2020 LS Interior

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is often seen as the benchmark in the full-size luxury sedan segment, but if you're looking for a truly grandiose interior, the LS takes the cake. Sumptuous leathers and open-pore wood are standard for the segment, but where else will you find herringbone wood trim inlays and Kiriko glass detailing that reeks of art deco inspiration? You may need to give up a modicum of space compared to rivals - though only the tallest of NBA professionals will notice - but fine details like hand-pleated door paneling and color combinations ranging from Japanese Shiro to 1920s smoking lounge in feel are grand enough to distract you from the minor faults; plush, reclining seats with Shiatsu massage functionality will send you to sleep before you've even had a chance to figure out what each of the ideally laid out buttons on the dash is for. That's, of course, if you can worm your way through the complex infotainment system to access the heating, ventilation, and massage, as Lexus hides these functions behind a digital veil when we'd rather have had hard buttons for the same tasks.

2020 LS Interior Photos

Seating and Interior Space

The LS has long been lauded for its comfortable seats and the 2020 LS 500 does not disappoint in this area. Front seat passengers are treated to 16-way (optional 28-way) leather chairs with heating, ventilation, and massage functionality. Rear seat passengers can also have these features (optionally) and are even treated to some additional massage modes. Unlike most "ordinary" cars, the outer seats in the rear can be electronically adjusted using a touchscreen in the center armrest.

Our tester featured the $23,080 Executive Package, which adds the ability to fold the front passenger seat forward as far as it will go. This allows the rear passenger on the right to activate the built-in ottoman, giving them room to stretch out their feet. We highly recommend this option for anyone who plans to be chauffeured around in their LS 500. But ignoring this flashy feature, the LS 500 only offers 38.9 inches of rear legroom, which isn't great by full-size sedan standards. You actually get more legroom in the Lexus ES 350.

2020 Lexus LS Interior Dimensions:

Interior Colors and Materials

When you're paying this much for a car, you expect to be blown away by the number of interior color options and trim choices. Lexus doesn't disappoint here. Our tester came with black leather with intricate stitching, but other options include Parchment, Flaxen, and Chateau, all with different corresponding wood choices. If you opt for the F Sport trim, Black, Circus Red, and White leather become options matched with Naguri Aluminum trim.

Our tester was equipped with the Executive Package with Kiriko glass. A $23,080 option, it replaces all of the car's wood trim with beautifully hand-cut Kiriko glass, a special glass cutting technique from Japan. Everyone who steps into the LS 500 will be blown away by the intricacy of the Kiriko glass, making this a must-have option in our eyes.

2020 LS Trunk and Cargo Space

Despite their sheer size, full-size luxury sedans typically don't boast the largest of trunks, as all their extra length is generously donated towards the rear occupants of the cabin. The LS stays true to this, but still plates up an impressive 15.2 cubic feet of trunk space in its most generous configuration. This figure is still some way below the 18.7 cubes offered by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and as the rear seats are the most important, there's no split-folding functionality to increase the trunk volume. Still, you'll easily fit in a few sets of golf clubs, or two large suitcases for you and the missus on your way to the airport. The aperture is large, too, and there's standard power operation of the trunk lid with hands-free operation.

Inside the cabin, there are standard door pockets on all doors, two cupholders up front, two in the rear center armrest, and a large storage bin beneath the front center armrest. It's not a massive amount of space, but it'll suffice for most needs.

2020 Lexus LS Trunk and Cargo Space Photos

2020 Lexus LS Cargo Dimensions:

2020 LS Infotainment and Features

Features

As the most luxurious vehicle in the Lexus lineup, there's little that isn't at least available on the LS, although the standard complement of features will blow the toupees off the heads of most luxury sedan aficionados. A power glass sunroof, rearview camera, automatic LED headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, adaptive cruise control, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, a rear window sunshade, and keyless access with a hands-free trunk are all standard, but buyers can opt for four-zone climate control, upgrade the heated seats from just the front pair to all four corners, and equip ventilation and even a Shiatsu massage to the seating, adding up to 28 ways of adjustment in the process. Delve into the options list further and there's a driver head-up display, power-reclining rear seats, a heated steering wheel, adaptive air suspension, and even a power-adjustable ottoman for rear-seat passengers. The Lexus Safety System 2.0 incorporates a range of collision avoidance assistance systems including traffic sign recognition and automatic emergency braking, as well as blind-spot monitoring and a parking assistant. Also available is a 360-degree camera and the Lexus Safety System A+ to bolster things further.

Infotainment

The LS 500 is filled to the brim with cool tech toys but, sadly, the infotainment system isn't one of them. There are some physical controls to make life easier on the driver, but many of the car's functions can only be accessed using the Remote Touch Interface. Housed on a large, 12.3-inch display, the controller of the Enform Infotainment system is a laptop-style touchpad that is infuriating to use while on the move. It constantly misses menu items, forcing the driver to look over at the screen even more, and it regularly misses quick inputs. Lexus has reverted back to a touchscreen starting with the 2020 RX but it may take a few model years before this change makes its way to the LS. In our eyes, it couldn't come sooner.

Without the silly controller, the Lexus interface isn't too confusing and finally features Apple CarPlay compatibility, but still no Android Auto. The base sound system is a 12-speaker affair called Lexus Premium Sound, but our tester was equipped with the 23-speaker Mark Levinson system, a must-have for $1,940.