Photo: Lexus
Introduced in January 2017 at the North American International Auto Show, then facelifted in 2020 as a 2021 model, the fifth-generation Lexus LS full-size luxury sedan can be had in two flavors: the 500 twin-turbo V6 or the 500h naturally-aspirated V6 hybrid. For the 2022 model year, the more frugal option has received the mother and father of price hikes.
As the headline implies, we’re dealing with a difference of $21,500 over the previous year. Available to configure from $113,075, including the $1,075 destination charge, the 500h has gotten really expensive. Rear-wheel drive has been deleted from the configurator in favor of AWD, representing a difference of $18,025 over last year’s all-wheel-drive 500h.
On the safety front, Lexus Teammate is now standard. “Lexus what now?” For starters, Teammate comes with Advanced Drive, a semi-autonomous driving system that supports Level 2 functionality. The Japanese automaker notes that Advanced Drive is designed to plan and execute acceleration, braking, and steering commands to maintain the 500h within its lane, follow other cars, change lanes, navigate interchanges, and navigate traffic jams.
The other part of Lexus Teammate is Advanced Park. No points will be awarded to whoever guesses what kind of gimmicks are on offer. The autonomous parking system controls acceleration, braking, gear changes, and steering when parallel parking or backing into a parking space. High-definition cameras provide a bird’s eye view to allow the driver to check the position of the vehicle relative to any obstacles located nearby.
Lexus Safety System 2.5+ is also standard, along with the so-called Luxury package. In no particular order, bundled goodies include the Lexus Safety System+ A, wood and leather for the heated steering wheel, 20-inch alloys finished in Vapor Chrome, premium wood trim, adaptive variable air suspension, a head-up display, Panoramic View Monitor, a digital mirror, and the Mark Levinson 23-speaker Quantum Logic Immersion Reference Surround Sound Audio System that pumps out a staggering 2,400 watts.
It's a lot of kit, for sure, but on the other hand, the ICE-only 500 starts at $77,075 including taxes. The $36k difference to the 500h is uncanny…
On the safety front, Lexus Teammate is now standard. “Lexus what now?” For starters, Teammate comes with Advanced Drive, a semi-autonomous driving system that supports Level 2 functionality. The Japanese automaker notes that Advanced Drive is designed to plan and execute acceleration, braking, and steering commands to maintain the 500h within its lane, follow other cars, change lanes, navigate interchanges, and navigate traffic jams.
The other part of Lexus Teammate is Advanced Park. No points will be awarded to whoever guesses what kind of gimmicks are on offer. The autonomous parking system controls acceleration, braking, gear changes, and steering when parallel parking or backing into a parking space. High-definition cameras provide a bird’s eye view to allow the driver to check the position of the vehicle relative to any obstacles located nearby.
Lexus Safety System 2.5+ is also standard, along with the so-called Luxury package. In no particular order, bundled goodies include the Lexus Safety System+ A, wood and leather for the heated steering wheel, 20-inch alloys finished in Vapor Chrome, premium wood trim, adaptive variable air suspension, a head-up display, Panoramic View Monitor, a digital mirror, and the Mark Levinson 23-speaker Quantum Logic Immersion Reference Surround Sound Audio System that pumps out a staggering 2,400 watts.
It's a lot of kit, for sure, but on the other hand, the ICE-only 500 starts at $77,075 including taxes. The $36k difference to the 500h is uncanny…
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