Lexus LS500H vs Foton Tunland

What's the difference?

The Lexus LS 500 and 500h are both exceptional cars. The ‘obnoxious’ styling especially to the grille makes the offerings from BMW, Benz and Audi look bland and overly corporate inside and out. It’s really in the dynamics department that the LS falls short of its rivals and only the LS 500 is enjoyable if you like to drive with a degree of conviction. 

Both the LS500 and 500h, though, have wonderfully comfortable rides and this together with those sumptuous interiors makes these the perfect place to be if you’re in the back being swiftly and quietly taken to you next meeting.

For me the sweet-spot pick would be the LS 500 F Sport for its value and dynamic ability.

In pure workhorse terms the V7-C 4x2 is the most impressive Chinese ute we’ve tested, with its ability to legally haul more than one tonne of payload while towing up to 3.5 tonnes of braked trailer unmatched by Chinese rivals (and most others). When you add purposeful styling, ample cabin space, generous appointments and a long warranty, all for less than $40K, the new Tunland model represents compelling value for money.

“You’re either going to love them or hate them.” You can bet that whenever you’re told this just before being introduced to somebody then that somebody is going to be downright obnoxious. The same goes for the LS, well it’s face anyway, because those are the kinds of statements made about that grille.

The thing is, the LS needs an obnoxious face because its up against The Establishment -  the Mercedes-Benz S -Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8, and given there’s no way they’ll ever let Lexus into their little ‘club’ it’s good that the LS has steered clear of imitating them and is boldly different.

This was also the type of thinking which inspired the grille’s creator, Tokuo Fukuichi. The so called ‘spindle grille’ first appeared in 2010 on the CT200h before rolling out to the rest of the Lexus line-up. The look polarised the opinions of fans and even executives inside Lexus. But Fukuichi was adamant the key to the brand’s survival and success was to not to be boring.

That massive gaping mouth is anything but boring, and for this new-generation LS the spindle grille has been overhauled. Yes, some car companies might make a few tweaks to a grille, but not Lexus. Using a CAD computer program, it took designers six months to refine each of the 5032 surfaces on the F-Sport’s grille and the more than 7000 on the Sports Luxury’s. If only you didn’t have to slap a number plate on these exquisitely spun net-like structures.

New LED headlights and the ‘Zorro blade-slash’ LED running lights are equally obnoxious and therefore perfectly suited for the LS’s face. So too are the enormous air inlets below them in the bumper. If only the rest of the car’s exterior was as wild and not mild and milder the further you get from the grille. The rear looks stately, modern and sleek but could have done with something more adventurous (similar to IS’s taillights).

But the LS’s insides make up for that dullness, with a cabin that’s decadent and alien at the same time. A dash which sweeps from door to door features asymmetrical string-like design elements which are a theme carved through wood and glass and stitched into leather throughout the cabin. The quality is superb, while the fit and finish is better than I’ve seen on some of its competitors.

There are four no-cost interior packages on the Sports Luxury ranging from 'Moon White' trim with walnut decorative inlays to black trim with 'Crafted Latte' inserts. But it’s the $9800 optional 'Black with hand-pleating' and 'Kiriko' glass which is a stand out. It’s an intriguing look, the pleated fabric which cascades around the hand-cut Japanese glass.

The F Sport’s cabin is less decorative with seats that hold you tighter in three no-cost option leathers from 'Moon White' to 'Flare Red' with aluminium door and dash decorative elements.

Both cabins are sumptuous, although they fall a little short in gob-smacking tech like those amazing, expansive, floating dash screens and the virtual instrument cluster in the S-Class. Yes, there’s the large screen up front and the seat-back screens in the rear but the styling of the graphics and typeface reveal the Toyota DNA.

The LS has the presence a prestige brand’s flagship car should - imposing, long and wide. Look at the LS’s dimensions. At 5235mm end-to-end and 1900mm across, the LS is longer and wider than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but swoops in lower at 1450mm. The LS’s wheelbase is longer than a regular S-Class’s at 3125mm, too.

Apart from the grille you can tell an F Sport from a Sports Luxury by its black brake calipers and black elements in the front bumper, boot lid and sill.

To tell a 500 from a 500h, the difference is subtle. There are the badges, of course, but the 500's rear bumper also has a different design with chrome exhaust surrounds.

