LS460 and REALLY liked it, but my wife preferred a newer car and her parents had an XTS which she had tested, so I got a great used deal on one.

I did also try a 2013 :LS460 then and found it actually less smooth a bit, but still nice., But the 2013-2017 driver's seats seem to show a LOT more wear than the pre-2013 seats ... has anyone noticed?

Anyway, with all this rambling, over the years I have gotten loaners for major services on my LS. I have had an NX, IS and ES I believe. A couple had the mouse-like interface and one had the touch-pad. I despised them both even after several days, far worse than the frustrating capacitative temperature controls on my Cadillac cue system, which is at least a touch screen. for most functions. Supposedly the LS460 2016 ls improved with an added physical "home" button etc. But I am far less likely to consider a Lexus again until they fix the Nav/electronics interface. FWIW I drove a Hyundai Genesis and loved it (although I like the added size on my LS). Hyundai/Genesis quality worries me from relatives' and friends' experiences, but they are making fine riding cars with usable interfaces. Bad mileage, but nothing is perfect. LS500 looks great but I don't love the interior (not saying 460/430 is better). But with the interface to even adjust seat heaters going through the dashboard, I just cannot deal. If my ls430 ages out finally, I will consider a new G90 but will be very reluctant to get an LS 460 or 500 (a bit steep brand new but maybe a base model end-of-year) without really checking out the nav/electronics interface. I am much less likely to buy a Lexus due to this than in the past.. I suspect it is impacting sales and has been for years.

On a related note, I drove a 2016 Camry on a vacation as a rental and really liked it for a non-lux car. But I have a friend who purchased a 2018 XLE 4-cylinder with nav and feels burned. The new nav requires a cell phone connection unless you get the V6 apparently. And the 4 cylinder version is simply horrible., What is Toyota thinking? This guy owned Camries for 12 years but will never again purchsase one since he is so frustrated. Prior years to 2018 at least had the option for real nav, I believe... Even most ordinary mid-size sedans like the Hyundai Sonata offer it..,. Toyota seems to be regressing...

Love my ls430 still... hope it lasts a few more years without getting too ratty or having any major reliability issues. Maybe by then the LS500 or whatever LS they are up to will again just blow us away and I would consider buying it new. But unlikely today with the electronics interface...

 

 

I would buy the ls500 used in 5yrs as a personal car.

 

And the A4, A6, A8 look the same. And the 5-Series and 7-Series. Lexus is not the only one who suffers from one sausage different lengths lol

 

My 4GS is RWD with multilink rear suspension, yet it still has a deep trunk with space saver.

In any case, even if RWD LS500 needs a higher trunk floor, why didn't they at least put a space saver under the LS500's trunk, rather than using firm riding run flats?

I wonder just what is under the LS500's impractical high trunk shallow floor?
Massive mufflers?
But Pres Akio wants more noise, and many journalists say LS500 accelerates much louder than what they expected from a full size luxury sedan.
.

 

Here we are GStar.

12 months after LS500's debut.
The stats says it all.

No early refresh coming.
Sales could well plummet to less than 100 units/month.

Carmaker1 is right.
Pres Akio takes over 2009.
Huge money spent on white elephants like slow selling: LFA, RC, and LC.
Yet less than 1 billion spent on flagship 5LS, with project headed by inexperienced team leader.
Then 5GS axed!

3GS & 4LS which previously debut with decent/excellent 33k & 35k respectively, now find themselves excessively sporty with 4GS & 5LS sales plummeting on debut, while E Class & 5 Series set new sales records, with current S Class maintaining sales despite its expensive price.
5LS actually debuted with less than 2/3 the sales of the ageing S Class.

Meanwhile, the FWD-based RX, NX & UX set record sales thanks to cheap price, but where is the quality from such cost saving FWD-derived platforms?

Pres Akio must get his act together.
I would get rid of the white elephants, and alternatively pour more money into 5GS and 6LS, and not overdo the sporty theme on luxury cars; limiting the sportiness to the F Sport & F trims...
.