2025 Lexus LS review | CarExpert

This is the car that started it all for Lexus – well, it’s the direct descendent of said car.

Rewind all the way back to 1989 (before I was even born), and many will remember when Toyota shocked the world with the original LS400, a model that then-Toyota Motor Corporation president Eiji Toyoda said was to be “a car that is better than the best in the world”.

The original LS debuted the Lexus brand, and spearheaded Toyota’s first foray into the premium auto space dominated by established German firms BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and in North America by Cadillac and Lincoln. Indeed, the Lexus name is a combination of luxury, export and US.

More than three decades and a litany of additional model lines later, and the LS remains the jewel in Lexus’ passenger car crown. The LS model designation denotes its flagship Luxury Sedan status alongside the LC coupe/convertible and the LX full-size SUV.

While the Lexus LS doesn’t quite command the spotlight in the brand’s stable it once did – that’s reserved for the company’s SUV range these days – it still represents the pinnacle of what the carmaker has to offer.

Does Japan’s original flagship limousine still have what it takes to compete with the likes of the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Read on to find out.

Note: Our test vehicle was an MY23 model. Some running changes were applied for 2024 – see article for details.

How does the Lexus LS compare?

View a detailed breakdown of the Lexus LS against similarly sized vehicles.

Lexus

LS

How much does the Lexus LS cost?

The LS range in Australia kicks off at $195,279 before on-road costs, though the LS500 Sports Luxury on test here is a little dearer at $201,305 plus on-roads.

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Lexus LS like on the inside?

The all-black interior of our test car was rather uninspiring and demure, but the craftsmanship and attention to detail is top-notch, just as you’d expect.

There’s leather and wood just about everywhere, and as you’d expect from a flagship product the design, build and materials quality is first-class, but the attention to detail and craftsmanship here really is outstanding, as evidenced by the meticulously consistent stitching, panel gaps and the like.

Comfort up front is excellent, thanks to the semi-aniline leather-trimmed seats which offer a huge array of adjustment – 28 ways up front and 22 ways in the rear! – as well as memory, heating and ventilation functions.

You’re well supported by the supple cushions and bolsters, and there’s so more than enough adjustment including in the electrically-adjustable steering column to find the perfect driving position regardless of your shape or size.

The LS also retains the tried and tested Lexus steering wheel with hard buttons, rather than the newer unit out of the likes of the NX and RX, which has fiddly touch-sensitive ones. It’s refreshingly old-school but has new tech.

It’s worth noting our older MY23 press vehicle had the older 8.0-inch instrument cluster rather than the larger 12.3-inch panel that has been proliferating across the Lexus and Toyota lineups.

The colour display includes a virtual singular dial that offers a few different themes and configurations with adjustable widgets and readouts, but the newer and larger display offers better resolution and far more configurability.

Moving across, the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display that came as part of the mid-life LS refresh is the same as you’ll find in most Lexus and Toyota models these days,

While fairly basic in design and layout, it’s way more user-friendly than the old Lexus in-house interface and offers a full suite of features and connected services.

Highlights include wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, DAB digital and native satellite navigation.

You get a complimentary three-year subscription to Lexus Connected Services, which includes access to features like SOS emergency call and auto collision notification.

My time with the LS500 yielded no issues with the wireless Apple CarPlay, which can’t always be said for other multimedia systems which offer this feature.

However, I’m sure Android users – including colleague William Stopford – will be very frustrated at the lack of wireless Google smartphone connectivity.

The LS interior hasn’t gone the way of its German competitors in removing physical buttons, which for many will be a refreshing change in today’s luxury market.

Matte finished and with a lovely smoothness and heft to their action, the various hard buttons and dials for everything from the climate control to audio volume and the sunshades all work seamlessly.

There’s also minimal piano black trim scattered throughout the cabin, unlike in some newer Lexus products, which means your LS won’t quickly fall victim to yucky fingerprints and smudges.

Storage is decent, with two cupholders living under a folding lid beside the shifter, while the under-armrest storage and door bins offer adequate space for loose items.

Even the lower sections of the cabin are finished in soft plastics or padded leatherette surfaces with contrasting topstitching.

It’s also worth noting that from MY24 onwards the LS added a wireless smartphone charger with integrated holder, so you can keep your phone juiced while it stays connected wirelessly to the infotainment system.

