Is the Luxurious Lexus LS 500 an Underrated gem? REVIEW

The last time we drove the Lexus LS500 we loved the way it made us feel, especially the rear travelers.

There is space and technology galore, and the luxury is understated and tasteful. A few things have changed, and they’ve changed for the better.

The appalling infotainment controls have been smoothed over, now using only the touch screen, voice, and steering wheel to navigate. The trackpad, long the bane of every Lexus driver, has been consigned to the “worst idea of all time” section of the Lexus Museum.

Touches of Luxury

Cabin décor can be tailored with Savile Row-like precision. Wood and leather can be specified to suit the occupants, and the seats that cradle them, can gently massage the day’s stress away. Heating and cooling for the outer 4 positions, channels the temperature control directly to body contact, the most efficient way to do it.

Touching the door handles initiates the ingress/egress routine, graciously raising the limousine several centimetres. While that’s not the same height as an SUV such as the RX, the LS500 carries a stately-country-pile presence that Chanel would approve of. The aura envelopes the passengers as they cross portals, and it is very hard not to feel special.

Close the rear blinds, and the capsule of VIP privacy forms a shield against unwanted pap-snaps.

Video Review: 2023 Lexus LS500 Review The Big Bold Barge is the Dog’s Bollocks – GayCarBoys – Alan Zurvas 

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ABOVE: 2023 Lexus LS500

Lexus’ human interface is less daunting than many of her brethren.

Mercedes Benz and BMW have a bewildering selection for occupants to ponder. Some say it is too much. Lexus adopts Chanel’s “less is more” ethos, although the rear entertainment screens are probably a little excessive. Most people in the rear compartment will have devices of their own, and will require nothing more than power. One might think they already have more power than they know what to do with, right?

On the Road

A few little updates for the 2024 season make Lexus’ LS500 near perfect. We last drove LS500 HERE.

The infotainment screen no longer works through a toggle and track pad, instead it has a touch screen like a grown-up car.

Vision all-round is helped by a digital rearview mirror, and the pampering in the back seat is continued in the front. Like the rear outer seats, there is heating and cooling that is aided by a Zen-like massager that gently rubs you up the right way.

The passenger-side rear has a pouffe that extends, and the seatbacks recline. There are twin LCD screens in the front seat-backs, and another control screen in the rear armrest.

The driver looks very far away, his lofty position tucked away where the bloke with all the money can’t see him. My driver can be downright insolent, often needing to be reminded where he is going and where he has been, in one way or another.

None of the technology of daunting, something we can’t say for some of the Europeans. The voice control is still limited, but when it works, it works well.

310kw worth of twin-turbo loveliness issues an urgent call once the loafer is planted. The imperious saloon “proceeds” to 100kph in 5 seconds, and the sound is magnificent. While there isn’t the visceral rumble of a V8, the V6 has a silkily 60’s tone to it, the type a sporty Aston Martin used to have.

Is Lexus LS500 Better than a BMW or Mercedes?

That would be a big call either way. Surely it comes down to taste. The Lexus has online services via an inbuilt SIM, and you’re able to swap into another Lexus using the Encore facility. You can have a powder-wigged flunky park your limo at places you’re bound to want to visit, and there is roadside assist for when the unforeseen eventuates.

By far, surely the Lexus advantage is the preponderance of Toyota dealers, which at a pinch, can help you out of a crisis.

Let us know in the comments what you think.

What the boys thought.

Nico

Yeah baby, the back seat for me. A ton of space for a 6’ Italian and a 6’model is just the way I like it. Raffy and I tried to give the entertainment screens a go, but in the end, we were happy snuggling under a blanket in the back like schoolboys on a gay-date.

The ride there is serene and the cabin is so quiet. I loved it. Gimmie!

Raffy

Nico and I rarely feel comfortable in the back of a car. We both have long legs that seem to fill a space. Nico quickly learnt that the ottoman (aka pouffe, for obvious reasons) wasn’t practical if the limo was on the go.

We both had a steer, but unusually, preferred life in the screened oasis of the back seat.

Hunter

A car this size is for the human in charge, the one at the top, the boss, the big bwana.

Gay boys love luxury, there it is, I’ve said it. Sumptuous seats, covered in leather the squeak when you move, are so lux. The carpet feels like silk, and the air is somehow “soft”. However, it can go too far. I didn’t care for the chilled wafts up my bum and asked for the automated system to be turned off. The driver got downright shirty.

Alan

An S-Class is the by-word in all things posh. While it’s no Rolls Royce, the Merc brims with the techy lushness that Germany can muster. Lexus LS500 is equally lush, yet feels friendly and far less snobby. Its approachable cabin raises itself to meet height conscious traveler, and the seats and be made to perform mystical spells to sooth frayed nerves.

The Sound system is 1^st class and needs no further comment.

Finally. It is the drive that does it for me. 4-wheel steering makes the LS500 feel like a Mini of old, and I like that. I feel secure, love the looks, and the ride is sublime.

I’ve been in strife before. Luckily it was a Lexus, so a Toyota dealer assisted.

LEXUS LS500 Sport Luxury

• Price: $202,390 (plus onroads)
• Engine: 3.5L V6 Twin Turbo
• Power: 310kw/600Nm
• 0-100: 5.0 seconds
• Trans: 10-Sp automatic
• Econ 10L/100km
• C02: 227g/k, EURO 6 with OBD

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