If Oscar Wilde was correct in claiming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Ford and Ram should be blushing, judging by some of the Tunland’s styling cues which appear to draw strong design inspiration from Ford’s F-150 (V7) and Ram’s 1500 (V9).

Even so, our base model V7-C 4x2 does not look or feel like the afterthought that workhorse models can represent in commercial fleets. Its alloy wheels and splashes of bright body chrome combined with body-coloured doorhandles/mirror shells and a decorative tailgate looks more upmarket than you’d expect, particularly at this low price.

Riding on a long 3355mm wheelbase with external dimensions of 5617mm length, 2000mm width and 1910 height, its traditional body-on-frame design features twin wishbone front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, electric power-assisted steering and four-wheel disc brakes.

And although it’s a 4x2 it shares many of its 4x4 siblings’ off-road credentials including a useful 240mm of ground clearance, 28 degrees approach/21 degrees ramp break-over/26 degrees departure angles, 700mm wading depth and 13.5-metre turning circle.

Its external dimensions create a spacious interior that nudges the benchmark for workhorse luxury. With Daimler truck DNA evident in its digital screen displays, the plush synthetic leather trim features a combination of quilted white stitching and contrasting red stitching, plus splashes of satin chrome and dark woodgrain highlights on the dash, centre console and door trims.

Anything with a 3.1m wheelbase has to be practical right? Well, legroom in the back is excellent, but I can’t properly stretch out in that reclining rear seat with the ottoman without my feet hitting the seatback.

Headroom is also a bit a restricted in that rear row for me, too. That’s something to keep in mind for taller passengers (I'm 191cm tall).

A cargo capacity of 480 litres is 30 litres shy of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, while the cooler box in the rear (that comes with the Sports Luxury trim) eats into the boot space and drops the total to 440 litres.

The LS is a five-seat sedan, but that centre rear seatback folds forward to become the armrest and houses the controls to the massage and reclining functions, plus two cupholders.

There’s another two cupholders up front and pockets in all the doors. While the storage area under the centre console armrest in the front and back is good – that’s about it for storage.

An access mode will raise the car by 30mm when getting in and lower it by 10mm when getting out. Those wide opening doors also make entry and exit easier.

With its 2190kg kerb weight and 3305kg GVM, the V7-C 4x2 has a sizeable 1115kg payload rating which is the largest of the Tunland fleet.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer and with its big 6805kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can tow its maximum trailer weight when carrying its maximum one-tonne-plus of payload. Those are impressive numbers unmatched by its Chinese rivals.

The load tub is protected by a spray-in liner and measures 1577mm long, 1650mm wide and 530mm deep, with 1240mm between the wheel housings ample for carrying Aussie or Euro pallets.

There’s also tailgate assist and load-anchorage points front and rear, but the front ones are mounted near the tops of the sidewalls which is not ideal for securing low loads. Anchorage points near floor level (like those at the rear) are best for securing loads of all heights.

There’s ample room in all key dimensions for the driver and front passenger, where storage includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door plus an overhead glasses holder and large glovebox.

A cleverly designed centre console offers two levels of storage, with dual USB-A ports and a 12v socket in the lower level. There’s also two bottle-holders in the centre and a large box at the back, with an internal A/C vent to keep contents cool and a padded lid that doubles as an elbow rest.

The rear doors open wide to allow easy access to a spacious rear bench seat, given I’m 186cm and have ample knee clearance and headroom when sitting behind the driver’s seat set in my position. There’s also a flat floor that saves central passengers from having to straddle a transmission hump but shoulder room for three big Aussies can be squeezy, which is okay for short trips but a limit of two would be ideal for longer journeys.

Rear passengers have access to adjustable air vents on the rear of the centre console, along with storage that includes a bottle-holder and bin in each door plus pockets on each front seat backrest. The centre seat’s backrest also folds forward to provide an armrest containing two cup-holders.

The 60/40-split base cushions can swing up and be stored vertically if more internal carrying space is required. And although there’s no dedicated under-seat storage compartments, there’s generous space for stowing soft items like sports bags, jackets etc.

The Tunland range includes the V7-C 4x2 and V7-C 4x4 workhorses aimed primarily at fleet and trade buyers plus two 4x4s variants with a more upmarket/lifestyle focus comprising the V9-L and premium V9-S.

Our V7-C 4x2 test vehicle is the tradie’s entrance to Tunland ownership, which comes standard with the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with 48-volt hybrid assist and eight-speed automatic shared by all models, for a tempting list price of only $39,990 before on-road costs. Our example is finished in gleaming Galaxy Silver which is a premium paint option that adds $690.

