LS500 One Month Ownership Update

I’ve noticed that although there are a lot of Lexus LS500 review videos there aren’t many actual long-term review videos. So, I want to tell you about my real-world experience with the car after owning it for just over one month.
I can say that I find the fancy 28 way adjustable seats way more comfortable than the Teslas I’ve had in the past, and I use the lumbar massage feature pretty much every time.
I do appreciate having the level of adjustability in getting that seat just how I like it, even though I rarely actually adjust it much anymore.
Given that the centre screen is not a touchscreen, just how annoying is it having to use the touch pad on the console below?
People expect to just tap on a screen - what they want to do. Your phone, your tablet, etc.
I see Lexus has kind of fixed this issue in a newer redesigned model, they also allow you to touch the screen. I expect them to do that for all models as they are redesigned.
How hard is it to navigate the center screen controls while driving?
So, this is really similar to the Tesla where you’re not interacting a whole bunch with the screen while driving. You use it to change some settings and if you have a lot of things to browse through or change, you’d normally do it while stopped, for example like setting up the seat just how you like.
In fact, I interact less with that touchpad and screen while driving because the Lexus uses some physical buttons & controls for things like the heating / air conditioning and radio.
Well we have had that weather recently where it’s below freezing at night and then sometimes above freezing during the day so I do need to have the heated steering wheel & seat on at times. One thing I really like about the LS500 is that it has an automatic setting for both of those things so the car turns the heaters on if it’s cold inside the car and off when it’s warmed up.
This car has a 23 speaker Mark Levinson audio system with speakers seemingly everywhere, even in 4 places in the headliner. I have to say that this sound system is the best sound system I’ve ever had in a vehicle.
I find the heads-up display useful and I use it all the time. I especially like that it puts the speed up there and things like cross traffic alert notifications.
So, I’ve always liked the #Lexus LS lineup but honestly the previous generations of the car were somewhat bland inside and out. The #LS500 I have is the first LS model that absolutely wowed me in terms of design and style everywhere.
You may have noticed on some other Lexus models that they put their signature spindle grille look on the front but it doesn’t look like the vehicle was designed with it in mind. With the LS500 I think everything works together fantastically. I especially like the grille, headlights and tail lights.
So, my car is obviously white, the colour is called Eminent White Pearl. If I was buying a new LS500 I’d either go for this pearl white or the Manganese Luster, it’s kind of a grey pearl metallic.
The LS500 is the top of the line luxury sedan in the Lexus lineup and for comfort and smoothness the LS does not disappoint. For overall regular driving this car is really awesome. I particularly like just how smooth the ride is.
If you read or watch some reviews of the LS500’s ride, some people complain about the ride being harsher than the previous generation LS. Many people blame that on the factory run-flat tires, which is true. On this car, the previous owner replaced the run-flat tires with non-run-flat tires so I have no complaints about the smoothness of the ride.
Overall, I think the car is fantastic and has nearly everything I would like. In the ideal world I would like for this to be a plugin hybrid car. Lexus does not offer a plugin hybrid version but they do offer a hybrid model, although it’s quite expensive.
Another thing I would like is if the gas engine shut off instead of idling at red lights and drive thru-s and such. To get that you need the hybrid version.
My driving requirements have changed over the last number of years and now I’m more interested in plugin hybrids over full electrics for my particular situation. I had a plugin Prius back in 2012-2015 before buying my first Tesla, that car had a very short EV range or I maybe would have kept it longer.
First, I sometimes smell coolant when I get out of the car after driving.
Second, the car doesn’t seem to be sitting level when I look at it from the rear, I believe the air suspension needs to be recalibrated.
And thirdly, if I press the brake pedal down too hard it will make a slight squeak noise from the firewall area.
What I was looking for was a more reliable car with more luxury features with better customer service and support compared to what I had with Tesla, and I got that. When I compare this car’s value to that of other luxury brands such as Audi and Mercedes they would have cost more and had more questionable reliability in the long run.