No longer does the big bucks Lexus LS suffer from an infotainment that’s markedly inferior to that of lesser members of the brand’s range.
An update unveiled overnight in Japan includes a new touchscreen infotainment system, as well as improved driver assistance technology. We’ve contacted Lexus Australia to confirm when the updated model is coming here.
We can probably assume the new infotainment unit runs the same operating system used in the latest NX and upcoming RX.
Available features include wireless and wired Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, a predictive sat nav system that can guess your intended destination based on past driving history, an easy access column of on-screen buttons on the driver’s side, and a voice recognition system that awakens with activation phrases, such as “Hey Lexus”.
Other upgrades include support for high-definition audio sources, finer bass and treble control, and the My Lexus smartphone app, which allows the driver to remotely cool or heat the cabin before heading off, as well as lock and unlock the car, and prevent unauthorised people from driving the vehicle.
Although we don’t known many inches the new display is, it looks to about the same size as the 12.3-inch touchscreen in the current car.
With the much-maligned trackpad eliminated, the centre tunnel looks a little bare now, but some of the space is now used by a series of buttons for the seat heaters and fans, as well as the steering wheel heater and rear window blind.
The CD/DVD player has also been junked, so the slightly hidden area under the climate control pod now plays host to two USB-C slots, and a bevy of extra buttons.
Also new is an angled smartphone holder just in front of the centre console arm rest.
The company has also tweaked the handling of its flagship vehicle thanks to a new, more rigid brace for the rear suspension.
On the safety front there’s a transparent wireframe vehicle mode for the 360-degree camera view, which allows the driver to more easily see what’s close to the car’s tyres.
The Lexus Teammate semi-autonomous driving mode will now avoid driving in the blind spot of other vehicles. The lane change assistance system also operates in more situations, and includes a display and buzzer to alert to the driver about surrounding cars.
This refresh of the LS seems to be limited purely to technology with no discernible exterior styling changes. That’s not surprising as the fifth-generation’s facelift was unveiled globally in mid-2020 before arriving Down Under in January 2021.
MORE: Everything Lexus LS
