TEST: Lexus LS 500h – a unique experience – Podkapotou.sk

Lexus LS500h
Source: Ján Hargaš Lexus LS 500h is proof that when you ask yourself certain questions, you only get certain answers. Who is the market leader? Which car sells best? Which has more assistants? Which has more displays? Which displays have a larger diagonal, resolution? Which cars you can control remotely. Which one has the nearest service? How many liters of liquid can fit in a suitcase where you must not spill liquid? Which cars do they have that I want to compete with? Which car do I have to have for others to pick me up? These are some of the questions behind which clear answers are already hidden. If you are asking yourself these questions, it is very likely that the Lexus LS 500h is not for you. That is, you are not worthy of him. Because the strength of this car is not that it tries to match the Germans, that it tries to do things like the Germans. In fact, it’s the worst way to go. There are also parodies. But from human behavior. What does a Slovak look and sound like when he tries to look like a German? What about a Japanese guy? Will it work well with a liter mug of beer and a sausage in hand? Is it a cliché? Of course it is, but that is exactly the essence of trying to be something/someone other than what we really are. And here it is even further. Here it doesn’t just stay with the embarrassing “be yourself” Here it all shifts to “be better.” Lexus LS500h Source: Ján Hargaš Writing about the Lexus LS 500h as an alternative to German premium cars is mostly true, but superficial. He is not an alternative in the sense of choice – if BMW doesn’t come out, I’ll buy a Lexus. No, the one who can’t find a BMW will go to Mercedes or Audi, and if they don’t suit him there either, he’ll go for a Volvo. Dot. The end. So who is the Lexus LS 500h for? Well, if you have to ask, you’ll probably never know. As long as you don’t have to ask, you know. Simply put, the Lexus LS 500h is its own thing. Original, authentic, authentically Japanese. It is the pinnacle of Japanese automotive culture, the best that Japan has to offer Europeans. If a European doesn’t get it, it’s sad, but it won’t change anything. The car will still be here, whether in Europe or in Japan. The car simply flows. It flows on the road, it flows on the highway. You close the door, sit back, and the car flows as time should flow. Your time. However, it usually flows too fast outside the car door. This car speaks, whispers one word: slow down. It says the same as a villa surrounded by nature, like a mountain stream, a cold sunny morning. Or you sit forward and the flow of the car is even more obvious. He’s not trying to race, he’s not trying to be better. He tries to be the best for you. Both in the front and in the back, it brings peace and elegance. Well, peace doesn’t have to be slow, it can be really fast, dynamic, but still with a high dose of comfort, privacy and silence. Lexus LS500h Source: Ján Hargaš Originality and the effort to stand out can be seen at first glance. The design of Lexus vehicles is already well known to Europeans. Expressive shapes, sharp edges, a minimum of curves and many large clean surfaces. Those cars are like modern sculptures. They don’t try to have everything – both curves and sporty sharpness. They have one particular style that you may or may not like. They are not lost in the past, nor flown into the future. They are futuristic, but just enough so that they don’t age too quickly. Just look at the used cars of this brand. Ten years old and still looking good. The design of the facelifted LS 500h is also helped by the specific silver moon color for 3900 euros. Extremely thin, yet durable metallic, the strength of which lies in its unique application. The paint uses a larger amount of aluminum flakes, but in a thinner layer. As a result, the chips do not float freely in the paint, but lie in one layer. This achieves an exceptional shine, even a reflection, but at the same time it doesn’t look extravagant and cheap like a shiny foil would on such a car. The light reflections are extraordinary, the car stands out in practically every light and space, and it is a joy to photograph and film it. Lexus LS500h Source: Ján Hargaš It’s an equal joy to sit in it and enjoy the massive seats, wooden decor, but in this case also the exceptional door decor. They cost 14,000 euros and you can even choose. Here were ornaments called Nishijin & Haku. It’s not a shunt from a department store. These ornaments were flying a few years ago, but neither I nor you probably knew that they were fakes of the original Japanese art of metal weaving. Dear handiwork. Insanely precise work that few people will appreciate. It’s like taking an ordinary person to a modern art gallery. He looks at the painting and asks what is so expensive about it. In this case, however, it is clearly visible from the beginning that it is a “nice thing.” Few people will probably notice more. In the car, modern elements are combined with traditional elements, elements of art, sometimes it can seem strange, because when next to ordinary plastic sits an accessory worth a small hatchback, it can really look like a patch of gold. But that’s the way it is, and the overall impression of the interior is very pleasant, even if the perceived and real quality differs across the cabin, they work together quite decently, even if you can’t say that they are harmonious. Because if the entire car were to be of a similar level of handwork and hand-stitching, the price would be similar to carbon supercars. So here, solid plastic and solid leather go hand-in-hand with man-hours of ornamentation, presenting such a compact, airy journey to a Japan steeped in tradition, recognizing quality handwork and years of toil of artisans. Strange world, isn’t it? Lexus LS500h Source: Ján Hargaš Even the Lexus LS 500h has displays. And he has a lot of them. The central instrument panel is complemented by a large wide-angle head-up display and a large central infotainment display, which is traditionally controlled by the touchpad in Lexus. It takes some getting used to, but I prefer working with it to reaching out and typing commands into the touch screen. This car also has assistance systems. Handfuls full. It allows you to drive essentially in autonomous mode. It’s called custom driver mode. You don’t even have to sit behind the wheel, the