@McTurbo1300 in Japan, the Toyota celsior had rear massage seats, power curtains and a rear armrest had multiple controls. 1989 too, btw. Toyota gave us a base Celsior, and called it the Ls400 lol
Fog lights are yellow because they cut through fog better. They are meant for actual fog. The lower wavelength doesn't scatter as much off the water droplets as white or lights with more blue in them do. Seat belts usually have a bit where there is an extra loop built in with stitches that are designed to fail under certain conditions so the seat belt gives a little at a certain pre-defined point to absorb energy and thus lessen injuries. Most cars have these loops if you know where to look, usually at the base of the belt where it attaches to the car. It would be pretty straightforward to put a tag in that loop to let people know those stitches have failed and therefore if the car has experiences crash-level G forces the tag would become visible. That's actually a really clever thing to do, I like it!
Mikey B; It amazes me how Doug calls himself a car enthusiast, and yet he often seem very uninformed about very basic details... And the details are usually issues that could easily be cleared up with a 15 second Google search!
And just think , someone who doesn't know why they used yellow fog lights is " scoring " cars , you'd think you'd need to know the common thing's first before scoring anything ...
That yellow color was used by the Pennsylvania Railroad for decades in position-light signals _precisely_ because it can cut through fog in a way that white does not. The color is actually referred to as 'fog yellow' because of its ability. White fog lights are...well...not really fog lights
My parents owned the LS400 from that very same year and, like you said, it was a VERY big deal in its day. I was 13 when my parents bought the car and they went from a mid 1980's Toyota Camry to the LS400... and boy was there a BIG difference back then! The interior layout may not seem like much compared with today's luxury cars, but I vividly remember my parents taking a friend out to dinner and us all taking the LS400. When the car started up... you couldn't help but notice the dash, with its floating 3D-style lights and how the center console lit up. I vividly remember her saying, "Wow! Are we ready for take off?" Back then it was like sitting in the cockpit of a airliner. It was so sleek in its day and everything had a nice flow to it. You have to remember that many cars we still offering (or just beginning to come off of) that boxy/compartmentalized interior design of the 1980's. So the flowing lines of the LS400 were stunning! The seats were never all that comfortable, but the quietness was very impressive for its day. I remember going on a road trip with my parents, shorty after they purchased the car, to Santa Barbara. At one point, we pulled over on this back-country-like road where there wasn't any traffic or road noise to contend with and my dad rolled down the windows. The car was still running, but the engine was so quite you couldn't even hear it as it idled. My parents kept the car well into the early 2000's, when they sold it to my mom's sister. It was a great car for its time and I have nothing but fond memories of it.
That car looks like it's in perfect condition. I would gladly drive that around. I honestly cant believe that interior is from 1990, the styling and everything looks like its from a late 90's car.
They scared the shit out of the Germans and shook up the luxury car world yet Doug doesn't mention that once. They were so good that competitors thought it was being sold for less than it cost to build and forced them to lower prices. Doug just has it out for cars that aren't quirky I guess.
Toyota mechanic here. Just to give you an idea on how reliable these engines are there was a twin turbo variant designed and FAA certified for use in airplanes.
To be honest, coming from aviation, most engines could be certified if enough money were thrown at it to get it certified. Certification does address reliability, but it also sets TBOs, or time before overhaul. Most naturally aspirated aircraft engines have a TBO of 2000 hours, which is a fraction of what car engines are supposed to last. That said, it is still impressive.
Did Land Rovers, Range Rovers and Jaguars improve after 2006? I get the feeling they became much better after that Indian businessman took bought Jaguar Land Rover.
Im a proud owner of a 99 LS400. It's a base model with a factory navigation that happens to be touchscreen. This car is ahead of it's time. I've driven the LS500 and it was disappointing. 400 and 430 FTW.
@@eddiesushi I'm a little biased towards the first 2 LS'. They're groovy boats to ride in and I think it's where Lexus really peaks. LS500 is a smooth drive, but personally I don't like the design of it. Some of the tech in it like the panoramic view is cool but it can be alot better especially for what consumers have to pay. Driving the LS 500 was nice but for $75-100k I wouldn't get it. I'd get the new IS F, GS F, or RC F instead.
I must say that i was surprised with the review you made on the LS400. This car was an absolute game changer for the entire luxury segment and the car industry back in 1990. Not only did Toyota introduce a brand, but they shook the market and rattled mainstay luxury manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac with the introduction of THIS car. That V8 DOHC 1 UZ FE engine (again designed by Yamaha) with 250 hp was awesome and even outperformed the BMW 740i of the time. Toyota really did their research with it. Its well known for its reliability when V8s of the era weren't that refined. It has a cult following to this day and is very well renowned in tuner circles for its reliability and ablity to withstand a lot of tuning abuse with some engines modded to produce well over triple the original numbers. Also your other reviews are usually about the car, this one was a comparison with its 2018 counterpart which, probably inadvertently, seems very biased and shows the car in a poor light.
This ECT power switch turns the LS400 from a calm cruiser to something you can floor the gas pedal and feel the power. Although torque is still less than “sporty”
My family has owned one of these since 1990. My grandmother bought one "right off the boat" in 1990, and my sister still daily drives it today, 257k miles and still going strong. Its an amazing car, ~20 mpg in a v8 that can get the car up to over 120 mph, tested by a friend ;). One of the most underrated 90s sedan, and one of my favorite cars of all time.
