Lexus LS

The buying experience was an out of world experience with Lexus India emphasising a lot on customer service. They went to the extent of sponsoring us to Japan to show us and let us drive the prototype of the LS500h at Fuji Speedway, Tokyo. The car has an extremely smooth ride to challenge the equally priced Maybach. The exterior and interior are so beautifully sculpted by the Takumi master craftsmen at Lexus. Performance is in par with its rivals however the fake sound intended to create a sporty sound doesn’t suit the character of the LS very well. However when idling or driving in a relaxed manner like how these cars are supposed to be drivers it’s very quiet and free from vibrations. The ride is well absorbent and also stiffens up well in sport s and sport s+ modes for great cornering abilities. Service is good and maintenance costs is fractions of the cost it takes to maintain a much cheaper European car too. Craftsmanship on this car is on an all new level and no equivalent European car can boast of such levels of craftsmanship. It’s got a very pleasing and pleasant driving experience that you’d want to drive it longer and more often than you’d need to. Interior is designed well with elements inspired from Japanese traditional tea whisks and soft glow Japanese Lanterns. A hand cut Japanese kiriko glass door trim and hand folded fabric door pleats are also available as an optional extra however even the cheaper trims looks fabulous. The 24 inch Head up display and 2400 Watt, 23 speaker 3D Mark Levinson sound system are simply the best. It also has massage function for all four seats unlike most cars in India that have massage only for rear and the massage function extends even to the seat cushion unlike other cars which massage only the back. There a 5 different massages in for the front and 7 different massage options to choose from for rear seat passengers. The Lexus pioneered Lexus climate concierge senses body temperature with IR sensors for 16 different zones and automatically adjusts aircon, seat heating and ventilation for all 4 passengers individually along with steering heaters. The rear left passenger can also move the front seat forward with the touch of a button and stretch out with the available ottoman. It’s got best in class 14 airbags for safety and it’s also got a Pop up hood in case of a collision with any pedestrian. The front seats are 28 way power adjustable and rear seats are 22 way power adjustable however space could’ve been slightly better cause with a tall person sitting at front rear seat space isn’t much for a car of this class. There are a lot of standard smart features on offer however it misses out on a cooler box and Lexus says cause this is a Hybrid which isn’t a very satisfying reply. The specialty of this car is it’s Japanese hospitality which means the car anticipates our needs and acts accordingly. For instance the raises itself by 30 mm in just 4 second and opens up the seat bolsters while unlocking the car to enter in with ease and even the rear seat come back to an upright position automatically as soon as the door handle is pulled to open the doors. Overall the car is very good, efficiency isn’t very great for a hybrid however it’s far better than its rivals and I’d suggest this car to anyone who has the budget for a Maybach S560. If your still wondering that this car that costs less than a S500 in US costs the same as a Maybach here it’s only cause it’s fully imported and Mercedes cars are locally assembled including the Maybach S560 too and Imported cars have their benefits in terms of build quality and longevity.NANA