2024 Lexus LS 500 consumer reviews

I had the enormous opportunity to test drive a brand new 2024 Lexus LS 500 for one week while my car is being serviced. Overall, I am concerned about the direction that Lexus motorcars are taking with the LS series. I was greeted first and foremost with harder seats than expected (sport seats). Over the period of a week I did not feel comfortable riding in the new Lexus. The seats were too firm. I played around with the seat adjustments, trying to get a comfortable position and no matter what I did, I still never felt that I could take a long trip in this car. The Lexus had several suspension comfort level settings. I choose the comfort level through the duration of my week with this car. Of the cabin pleasures, it was the Sound system and climate controls. The SiriusXM radio was welcomed, and was used throughout my Test drive. Climate controls were easy to use easy to set the desire temperature. The ride, however suffered as it felt too sporty and I felt every bump. The rims were too big and the tires were too shallow causing for a more nimble ride but less luxurious. Surprisingly, the wheelbase on this model was longer than my current LS. It barely fit into my garage, and every time I parked the parking assist safety feature stepped in, at times abruptly, stopping my entry into the garage. There is probably a way to turn this feature off, but it wasn’t my car and I did not want to alter any default settings. The choice of interior colors I am still debating on. It had a very odd beige color as the color in the black leather seating. Also, as a tall person, I lost height because of the sunroof. I found myself sitting lower than I would normally sit. Getting in and out of the vehicle was also more difficult. Interesting to me was the driver assist option when using the cruise control. You can practically just touch the steering wheel and have the car drive itself. Another interior criticism, I did not like the valore accent along the window pillars, it felt less luxurious . I also did not care for the steering wheel leather all around. My LS 460 has the faux wood around the top of the steering wheel, which felt very nice and is easy to clean. I feel that a all leather steering wheel will get dirty and sticky and not feel right. Acceleration was surprisingly a tick below my LS 460. Parking the LS 500 is a pleasure as it gives an outside view of your vehicle so you can line up to the parking space perfectly. I also noted with direct comparison to my LS 460, that the interior space especially the driving space was reduced with the new LS 500. Longer wheelbase and less interior room? Access in and out of the car was more difficult with the LS 500 this may have been related to having the seat height, lowered to make up for the sunroof. Lastly, I looked up the price of this LS 500 on the dealers lot. It was north of $80,000. In my mind, I cannot justify that price. I would like to know what demographics Lexus is going after for this vehicle. The younger generation clearly wants sport, utility vehicles and not cars. With so many options out on the market, I was hoping the LS series would stay as a luxury option, full of creature comforts and refinement, I was largely disappointed and could not justify the high high price tag. I do not care for the sport direction that this car has taken. Lexus in the past had an SC series that was gear toward the sports and spirited drivers. The LS in my opinion was supposed to stay the luxury division of Lexus. I’ll stick with my LS 460 for as long as it will last. Hopefully it is not the last of its kind.