The Lexus LS, designated as Lexus luxury sedan, was first introduced in 1989 to compete with well known German limousines, and since then it has put up quite a fight. Over the years, the LS has evolved while keeping the same mission statement and proving to be more reliable than its opposition. The only real competition the LS has now is the Genesis G90 from South Korea, although the G90 still offers a V-8, while the LS makes due with a turbo V-6. We got a pre-production F-Sport model on loan from Lexus, so we just had to get a 2021 Lexus LS 500 mpg figure on the highway.
After our real-world test, and trying our hardest not to fall asleep in this comfy sedan, we found the LS 500 in F-Sport spec to return 31 mpg. For comparison, that is two miles per gallon more than the EPA’s advertised number for this car, 29 mpg. For those wondering about the all-wheel-drive LS 500 F-Sport, Car and Driver tested one on its identical highway test and claim 26 mpg, which is one less than the EPA’s claim for that powertrain. Powering all four wheels yields much more powertrain drag and weight.
Alas, if grandpa wants to take a road trip to come visit Benny and Bonnie after he gets his vaccine, then he can expect to travel 670 miles on the highway before running out of gas because his hearing aid couldn’t pick up all the warning chimes. Hopefully he’ll have a nice book on tape to keep him from nodding off.
How We Test
This Daily Motor real-world highway-fuel-economy test consists of 100 miles of consistent highway driving. We fill the car using the “three-click method,” meaning running the gas pump on high flow until it clicks, waiting 10 seconds, running low flow until it clicks again, waiting another 10 seconds, then running low flow one very last time. We use the lowest-octane petroleum accepted by the vehicle. Then we drive about 50 miles on public highway in one direction and then back in the opposite direction, attempting not to draft or drive aggressively. We set the cruise control at GPS-indicated 72 mph in an attempt to achieve a moving average speed of 70 mph over the entire test. Upon return to the gas station, we refill at the same gas pump as the initial fill using the same fueling method. Miles per gallon is calculated by dividing total GPS miles traveled by fuel filled at the pump. In cases where our observed figure differs greatly from the vehicle’s indicated figure and/or EPA’s estimate, we may recommend a number in between or plan to retest the vehicle.
Click here to see the full 2021 Lexus LS 500 mpg test performed:
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