AutoDeal’s Drive of the Year: 2018 Lexus LS 500

AutoDeal is ending the year 2018 on a high note – we’ve driven a total of 71 cars that are currently being sold in the local market. And we just didn’t drive them; we tested them accordingly for several days and see what they could (and couldn’t) offer to the Filipino car buyers. Within the city and out on open roads, we took these cars as if they were our own so buyers would have an educated viewpoint before shelling out their hard-earned cash.

Judged and scored using categories like Performance, Design, Ride Comfort, Safety and Technology, and Value for Money, one car stood out among the rest with a remarkable score of 4.7 points out of the perfect 5 – the Lexus LS 500.

Read along as I look back at the highest-rated vehicle in AutoDeal and see why it’s among the best cars out there today.

It’s hard to find fault in the LS 500’s overall design that’s why I’m willing to jump the gun and use the word flawless in it. It has an emphatic appeal that starts from its ginormous spindle grille, then to the headlights with whisker-like daytime running lights, flowing through its sultry curves on the sides and finally finishing off at the back with a statement. In fact, the whole fascia is so captivating, you won’t even notice that there are no fog lights at all.

The suave design execution and excellent build continue inside the LS 500’s cabin. The brushed metal accents, wooden veneers, supple leather, and stellar ride comfort – all constitute to an opulent experience that shields you from the harsh realities of life. There’s no better way to describe the amenities but excellent, so are the massagers exclusively installed in the front seats.

To complete the package, listening to music via the Mark Levinson Reference sound system is as good as if the band is with you right inside the car and singing onto your ears themselves.

For a car that’s supposed to be chauffeur-driven, I extremely enjoyed getting behind the wheel of the LS 500. It isn’t as performance-oriented like its rear-wheel-drive coupe brother, the LC 500, but it kicks butt by itself, sans the fake exhaust sounds. I won’t delve deep into details here but you can imagine the LS 500 as Steph Curry dressed in a sharp tuxedo – classy but ready to burn hoops any time.

At P9,088,000, you might say that the Lexus LS 500 is too much, but then again, this car is meant for those who have already made it in life, and for those who can afford this car in (possibly) cold cash.

Digging further, the beauty of its price tag comes through more when compared to its European competitors. While offering at par, if not better, features and performance, the LS 500 remains to be the most affordable among the large luxury sedans today. And that’s the very leverage that the Lexus has had since its launch in 1989.