Inside and out, the fifth-generation LS flagship sedan reflects a strong, Japanese identity and approach to luxury. It will be sold in 90 countries.
Longer and lower than the sedan it replaces, the new LS debuts a bold design with a coupe-like silhouette punctuated by the Lexus design language.
Highlights
>New platform for greatest-ever LS agility and comfort
>All-new twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 with 415hp/601Nm
>10-speed automatic transmission
>All-new available Lexus Advanced Safety Package
>Interior inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics
> On sale in US by end of 2017
A new driver-centric performance feel comes from building the LS on the company’s new global architecture for luxury vehicles (GA–L). This premium rear-wheel drive platform, an extended version of the one used for the LC 500 coupe, promises a more dynamic experience on the road while improving comfort.
“We set previously unheard of targets and resolutely pushed ahead towards these ambitious goals,” said LS chief engineer, Asahi. “The customers who are going to want to own a Lexus flagship are already surrounded by luxury on a daily basis, people who have a sharp eye for authenticity to begin with. We wouldn’t turn their heads with a conventional premium product.”
To enhance centre of gravity height and weight distribution, the new LS has a wide and low design.
The GA-L platform is the stiffest in Lexus history, setting the stage for enhanced handling, ride smoothness and cabin quietness. The 123-inch wheelbase is 1.3-inch longer than the current LS long-wheelbase model.
Helping to provide the uncanny ride and handling balance in the new LS is the latest generation of a chassis control technology known as Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). This system implements cooperative control of all vehicle subsystems – braking, steering, powertrain, and suspension – to control basic longitudinal, lateral and vertical motion as well as yaw, roll and pitch.
Optimal control of these motions helps to enable exceptional ride comfort, enhanced traction and safety and handling agility.
Handling can be further enhanced by active stabiliser bars and the Lexus Dynamic Handling (LDH) System with independent front and rear steering. VDIM is capable of aiding stability when the car is traversing split-friction surfaces, such as dry pavement and ice.
In creating the new LS, engineers used lightweight materials including ultra-high tensile steel sheet and aluminum to carve over 90kg from the current LS platform and body. These savings, along with the implementation of the new V6 engine and enhanced body rigidity, allow for a more dynamic driving experience.
Critical to its driving performance, the new platform lowers the car’s centre of gravity by placing most of the mass, including the engine and the occupants, in a position more centralised and lower in the chassis. Special braces in the engine compartment, stiff aluminum front and rear suspension towers, and other features help bolster the strength of key chassis structures.
Lexus tuned the LS exhaust to convey a more authoritative tone, yet also designed the cabin to ensure utterly quiet cruising. New sound suppression methods further hush the environment compared to previous LS models. Active Noise Control quiets the cabin even more by detecting the sound of the engine coming into the vehicle and cancelling certain frequencies using antiphase sound from the audio speakers.
The serenity of the LS cabin provides an ideal stage for the standard premium audio system or the audiophile-worthy available 3D surround Mark Levinson audio package with in-ceiling array speakers. The package features a more inviting graphic user interface.
Its next-generation remote touch is designed to mimic smartphone operation, also supporting handwritten input. In addition to its 12.3-inch wide navigation display, the LS can incorporate an optional 24-inch colour heads-up display (HUD)—the largest in the world—that projects a variety of information onto the driver’s forward view.
Lexus designers gave the new LS a stretched, ground-hugging appearance. Compared to the current LS, the new model is about 1.5cm lower, while the bonnet and boot are 5cm and 4cm lower, respectively.
The new LS is the first Lexus sedan with a six- side window design. Also a first for a Lexus sedan, the flush-surface windows smoothly integrate with the side pillar.
New seating designs, including available 28-way power front seats that feature heating, cooling and massage, exemplify this approach. The organically shaped dash design clusters information displays at uniform height to support the “seat-in-control” layout that emphasises the driver’s ability to operate all systems without the need to change posture.
Lighting and attention to detail express a unique aesthetic in the LS. A new approach to creating trim elements again turned to Japanese culture, combining traditional Japanese aesthetic with advanced manufacturing techniques. This is reflected in signature touches, such as beautiful interior ambient lighting inspired by Japanese lanterns and armrests that appear to float next to the door panel.
Structurally, the all-new LS offers a high degree of passive safety for occupant protection in collisions. Lexus has also equipped the LS with technologies that can possibly help prevent crashes from occurring or mitigate their effects.
The LS will feature the brand’s Lexus Safety System + and offer the Advanced Safety Package, which features the world’s first system with Intuitive Pedestrian Detection with Active Steering within the lane.
With this system, if a pedestrian is detected in the lane ahead and a collision is imminent, the LS is designed to automatically brake and potentially steer around the person while staying in the lane. The available colour HUD is used in alerting the driver.