Definitely not my favorite..but I highly respect the build quality..and the fact that this is the first Lexus ever manufactured..I would expect it to have all types of problems since it’s the first model with a new power-train..but no..definitely interesting..
Two other items to consider ... when this car first appeared on the road, tests here in the UK revealed that it had the best, most powerful brakes of any car on the road back when it was new. Its stopping power was almost frightening, as if Lexus wanted to make sure that if you needed to stop in an emergency, you STOPPED. The trouble being, of course, that cars with lesser brakes would rear end you if you floored the brake pedal in an LS400 ... Next, some of these are still running over here, and, still running despite having intergalactic mileage counts. When Lexus built these cars, they built them to keep going forever, and some of them are still doing that. A few examples are still running after racking up half a million miles. Including, quite possibly, the dung brown one some tasteless individual bought in my home town when they first appeared back in 1990. Yes, one of the colours in the Lexus catalogue at the time was a hideous dung brown, which literally made the car look as if it had been dipped in a giant vat of diarrhoea. I really wish I'd photographed that car at the time, so I could show everyone just how frankly vomit inducing that shade of brown was. By contrast, the white ones looked elegant, and there were some decent colours in the Lexus lineup at the time, with the metallic emerald green ones looking particularly chic. To put into perspective why Lexus succeeded, they built a bomb-proof, ridiculously reliable alternative to an S-Class, and sold it for something like £15,000 less. They also had a far superior warranty scheme in operation when selling this car. They succeeded because they set out to beat Mercedes-Benz at their own game, and pulled off that trick, which at the time everyone thought was impossible. Once word spread that the LS400 was a better S-Class for 70% of the money, Lexus took off, and did so even here in the UK, where badge snobbery was a particularly hard obstacle to overcome. In short, Lexus, with the LS400, delivered a car that contained so much that was comprehensively right. It was, back in 1990, an object lesson in how to build a car. In some respects, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are still catching up.
Welcome To The Madness Agreed. Check craigslist and you will find all of them have 100, 200, 300k miles and still running/driving. My LS400 just rolled 241k
Dont want to seem like a fan boy, though I work for Lexus , however I feel as if though he undersold this car just a little bit, reliability being one of the major highlights of the car. Not to mention the commercials of the car going 140mph with glasses of champagne on the hood with minimal vibration. In any matter its great to see such a fine example !
How can you keep a glass of champagne on the hood at 140mph? Lol. I think it was champagne inside at 140mph, and glasses on the hood while at idle. This car was/and still is/ amazingly reliable.
They videotaped placing the champagne glasses on the hood while on the dyno. Haters claimed Lexus taped or glued the glasses before filming,but guess who the joke was on!!!
The "ECT" switch on the center console stands for "Electronically Controlled Transmission" -- setting it to "PWR" gives you more aggressive shift points than the "NORM". Flooring it in "NORM" will shift at about 5k RPM, while "PWR" will go all the way to the redline. On the "Overdrive" button, pressing it actually disables the 4th gear on the transmission.
Can't speak for other cars, but that's not how the button works on the A340E transmission. The "overdrive" button is always "on" or "pressed", allowing the transmission to use 4th, while pressing it will make the button "stick out" as seen in the video -- you'll also get a light on the dash stating that "OD OFF", thus, only leaving 1st through 3rd gears usable.
Youre right, it keeps the car out of its final highway gear. Ford used this too. Even today I drive a 6 speed auto 2016 Freightliner truck with an OD switch to keep the truck from shifting to 6th.
Overdrive is a gear that is larger than 1:1. It takes more to move that gear so it's usually a 5th gear which by the time you reach it it requires much more energy to move, allowing for better gas mileage at higher speeds. Turning the overdrive switch off locks it out of the overdrive gear.
@@aaditjalal5788 Oh shut up. There are millions of car models in the world, even a car enthusiast shouldn't be obliged to know every brand/model. Oh wait, you tell me why the Mercedes W11 AMG has a V6 Turbo powertrain instead of a V8 ? Why does KERS work and where can we find it ? Or the dynamics of the V8 powertrain in the original Lexus Ls400 ? Why older luxury cars don't have EQC or traction control ? The Lexus LS400 was a great car, I am glad @Anurag got to learn something new about this car, and disappointed in you for discrediting so much .
Im a big fan of your show and you. However, you dropped the ball on reviewing the LS400 so badly, I feel compelled to comment. You didnt compare the $3 million Bugatti to the BMW 850. If you're trying educate people comparatively, you should compare a 1990 Lexus with a 1990 Mercedes, Jaguar, or BMW. Or, you should compare the currently valued LS400 (probably $3000-$4000) to some other car in the same price range. Or, you should compare it to other family sedans. Clearly, it's target audience is different than the G wagon, the Ferrari, and a station wagon. Why would fun, acceleration and looks be even remotely comparable? My dad bought the a Lexus in 1990. I remember test driving it against Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac. If you werent blinded by the brand names, it was literally no contest. The LS400 beat those cars in nearly every category. I was looking forward to that kind of comparison in this video. What I find most interesting, myself, is that Lexus is more "art imitates life" than the other way around. If the 1990 Lexus looks blocky and simple, it's because that's what customers wanted the most. Toyota researches what people want and will buy and then that's what they build. As opposed to Mercedes, who actually SETS the trends instead of following them. (It seems nearly every mid-range car trend follows the latest Mercedes look) Lexus rarely takes automotive risks: they respond the buyer. Its no coincidence the modern Lexus looks and performs like it does, because that is what people are buying right now. When people want boxy, Lexus builds boxy. When people want leather and wood trim, Lexus adds leather and wood. It's an elegant business plan. Oh, and the recessed knob controls? Those are more than quaint....they are advanced safety features. In the event of an accident...any people not buckled into the back seat will not impale their faces on center console knobs when they go flying forward. What sold me on Lexus is that my dad was a business professor who complained about how everything could be improved. For the first time in my life, I saw him buy a product that made him shut the hell up. He had ZERO complaints about his Lexus. That silence, was worth the price of car.