driver will take you where he wants and sometimes even where you want. It is not part of the equipment, you can scare the driver at your discretion. Or, when it has to be and you get behind the wheel from the presidential chair, you as a driver have a bunch of assistants that reduce the stress of the heavy traffic around you. The car cannot handle overtaking on its own, and even the reactions of the adaptive cruise control in crisis situations are more damage-reducing than damage-preventing. But it suits me. After all, that’s what it’s all about, right? That driving. Here you can also observe the interconnectedness of machine and man, harmony and cooperation. Not mutual reliance. Working together to increase safety. Fine. And the harmony between the machine and the person is also present when driving. This is not a racer. However, it has power to give even when overtaking, even on the German highway. Lexus LS currently has only one engine in our country. The hybrid called Multi-Stage with all-wheel drive has an atmospheric V6 engine located at the front, which is connected to the electric motor via a hybrid transmission, if another four-speed transmission is added to it. The rear wheels are driven, but when necessary, the front wheels are also connected. The result of such an arrangement is a significant reduction in the consumption of the naturally aspirated six-cylinder, while at the same time increasing the maximum speed, both when driving with the electric motor on and off, but most importantly: a significantly more authentic sporting experience and a significantly better acoustic experience. The car has a beautiful sound of an atmospheric six-cylinder, which is pleasantly muffled like it was in every other Mercedes, BMW, or Audi of its time, revs up beautifully, shifts gears, but when it is not needed, it immediately turns off and the car drives in electric mode. No recharging from the mains, no hours lost by plugging in. Here, the hybrid system is autonomous, so it doesn’t need any help from the driver, and it charges when it sees fit, and starts the combustion engine when it sees fit. This is usually especially when the driver’s desire for the gas pedal is more intense. Stepping on the pedal means an immediate slight acceleration, to which the atmospheric engine engages within about a second, and the real fun begins only after that. The gentle but soulful sound of the engine is addictive, and its gradual growth in power and sound would drive a person far beyond the permitted limits every time. It drives beautifully, at the same time it is really admirably dynamic and very flexible. True, for such a large car, which is best characterized by a wheelbase of over 3 meters, even those 360 ​​horses are not an extremely large herd. The wheelbase is responsible for the fact that the car is looking for a sharper ride. In cooperation with a comfortable chassis, a person will enjoy a very sharp performance. The stability at higher speeds is excellent, but during sharp changes in direction, the tilt of the body can already be seen. That’s a toll for a pliable chassis on big discs. The second taxation is then a sharp counter at every opportunity in the form of protesting stabilization programs and traction control. But you can also have fun with this giant, more than I expected given Lexus’ garage reputation (you understand, someone who loves a thirty-year-old BMW cannot say anything positive about Lexus in terms of dynamics, his friends would laugh at him – only if they would be convinced by the images from of the series Kobra 11…). Long story short, despite the gradual unification of drives between Toyota and Lexus models, Lexus still has a great drive system in its portfolio that is not just about economical driving and does not contain even a hint of the vacuum cleaner effect. The LC 500h also has such a drive. Lexus LS500h Source: Ján Hargaš From the point of view of the practicality of the vehicle, it is clear that this car will pull the short end of the stick compared to SUV models. What it loses in the size and availability of the trunk, it makes up for in elegance and representativeness. The LS 500h knows how to look extraordinary, and not even all the chrome on the muzzle of the Maybach GLS is enough to match this traditional yet unique elegance. But I understand that it doesn’t suit everyone, especially in Slovakia you really have to have an ego like an elephant to be able to buy something so different and at the same time so thoroughly oriented to traditions and the traditional perception of luxury. The tested specification was not set up as a family car, the presidential seats in the back speak for themselves. But even the Lexus LS can serve without an additional driver and the owner can get behind the wheel with a clear conscience. He just has to be careful about the low chassis and respectable dimensions of this car. The Lexus LS 500h is in a different league, it’s a car that no one can just afford. It has significantly fewer mazes for parameters that only the affluent wing of customers will appreciate, but it has many more mazes in categories that will be appreciated by those who, in addition to money, have also grown brains. However, there are weaknesses that the brain has to chew on. For example, the absence of turning the rear wheels, slightly weaker assistance systems and a really narrow “throat” of the luggage compartment, together with specific and perhaps less adaptable infotainment equipment. But BMW and Mercedes also suffer from this, and the idea that the mirroring of content to individual screens separately for each monitor with the possibility of control via infotainment (so that children do not indulge in obscenities) will be immediate and intuitive is still a bit of science fiction. However, this is an excellent piece of technology. 9 of 10. Technical data Model: Lexus LS 500h AWD Number of cylinders/valves: 6/24 Engine displacement (cm3): 3456 Transmission: automatic Driven rear and front axle System power (kW): 264 Internal combustion engine power (kW): 222 Torque (Nm): 350 Maximum speed (km/h): 250 Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s): 5.5 Combined consumption (l/100 km): 9.5 Length/width/height (mm ): 5235/1900/1490 Wheelbase (mm): 3125 Luggage compartment volume (l): 440 Fuel tank volume (l): 82 Curb weight (kg): 2305 Basic list price of the model (Luxury): €111,000