Lexus LS 1989-1994 (XF10)

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Lexus LS (First generation)

This model was also sold as the Toyota Celsior in Japan.


POLLS

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Which market version do you prefer?

  • Toyota Celsior (Japan)
  • Lexus LS 400 (International)
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Which version do you prefer?

  • Original (1989-1992)
  • Facelift (1992-1994)
0 voters

The Original XF10 Generation Lexus LS 400





5 Likes

This car pretty much established Lexus as a Premium Brand in the United States (this was before they prioritised Global Markets, limited Exports were made to Canada, Australia and the UK from 1990).

The Performance of the car was solid and featured the brand new Toyota 4.0L 1UZ-FE V8 which has become an icon of the brand and was actually conceptualized as a Race Engine for use in the GT500 Series in Japan. This was mated to a 4-Speed Automatic and was RWD which was standard for the time.

In the Lexus it produced roughly 250hp (190kw) and 353 N.m (260 lb-ft) of Torque. This was enough to propel the 1750kg (3860lbs) Car to 62mph in 8.5s and onto a Top Speed of 155mph (250kph).

The Car was intended to be a Rival to the Dominating Germanic Forces of BMW with their E32 7-Series and Mercedes with their W126 420 SE.

Compared to its Rivals the Lexus was quieter inside, had a lower weight, a higher top speed, less aerodynamic drag and had good enough fuel mileage to avoid the Gas Guzzler Tax of the time.

In 1989 the Car won the Japanese Car of the Year Award and it’s fairly easy to see why. Not only did it have Performance but it had a lot of new technology inside to provide additional amenities to the driver such as the brand new Automatic Tilt-and-telescope feature on the Steering Wheel which came with an Airbag. Inside the Cabin it was luxurious as befitting the cars intent and it features a combination of Walnut and Leather with an advanced Gauge Cluster for the time (it featured some holographics) and an optional Soundsystem from Nakamichi.

Not only was this Car so well put together it was significantly cheaper than the competition at $35,000 which even lead BMW to accuse Lexus of intentionally undercutting the market, funnily enough it was originally supposed to be $25,000 but the Yen had experienced significant depreciation at the time so it had to raised.

The Car launch was very successful and there were strong sales but just after the October Launch the Car was voluntarily recalled by Lexus to fix issues with the wiring and rear brake lights. Around 8000 Cars at the time had been recalled but the procedure had only take 20 days and due to Lexus’ proactively they gained a significant amount of positive press.

Within a single year the Sales of the LS400 in the US had bested all their competitors despite not having an established reputation for luxury.

In total around 165,000 of the XF10 Generation LS400 were produced and without this Car the Lexus Brand might not even have existed in the same vein as they do today, the standard and reputation this helped the company build in just 3 years was absolutely monumental.

2 Likes

This car is beautiful

1 Like