You are right...mostly. You can say the Lexus was better than the competition in many terms. But forget about the driving experience. BMW was unbeatable in that regard. You can still drive a 1990 BMW and have fun with it today. Very engaging experience. As I said, I agree with you that Lexus is undeniably the better product. Driving the Lexus you can tell they were trying to beat Mercedes. Back then BMW and Mercedes weren’t targeting exactly the same clientele.
With all due respect, Doug is american. And mostly americans watch his videos. Their mind is set to trash certain cars/brands. What's more, his comparisons have always been retarded. "Doug score"? Really?? He's comparing the performances of 2019 hyper cars and of 1990's saloons, using the same scale.
In what way? GM and Chrysler still produce 16 valve pushrod V8 engines - basically 60’s technology. Only Ford uses more modern V8 engines with DOHC and 32 valves. GM tried with the Northstar V8 but that was no big success.
@@aaditjalal5788 no the car Harshad Mehta owned was a 1990 model but the car shown in the series was a 1998 model. The crew bought the car for 5 lakhs n spent another 6 lakhs to bring it in running condition
Jesus christ Doug, I swear you do this shit on purpose. If a car has suspension that can raise and lower, you have to show it to us raising and lowering.
There's a reason Toyota stuck with the 4 speed auto for so long....they never broke down. Honestly this car was tested on the Autobahn back then and was faster than the same Sclass and 7 series of the day topping out at 155mph. That's not bad for a 4 speed automatic
@@3UZFE yep my '91 500SL is still on the original hydraulic 4 speed with a couple fluid changes. Shifts and feels perfect with 100k miles, which isn't a ton, but for the age it works great.
Anyone knows that a 1990 LS is going to have a different ride quality and menu of technological options than a 2018. Grading a 1990 car model on a 2018 standard is just dumb. You're talking 28 years of working improvements; and the original LS will outlast many new cars on the road even today.
@Steve Prince True, I believe it's better even than many of the new Lexuses. This was when cars were simple, comfortable, reliable with many options, just practical vehicles. The technology on many newer cars is obsolete before the mid-cycle refreshes, or as soon as a competitor releases a model with more advanced, popular features.
Doug was comparing them saying that Lexus has come a long way from what they originally started, Doug has driven supercars that in itself gives him on hell of a bias. I've never taken Doug seriously, and i like to watch his videos because he's like that awkward neighbor that seems nice but a bit creepy lol
@@aaditjalal5788 Oh shut up. There are millions of car models in the world, even a car enthusiast shouldn't be obliged to know every brand/model. Oh wait, you tell me why the Mercedes W11 AMG has a V6 Turbo powertrain instead of a V8 ? Why does KERS work and where can we find it ? Or the dynamics of the V8 powertrain in the original Lexus Ls400 ? Why older luxury cars don't have EQC or traction control ? The Lexus LS400 was a great car, I am glad @Anurag Hazarika got to learn something new about this car, and disappointed in you for discrediting so much .
Same here. It's hard for any older car to get a fair shake. I know things have gotten much better but your right, this was a big deal than. I still remember the commercials back than touting how quiet the panels were and how smooth this car was and still it.
They're ridiculous. I think he should rethink them. You don't rate a 1990s car by today's standards. You mark it as a 30 year old vintage car. A 50 year old vintage car would have another standard. A 60 year old vintage car yet another standard. Even a last generation car has a different standard, cars of the early to mid 2000s. I agree with you. He comes off almost as pretentious to make such a condescending review of a landmark car.
Doug: *Compares ls400 with new model* Me: Oh wow, they're like the same size Doug: This thing is just _gargantuan_ compared to this one. It's almost a foot longer than the original ls. Me: Oh.
@The Legend of Texas The exterior of this car is just as soulless. I'd much rather have an LS430 over this LS400. The W140 as you mentioned is nice too.
The Legend of Texas don’t ever talk about Mercedes when comparing to Lexus. Mercedes needs to intern at Lexus so they can find out how to build a vehicle
21:33 “By today’s standards this car is far short of a luxury brand” This man is saying that a 29 year old car doesn’t have 2019 technology and comfort. He is a “professional” car reviewer and columnist. Let that sink in. Doug is also worth about $2,000,000. He’s a millionaire from California yet he complains that a 1990 Lexus isn’t like a 2019 Lexus. This is why everyone hates mainstream media and critics from every topic. I’m here only for the car, i can’t stand Demuro or his immature unprepared reviews.
