Toyota Tundra vs Lexus LS500H

What's the difference?

The Tundra Platinum is a good-looking and well-engineered RHD full-size US pickup which stands apart from local competitors with its unique hybrid drivetrain and unmatched power/torque outputs. However, it also comes with a conspicuously high purchase price, which given the quality of local Ram, Chevrolet and Ford competition could be a deal-breaker for some.

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.

This is a substantial vehicle with bold, bluff-fronted styling characterised by an enormous grille that has an imposing presence wherever it roams.

Toyota's TNGA-F ladder-frame chassis platform is shared with the LandCruiser 300 Series and Prado models, but the big American has a much longer 3700mm wheelbase, spans almost six metres in length (5955mm) and is more than two metres wide (2040mm). However, it’s less than two metres tall (1985mm), so it can access underground and multi-storey carparks. 

It rides on double-wishbone coil-spring front suspension and a multi-link coil-spring live rear axle, with electric power-assisted rack and pinion steering and big four-wheel disc brakes.

Off-road credentials include 216mm of ground clearance, 23 degrees approach and 21 degrees departure angles – which are ample for accessing rugged worksites – while the turning circle is an expansive 15 metres.

The interior, with its panoramic sunroof, has a spacious and airy ambience, enhanced by contrasting blue stitching on its leather-appointed upholstery.

Although the cabin has a high standard of fit and finish, as you’d expect from Toyota and WAG, it doesn't look and feel quite as lavish as the sumptuous interiors found in its top-shelf US rivals. The centre console lid in particular feels too light and plasticky for a vehicle in this price range.

“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.

With its 2834kg kerb weight and 3536kg GVM, the Platinum has a 702kg payload limit which is modest compared to smaller 4x4 utes with genuine one-tonne-plus capabilities.

However, it’s rated to tow up to 4500kg of braked trailer on a 70mm ball and with its substantial 7980kg GCM (or how much weight it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that would require only a small drop in payload from 702kg to 646kg to avoid exceeding the GCM. So, that’s a practical set of numbers if you ever need to tow the maximum 4.5 tonnes.

The load tub is 1660mm long, 1491mm wide and 531mm deep, with 1237mm between its rear wheel-housings allowing either a standard Aussie or Euro pallet. It’s accessed through a power tailgate, which can be operated from the driver’s seat if required.

The tub’s internal surfaces are protected by a composite drop-in liner, with handy slots moulded into each side for vertically inserting planks of wood to serve as lateral load-dividers if required.

The Platinum's tub also has unique hooded LED lighting in each sidewall, plus there’s fixed load-anchorage points front and rear at mid-height (would be better if just above floor height) and rails with adjustable sliding anchorages along the top of the front and side walls for securing taller loads.

Cabin storage includes two 600mL bottle-holders and storage bins in each front door plus a decent-sized single glovebox, a 12V dash socket and an overhead glasses-holder.

The centre console offers open storage up front including a wireless phone-charging pad, plus a pair of small-bottle/cupholders in the centre and a large lidded box at the back containing USB ports.

The large rear doors, with pull-up privacy screens on their windows, provide wide entry to the rear bench seat. There’s enough shoulder room for three adults and even tall passengers enjoy ample legroom, although those seats in the centre must contend with a transmission hump, which is absent in its flat-floored rivals.

There’s two 600mL bottle-holders and a bin in each rear door, plus large pockets on each front seat backrest and two more bottle/cupholders at the rear of the centre console, which also has controls for rear seat heating/cooling, plus USB ports and adjustable air-vents.

If travelling with two, the centre seat backrest folds down to provide a comfortable armrest and two more bottle/cupholders (that's 14 in total), so drink storage is well catered for in this cabin.

The rear seat’s 60/40-split base cushions can also swing up and be stored vertically for more internal luggage space, but there’s no storage compartments underneath as this space is occupied by the hybrid drivetrain’s battery, with large vents on either side providing it with ample ventilation.

Our only criticism of the rear seating is limited headroom for tall people, caused by a deep contour in the roof-lining to accommodate the Platinum’s sunroof.

This contour sits very close to foreheads and limits head space. So, if you have tall passengers, they might get cranky on long drives, particularly those seated in the slightly higher centre position with (like me) the top of their head pressed firmly into the roof lining.

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.

The line-up is simple. There are two powertrains: the turbo-petrol V6 LS 500, and the petrol-electric LS500h hybrid, and there's no price difference between them. Then, there are two trim levels: the F Sport for $190,500 and Sports Luxury for $195,500. 

Coming standard on the F Sport are 'F Sport' seats with leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, dual-zone climate control, 28-way power adjustable front seats and head-up display. The multimedia system comes with a 12.3-inch screen, sat nav, DVD player, DAB+ digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity and a 23-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.

There’s also LED headlights, 20-inch alloy wheels and a kick-open tailgate. While the F-Sport misses out on some of the plush features of the Sports Luxury it does get hardware for better on-road dynamics which you can read about in the driving section below.

