Lexus sports a different style
IT TAKES a lot to stand out these days. With modern life being so hectic and so many new products bombarding us, building something that is genuinely different from its competitors is quite an achievement.
When Toyota launched its Lexus premium sub-brand in 1989 with the LS large executive saloon, it did look different from its rivals. Now, almost 30 years on, the fifth-generation LS still looks different – but is that enough to win over the executive buyers the company is targeting?
In terms of its looks, there isn’t much that will put potential purchasers off. Traditional saloons have gone out of fashion in the past decade or so, replaced by sportier shapes with swooping coupé-like rears. The team of designers at Lexus has taken that approach with this LS500h, producing a car that has a very definite sporty look.
The front is dominated by what is now the brand’s signature spindle grille, flanked by two sets of LED headlights and a pair of air scoops. The side profile is largely unfussy, with 20-inch wheels and a roof that swoops down towards the back of the car, while the rear has LED lights that wrap around the sides of a back end designed to echo the lines of the grille.
It is certainly a good-looking car and will impress most observers, although the grille is sufficiently bold to be very much a matter of taste. Another point of difference Lexus has always had is its hybrid engine set-ups, with all the models in the brand’s line-up having such powertrains.
This is less true these days with the BMW 7-Series having a 740e plug-in system and the Mercedes-Benz S500e and S300h variants of its S-Class but the LS is only available as a 500h hybrid with no plug-in version. In fact, the only choice with the LS is for either two or four-wheel drive as there is not even a long-wheelbase version.
Combining a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and an electric motor, a total of 354bhp is available to the driver, leading to a possible 0 to 60mph time of 5.3 seconds (or 5.4 seconds with all-wheel drive versions) and a top speed of 155mph. The engine is mated with a four-speed gearbox that works in conjunction with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic designed to create the effect of a 10-speed gearbox.
The overall effect of the engine and gearbox is not entirely successful. The engine is a little too raucous when attempting to accelerate quickly and the gearbox doesn’t help in this regard, with the CVT’s tendency to sound as if the car is over-revving still