I have watched a few of his videos. Not impressed and can't understand his 3 million subs! What makes him a car expert. Misses a lot of features and then says an older car doesn't feel right because it has no modern tech. Wow
@@philliesphan312 His 3 million subs is basically from him trying to explain odd things about cars that go supposedly unnoticed in other reviews, but also from him being a dickhead to a pt cruiser
Some of Indian comments here are from the web series "Scam 1992" where the protagonist buys this car to show that this was the best imported car the richest can buy.
Some thoughts: --Those "floating dials" were REALLY awesome looking in person in 1990. --That Nakamichi stereo was a really expensive option and considered likely THE best stereo available from any manufacturer of the time. --That tomb-like silence you mentioned was also a HUGE improvement over other luxury cars in 1990
Supposedly the default EQ curve of that Nakamichi stereo was different depending on if the car was supplied with leather or fabric seats to compensate for the acoustic differences
@@roboticvenom1935 dipshit dude was clearly implying that other luxury cars of the time were noisy inside, which they weren't. Maybe the ricemobile was a bit quieter, which would considered a small improvement, not a huge one unless you have a disability.
It's crazy going back to Doug's old videos and seeing how calmy he explains everything. It's like he does a line of coke before every video now. He became a true UA-camr!
Agree. we're getting into the late 1950s styling era (Think Edsel). These cars will not age well. It was an awkward time between the mid 1950s and 1960s. Let's hope the cars 10 years from now look better, not worse (I for one think cars from the early 1950s look better than most 1960s cars)
Oh, and hey Doug, yes, the mirrors are small, it was an era where small mirror = better fuel economy. This is why the 1990s has most of my favorite cars. Power was coming up again, and yet, fuel economy was also increasing, cars were light weight for their size..... I wish I could have been older in the 1990s because there are tons of cars I would have bought new, and kept.
To be fair, gas was a bit on the expensive side during the early 1990s due to the ongoing Persian Golf War. Plus, automotive technology we now take for granted to improve fuel economy and performance (e.g. direct injection, turbos, aluminum and carbon fiber bodies, 6+ speed automatic transmissions, etc.) were too expensive and/or unreliable to be mass produced.
The Japanese cars from the 80-90's were the best, almost bulletproof. It's sad to see they haven't really improved ever since then other than some technological advancement.
Hey Doug, when you are rating these 90’s relics why do often rate them with newer models? I think you should have a 90’s relics rating chart and compare 90’s vehicles with only other vehicles from that same era. You have enough car reviews of just about every time frame to have an extensive review scoring chart. But what do I know, nice review.
I would love to see this. It's not fair to compare features between now and then. Cars have gone completely crazy with features these days. There are wires in everything.
Very good point. I own a 1992 LS400 and still drive it today. I still think my 1992 LS is still more well built than most of today's cars that are made with a bunch of cheap, plastic parts. The 1990 LS400 made what Lexus is today. This car deserves much more respect than what Doug is giving it.
For the most part the Japanese do very well with making cars that last and don't fall apart. I see plenty of old American cars here in PA and while they may last a while, they're usually falling apart. Old Japanese cars don't really do that.
@Sai There never was a Skyline station wagon, you're referring to a Nissan Stagea with Skyline front clip. And Skylines aren't known for reliability, or really any Nissan for that matter.
You forgot the fact that the 1UZFE engine in the LS400 is FAA certified as an aircraft engine, not many automotive engines have ever met that standard. Also when talking about the ride quality, you just came from an LS500 to an LS400, compare the LS400 to a base model 2018 Civic or Kia, or any other base line sedan from today and you will note that a nearly 30 year old car has better ride quality than even many modern sedans today. Think about it, a damn near 30 year old luxury sedan that is reliable enough to be daily driven even today, that has as many and in some cases more features than modern baseline sedans for a considerably less "sticker price" (between $1,500 - $4,000) and it's ride is smoother. How many cars can you say are capable of that feat? These cars are legendary for their quality and reliability, and while it looks like another old barge to most people, to automotive enthusiast the car is a shining example of how to build a car right. Signed a proud 1992 LS400 owner, with 92K original miles on the car.
