2020 Lexus LS 500 F Sport AWD review: Comfortable chair
"The 2020 Lexus LS 500 is as fast as a sports car and as comfortable as your living room."
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Impressive acceleration
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Striking exterior
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Well-designed interior
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Handles well for a large car
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No Android car
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Cumbersome infotainment interface
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Inconspicuous driver assistance technology
With the 2020 LS 500, Lexus lets hair hang. The original Lexus LS shocked the world with its amazing build quality and reliability at a lower price than a comparable Mercedes-Benz or BMW of the time. The first LS proved to be fairly bulletproof, with one example collecting 1 million miles. However, luxury car purchases are inherently irrational, so Lexus needed cars that could appeal to both the heart and the head.
The LS has been redesigned for the 2018 model year and has been given a more expressive exterior and interior design to give it a distinctive personality that earlier generations of this large sedan lacked. The LS also received a technical and performance upgrade to keep pace with competitors like the Audi A8, the BMW 7 Series, and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Our test car was a 2020 Lexus LS 500 with the optional performance package F Sport and all-wheel drive (rear-wheel drive is standard). As tested, the car had a sticker price of $ 89,555, about $ 13,000 more than a base model.
Design and interior
Like other current Lexus models (and those of the parent company Toyota), the 2020 LS 500 tries very hard not to get bored. From the massive spindle grill to headlights that look as if they were designed by Zorro, the LS 500 stands out in a way that its German competitors don't. In contrast to the LS of the previous generation, in which many of these style elements were taken up later, the exterior of the 2020 model also works as a coherent whole.
The interior is even better. Not only does it have a distinctive look, with aluminum trim parts flowing over the dashboard and hand-folded pleats on the doors, but the materials are top-notch. Almost everything you touch is real metal or leather. Lexus has skipped the traditional wood paneling of our performance-oriented F-Sport test car, but is available as an option.
The interior is also cavernous, but that's expected in this segment. As spacious as the Lexus is, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Audi A8 offer more headroom at the front and rear. The Audi also has a bit more leg room in the front, while the BMW 7 Series has more leg room and a larger trunk.
The LS 500 stands out in a way that its German competitors don't.
Technology, infotainment and driver assistance
Lexus hit the design but missed the technical goal. The infotainment system includes a central 12.3-inch screen and a digital instrument cluster (our test car also had the optional head-up display). The graphics were clear and easy to read, but everything is controlled via the cumbersome Remote Touch Interface trackpad.
This interface is similar to a laptop, in which the driver has to move a cursor over the screen. While Lexus has made some improvements over previous versions (the latest version supports handwriting recognition), the trackpad is still difficult to use while driving.
By default, the LS is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa, but not with Android Auto. Some Lexus models have received Android Auto for the 2020 model year, so it is possible that the feature will be added to the LS in the future. However, Lexus has not discussed a fixed schedule.
Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends
An unusual feature that Lexus included was a CD player that has disappeared from most other new cars. The Lexus SC 430 was the last car to be sold in the US with a tape recorder. So Lexus clearly has a soft spot for the media.
Like most other models from the Japanese automaker, the 2020 LS 500 comes standard with the Lexus Safety System + 2.0 package of driver aids. These include autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, a lane departure warning and a lane tracking assistant that offers small steering inputs to keep the car centered on its lane. Regardless of this package, monitoring of the blind spot, warning of cross traffic at the rear and parking assistance are also standard on the 2020 LS 500.
Driver aids are fairly simple compared to other luxury car manufacturers. For example, the LS can recognize stop signs, but the Audi A8 knows when the traffic lights change (at least in 30 cities with the necessary infrastructure). The lane tracking assistant struggled with even the smoothest bends on highways and tumbled drunk from one side of the lane to the other. The adaptive cruise control had problems maintaining a set speed. When going downhill, it relied too much on engine brakes to slow the car down, and let the speed increase a few miles an hour before finally slowing down. It is a low-resolution version of the experience you have with one of the German alternatives.
