Two all-wheel-drive Lexus LS500h models share the exact same hybrid powertrain — and yet a gap of 4.68 million yen separates them. That's not a typo. The base I package AWD starts at 13.05 million yen in Japan, while the Executive AWD commands 17.73 million. Nobody is paying that premium for extra horsepower, because there isn't any. They're paying for how the car treats whoever sits behind the driver.
Step into the Executive and the leather changes first: semi-aniline hide, extended power adjustments, and a completely separate equipment set built around the rear cabin. The two rear seats aren't even equal to each other. Lexus's own spec sheet lists 22 adjustments for the left rear seat and only 16 for the right, and the power-extending ottoman is fitted exclusively on the left side. Ventilation, heating, powered sunshades, and cabin controls for rear passengers round out the package.
Then there's the sound. The Mark Levinson Reference 3D Surround Sound system packs 23 speakers, ceiling-mounted units included, against just 12 in the standard Lexus Premium Sound setup. Add it all up, and the Executive quietly turns the LS from a loaded executive sedan into something closer to a car built for an owner who rides in back more often than they drive.
The car underneath hasn't changed. This is still the fifth-generation flagship, powered by a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 paired with Lexus's Multi Stage Hybrid System. The AWD version is rated at 12.5 km/L on Japan's WLTC cycle — roughly 8.0 L/100 km. Dimensions stand at 5,235 mm long, 1,900 mm wide, and 1,460 mm tall, riding on a 3,125 mm wheelbase.
Japan's LS was last updated in September 2025, when Lexus expanded the color palette and made heated front and rear seats standard across the entire lineup. But the real story is in the price ladder: the LS500h version L AWD sits at 16.05 million yen, just 1.68 million shy of the Executive. That's the actual price of admission — the final step from an already expensive LS to the version where the back seat becomes the point of the car.
Lexus is also testing an updated RX with revised bumpers and front-end styling, according to earlier reporting. A larger screen and new infotainment are expected inside, though no official debut date has been announced.