I expected the weekend score to be fairly low, but I do not like what Doug rated. But the weekday score should have been very high, minus the 20MPG on premium fuel but it's a luxury car with a V8 from the early 1990's, what do you expect? Weekend Score: Styling - 4/10, I agree it's an old design but still not bad. Acceleration - 3/10, I am not sure if you tried turning off overdrive and putting the ECM on PWR and then flooring it, it's not super car fast but I can get mine to 60 mph in 6 seconds so, yeah, definitely not a 1. Handling - 4/10, it's a luxury barge, and yes there is some serious body roll, but it's a very pleasant drive and driving it is effortless, I would give it a 4 not a 3. Fun Factor - 2/10, I agree it's not a fun car but it is a relaxing car. If you want a fun car go buy a BMW M3 and have fun with the repair costs. Importance - Yep I brought this back, so **** you Doug, this car gets an 8/10. Why an 8 and not a 10? -2 because most people will just see an old looking Camry with a Lexus badge. However +8 because gearheads and mechanics know how legendary these cars are, they are the gold standard when it comes to reliability and ingenuity, a symbol of near perfection, this also opened the door for all the other Asian cars to bring their luxury brands to the US, such as Infinity and now Genesis, not to mention how drastically it changed the luxury car market forever. Weekday score: Value - 10/10, seriously where else can you get a luxury sedan with a near bulletproof powertrain that just requires regular maintenance to keep it going, and the features you get are still expensive option on many new base line cars. For 2K-4K USD you can OWN a car instead of leasing and put extra money into it if you want or save the money for something else. The value you get with these cars today is just an nuts as when people were buying these cars for 30K-40K USD right off the lot. Comfort - 9/10 (the car is surprisingly quiet for such an old car, and the ride quality especially with air suspension and even just the standard is better than most modern sedans off the lot), these cars are the epitome of Japanese attention to detail and design perfection. Features - 8/10 (can be 10/10 with modding), seriously, heated sets (and you can mod in cooled seats), electronic headrests, electronic seat belt adjustment, full power seats, power tilt steering wheel, digital A/C controls, cruise control with speed adjustment (this is still not standard on some cheap cars, I am not joking, the base Dodge Dart does not have cruise control!). Sure the radio is outdated, and in many of the cars the original speakers are shot, but I replaced mine with a Kenwood Excelon DDX594, and ran it to an Alpine class D 500W digital 5 way amplifier using 5v T-Spec V12 preout's mated with Pioneer D series speakers and a new Pioneer 10 inch 2 Ohm subwoofer (250w RMS). Now I have HD radio, bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple Car Play, voice commands, just about what you would expect from a modern car with additional features. Quality - 10/10, seriously Doug get your head out of your ass, near 30 years old and still working as intended, you could not ask for any better from any automaker, this is how it's supposed to be done. Hell the engine and transmission along make it a 10/10. Practicality - 8/10, decent cargo space, 4 door sedan, but the fuel mileage on premium makes it more costly than some would like to daily drive in comparison to an XLE Camry, the fuel mileage is the only thing holding this car back from a 10/10 in this category. Overall Weekday Score - 45/50 with a possible 47/50 when modded correctly. Overall Weekend Score - 21/50 Total Score = 66 - 68 / 100 and this is by MODERN STANDARDS Total Score Circa 1990 - 90/100
Still a beautiful car in my opinion.. I love my 93' LS400 im going on 280k miles on the odo n she's still going without a single issue besides regular maintenence.
In 1995 I talked my dad into buying his LS400. He loved that car and drove it all the way to his death, and after he died my mother gave me the car I talked him into buying. I am still driving that car today and all my friends tell me it is such a smooth and comfortable ride.
they're better for visibility but they don't cut through fog as good.... most 24hrs racing cars still use yellow lights and i know that most of the luxury and sport cars from Japan in the 1980-1990's used yellow fog lamps... (it would be cool if they did put yellow fog lamps in the new Supra)
5:25 What I like about older cars is how driver-oriented they are. Nothing to really distract you, in the same time you can appreciate the quality of materials better, and they even may feel more luxurious, just because the interior is so simple. 16:54 I think that was called "load-limiter"
n84434 I had a 98 LS400. Everything and I mean everything worked up until I sold it with 168,000 miles. Despite being the car being 20 years old the leather was the softest I’ve ever been in and maintained itself immaculately. The wood steering wheel never aged and felt new everyday. The AC anything never went out but for a refill on Freon. Never had a problem with the dash board/speedometer and unlike every other car I’ve ever been in, everything was built very very tight and of immaculate quality. I would feel confident purchasing any LS400 from any time period today with an ok history. Something that cannot be said of any other Luxury car. I can understand a lot of things but to rate a LS400 in quality with anything other than a 10/10 is incomprehensible to me. I don’t understand what more quality you could want, the car has a very famous million mile version of it for Christ sake (Matt Feria Lexus)
AJ Farley to be fair he does go pretty in depth in a lot of his videos about cars ranging from McLaren to Nissans. Despite the wide variety of vehicles he does do a lot of research on some things even going to the point of reading every owners manaul. However I have to agree that overlooking the LS400’s prestige of being so reliable and well built is unforgivable.
TR7 TRIUMPH also he does not know that a lot of cars had this switch well past the 90s. For him to not know that seatbelts stretch in an accident( which would reveal those"replace belt" labels) amazes me.
So much better looking than the overstyled new one... I just might be a little biased because I've had a few of 'em, and I put 200k miles on one as a teenager. I love these cars, they do lack the passion and interest factor that something like a Volvo or a BMW has but, these are amazing cars.
Do agree with diy dan, Lexus or even Toyota for that fact weren’t cars with grand design but they were reliable cars made to last with lesser maintenance costs
Yeah these (and most Lexus models other than maybe some of the I series) are just not "passion" cars. Reliable, well-built and feature packed, but not something to actually look forward to driving. But judging by the success the Lexus brand has enjoyed for nearly 30 years now, I'd say they still got the formula right. I've got a 2007 RX-350 with 235K miles on odd-o-meter that still runs great and looks pretty. Comfortable too, and the interior doesn't look cheap or gaudy at all. Not flashy like a Benz, but other than a few failing ignition coil packs, it's never had any mechanical issues - even if it does, the parts are cheap!
I remember back in the day when Consumer reports had an article on their website(www.consumerreports.org) and they actually recommended buying a USED(certified) Lexus LS over buying a BRAND NEW Mercedes or BMW. Lexus got my attention after I read that article.
I can't believe that gorgeous car was around in 1990. So ahead of its time from a styling perspective. That body is exquisite. My personal favorite LS is the generation from the late 90's
4 years ago at the Chevy dealer, a saleswoman was trying to impress about the electronic tilt steering wheel on the 2014 Impala. Meanwhile, the Lexus LS400 had this feature in 1990, and Mercedes might have had this feature in the 1980's.
