zheka130

Hey guys,
I am looking for comparative opinions/reviews on the LS driving experience after switching from the GS platform.
I am currently driving a 2013 GS F Sport. I like that it is quite nimble and feels like a much smaller car. I also like the manual mode with paddle shifters, which is quite decent for an auto.
What I dont like is that it needs to be revved to over 4K RPM in order to get any meaningful power out of it. I think the low torque is the culprit. Also, it isnt that large on the inside, even though it is pretty large on the outside.
Which is why I am contemplating the LS platform.
Curious to hear some opinions on it. How responsive is the transmission ? I find the 6 speed in the GS is somewhat lacking. I presume its nowhere as nibble. How torquey is it ?

Gerf

I drove a fairly new GS f sport for a few days while the LS I bought was getting the wheels refinished and I thought it was nice except for the fake engine noise and the V6 engine.

After 2 yrs with a 2013 f sport awd I'm getting bored with it, the car is pretty quiet on the highway and no problem passing but It's just not any fun. I think a GSF would be a good mix of some comfort and some performance if a person could find one that's not totally bagged out,
I had a LS400 for a number of years and you could even drift it somewhat if the road conditions were right lol.

PGA71

iTrader: (3)

I had a 2013 GS350 Lux and went to LS500.

I posted about it here My LS500 after 2013 GS350 LUX

Also see post #44 for my 3 week review.

Washed her yesterday and took her to the lake.

zheka130

Thanks for the response.
Curious whether you ever drove the previous generations of LS, and how they compare to the one you've purchased ?

Nalod

I had a 2020 GS350 AWD fsport and like PGA went to a 2019 LS500 AWD with interior upgrade and ML.
I don't have the Air suspension by choice. its wonderful BTW. I just did not want the costs associated with repair if need be.
Its for sure not as much a "drivers car" or "Sport" or one might say its more boring. But......
Its freaking luxury, stupid quiet and the sound system is amazing!
Its faster then the GS, but you won't feel it.
It is big.
The fake *** exhaust note? its funny as hell but who cares. MY GS piped it in also. LIke looking at a hot women with fake *****. "They are fake!!"
So what!! LOL
I own manual transmission car and never used paddle shift on any of my cars with torque converting automatic. LS500 is 10 speed and the few times I play with it seems responsive.
When I want to play I put it in sport plus and let the computer do its thing. I have not spend enough time with it to get used to it. The magnesium plated metal paddles do feel very nice though!

The leather and seats? Soft leather and my shiatsu massage is great.
I love driving it. I think it looks great. Is the GS a bad looking car? Not at all.
Why did I do it? It was a 15k "Modification" over a car I really liked. My GS had 25k miles. The LS I bought with 27k on it.
The GS really great on my over my 3 year ownership. Never any trouble and I enjoyed that one can hit a switch and it was more fun.

Why did I not look at previous V8 Gen? Like the GS, the interior was a bit antiquated. Owners of the LS460 swear by them and advocate heavy for them. They don't like the 500!!! The LS500 is not for everyone and I did not like it at first when it came out. But I spend some time in it and the "Light bulb" went off and understood what they were going for. They departed building facsimiles of German build and went their own way.
LIke the GS, LS500 body work blends in. other than the 20inch bling wheels its generic style is chill. Love the long hood and low roofline. If you need more head room its not going work for you.
Fit and finish of interior is wonderful. The door designs is amazing. No color choices on LED ambient lighting. This car is for grown ups.
Motor? This is one heavy car, about 4900lbs. the 416HP and 440lb of torque. 0-60? I have read in 4.5 seconds! Car and Drive and Motor Trend say 5.0 and 5.1 for AWD. 5.8-9 for GS. LS500 is quicker, but other than the seat of your pants you won't feel it. I'd say the Magazines are likely more accurate.
The turn radius is a bit wider on the LS and you notice it. Like the GS, the ergonomics are great and that door as good looking as it is, knows what to do with your arm!!
MPG? I do mostly suburban driving and avg 18.6mpg. Posted avg is about right.
Why not Fsport? I wanted AWD, and certain colors. There are not a lot of these cars around so it took some time to get the right combo at the right price. Naguri trim on the GS was amazing but does not work as well on the LS in my opinion and Like the wood trim "art wood" on mine. Did not dig the look of the boy racer look of the Fsport seat in the LS. Bigger brakes would be nice but replacement costs were a factor. Did not read suspension was much different. Mostly its a cosmetic package. Its nice, but was not necessary. Most were in white and black and I really wanted Atomic silver on this car.
Should you do it? Have to spend some time driving one and perhaps be smitten with what it is before writing a check. Its a personal choice and no doubt you get biased feed back when asking online. As a GS owner, they say no. Ask LS460, they say its the last REAL LS and lexus got "Lazy". Thats actually funny! Ask a former LS500 owner and they may advocate for their new Genesis or Tesla instead.
I came from a happy place with my GS to the LS500.

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

I switched back in 2017 and never regretted, the thing that will be the most difficulty is the difference in size of the vehicle as well as the turning radius it will take some getting use too. I will say that the front seat is the same space as the GS also for note. The power is amazing coming from the GS and the drive on the highway just feels so comfortable. I will also say that the transmission will be a change as the 10 gears for to this day still feels like its to many and I hate it the most, you will say in wish I had the 6 speed lol. it is nimble in its on way definitely takes time just getting used to the size of the vehicle is what I will say. and definitely torque especially on the highway.
I would say go get it it's worth the money and I don't think you will regret it, I think you will need to decide whether you want an F-Sport or a regular or luxury model.



