Lexus has handed its LS saloon a facelift that it claims takes the flagship sedan’s comfort and refinement to “exceptional” levels.

The mid-cycle update comes some three years after the fifth-generation LS debuted, with the Toyota-backed luxury brand’s engineers concentrating on “elevating the sedan's levels of comfort, quiet and overall refinement”.

In Japan, the updated LS also receives something the firm calls “Lexus Teammate”, a suite of advanced driving assistance features that incorporate artificial intelligence technologies.

The sedan furthermore gains a “newly developed” adaptive variable suspension solenoid that reduces damping force, while the stiffness of the run-flat tyres and the rigidity of the stabiliser bars have been “optimised”, too.

In addition, the refreshed LS will be offered with a new exterior paint colour Lexus calls “Gin-ei Luster”. The firm claims this hue “achieves deep shadows and robust highlights, enabled by new paint technology”.

Inside, Lexus has added a new 12,3-inch touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality) for “improved operability”, while the seat coverings now employ “deeper stitch points” and the underlying seat pads feature “low-resilience” urethane.

The twin-turbo 3,5-litre V6 petrol engine, which seemingly still generates peak outputs of 310 kW and 600 N.m, benefits from “improved initial engine torque” and “greater acceleration response”. The ten-speed automatic transmission, meanwhile, gains “improved shift timing and a wider acceleration range for each gear”, which Lexus says result in “less-frequent downshifts”.

What else is new? Well, the digital rear-view mirror now features a larger, high-resolution display, while the controls on the steering wheel and centre console have been uniformly coloured black for “improved visibility”.

Lexus International president Koji Sato said the firm had “furthered the evolution of the exceptional quietness and comfort that has been a steadfast constant since the model's first generation”.

“Furthermore, in the process of developing such, we drastically enhanced and evolved fundamental vehicle performance. Lexus, based on its human-centred approach, will continue to take up challenges, and we intend to keep on delivering experiences that bring abundance to the lifestyles of each and every one of our customers."

Original article from Car


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