It鈥檚 a bigger car than before. Lexus used to offer the model globally with a choice of regular and long wheelbases, but now there鈥檚 just a single version - and the gap between its front and rear axles is 35mm longer than the old extended-wheelbase variant. There are a couple of new powertrain options too, although British buyers will only be offered one of them: the LS 500h hybrid. The LS 500h marks a significant step in Toyota鈥檚 hybrid development, because it switches the battery unit from nickel-metal hybride to lighter lithium-ion. The unit is 20 per cent smaller physically than the old spec, which, in turn helps the new LS hybrid gain 25 litres of boot space over the outgoing model. But it has a higher power density, and Lexus claims the car can reach up to 87mph on electric power alone. There鈥檚 also an LS 500, powered by a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine but with no electrical assistance.
It鈥檚 actually slightly faster - a result, no doubt, of losing the weight of the batteries and the additional electric motors. But it鈥檚 likely to be targeted at markets like Russia and the US, with no plans for the car to be sold in the UK. The steering is surprisingly heavy, and the car feels pretty bulky with it. We can鈥檛 say for certain based on this test, but our gut feeling is that it will major on long-distance motorway cruising ability instead of any deftness or handling agility. The refinement as you pull away from rest is unnerving at first, with only a distant electric motor whine. Thereafter, a smooth approach will be rewarded, allowing the electric motor a better chance of acting alone, while also keeping revs to a sensible level if the system does decide that it needs the V6鈥檚 help. At a cruise, you won鈥檛 hear much from under the bonnet at all - although this also down to a fair amount of roar from the (minimum) 19-inch wheels and tyres.
We also had a chance to try out some of the LS鈥檚 new safety tricks, including its ability to keep the car in its lane while you issue a featherlight touch on the steering wheel. The big Lexus can switch between lanes if you hold the indicator in its 鈥榟alfway down鈥?position, too. The lane keep assist is a little ponderous but works well, although the handover back to human control when the system doesn鈥檛 feel confident enough in the road markings takes a bit of getting used to. The cabin is a mixed bag. Perhaps more surprisingly, the quality doesn鈥檛 seem to be entirely consistent either. We were able to find the odd rough edge inside our (admittedly early) production car, and the shiny black plastic coathooks are some of the nastiest we鈥檝e seen this side of a cheap supermini, too. We鈥檙e still waiting for UK specs, though, so for now we鈥檙e not even sure if the HUD will be standard-fit or a pricey cost option. And while the central screen itself is impressive, there鈥檚 still no sign of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay - a glaring omission in this connected age.
The cars鈥?high chance of a defective airbag has had Honda and even some local governments trying alternative methods to reach owners of affected vehicles, including Facebook messages, bilingual inserts in residents鈥?water bills, and even door-to-door canvassing. UPDATE 12/20/2017, 12:00 p.m.: Honda has confirmed that a 20th person has died as a result of a faulty Takata airbag. The latest instance occurred when a 2004 Civic crashed on July 10 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and its airbag exploded. According to the Associated Press, the car鈥檚 defective airbag had likely been salvaged from a 2002 Civic at some point. The car was part of the massive recall described in this ongoing story but hadn鈥檛 been fixed. UPDATE 1/8/2018, 12:00 p.m.: Takata has announced the recall of another 3.3 million front-airbag inflators. These include original-equipment and replacement parts in vehicles from the 2009, 2010, and 2013 model years produced by automakers Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Tesla, and Toyota.
We鈥檒l detail the specific models when they become available. UPDATE 1/10/2018, 10:30 a.m.: Toyota has announced the specifics of its involvement in the latest expansion of these recalls described earlier this week. The company is recalling an additional 601,300 vehicles, none of which are models or model years that are new to the master list below. UPDATE 1/11/2018, 2:30 p.m.: Ford has recalled 2712 U.S.-market Ranger pickups from the 2006 model year and advised owners to stop driving the vehicles immediately. This comes after news that the driver of a 2006 Ranger died as a result of a defective Takata-supplied driver鈥檚-side airbag inflator that ruptured in a July 1, 2017, crash in West Virginia. Audi is recalling 10,166 vehicles to replace the passenger-side inflators, which include the 2009 A4/S4 cabriolet and 2009-2011 A6/S6. BMW is recalling 41,808 vehicles to replace the passenger-side inflators, which includes all variants of the 2007-2013 X5 and 2009-2013 X6.
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