.

zheka130

Thanks for the responses.
I wonder how proven the 10 speed gearbox is? Seems like a crazy number of gears
Worth test driving, no doubt

Ironman50

@PGA71 Re wireless Car Play - was that OEM installed OR you purchase and install?

shadowx055

Wireless CarPlay only started on the LS on the 2023 model and which also removed the trackpad.

PGA71

iTrader: (3)

For wireless purchased the Ottocast dongle from Amazon found on this link. It is reliable but you need to reset it every so often.

So to elaborate more on my overall LS500 experience....

The car drives and accelerates smoothly and is very powerful with its twin turbo as @Nalod mentioned. I don't feel the hunting of gears that some of the post 6 speed GS'ers complained of. Love the paddle shifters feel and use them daily for engine braking and to downshift to get in a higher power zone for passing etc.

Similar to the GS, to drive spirited, use Sport and Sport+ modes, Drive in comfort mode for a luxury soft ride, Eco to save a few bucks on fuel and Normal with everything optimized. There is an additional mode that I use mostly called "Custom", where you can customize settings for Engine, Comfort and Climate.

I love the ride that the Adjustable Height Air shocks provide and usually drive and park in in the lower setting. I have it customized to automatically rise when I enter or exit the vehicle for ease. To me, the ride is excellent even with RFTs, but the tires are new and riding on the factory air suspension option I'm sure helps a lot. It's true some people have complained of the ride comfort with the run flats compared with their previous LS models, but coming from the GS I don't share the same complaint so it is definitely relative. And @zheka130 I never drove a previous version of LS so my inputs are strictly coming from the 2013 GS350.

The 28 way adjustable massage seats are a dream and such a pleasure to drive in which was a key feature for me when buying. (Part of the Luxury package for driver and passenger seats)
The Panoramic View Camera is essential for mitigating wheel curb rash while parking and clipping anything while pulling into or backing into a garage etc. and use it regularly as have it programmed to activate anytime driving below 6 mph. You will love this as the car is longer, but you do get use to it.
The ML system with 2400 watts with 23 speakers makes you feel like you are rolling in a recording studio. This was a must have for me as well.
With LKA / LTA and Dynamic Cruise the car is literally driving itself with your hands lightly on the wheel keeping you centered in your lane.
The 24” HUD to me is an additional safety feature that helps keep your eyes on the road since everything necessary is displayed.
The cross traffic alert / pre-collision system with brake support has already saved my *** a few times now so can’t say enough about it.

This is certainly a viable transition from GS when you are looking to move on and up.

Nalod

its kind of fun getting on highway when a lime green Challanger or other purple hemi thing behind you wants to go alpha and try to pass in the douchbag move so many like to do.
The cars power is there when you want it. Now I won't race or cut any of these posers off but try that **** on me and im opening the big girl up and gonna do it. What usually occurs is I proved my point, and the idiot will now have to find another way to pass me. If there is a ticket to be gotten, the Hemi gonna get it.
The fake *** exhaust is funny but really you pay for double pane glass and haul pounds of sound deadening material so Im not into any mods to get it loud. Its fake. But even funnier is its like really good fake!
The lack of wind noise is really impressive and the ML system creates a really nice chill environment. You lose some road feel and a times its missed. But, its a luxury car.
Like PGA, the runflats don' t bug me out.
My take is any new tire is better than an old one. perhaps if I replaced new RFT with new Non RFT I can directly compare. To replace worn RFT with new non's im sure is worthy of a post to exclaim the brilliance of such a thing!
I realize the GS wet dream is "my next car is a GS-F"..........I looked at the prices of them and was shocked how those prices have gone up on them. I get the attraction for the motor but that's a big price for the extra ponies!

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

I mean it definitely has had its ups and downs as some have complained of the many transmission delays which is a normal Lexus problem, but yes I would take a good test drive if you drive mostly highway take it on the highway if your driving city drive city to see how your commute would feel. Yes it is a crazy amount I think 8 is perfect.10 is overkill just for mpg savings.

Nalod

My 2020 GS was AWD which was the 6speed. My LS500 Also AWD with the 10.
Im not up on this tranny if it is adaptive to the drive, but also we also get used to it.
I find if I am super aggressive in Sport plus it won't shift up if I start fast then back down. The Revs stay up. Its me, not the car.
10 might be over kill but you won't notice it as an issue. Its rarely awkward.
No car has a perfect Trans and you will always find someone with an issue. After all, how exciting are posts that say "Hey, its all good. My car is really good. Nothing is wrong".
The LS500 production was low and there are not many posters. GS has far more participants.
At the end of the day I went with lexus over others as to gain statistical advantage if there is one. By that, its a reliable build. gotta go with the avg.

gripau1

When I was shopping for the next daily driver, I did test drive the LS500h its a great ride and even better if you get driven around but I found it just too long.

The carparks here are very narrow especially when the road curves tightly going from one level to another. I know SUV and UTEs struggles as their bumper scraps on the wall and raised edges will damage rims.

I also test drive the GSF but found that gear 2 is so long that by the time you hit 3rd gear its get caught and game over speed. Where I live it's automatically loose your license for 6 months, massive fine and if you are a repeat offender the car gets crush.

With the GSF really only 1st and 2nd gear is useable which is a real waste driving on the streets with that type of performance on tap. The noise the GSF makes eggs / pushes you to go faster to hear the induction and exhaust.