The V7-C comes well equipped for a workhorse with standard equipment that includes chunky 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels with 265/70R18 tyres and a full-size steel spare.

There’s also LED headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights, side-steps, spray-in tub-liner, electronic parking brake, front/rear parking sensors, panoramic 360-degree camera with integrated dash-cam, smart key entry/start, USB ports and 12v socket, 12.3-inch driver’s digital instrument cluster, 14.6-inch infotainment screen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto connectivity, four-speaker sound system, ‘Hi Foton’ voice recognition and more.

Let's talk engine specifications .The LS 500 has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 making 310kW/600Nm, with drive being sent to the rear wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission. That's impressive horsepower, but this car is heavy is a weight of about 2.3 tonnes.

The LS 500h has a 220kW/350Nm 3.5-litre V6 (a different engine to the 500’s) plus two electric motors driving the rear wheels. The total power output is 264kW. Shifting gears in the 500h is a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Just a reminder, too, the LS 500h is not  a plug-in hybrid. Regenerative braking re-charges the lithium-ion batteries.  

If you're looking for a diesel, you won't find one here. Same goes for a manual gearbox. And, while buyers can choose an all-wheel drive (awd) Lexus LS in other markets around the world, ours are all front-wheel drive.  

Foton’s Aucan 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel meets Euro 6 emission standards using AdBlue and produces 120kW of power at 3600rpm and a meaty 450Nm of torque between 1500-2400rpm.

Its hybrid assistance follows convention with the turbo-diesel engine equipped with a belt-driven starter-generator paired with a compact 48-volt lithium-ion battery nestled behind the rear seat.

This combination provides not only smooth engine stop-start technology but also modest boosts in power and torque (in addition to the diesel’s 120kW/450Nm) to enhance engine response and load-hauling ability.

The ZF-designed eight-speed torque converter automatic offers the choice of manual sequential shifting using the steering wheel-mounted paddles, along with several drive modes. The V7-C is estimated to accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than 11 seconds with a top speed of around 160km/h.

Only thing missing is a locking differential, which for a 4x2 can be handy when accessing rugged worksites or pulling a boat trailer up a slimy boat-ramp.

The LS 500 has an official fuel consumption of 9.5L/100km while the 500h’s is 6.6L/100km after open and urban road driving. We drove both cars on mainly country roads and saw an average of 10.1L/100km in the LS 500 and 9.1L/100km in the 500h.

Foton claims official combined consumption of 8.0L/100km and the Tunland’s trip computer was showing 9.5 at the completion of our 294km test, which comprised our usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling more than one tonne of payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was even better at 9.2L/100km. That’s excellent sub-10L/100km economy for a vehicle weighing more than two tonnes being driven mostly on metro roads and consumption that's well within the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between manufacturer and real-world figures.

So, based on our test figure, you could expect a realistic driving range of more than 800km from its 76-litre diesel tank.

My first experience of the new LS was from the back seat of a 500 Sports Luxury being driven from the airport to the venue where Lexus Australia would deliver the presentation on its fifth generation of the car.

Seat reclined, I was whisked quietly and comfortably through the traffic, barely any road or wind noise, the ride was superb on that air suspension, a little floaty but still damped well enough for it not to become bouncy, with minimal head sway (the movement that makes you car sick).

Cocooned in leather with seat-back screens for audio and DVD the ride and environment was just right for a limousine chauffeuring important business types who need swift and tranquil transportation. Not for weirdos like me who were only interested in the way the front and back multi-link suspension kept a 2.3-tonne car with a 3.1m wheelbase so civilised, even through roundabouts. I wondered if this was actually the best way to experience the LS – from the back seats, being driven?

When I did drive the 500 and 500h in the two trims later it more or less confirmed that first impression. The 500 in F Sport trim was the best to drive, while the 500 in Sports Luxury was the best to be driven in. Why? I’ll explain.

The LS 500’s 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 makes more power than the hybrid for starters, which is always a good thing when you need to move a car this heavy. Even then the LS 500’s acceleration isn’t super quick, and the engine needs to work hard when asked to get a wriggle on. That 10-speed automatic transmission is excellent though. 

The same can’t be said for the CVT in the 500h which under harder acceleration does what CVTs do in that situation, make more noise without seeming to get the drive effectively to the wheels.