NotBen101 Sounds like your typical car salesman who is just there for the money and knows nothing about cars and couldn’t care less about them. They’ll say anything if it gets you to buy the car so they can get their commission. But I agree, in 2014 that was old news. Acura’s and some Mazda’s had that back in the 90’s too.
I think like this when I see people paint brake calipers and cars still being sold with halogen headlights (instead of at LEAST HID). Both of these were items on a 993 Porsche in the 90s.
NotBen101 my dad had a 90 Mercedes s class 500sel it didn't even have automatic power tilt and telescopic steering wheel. It had a power switch to adjust the steering up and down but it didn't automatically go back in and return to original setting when u switched on and off the car. Lexus was the first to bring this plus numerous other things like the digital instrument cluster. There's so much more he didn't cover as well in this review.
Heated seats is another one,tons of 80's euro cars had them,even low end Volvo's and american cars had them in the late 90's but it was still very uncommon up until now.
Doug DeMuro 16:43 Common in seatbelts and safety harnesses are break-away stitch zones. These are stitch zones designed to break away at an exact level of applied force to do two things: 1) Absorb impact to reduce trauma in the human body 2) Indicate that stress has been put on it enough that if used again it will actually hurt a person. So a part of a label is hidden in that break-away zone and it will appear if the stitching has busted.
Callum Donington That I don't know. Of course they had the centrifugal cam locking systems back then and earlier but my guess is the "explosive" thing came along later. All that stuff is an evolution. Beats the old 60's/70's/80's "illusion of safety" lap belts that essentially turn your upper body into a hammer on impact.
They were not trying to make "art" with a car. Just elegance, rational lines, perfection. Chris Bangles ruined the automobile design with ugly BMWs. We are still not out of his influence. Ugh.
Also, the electroluminescent gauge cluster has always wowed me. As for the center stack, Toyota simplicity at its finest. My grandma's Cressida had the ECT and overdrive button as well.
I can't help but laugh at the mocking tone that you address the past with. This car was groundbreaking in so many ways, and you're so spoiled by the advances in automotive technology that you can't seem to recognize it. It's odd how you laugh at 250 horsepower. The Mustang GT at that time had 225. The Chevy 454 SS pickup had 230. Think about how this was the first V8 Toyota had made, and that it was so well engineered that they would routinely last half a million miles. You're mocking features that no other car had at the time that were in any way affordable and/or reliable to any kind of degree. All I'm trying to say is, maybe you shouldn't find it so laughable, the way things were then, when you don't even know what a graphic equalizer is. And by the way, $36000 for a car was no joke back then either. There were other periods of time when things weren't as advanced as they are now. Cell phones barely existed then. Screens in cars didn't exist either, outside one or two very obscure models (and they weren't touchscreens). You sound like a jackass to people that were actually conscious at the time this car came out.
You are so right, my friend! Doug's score is quite unfair! But actually there were touch screens back then, in some GM cars (though these models were indeed obscure, especially the Buick Reatta)!
As far as I'm concerned these cars are infinitely reliable with a smooth relax ride and will still cruise at triple digit speeds. Name a 20 plus year car that still runs as smooth and looks as good as the Ls...Gs...or SC etc all supremely over engineered
This car was heavily based on Toyota Crown, so mostly interior and ouside styling was different but engine, platform, transmission and all mechanicals were already proven and quite conservative. It was cheaper than S-classe or BMW 7 and much more reliable than universally hated Jaguar XJ40. It was calculated and well engineered car, and had good marketing. Very reliable, conservative, comfortable, good performance and MPG. Would I ever consider it to be better than Jaguar non-XJ40? Bloody hell no, never, nothing can beat that English style and aura of proud, very British way of doing everything. But for most buyers, this doesn't even matter, that is why they buy Lexus.
Ilya Elis You couldn't be more wrong. You need to educate yourself against fallacy and general misconception. A yellow light or filter cannot and does not improve vision in foggy conditions.
I asked my daughter if she had seen my newspaper. She told me that newspapers were old school and that people use tablets today. She handed me her iPad. That fly didn't stand a chance.
Qatar cars - gold badges from Toyota didn't exist until this car This was the first car to wear the Lexus badge and the modern Toyota emblem. Prior, all Toyotas had the TOYOTA lettering badges only
Technically, fog lights have always been yellow. White light does not cut through fog, it reflects. The Americanized white lights, on the front bottom of cars in the bumpers, are "Driving Lights". Driving lights are supposed to fill in the gap that headlights lights would create immediately in front of the car and were aimed relatively low. Fog lights were supposed to be aimed a little higher. Problem was US drivers would turn on and leave them on, in none fog conditions, blinding oncoming traffic. US automakers started making them all clear, keeping them aimed low but in most instances, continued to call them "Fog Lights".
Fog lights have NOT always been yellow. 1973 Volvo 164e European optioned white fog lights. (Not an option for North America.) I'm sure there are others, but I know the Volvo. Probably not an option in the U.S. due to what you said of U.S. drivers not turning them off.
