We hit the road again this time in the 2020 Lexus LS500h. While I was not much of an enthusiast of Lexus as I fell in love with it’s German counterparts, I have to say living with the car for about a week this car is absolutely great and it’s sad that no one is buying this car. The styling, tech and options are top notch. Leaving me pleasantly surprised and seriously considering a Lexus as a next vehicle.
Coming in at $118,760 this car is a great price for what you get. Especially considering the price point with it’s rivals such as Mercedes, Audi, BMW, and Jaguar coming in considerably higher with like features. This is a limousine where every seat in the car is comfortable, opulent and done just right.
The heart of the car is powered by a 3.5L V6 with the Lexus Multistage hybrid system pushing out a pretty healthy 354 total ponies. With a car at this price you can expect all the accoutrements that a big body sedan should have. Full LED headlights and taillights, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control their slew of safety systems and the like. On paper this car is absolutely amazing and is even better in practice. There really is not much negative to say about this car. Of course I can nitpick anything but the things I am going to nit pick are so minuscule do I even mention them?
THE NEGATIVES
Well for starters for me just being lazy I wish they offered a capless fuel filler, like the ones Ford and GM have adopted in recent years. While it is quite an unnecessary complaint I must say it just makes the fueling process a little more streamlined. The other (which they now offer) is the absence of a panoramic sunroof, which in this case for this 2020 LS I understand as they have speakers in the ceiling and mirrors. Speaking of speakers this car is loaded with a 23 speaker 2,400 watt Mark Levinson sound system and boy is it good. Good mids and lows, crisp highs I hate to say this but I think it might be better than some of the German counterparts. The only other negative is the touch pad for infotainment system, it is quite sensitive and took quite a while to master. There are a plethora of menus to get to things like the cooling, heating and massage functions of the seats. Get that streamlined and it will make the user experience that much better. A lot of cars are now coming with their own phone app so that you can start, lock, cool the car when you’re remote. However unlike the Ford app you have to pay a subscription for the Lexus services to remote start your car which I think if you’re buying their flagship or anything in the luxury space some features they should not nickel and dime you on.
THE PROS
I have said it plenty of times but I like just about everything about this car and how well it was thought out. From the soft close doors, to the Kiriko glass making it virtually silent inside to the supple ultra suede headliner the large 24″ HUD and 12.3″ display this car has everything right in all the right places. The ability to have 4-way climate control, all seats heated, cooled and have massage capabilities, the ability to recline fully in the rear seats, amazing sound system, good power, great air suspension that soaks up the bumps in the road yet give you good feedback this is a perfect car for the exec or family car. Not only that this car is GINORMOUS. As you will see in the above video you that we had a full load in the car and still had plenty of space to make the long drives comfortable and be stretched out for those long stints.
The last question remains… who is this car for? To me this car is a versatile one. Great price point, good power, good suspension, supple, plush, has every feature you could ever want and most importantly it is a huge car that feels much smaller than what it is. As a dad ( even my wife would agree) I can definitely drive this to show houses on the day to day, take it on trips and not worry about things breaking as it is extremely reliable, chauffeur the kids in style and fit all of their stuff, and even feel good about taking it to valet for date night. If you haven’t thought about looking at the Lexus line up you should think again. You will be surprised at what these cars can offer.
