New Lexus LS gets parallel parking, improved safety and more

Lexus LS has been soldering on its fifth-generation model at a time when several of its competitors including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 have been adopting new-generation iterations to stay relevant. To stay in the fight, the Japanese luxury car manufacturer owned by Toyota has updated the Lexus LS sedan with a host of new features and technologies for the Japanese market. It is not clear yet, but Lexus may bring the updated LS to India as well.

While the exterior design of this car remains unchanged, Lexus has updated the LS flagship sedan with a fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster that comes with new graphics. Additionally, the drive recorder of the luxury sedan now comes as a standard feature and captures footage at the front and rear using the integrated cameras. Also, the LS now comes compatible with an app that turns the user's smartphone into a digital key allowing him or her to lock or unlock the doors or even start the car. Apart from that, the Lexus LS 500h now gets an external power supply attachment that could come in handy in case of emergencies.

Watch: Lexus LS 500H: Complete drive review

While these changes make the LS sedan technologically upgraded and feature-packed, on the mechanical front, the car has gained rear-wheel steering for the AWD variant. Earlier, the four-wheel steering was available only for the rear-wheel drive models. Lexus has also said that it will install a radiator support brace on select versions to ensure body rigidity and improve steering response.

The car manufacturer claims that the updated Lexus LS will come offering better comfort to the occupants thanks to the tweaked suspension at both axles. The rubber part that supports the exhaust pipe of the car now sits at a different angle to ensure reduced vibrations.

Among other updates, the car gets an upgraded advanced drive system with support for traffic congestion at speeds of up to 40 kmph. On the safety front, the sedan gets Lexus Safety System Plus, which prevents the driver from getting dangerously close to pedestrians, bicycles, or parked vehicles. To avoid any mishap, this technology automatically steers the car and applies brakes. Another highly interesting feature introduced to the car is parallel parking, which allows the owner of the LS 500h to park the car remotely using a dedicated app.