I like yellow lights and as matter of fact I'm still driving cars with yellow headlights today (I had updated for descent yellow bulbs) - it is uncommon, but they are the best for driving in hard visibility conditions like fog or heavy snow and because of lower contrast they don't make your eyes so fast tired after long night driving, but probably for most driver these days it would be something first to get used of it after a while (or maybe not). France mandated yellow lights till mid 90's, rest of the European countries optional to standard warm white. After been pushing by other EU countries France they first get rid of yellow low-beams, then hi-beams and in the end fog lights although from 2010 Europe still allows only yellow fogs even for modern cars (in GB and France You could have all yellow) beside Japan or Australia where they are still allowed for all lights. Don't know how is this now in America or Canada - I know that some drivers in north-western territories/cold states still use them. Now try to drive with these modern white or bleu'ish bulbs or LEDs in fog...good luck...although I noticed most Americans, Japanese and Russians have absolutely no idea what they are for...so use them in any conditions as additional lights (called douchebag or d-bag lights) glaring oncoming drivers.
US Cars still got my yellow fogs 😎 updated to LED bulbs but I like to use them when it’s rainy, foggy etc. science may say they don’t work well but they work great for me.
Yeah when these came out they were every bit as nice as the German cars, more features, more reliable and for less money. We knew from the start that they would be successful. Any concern that they wouldn't be taken seriously or seen as something of a "Fake Rolex" were quickly swept away.
I like your videos but you comparing this to the new one is about the most annoying thing ever. In 1990 this was a great car and you just put it down because it's not a 2018. Really poor review
I work at a Lexus dealer, and we have a 1990 LS400 also, though it has 500,325 miles on it. It's been sitting in our showroom for 4 years now. Totally awesome cars, truly one of the best ever made in my opinion. Also that ECT switch stands for Electronically Controlled Transmission, and as far as I know it just changes the shift points to something more aggressive. Newer models also have a snow mode. In addition, it's interesting to see just how many little things they changed in the succeeding model years that I haven't explicitly noticed, like the climate control and odometer for example. They got there eventually, lol. I also never knew that about the instrument panel.
Yes, the ECT was more of a traction control than a power control. Drop the power a bit when in snow or rain to prevent wheel spin. Doug, as usual, missing some of the more obvious details of older cars, yet speaking with authority anyway. Same with the Overdrive button - look at any American automatic trans. car from the 80s & 90s and they all have OD. The car deserves recognition because it was first, but I think Lexus' true feat was 10 years later when the 2nd generation came out, the LS430. The 400 was a compromise because they wanted it to be accepted, once they had the market figured out, the 430 was built as the best car possible and it is one of those iconic cars, like the w123 Mercedes of the 1980s that people still want. Unlike the LS400, the 430 still looks good today and doesn't stick out as ancient. It had an in-dash video screen - a first, which controlled many more firsts: multi-climate control, navigation, bluetooth phone controls, and stereo controls - all (now) hilariously sitting above the cassette deck. Also cooled seats, electric rear shade, refrigerator, adaptive headlights AND cruise control, 19" rims. All with the reliability and maintenance expense of a Toyota Camry. This is back when air conditioning was an option on most cars, along with powered windows & mirrors and cars were considered exceptional if they made it to 100,000 miles.
Yeah honestly Doug comes off as a new car fanatic and doesn't seem to know all that much about older ones. I honestly prefer the styling of the LS400, the LS430 just doesn't really do it for me. But you're correct in the rest of your statement, the 430 was the better car overall. I'm just partial to the OG.
This car was AWESOME back in its day. Lexus set a new standard in what should be expected from a car: reliability, quality, comfort, style, speed, the whole package. The LS400 was so good that the US considered adding a 100% tariff because nothing could compete with it. And Mercedes had to retreat upmarket because they couldn't compete with Lexus at that price point (around $50K at the time). The Lexus SC400 sport coupe was amazing too. There were some incredible cars during that time: the Nissan 300zx Turbo, the Toyota Supra, the Mitsubishi 3000GT, the Lexus GS400, the BMW 7-series and 8-series to name a few.
PWR button is when u want the auto transmission to shift up at higher rev. Kind of sports mode. Turn off the Overdrive button it will prevent shifting to final gear.
Yeah... overdrive is just 4th gear. I always assumed that it was because drivers in the US were used to 3-speed autos with an added (sometimes aftermarket) overdrive gear for highway cruising. The PWR button clearly says ECT - Electronically Controlled Transmission.
This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus. This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus. /This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus./ Matt's is a 1990. This is a '93.
I watched it again, it could be the 30th time. This car is so well built and Lexus is such an excellent brand. Lexus haters please free up the surface of Earth.
I deserve a higher score.
I agree! I just found a sister of yours for sell in Houston she's black i really want her!😍😻
Lexus LS400 i’m dead!!😂😂😂
@@jamesmeredith8049 lolz
are you hot and can i lease you?
😂😂😂
Doug the type of guy that would complain that a 1990 car has no 2018 features
BallSoHardWill1994 Doug is also the kind of guy who says that cars that old people buy are crappy.
I mean right? I totally lost it when F40 gets a low Doug score because its interior features are poor.
Exactly, it's a fucking 1990, cut it some slack
@McTurbo1300 in Japan, the Toyota celsior had rear massage seats, power curtains and a rear armrest had multiple controls. 1989 too, btw. Toyota gave us a base Celsior, and called it the Ls400 lol
@McTurbo1300 That would have increased the total car weight with 10 %....
Fog lights are yellow because they cut through fog better. They are meant for actual fog. The lower wavelength doesn't scatter as much off the water droplets as white or lights with more blue in them do.
