The new LS 350 lets Benz and BMW owners take a sideways step into the world of Lexus, financially. Should they?
SINGAPORE — The Lexus LS 350 is proof that motoring journalists are both annoying and useful (although it’s not as if anyone ever needed proof of the former).
Until now you could only have a Lexus LS with a big V8 engine, and every time a new one came out we would badger the chief engineer with shouts of “Why don’t you build one with a smaller engine?” and “If BMW can do a 3.0-litre 7 Series why can’t you do a 3.0-litre LS?”
Inevitably the answer would always come back that such a car just wouldn’t feel like a real Lexus LS.
But here we are with the fifth generation model, and among the three versions you can buy are the LS 500h flagship, the LS 500, and this car here, the LS 350.
None of them actually has a V8, with a 3.5-litre V6 doing engine duties in them all.

In the LS 350 it’s tuned for 316 horsepower. Add two turbos and you get 421hp (for the LS 500), or if you add electric motors for a hybrid drivetrain you get 358hp (LS 500h).
While it’s tempting to imagine that Lexus finally chose to listen to us, the truth is more likely to be that the global trend for downsized engines is the real reason there’s now an LS 350.
Still, its existence means that Lexus is doing something that motoring writers have recommended for years: created an entry-level LS model.
In other words, the LS 350 gives you somewhere to go if you’ve become bored with your old BMW 730Li or Mercedes S 320L, without having to make a financial jump to an eight-cylinder engine.
So, what do you get from Lexus that you can’t from the Germans? Use your eyes; however you want to describe the new LS, it won’t be “tame”.

Mercedes might do “elegant” better than anyone else, but Lexus now owns “bold”, judging from the enormous grille of the LS and the impossibly sinuous form of its body.
The low roofline and elongated proportions exude so much sportiness that you’re tempted to think of the LS of a car that’s as much coupe as limousine.
It is, I’d imagine, what you’d be drawn to if what you want is a car in this class but don’t consider yourself old enough to drive a Mercedes S-Class.
If that isn’t enough to tempt you, there’s the interior, which not only looks and feels exquisite, but is loaded with so many comfort features that moving from my flat into the Lexus would be an upgrade.

I mean my house has air-con, but it doesn’t have ventilated massage chairs. Nor does it have a Mark Levinson sound system with 23 speakers, unlike the LS 350.
The chairs in the back recline quite a bit, too, certainly more than the seats in Economy on board your favourite airline, so if you can sleep in a plane you’ll be able to get your beauty rest in the Lexus.

There’s also a small touchscreen back there that lets you fiddle with the climate and entertainment settings, along with a small fridge. Clearly, the back is where the boss belongs.
That’s not to say the LS 350 has nothing to offer the driver. On the contrary, there’s a huge amount of pleasure to be derived from being behind the wheel, not least because the Lexus is beautifully graceful around corners.
It’s a heavy car, at 2.1 tonnes, but it feels extremely light-footed, responding eagerly and precisely to whatever you get up to with the steering wheel.
It’s also surprisingly brisk, even though the V6 isn’t particularly powerful. The 10-speed auto undoubtedly helps here, its close ratios enabling the LS 350 to conjure up a 0 to 100km/h time of just 6.5 seconds. As long as you’re willing to rev the engine, the big Lexus charges along pretty authoritatively.

The downside of that is that you’ll find a lot more engine noise intruding into the cabin than in LSes of yore. The V8s seldom raised their voice from a cultured murmur. Even when they worked hard the result was a sort of faraway snarl.
The LS 350, on the other hand, tells you why Lexus engineers were so reluctant all along to do an LS with a smaller engine. The V6 doesn’t sound unpleasant, but its loudness is pretty unbecoming.
Perhaps the car’s main weakness, though, is that the seats are configured much more for four people than five. Raise the rear armrest, and you’re left with an enormous hump in the middle, so much so that only the petite would find the middle of the back seat habitable.

As plush and lovingly crafted as the cabin of the LS 350 is, then, it’s best to think of it as a 4+1 seater. That’s probably something Lexus would have preferred me not to point out, but it’s an annoying and useful thing to mention.

NEED TO KNOW Lexus LS 350 Luxury
Engine 3,456cc, 24V, V6
Power 316hp at 6,600rpm
Torque 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Gearbox 10-speed automatic
Top Speed 250km/h (limited)
0-100km/h 6.5 seconds
Fuel efficiency 9.6L/100km
Price S$435,800 including Certificate Of Entitlement
Agent Borneo Motors
Available Now