Motorola

Side-by-side comparison with the new W223 S-Class. I'm surprised that the grilles aren't that far apart in size lol.

The G90 definitely looks wider and more hunkered down, which is more eye-catching but may not necessarily be what people want from a chauffeur car. The water test over speed bumps, awkwardly conducted as it is, also seems to suggest that the G90 has a stiffer ride than the S-Class like what the Korean review from a couple pages back alluded to.

Unrelated to the G90, this might be the best showcase of the S-Class's interior ambient lighting I've seen of any review to date.

Motorola

Finally made its U.S. debut. So our market gets the 21 inch wheels which the Korean market doesn't. No official word yet on the powertrain options.

SW17LS

I really like this car. That white interior is beautiful…

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

Lexus should be doing the following

Motorola

I'm looking forward to see how this will be priced against the LS500. It's almost guaranteed that it will be the same if not more expensive, especially if it gets the electrically supercharged version of the 3.5 TTV6. Lexus does have an answer for that engine in the form of the hybrid 3.4 TTV6 in the Tundra, but I don't know if they'll invest the time and effort to actually put it in the LS.

Toys4RJill

Some of the design of the interior is nice. Some not so nice. Materials look pretty good. I don't think this is in the league of a S/A8 or 7 series. Definitely not feeling the awkward design elements of the exterior. GV80s on the road do catch my eyes

SW17LS

Well, its dramatically cheaper...its never going to be completely of the same league

Motorola

I think it'll be as expensive as the LS500 with this new generation. And it's definitely in the same league as the non-V8 flagships.

SW17LS

The LS500 is also dramatically cheaper, I think this car is really a competitor in the same way the LS500 is a competitor.

Even the non V8 S Class, 7 Series and A8 are on another level from the LS and will likely be this too.

Motorola

What is this lacking compared to a V6 A8 or the aging 7 Series? The LS shot itself in the foot with its many compromises (space, ride quality, technology) and I don't see any of that here with the G90. And aside from the plethora of screens I don't really see what the new S-Class does better either.

I also hesitate to call the LS500 "cheap" when it can be optioned up to $115K. It really isn't much cheaper than a 6-cylinder A8 or 7 Series.

Edit: Went on Audi's site and apparently the 2022 A8 with the V6 tops out at below $105K. So the Lexus actually costs more than the Audi...

Toys4RJill

‘I think the LS will be cancelled very soon. At least for the US.

MattyG

It's lacking the pedigree and heritage. Buyers in this class of cars have expectations about the car they are driving and the car they are going to be seen driving by others on the road. It doesn't have the cachet that comes from an A8, as sublime as it is. Or the BMW badge on a big 7. Those cars also will do a lot of things very well including handling, ride and styling.

It is a nice looking sedan, aside from that hideous grill and it's different - that's for sure. But you can get an Audi S8, and an AMG S or a BMW M760/Alpina. Genesis is too new a brand to compete with the German trio. Lexus made itself irrelevant with the LS at this point. Maybe they'll recover with something new in this segment.

SW17LS

Its just the whole sophistication of the platform. The S, 7 and A8 just feel more special, more refined, more solid. Materials are better, build quality is more robust, the feel of the solidity of the interior alone is on another level entirely. Its nothing you can see in a picture, but something you immediately understand when you drive them.

A absolutely loaded LS500 is $115k, but thats a lowly optioned S500, and not a terribly highly optioned 740. Very, very few LS500s have stickers over $100k. The 2022 A8 is decontented for the US sadly, no more V8 except in the S8, and no availability of upgraded audio or interior finishes. So while it may be cheaper than the LS500, its not optioned nearly the same way.

When it comes to flagships, the LS500 is cheap

I haven't driven a new G90 obviously, but I would be shocked if it has the polish or the additional solidity the German cars have over the LS either.

Motorola

Ah, the good old badge argument. Interesting that you mention the supposed pedigree of the A8 and use the LS as an example of failure when the LS, even with its marginal sales, has outsold the A8 for years and continues to do so in the U.S, while the Audi just cut the pricetag of its S8 by some $13K this year lol. Pedigree means nothing if you can't sell your cars with it. If the LS is irrelevant than the A8 is non-existent.

Didn't you say the LS500 was screwed together and painted better than the S-Class you drive?

I don't believe in the German superiority stereotype unless there is something objective to back it up. In the case of the LS500, it's easy to see why it fell behind the competition. The platform has almost no aluminum. The suspension, even with air, rode worse than the steel spring G90. The engine, despite claiming over 400 horsepower, was slower than all the Germans with 100 HP less and no faster than the outgoing G90's 3.3TT. And of course, I've already mentioned the lack of space and tech.

None of the above applies to the new G90. The GV70, GV80, G80, are all class-competitive against their German equivalents. Why should the G90 be any different?

And no, the LS is not cheap- I already told you that a loaded V6 A8 is still some $10K less than a loaded LS500. The LS is now as expensive as its competitors but didn't have the basics to back it up. That's why its sales fell off a cliff.


Also, I don't think it's quite accurate to lump the S-Class with the 7 Series and A8 when the S-Class is a tier above both of them in price in any comparable trim. So of course it's also more expensive than the LS.

SW17LS

No. They have better paint, and Lexus finishes things in a different way that I prefer, but there is no comparison when it comes to solidity of the interior build. Its night and day, and the 7 Series and A8 are MORE solid inside than the S Class. The 7 and A8 also have paint on par with Lexus.

It has nothing to do with the Germans being "German", its just that the Germans are making a product right now that is on a level beyond Lexus, that wasn't always the case but it is now. My guess is the G90 won't be on that level either. if it is, then thats a real coup.

We'll see if thats the case.

Its cheap. And I explained to you why the V6 A8 is cheaper, its decontented for 2022 and Audi reduced prices. The LS is nowhere near as expensive as its competitors. Remember, I'm a consumer ithis segment myself and have been for many years and I have priced and negotiated all of these cars many times.

Cheap is not a bad thing, but you can feel the lower price of the LS in the car when you compare it to the Germans.

The LS500 starts at $77k. The 740 starts at $87k, A8 starts at $86,500 and the S500 starts at $110,000. So $10,000 less than the 7 and A8, and $32,000 less than the S Class. You also can't get a lot of options on the 6 cyl flagships anymore that you need in order to make them truly comparable in equipment. For instance, no Bowers and Wilkins audio available on the 740, no B&O audio available on the A8. When you option them up similarly, you find the LS maintains that $10k gap from the 7, and thats with the 7 lacking the ability to option an upgraded audio system, and keeps that ~ $35k gap with the S500.

The 7 and A8 are very comparable with the S Class, the S Class is just a lot more expensive.