Photo: Lexus
Yeah, Lexus has been busy recently with the RC sports coupe (RC F version included) and the all-new NX compact crossover, but that doesn’t mean the company forgot about its flagship sedan, the LS, the car that launched them into the business.
Back in 1989, when Lexus brought the LS on the market, it managed to become a success by offering niceties like a smooth powerful V8 as standard along with a state of the art sound system (even though not many buyers in the class were interested in audio tech back then) and one of the quietest automotive interiors.
Now in its fourth generation, which, by the way, dates back from 2006, the LS continues its ancestor legacy while adding a whole lot more style, luxury features and performance updates.
The standard powertrain now is a 4.6-liter V8 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the top-of-the-range LS 600h L long wheelbase version is powered by a 438 hp hybrid system comprising a 5-liter V8 and an electric motor both sending the power to all four wheels.
The revised multimedia system, accessed through the big navigation screen, now comes with iHeartRadio 4 and Slacker for even more music-listening choices while the navigation will aid you with the destination and surroundings via improved predictive traffic information, ETA calculation, 3D bird’s eye map views and low-fuel coordination with available fuel stations.
Software updates have been also applied to the car’s electronic backbone to be more compatible with your smartphone. Using the Lexus Enform Remote (which comes with a one-year subscription by default) can control key elements like doors locking/unlocking, remote engine start/stop, climate control, vehicle finder function and even a guest driver monitor.
If we’re still at it, the interior is now lit up using LEDs only and a sense of increased safety is offered by a revised rear view camera that now uses dynamic gridlines.
Mechanically, the car stays almost the same. There’s a 4-inch slight improvement in turning radius for models equipped with 18-inch wheels and standard suspension though.
The F Sport version adds a new rear badge to brag about the added sharper suspension, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, a Torsen limited slip rear differential, Brembo brakes and other visual enhancements.
The list of things you get or can get with the Lexus LS surely is huge and you can read more about them in the press release bellow. The only thing left to discuss about the revamped model is its new price, which unfortunately hasn’t been disclosed by the automaker yet.
This probably means Lexus had to revisit the drawing board again and come with something at least on par with that. Let’s hope we’ll get it in 2016.
Now in its fourth generation, which, by the way, dates back from 2006, the LS continues its ancestor legacy while adding a whole lot more style, luxury features and performance updates.
The standard powertrain now is a 4.6-liter V8 mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the top-of-the-range LS 600h L long wheelbase version is powered by a 438 hp hybrid system comprising a 5-liter V8 and an electric motor both sending the power to all four wheels.
Same looks, more tech
Despite the long wait, we’re not going to get a new model next year, but one that gets more features instead. The same luxury will now be offered along with a new multimedia system, revised backup camera, a retuned suspension and a new F Sport badge for the back.The revised multimedia system, accessed through the big navigation screen, now comes with iHeartRadio 4 and Slacker for even more music-listening choices while the navigation will aid you with the destination and surroundings via improved predictive traffic information, ETA calculation, 3D bird’s eye map views and low-fuel coordination with available fuel stations.
Software updates have been also applied to the car’s electronic backbone to be more compatible with your smartphone. Using the Lexus Enform Remote (which comes with a one-year subscription by default) can control key elements like doors locking/unlocking, remote engine start/stop, climate control, vehicle finder function and even a guest driver monitor.
If we’re still at it, the interior is now lit up using LEDs only and a sense of increased safety is offered by a revised rear view camera that now uses dynamic gridlines.
Mechanically, the car stays almost the same. There’s a 4-inch slight improvement in turning radius for models equipped with 18-inch wheels and standard suspension though.
The F Sport version adds a new rear badge to brag about the added sharper suspension, 19-inch forged alloy wheels, a Torsen limited slip rear differential, Brembo brakes and other visual enhancements.
The list of things you get or can get with the Lexus LS surely is huge and you can read more about them in the press release bellow. The only thing left to discuss about the revamped model is its new price, which unfortunately hasn’t been disclosed by the automaker yet.
But what’s up with the upcoming new model?
During its last generation, the LS received two facelifts, one in 2009 and the last one in 2012, when the car received the whole spindle design thing and other interior features. A whole new generation LS should have been revealed so far but then came Mercedes-Benz with its new S-Class that raised the bar in terms of luxury.This probably means Lexus had to revisit the drawing board again and come with something at least on par with that. Let’s hope we’ll get it in 2016.
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