Review: Lexus LS500

Unreasonableness has a difficult time in today's world of mobility. And it is true: when it comes to gas and fuel consumption, you should exercise caution for safety and environmental reasons. But with the Lexus flagship LS 500 that's exactly difficult. It is too good to simply cruise through the country with the luxury giant. It's fun to occasionally feel the potential of the potent V6 machine. And traveling at high speed without getting a real feel for speed has something sublime.

The LS 500 is already raised on the outside. The sheer mass of the four-door vehicle, which stretches over 5,24 meters, is impressive, although it is no longer as clumsy as in previous generations. The Lulatsch from Japan is a representative mobile with some showy accents. Nevertheless, the sheet metal dress also conveys filigree elegance and liveliness, which would even suit luxury athletes of Italian provenance.

In the case of the 500, the dynamically breathed outer skin is no empty promise, because the 3,4-liter V6 engine under the long hood puts a lot of pressure on. No additional e-machine supports him here, because the drive variant we tested does without the hybrid chichi that is otherwise common at Lexus. One unit is enough to drop 307 kW / 417 hp and 600 Nm of torque via all 10 wheels via 20-speed automatic. The lush 245-inch wheels, with 275 tires at the front and 2,3 tires at the rear, convert the power without whimpering into powerful propulsion: the 100-ton truck reaches the 250 mark in just under five seconds and storms on lightly up to the maximum possible XNUMX km / h. The automatic system changes gears at lightning speed and smoothly. Thanks to the many gear ratios, there is more than enough power available at virtually every speed.

A bit lost in the LS, however, is the feeling for the speed. When you accelerate hard, you are pushed hard into the seats and the engine sounds robust, but otherwise you remain shielded from the outside world, which robs the driver of the senses. This is nice and terrifying at the same time: on some bends you are amazed at the high entry speed. The flagship of the noble Toyota subsidiary can immediately relativize the feeling of speed in bends, because even at high speeds the LS circles elegantly through tight curves. And thanks to all-wheel drive, the thick ship can also be accelerated out cleanly and quickly. Given this precision, the comparison with rail vehicles is obvious. The 500 is certainly not a sports car. At the petrol pump you still get a sporty receipt, because the theoretical 9,8 liter standard consumption practically turns into 12 liter. You could also drive more economically with the LS 500, but it seduces you to travel speeds that you would find in other cars to be overly fast.

The LS can impress its rear seat guests at least as much as its driver. Only when you sit on the back seat, sorry, on one of the two comfort seats, does it become clear that this is a first-class chauffeur-driven vehicle. Of course you are bedded on soft leather, have many setting options and also enjoy plenty of legroom. But these are a matter of course. Lexus has also succeeded in composing a particularly homely interior whose luxury flair only unfolds in a particularly impressive manner from the rear perspective. In places, the interior may seem a bit bulky, but reddish leather, plush fabric accents, crystal applications and a sense of fine detail so typical of Japanese culture create a world of wellbeing of its own. Some details may not meet every taste, but everything is noble here.

Beyond questions of taste, the LS offers very noble equipment on request, which is demonstrated by the example of a first-class rear entertainment system. Here, the two guests can literally experience the big cinema in the back seats, which, unlike in other cars, are not the cheap seats. Everyone looks at their brilliantly resolving display and is simultaneously enveloped in the fine surround sound of the Mark Levison audio system. At the push of a button, you can still close the curtains and so, drawn away from the outside world, sink deep into the seat, which warms and massages your guest if desired. "Are we there yet?", Some rear passengers will ask at the end of the journey and sometimes express the wish to perhaps want to stay a little longer in the vehicle.

However, the fact that the LS is much more than just a simple means of transport has its price: Lexus demands 141.000 euros for the 500 if you order the Luxury Line with crystal decorations, which is full of extras. Compared to the competition, the jovial Japanese is anything but a bargain. As a seducer of format, you have to be self-confident in terms of price if you want to stand up to the strong competition from German manufacturers. If positioned as a cheap alternative, some of the seductive charm of the LS would be left behind.