Experience behind the wheel
Turn off the driver aids and the 2020 Lexus LS 500 is in its element. Lexus has steadily improved the driving dynamics of its cars, and the LS 500 shows how far the automaker has come.
Under the hood (and a large plastic engine cover) sits a 3.5-liter V6 with two turbochargers that delivers 416 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque. The V6 is coupled with a 10-speed automatic transmission with standard rear-wheel drive or the optional all-wheel drive of our test car.
Lexus said that rear-wheel drive models will go from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. That said, this 4,900-pound sedan is faster than a basic Porsche Cayman. It is also faster than the basic versions of the Audi A8, the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and is connected to the V8-BMW 750i. However, the Germans offer other variants of their large sedans with more power and faster acceleration.
Lexus hit the design but missed the technical goal.
Our test car was an F Sport model, which was equipped with adaptive suspension and larger brakes to improve handling. F Sport models don't get the same upgrades as Lexus F-bore full-bore models, but this LS 500 did pretty well with what it had.
The car always felt like the big, heavy sedan, but the F Sport suspension made it somewhat maneuverable in corners. The engine was one of the most powerful turbo six-cylinder we have ever seen. He felt like he had a few more cylinders. If big cars are like boats, this is more of a guided missile cruiser than an ocean liner.
Even in normal mode, the ride was not as smooth as we would expect from cars in this segment. This could be due to the chassis tuning and the 20-inch wheels of our test car. However, the compromise between driving quality and handling seemed reasonable.
Fuel consumption and security
All-wheel drive 2020 Lexus LS 500 models like our test car are rated at 21 mpg (18 mpg city, 27 mpg highway), while rear-wheel drive models with 23 mpg (19 mpg city, 30) do slightly better at mpg highway). The ratings are pretty close to the petrol versions of the Audi A8, the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. We drove an average of 15.5 mpg over a week (according to the car's on-board computer), but the average fell around 11 mpg when driving around town.
Lexus also offers an LS hybrid of up to 28 mpg, which, however, offers significantly less power than the non-hybrid model. Audi, BMW and Mercedes offer plug-in hybrid drives with even higher fuel efficiency.
If big cars are like boats, this is more of a guided missile cruiser than an ocean liner.
The 2020 Lexus LS has received no crash test ratings from the Road Safety Insurance Institute (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This is usually the case with high-end, low-volume cars.
Lexus offers a four-year basic warranty of 50,000 miles and a six-year warranty of 70,000 miles for the drive train. The LS has built its reputation on unparalleled reliability, and Lexus still has a pretty good reputation in this area.
How DT would configure this car
It can raise the price by $ 6,000, but the F Sport package seems like a good investment. The adaptive suspension enlivens handling, and improved brakes are always a plus with such a heavy car. F Sport models also get comfortable but heavily padded front seats, which are a good alternative to the crowded sofa cushions of some other luxury cars. The head-up display ($ 1,200) and the Mark Levinson audio system with 23 speakers ($ 1,940) would complete our hypothetical LS build.
Our opinion
The 2020 Lexus LS 500 has a powerful turbo engine and a well-designed interior that makes for a very luxurious experience, although competitors offer better technology. Lexus needs to get rid of the chunky trackpad interface and update the driver aids. The original LS hybrid was one of the first traditional luxury cars with electrification. Audi, BMW and Mercedes are now offering plug-in hybrids. The F Sport model is sporty, but not as sporty as the top versions of the German sedans.
Lexus gave the LS a soul, but now he has to give the car a technical upgrade. The infotainment system and driver aids are the most imperfect areas, but it would also be nice to see a full-fledged F-performance model or plug-in hybrid or fully electric powertrain options. These changes would make the LS from a good car to a great one. Nevertheless, the Lexus LS 500 sends you down the road like a rocket ship and still offers you comfort. That will definitely appeal to many buyers.
Should you get one?
Yes. The 2020 Lexus LS is luxury with personality.
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