The Sports Luxury has that large screen, those power adjustable front seats and the multimedia system with that Mark Levinson stereo, too, but adds much more. The front passenger seat slides and folds itself forward to allow the seat behind it to recline and extend its ottoman-style leg rest. 

Both rear seats are 22-way power adjustable and heated. If you’re lucky enough to be lounging back there, you’ll also two 11.6-inch seat-back screens with a DVD player. Plus, there’s four-zone climate control, a rear cooler box and power sun shades.

The F-Sport and Sports Luxury have their own choice of no-cost interior options. The Sports Luxury also gives you the option to buy (for $9800) one of four special interior packs – you can read about the standout one with the hand-cut glass below.

There are 11 body colours to choose from: Sonic Quartz, Sonic Silver, Titanium, Liquid Metal, Onyx, Graphite Black, Vermillion, Scarlet Crimson (a dark red), Metallic Silk, Deep Metallic Bronze and Deep Blue.

The Tundra’s powertrain consists of a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that produces 290kW of power at 5200rpm and 649Nm of torque between 2400-3600rpm.

This is paired with an electric motor mounted directly behind, which produces 36kW/250Nm and draws its electrons from a 6.5Ahr Ni-MH (nickel metal hydride) battery located beneath the rear seat.

Their combined output is 326kW and 790Nm, which is more power and torque than any of its local rivals and therefore appealing for those who need to haul and/or tow heavy loads.

Its refined 10-speed torque converter automatic offers the choice of sequential manual-shifting, a dedicated Tow/Haul setting and three drive modes comprising Normal (default), Sport and Eco.

The 4WD system is part-time, dual-range with 2H (2WD High Range), 4H (4WD High Range) and 4L (4WD Low Range). There’s also an automatic limited-slip rear differential, but unlike its competitors no full-time AWD mode is available.

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.  

With the Tundra’s GVM rating exceeding 3.5 tonnes, Toyota is not required under current ADRs to publish fuel consumption figures. Even so, we covered a total distance of 298km, which comprised a mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload.

When we stopped to refuel, the dash display was claiming average combined consumption of 14.1L/100km, but our own figure calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings was 15.8, which is in the same ballpark as mid-teen figures we’ve achieved in its six and eight-cylinder rivals.

Therefore, based on our own figure, the Tundra Platinum has a real-world driving range nudging 800km from its big 122-litre tank, which according to Toyota requires minimum 95 RON petrol.

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.

The side steps are set close to the sills and, therefore, a bit narrow for size 12 boots, but big handles on the A and B pillars assist climbing aboard, where you’re rewarded with a spacious driving position with multiple adjustments.

The analogue-flavoured RHD dash module has numerous physical dials, buttons and switches, which thankfully leaves minimal reliance on distracting touchscreen prompts. Some items, like the left-hand-side indicator stalk and HVAC controls, are biased towards LHD, but you soon get used to these idiosyncrasies.

Its excellent steering feel, braking response, supple but responsive four-coil ride quality and effective noise insulation are what we’ve come to expect from WAG’s extensive remanufacturing process. In the Tundra’s case, it uses many original equipment components from existing Toyota 4WD vehicles and OEM suppliers.

The V6 engine produces a meaty V8-style soundtrack, with a melodic throb at idle and a guttural roar at full throttle. From standing starts, the abundant torque gets more than 2.8 tonnes of pickup to triple-digit speeds in about six seconds, which is comparable to Ford's sporty Ranger Raptor.

The hybrid drivetrain displays excellent refinement, as it continuously and seamlessly switches between petrol and electric power to optimise performance and economy. The Tundra is also an effortless highway cruiser, with negligible tyre and wind noise at 110km/h allowing conversations at loungeroom levels.

To test its load-hauling ability we strapped just over 500kg into the load tub, which with our two-man crew equalled a total payload of 675kg that was nudging its GVM limit. The coil-spring rear suspension only compressed 50mm, leaving ample bump-stop clearance and no risk of bottoming-out on our test route.

It made light work of hauling this payload in city and suburban driving and didn’t seem to notice it had anything in the load tub on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set-climb at 60km/h.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, wasn’t as robust as expected given the assistance of regenerative braking, but the large four-wheel disc brakes were more than capable of keeping speeds under 60km/h when called upon during the descent.

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.

The Lexus LS has not been crash tested, but all the signs are there that this is an exceptionally safe vehicle, from the structure of the car to the advanced safety technology such as AEB (forward and reverse) with pedestrian detection, lane keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts across the rear seats.

Both the 500 and 500h are fitted with run-flat tyres.  

The Tundra comes with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is class-leading.

Scheduled servicing is six months/10,000km whichever occurs first, with capped-pricing of $450 per service for the first five years/100,000km. So, that’s $900 annually, if serviced twice a year as scheduled.

Toyota currently has 275 dealers across its vast network located in metro, rural and regional areas. Toyota dealerships are also service centres.

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.