If you opt for the Sports Luxury variant you’ll want to be in the back seats more so than up front, because they offer the cool high-end limousine appointments you don’t really see outside this class of vehicle.

You get powered rear seats that are almost like cinema chairs, with the passenger-side rear pew even getting an ottoman if you adjust the front seat forward, offering business class travel. That said, there’s not the palatial kind of legroom you might expect in the rear.

Fold down the centre armrest and you have touch controls for the rear seat heating and ventilation, as well as some massage and adjustment toggles, in addition to controls for the rear sunshades and rear entertainment system.

There’s four-zone climate control accessible via said touchscreen as well, and you can hook up devices to the independent rear screens via Bluetooth or HDMI. There’s even a Blu-ray player (remember those) and an SD card slot.

Other fun highlights include ceiling-mounted vanity mirrors with lights, and the aforementioned retractable sunshades can block out both the rear windshield as well as both rear-side windows.

Perhaps one gripe is the fact the small moonroof doesn’t let as much light in as a panoramic unit, but if you want to go incognito this blacked-out interior with shades and minimal roof glass is likely preferable.

Further back, there’s a healthy 440 litres of cargo capacity underneath the electrically-operated bootlid, with a shape that mysteriously looks purpose-shaped to swallow a set of golf clubs.

The LS does without a spare wheel, and instead rides on runflat tyres.

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

Both the LS500 and LS500h get a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, though the 500 straps on two turbochargers while the 500h tacks on a hybrid drive system including a lithium-ion battery and electric motor.

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Lexus LS drive?

If you’re becoming increasingly tired of legacy brands trying to change their formulas too much, the Lexus LS500 Sports Luxury tends to stay true to the company’s roots.

It may wear ‘500’ and ‘Sports’ badging in its name, but the flagship LS is refreshingly focused on comfort and refinement, while also still being enjoyable to steer if you happen to be the driver.

Power delivery from the twin-turbo V6 is buttery smooth, as is the silky engine note, with the 10-speed automatic seamlessly shifting through its many ratios. It’s got some punch too, quoting a brisk 0-100km/h time of just 5.0 seconds.

Bury your right foot and it’s certainly quick, but such is the insulation from engine noise as well as the smooth linearity of acceleration that you could be fooled into thinking it’s a little lazy – until you look at the speedo.

The LS claims a quicker 0-100km/h dash than the BMW 740i (5.4s) despite costing over $70,000 less, while the straight-six powered S450 4Matic quotes an identical 5.0s sprint, helped by its all-paw traction.

As you’d expect, refinement and sound insulation in general is excellent, with minimal road and wind noise permeating the cabin even on coarser blacktop. Turn up that thumping 23-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system and the outside world ceases to exist.

Steering feel is beautifully fluid and linear as well, with response quick enough to make this 5.2m Japanese limo feel eager and nimble, while also communicating what’s happening under the front tyres rather well.

It rides beautifully too, regardless of whether you’re wafting through the inner city or cruising along an undulating country highway.

The LS’ standard air suspension and adaptive damping do a great job of keeping the cabin isolated from lumps and bumps of all sizes and intensities, despite rolling on big 20-inch alloy wheels and low-profile 245/45 R20 tyres.

In Sports Luxury trim, the LS is clearly geared towards comfort more so than outright sportiness and dynamics – get the F Sport if you’re a keen limo driver – but there’s still a nice balance between comfort and engagement.

The bent six sounds like a Toyota V6, in that it has a smooth note but is fairly uninspiring, and the LS cabin is so well insulated that you barely hear it unless you’ve buried the loud pedal to the firewall.

Lexus’ driver assistance systems have also been well honed over the years, with the Lane Tracing Assist and adaptive cruise control systems combining to facilitate intuitive semi-autonomous assistance for highway stints, and there’s basically every other feature you could think of included as standard.

The nifty tri-beam adaptive LED headlights offer a matrix-style high beam and excellent front-facing illumination, while the array of cameras and sensors along the surrounds means parking this Japanese limo isn’t too hard.

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

The LS is available in more driver-focused F Sport trim or the more chauffeur-style Sports Luxury trim – the latter is on test here.

