Dependable luxury. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

One would assume that when buying a vehicle in the >$100,000 vicinity it will have a full suite of amenities, both infotainment and safety-oriented (a.k.a., “stuff,” albeit that being a somewhat plebian term), as well as comfortable (e.g., seats that could be utilized in an upscale house) and capable (as in all-wheel drive).

One thing that may not has as top-of-mind consideration as it probably should, something that may be taken for granted, is the level of dependability of the vehicle.

It is one thing to feel a bit of quiet satisfaction of dropping off one’s luxury vehicle with the valet at the front of the club. It is something else entirely to be waiting for the valet to return said vehicle because there happens to be a glitch in the lot.

Or it could be simply the issue of getting something to work (e.g., perhaps if you want to open the glove box you should simply, well, use the pushbutton-style mechanism to open the glove box, not have to find a button or something on a screen to do it—otherwise, it could be frustrating/annoying).

Which is to say that all luxury vehicles aren’t built with the same levels of quality and dependability as others.

And there is information to back this claim up.

The J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), which surveys owners 90 days after they’ve owned their vehicles. Presumably that is sufficiently long to get a sense of one’s vehicle and if something is going to break early, it has.

Lexus comes in second in the Premium category of the survey, behind Porsche (174 for Lexus and 172 for Porsche, with lower being better). Although one might argue that Lexus models and those from Porsche are largely different (but both are big in the SUV space), the most Porsche-like Lexus model, the LC, had the highest initial quality of any vehicle surveyed.

But there is another study that J.D. Power does, one that is more about the long run. It is the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). While IQS is after three months, VDS is after three years.

The categories VDS asks about include climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats.

In the 2024 VDS Lexus comes out on top—by a considerable margin.

That is, the metric is “problems per 100 vehicles,” or PP100. A lower number is better.

Lexus has a score of 135 PP100.

Porsche came in second. It scored 175 PP100.

(Oddly enough, whereas Porsche came in first in the IQS but a Lexus was the overall highest in initial quality, in the VDS Porsche, second overall to Lexus, has the vehicle with the highest dependability, the 718.)

So one can feel confident that the LS 500h is something that is built with quality and dependability.

The Look

The sedan is low and lean. Specifically, 206.1 inches long, 57.5 inches high, and with a 5.8-inch ground clearance. It rides on 20-inch wheels. And the other obligatory specs are that it has a 123-inch wheel base and is 78.8 inches wide.

The Power

This is a big sedan, one might feel environmentally awkward driving it.

But this is a hybrid. There is a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine that is supplemented by electric motors so the total system horsepower is 354. This may not be the stuff of being pushed back in your semi-aniline leather seat when you push down on the accelerator (there are other LS trim levels for that), but it is something that results in a combined fuel economy number of 25 mpg, which is certainly outstanding for something of this scale.

(And going back to the issue of dependability, know that Toyota started building the Prius in October 1997, so it is undoubtedly the most capable producer of automotive hybrid powertrains by a long shot.)

The Interior

Luxurious. Sumptuous. Like that.

Leather is leather. Wood is wood. Metal is metal.

You’d think that’s, well, normal.

It’s not.

But it is normal in the LS.

Which is impressive.

(Although I must confess that when there’s white leather seating surfaces, I have some, well, concern. . . .)

The Tech

There is Lexus Teammate, a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system that provides the means for hands-off driving predicated on both a sensor suite (radar, lidar and camera sensors) and GPU processors. Eyes must be kept on the road and it works on highways that have been digitally mapped. Arguably, this type of system de rigueur for vehicles in this category, and in the case of Teammate, it provides the hands- and feet-free capability as would be expected.

A Thought

LS 500h AWD: All that is expected—and then some—in a reliable package.