Lexus LS 500 review: the flagship that's brilliant to sit in and hard to sell on
4/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy the LS 500 if you plan to keep it, drive it yourself as much as you're driven in it, and accept the depreciation hit as the price of a genuinely different flagship. If resale in three years matters to your decision, this is not that car — buy it for what it is on day one, not for what it will be worth later.
Pros
- Quietest, most isolated cabin Lexus builds — genuinely limousine-grade at speed
- Twin-turbo V6 and 10-speed automatic feel effortless rather than merely powerful
- Long-wheelbase platform gives rear-seat space few rivals match
- Reasonable running costs once the warranty period ends, unlike a comparable German V8
Cons
- Steep depreciation makes it a poor resale proposition in Bahrain's German-dominated luxury market
- 5.2-metre length is a genuine parking and turning-circle penalty in Manama and Seef
- Rarely discounted enough new to offset the resale gap versus rivals
- Understated styling means the LS is easy to overlook next to a badge-conscious buyer's default choice
The LS gave up the naturally aspirated V8 of its predecessor for a twin-turbo V6, and the trade is a clear win on paper: more torque, lower and earlier in the rev range, through a 10-speed automatic that shuffles ratios without the driver noticing. What the old V8's silky top end offered in character, the new car answers with outright quietness — this is the calmest cabin Lexus has ever built.
Living with the size
At 5.2 metres long, the LS asks for a car park's worst spot in Manama and Seef malls alike, and the turning circle punishes any U-turn attempt on a narrow side street. None of that matters if you are driven more than you drive, which is honestly how most flagship sedans in this segment are used in the Gulf.
The value question
This is where the LS struggles against its German and Japanese-luxury rivals. Bahraini buyers shopping this bracket default to the three-pointed star or the four rings out of habit, and the LS's resale reflects that even though the car underneath is arguably better screwed together. Depreciation over the first three years is steep enough that the LS should be thought of as a lease-like proposition rather than an asset.
Running costs once the warranty lapses are reasonable by flagship standards — the V6 shares enough with Toyota's wider engine family that servicing is not the horror story a comparable German V8 can become — but the initial purchase math rarely favours the LS on a pure resale basis.