2025 Lexus LS F Sport equipment highlights:

• 20-inch F Sport alloy wheels
• Run-flat tyres
• High-performance brake package
• Moonroof
• F Sport exterior package
• Tri-beam bi-LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• Hands-free bootlid
• Auto soft-close doors
• 12.3-inch TFT driver’s display
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay – wireless
• Android Auto – wired
• DAB+digital radio
• 23-speaker Mark Levinson audio
• Acceleration Sound Control
• Active Noise Control
• Electric rear sunshade
• Smart entry, start system
• Smart Key Card
• Head-up display
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Dual-zone climate control
• 28-way power adjust front seats
• Heated, ventilated front seats
• Heated rear seats
• F Sport heated steering wheel
• F Sport leather-accented trim
• F Sport front seats, shift lever, clock
• Wireless phone charger
• Adaptive Variable Suspension – active damping
• Air suspension with Access Mode Control
• Dynamic rear seating

LS Sports Luxury adds:

• Removes F Sport exterior, interior styling
• 20-inch alloy wheels – unique design
• Ventilated rear seats
• Rear seat entertainment system
• 22-way power adjust rear seats
  • incl. ottoman – passenger side
  • incl. massage function
• Electric rear-side sunshades
• Rear cooler box
• Easy access auto lift front seat buckle
• 4-zone climate control

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Lexus LS safe?

The Lexus LS hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

Standard safety features include:

• 10 airbags
• Lexus Safety System+ 3.0
  • AEB incl. pedestrian detection, turn assist
  • All-speed adaptive cruise control
  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Cross-traffic alert – front, rear
  • Lane Trace Assist incl. Curve Speed Reduction
  • Road sign assist – speed signs only
  • Sway Warning System
• Adaptive high beam
• Advanced Park Assist
• Parking support brake
• Pedestrian sensing safety bonnet
• Safe Exit Assist
• Tyre pressure monitoring

Sports Luxury adds:

• Additional rear seat cushion airbags (12 airbags total)

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Lexus LS cost to run?

The LS is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and is also subject to Lexus’ premier Encore Platinum ownership program.

While the LS’ yearly service pricing of $795 seems a bit pricey over five years, it’s worth noting the Lexus Encore Platinum program gives you access to very exclusive offers and benefits that even general Lexus owners don’t get.

Examples include the On Demand program, which allows you to borrow a Lexus vehicle free for up to eight days from selected airports when you travel, airport lounge passes, and valet parking vouchers at select shopping malls.

To see how the Lexus LS lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Lexus LS

It may not be the focal point of the Lexus range anymore, but I’m glad the LS still exists.

As the world moves towards higher-riding vehicles, particularly in the premium and luxury segments, the classic three-box sedan body style now has a more exclusive, niche appeal – and it looks really sexy in elongated full-size limousine form.

The LS is overlooked by not only many limousine buyers and chauffers, but also most top-end Lexus customers, who more typically go for an LX or LC. Against its direct rivals it’s very niche, with just 11 units finding Australian homes in 2024, making its BMW and Mercedes-Benz equivalents about four times as popular.

But that’s in no way an indicator of its capability or competence, as the LS is every much as beautiful to drive and live with. Spec it right and it should turn plenty of heads, too.

For me, given its intended purpose, the LS500h V6 hybrid makes more sense in Sports Luxury spec, as it’ll likely spend more time in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the city, or at least congested suburban/airport freeways during peak-hour, where it can cut fuel consumption in half.

I think the beauty of the LS is the fact you have to be ‘in the know’ to want one and buy one. This isn’t just a tarted up Toyota Camry or black cab special; this is an exclusive, high-end product that you order in the back room of the dealership.

The demure specification of our test car isn’t really to my taste, but the luscious red and blue paint options available, as well as the tan and crimson interior leather options, can make this car feel very special.

Even better, there’s the option of matching wood trim or even the gorgeous Kiriko Glass ornamentation that’s distinctively Japanese and unlike anything you’ll see on the option list for a 7 Series or S-Class.

Then there’s the price. Yes, $200,000 is a lot of money, but you can pocket the $40,000-$70,000 you’ll save from not buying an equivalent German limousine and spend it on designer accessories or a luxury holiday.

Interested in buying a Lexus LS? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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