TCOB Review: Lexus LS500H

North East Holland 2018: As a photographer and a car lover I am always looking for new ways to be among cars. Having a Lexus IS300H as a daily car, I spend hours admiring new models parked in the showroom of my local Lexus dealer (Louwman Groningen).

From one conversation to the other and I was able to test one of Lexus’ Pearl for a day; The Lexus LS500H AWD executive edition.

As I am not a car critic or expert and can only compare the LS500H with my daily car I can not give you a high-level review. But I will share my experience with you as a reader and give you an inside experience from a regular driver, who just enjoys being among cars.

And who knows; maybe even persuade you to change your current car brand for a Lexus!

The first thing noticeable when entering and taking a seat behind the wheel of the LS500H is the amount of space, especially in the back seat. And of course, the specifications speaks for themselves.

The LS500H has a width of 74.8 and a wheelbase of 123.0 inches over the IS300H which is 71.3 wide and has a wheelbase of 110.2 inches. That’s definitely noticeable.

As the driver, you will have 3.8 inches less front-space in the LS500H, but your passenger will have nearly seven inches more space (6.7 inches) than in the LS300H.

And we all know, that your passenger (if it’s your wife, kids or boss) is more important than yourself as a driver!

This LS500H is a luxurious sedan that overwhelms you with gadgets like; an electric front seat with memory and massage option, pre-collision technology, rear cross-traffic alert, windshield wiper de-icer, 24-inch head-up display and electric sunshade for your rear side and rear windows.

The rear window sunshade will automatically go down once you shift the car in reverse. The ones on the side can be operated from the front and from the back seat.

Another cool gadget is the panoramic view monitor suited with four cameras (Front, Sides, Back), giving you as the driver a good indication of your surroundings.

Good for driving through tight spaces or when in reverse. The 24-inch head-up display is also a nice addition, which displays the basic information onto the windshield.

Some would say that u never miss what u never had but give me these gadgets and I will use them every single day.

The only thing I struggle with is the remote touchpad controller, it just seems that I couldn’t get a hang of it; was fighting with it all the time, it was simply too much to handle while driving.

But a car won’t do you any good if it doesn’t perform well on the road, so I took this beauty for a day out through the country roads of the north east of The Netherlands. One thing noticeable is that speed is irrelative on small roads as you won’t feel the speed due to the quietness inside of the car.

The LS500H is equipped with variable air suspension (which not only maintain the cars low center of gravity but also automatically raise the car for an easy step into) and 20-inch noise reduction wheels.

These wheels have been designed with resonance chambers in the hollow spokes to cut tire noise. The car handles quite well in the corners and drives very smooth even on unpaved roads.

Not that I took this baby on a rally circuit, but I wanted all kind of backgrounds for my pictures.

This LS500H is driven by a 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V-6 engine which together with the electric motor delivers a combined power of just around 300 horsepower and around 350 Nm Torque, which you really need, in order to keep the massive weight of 2.315 kg rolling.

The LS500H is a little bit heavier than the competitors like the Audi A8 or BMW 7 series but still, have sufficient power to quietly push the car forward on small roads.

It’s only when you hit the pedal, that the RPM will hit the roof and the engine noise will change into a high scream, but then again I don’t see this car as a high performance car but more like a cruiser!

The overall look of the car and streamline of the car, are exactly what you would expect from a Lexus. The attractive modern look, luxury and a high level of details are breath-taking.

Some would say the front grill is a little oversized; well I made a comparison to the other brands who have a luxury sedan and I could not find one that is much smaller.

So it’s just a matter of taste I would say. From a photographers eyes I would say; when I see this car, I see a piece of machine, like a rock solid chain keeping to ends together!