Lexus LS500h Interior

Lexus has added a bit of theatre while you get inside the cabin. The car raises itself, the driver’s seat rises and moves behind as does the steering wheel. The same happens when you switch off the car. This allows for easy ingress and egress. Also, the doors get the soft touch close feature.  The interiors of the LS500h are inspired from ancient Japanese crafts. The door pads feature a panel of Kiriko cut glass which looks nothing short of a work of art. Further more, there is hand stitched quilt material that uses an origami folding technique giving it a sort of ripple effect. Just one touch will tell you how high quality it is. The dashboard is a mix of retro and modern. There is a large 12.3 screen for the infotainment system. While the system is responsive, the graphics do feel dated. The trackpad that is used to navigate the system is over sensitive and takes time getting used to. Its tricky when the car is stationary, let alone trying to use it when you are on the move. There is a digital instrument cluster with a large tacho in the centre, while the temperature and fuel gauges are analog. Two knobs sprout out of the instrument cluster cowl. While one is for the drive modes, the other is for toggling the traction control. The AC vets are covered with metal strips that run across the fascia of the dash. Lexus says this design element is inspired by the Japanese harp. There are a number of buttons on the dash including scrollers for adjusting the climate control. The knurled volume knob too has a fantastic finish. The analogue clock next to the infotainment screen looks classy. The climate control system is what the carmaker calls the ‘Lexus Climate Concierge’. The system senses the surface body temperatures of all the occupants using Infrared Rays Matrix sensors deployed in 16 zones of the car and adjusts cooling and heating accordingly. Lexus equips the LS500h with a 23 speaker Surround Sound Mark Levinson sound system. Sound quality is  incredible and each note is just perfect. The Mark Levinson system is now in my favorites list of car sound systems along side the Bowers & Wilkins of the Volvos. Another cool feature is the central arm rest that can be opened from both, the driver and the passenger side. Surprisingly, it gets only a regular electric sunroof. A panoramic roof should have been standard at this price point. There is no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay either.

Coming to the seats, the large front seats are extremely comfortable and can be adjusted in 28 different ways. Both also get memory function. Want some pampering? All the seats get massage function with the seven massage programmes developed with the help of Shiatsu massage experts. There are various individual settings available for the massages as well.

Since most owners will be seated at the back, lets talk about the rear seats. The rear seats feel like large thrones and have multiple adjustments including a backrest incline of 48 degrees. They also come with ottomans to help you stretch you legs in complete relaxation. The various seat and massage functions are controlled by a tablet style screen integrated into the central arm rest. What’s more you can move the front seat forward to give you the complete business class experience. One grouse that I have is the way the various seat functions are controlled. It gets irritating to choose each section of the seat on the screen to adjust that particular part. That said, there is headroom and legroom aplenty in the LS.

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