Lexus Is Preparing A Sportier LS For The New York Motor Show

Lexus is about to reveal a ‘more engaging’ version of its LS 500 luxury saloon, and we can’t help but frustrate ourselves with an annoying loop of reasoning as to why.

The LS 500 F Sport will be a sportier-looking, sharper-handling version of the big saloon built to rival the likes of the Audi A6 S line and BMW 7 Series M Sport in North America. With the LS 500 and LS 500h taking care of business on the comfort side, the F Sport will be for buyers who want to sacrifice some outright ride quality in favour of extra style.

Our beef with this is that ever since the LS 400 of the 1990s, the Lexus LS has been the go-to car for Rolls-Royce refinement on a relative budget. It’s a king among comfortable cars, so on one hand we ask: why bother tarnishing or muddying an image built up over 25 years? On the other hand, of course, the Germans have proved that people will pay extra to be less comfortable as long as they know they’re on the biggest wheels…

Sales of the revised LS are due to start at the end of this year, and it’s not yet confirmed whether the current V8 hybrid LS 600h will remain, or be replaced by the all-new V6-linked LS 500h. The latter has almost 300bhp from the petrol engine alone, pushing out well over that figure when combined with the on-board hybrid electrics, so Lexus may choose to can the 600.

The new LS 500 F Sport will take its first bow on April 12 at the New York International Auto Show.