The 500h’s naturally aspirated V6 is a good thing, but it seems the weight of the car and the CVT work against it being exciting to drive. After a couple of hundred kilometres in a 500h blasting through the countryside steering it became tiresome rather than rewarding with the engine constantly kicking in and whining incessantly when asked for more beans, please. 

This car is far better suited to slipping silently through city streets than it is galloping through the bush – that’s where the 500 is a lot more at home.

The 500 and 500h are rear-wheel drive cars, and this, along with an almost 50-50 balance, sets the ground work for good cars to pilot. The F-Sport trim adds an active rear stabiliser bar as standard equipment and brings a more sophisticated version of Lexus’s 'Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management' (VDIM) – a stability system using data from suspension, ABS, traction control, electric power steering, the stabiliser bar and rear steering. The result is the control of longitudinal, vertical, yaw, roll and pitch movements for better ride and handling.

The F Sport trims adds bigger brakes, too with 400mm x 36mm discs on the front and 359mm x 30mm at the back, plus staggered tyres with 245mm rubber at the front and 275mm at the rear.

The electric steering is light, which makes it easy to manoeuvre in carparks, and an 11.2m turning circle is great for the class. 

On the open road at speed the steering is pinky-finger light even in Sport+ mode, and while it’s smooth and accurate, I want to feel more connected to the wheels and where they’re pointed.

While the LS 500 is more the driver’s car than the 500h neither perform as well dynamically as Benz’s S-Class, but from the back seat the LS feels just as comfortable and even plusher.

There’s big assist handles on the A and B-pillars which combined with the side-steps makes for easy boarding into a spacious and comfortable driving position. However, some adjustments for base cushion rake and lumbar support would be welcome.

With selectable steering feel and drivetrain settings, it’s an enjoyable vehicle to drive. The turbo diesel has excellent all-round response, with the seamless interaction of its 48V mild-hybrid assist providing extra urge from standing starts.

Although you can manually shift, the eight-speed auto gets the best out of this engine in urban use, keeping it mostly within the 1500-2400rpm band where torque is at its strongest. We also sampled the Sport and Eco drive modes but found the default Standard setting was an ideal compromise. It’s also a relaxed highway cruiser requiring only 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted 830kg into the load tub, which combined with our crew of two equalled a total payload exceeding one tonne (1010kg). The rear leaf springs compressed 75mm under this weight, leaving about 40mm of static bump-stop clearance which did not display any harsh bottoming-out on our test route.

It hauled this payload with commendable ease, particularly on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h where it quickly downshifted to fourth gear and 2400rpm (the upper end of its peak torque band) to haul this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, was also robust for a relatively small engine displacement restraining more than three tonnes of combined vehicle and payload on overrun. It proved to be a competent heavy load-hauler.

Our only criticisms are that the eight-speed automatic tends to hold sixth gear for too long at times, with the engine sounding and feeling like it’s really labouring before downshifting to fifth.

There were also a few settings in the touchscreen’s ‘Rear Cross Traffic Assist’ menu that could not be selected and the ‘Traffic Sign Recognition’ symbol was not displayed in the driver’s instrument display. Inchcape could not confirm if these findings were unique to our test vehicle or a broader product issue.

The latest Tunland is yet to receive an ANCAP star rating which may hinder sales, particularly to fleets.

Even so, it comes loaded with safety features like eight airbags including full-length side-curtain, driver’s knee and front-centre deployment, plus auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, speed sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, trailer stability assist, tyre pressure monitoring, front/rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera with integrated dash-cam and more.

For junior tradies the rear bench seat has three top-tethers plus ISOFIX anchorages on the two outer seating positions.

The Lexus LS is covered by a four-year/100,0000km warranty. Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or 12 months. There is no capped price servicing program. Being a Toyota family product the Lexus LS also comes backed by the same reputation for reliability and you may experience lower maintenance costs than perhaps its German rivals. 

It's confidently backed by a seven-years/unlimited kilometre warranty and seven years of roadside assistance.

Scheduled servicing is every 15,000km/12 months whichever occurs first.

There’s capped pricing for the first seven scheduled services up to seven years/110,000km totalling $4492, or an average of around $640 per service.

Foton Australia currently has a national network of around 20 dealers (with plans to expand) represented in most states and territories. All can provide scheduled vehicle servicing.