Seat belts usually have a bit where there is an extra loop built in with stitches that are designed to fail under certain conditions so the seat belt gives a little at a certain pre-defined point to absorb energy and thus lessen injuries. Most cars have these loops if you know where to look, usually at the base of the belt where it attaches to the car. It would be pretty straightforward to put a tag in that loop to let people know those stitches have failed and therefore if the car has experiences crash-level G forces the tag would become visible. That's actually a really clever thing to do, I like it!
Mikey B; It amazes me how Doug calls himself a car enthusiast, and yet he often seem very uninformed about very basic details...
And the details are usually issues that could easily be cleared up with a 15 second Google search!
The education of Doug. Wow, why does a guy that knows so little get to review cars for a living?
And just think , someone who doesn't know why they used yellow fog lights is " scoring " cars , you'd think you'd need to know the common thing's first before scoring anything ...
That yellow color was used by the Pennsylvania Railroad for decades in position-light signals _precisely_ because it can cut through fog in a way that white does not. The color is actually referred to as 'fog yellow' because of its ability. White fog lights are...well...not really fog lights
@@ebnertra0004white fog lights are just bumper headlights.
My parents owned the LS400 from that very same year and, like you said, it was a VERY big deal in its day. I was 13 when my parents bought the car and they went from a mid 1980's Toyota Camry to the LS400... and boy was there a BIG difference back then!
The interior layout may not seem like much compared with today's luxury cars, but I vividly remember my parents taking a friend out to dinner and us all taking the LS400. When the car started up... you couldn't help but notice the dash, with its floating 3D-style lights and how the center console lit up. I vividly remember her saying, "Wow! Are we ready for take off?" Back then it was like sitting in the cockpit of a airliner. It was so sleek in its day and everything had a nice flow to it. You have to remember that many cars we still offering (or just beginning to come off of) that boxy/compartmentalized interior design of the 1980's. So the flowing lines of the LS400 were stunning!
The seats were never all that comfortable, but the quietness was very impressive for its day. I remember going on a road trip with my parents, shorty after they purchased the car, to Santa Barbara. At one point, we pulled over on this back-country-like road where there wasn't any traffic or road noise to contend with and my dad rolled down the windows. The car was still running, but the engine was so quite you couldn't even hear it as it idled.
My parents kept the car well into the early 2000's, when they sold it to my mom's sister. It was a great car for its time and I have nothing but fond memories of it.
That car looks like it's in perfect condition. I would gladly drive that around. I honestly cant believe that interior is from 1990, the styling and everything looks like its from a late 90's car.
there's a mint looking '94 ls with 1 owner and 98k miles up for $3500.... half way across the country from me. i wish it was closer, id so buy it
Yeah, most 90s Japanese cars are ahead of their year.
Dude ! wtf ?! ...you have no idea... this car is amazing ! The engine is a piece of art, LS 400 was way ahead of its competition like mercedes W126.
Doug sometimes sniffs and is out, then it looks like that
It probably should be ahead of the W126 seeing that that W126 was ten years before LS400.
@@jacobnel1880 True, but that generation of Mercedes Engines is almost as unkillable as a Toyota Hilux...
They scared the shit out of the Germans and shook up the luxury car world yet Doug doesn't mention that once. They were so good that competitors thought it was being sold for less than it cost to build and forced them to lower prices. Doug just has it out for cars that aren't quirky I guess.
German manufacturers back then made the most reliable engines ever especially the Merc w126, w124 and w201,the bmw e30 was also a unkillable beast.
Toyota mechanic here. Just to give you an idea on how reliable these engines are there was a twin turbo variant designed and FAA certified for use in airplanes.
1UZ-FE. Game over !!!!!
Nutz4Gunz45 so practically bullet proof huh?
thanks for those goodies Nutz4Gunz45
Well Porsche engines were build for and actually used in air planes...
To be honest, coming from aviation, most engines could be certified if enough money were thrown at it to get it certified. Certification does address reliability, but it also sets TBOs, or time before overhaul. Most naturally aspirated aircraft engines have a TBO of 2000 hours, which is a fraction of what car engines are supposed to last.
That said, it is still impressive.
He's just jealous that his range rover keeps breaking down
Lol 🤣
For sure for sure XD
best comment lol
Did Land Rovers, Range Rovers and Jaguars improve after 2006? I get the feeling they became much better after that Indian businessman took bought Jaguar Land Rover.
@@richard29415 from what I’ve heard they’re still garbage
he was complaining about no touch screen in a 1990 car armrest?
johnwillyn you can easily upgrade the system in a 1990 LS with a double din touchscreen with Bluetooth, NAV & Apple CarPlay.
Once an idiot, always an idiot.
Im a proud owner of a 99 LS400. It's a base model with a factory navigation that happens to be touchscreen. This car is ahead of it's time. I've driven the LS500 and it was disappointing. 400 and 430 FTW.
@@khalidhassaan2719 In what way was the ls500 disappointing?
@@eddiesushi I'm a little biased towards the first 2 LS'. They're groovy boats to ride in and I think it's where Lexus really peaks. LS500 is a smooth drive, but personally I don't like the design of it. Some of the tech in it like the panoramic view is cool but it can be alot better especially for what consumers have to pay. Driving the LS 500 was nice but for $75-100k I wouldn't get it. I'd get the new IS F, GS F, or RC F instead.
I must say that i was surprised with the review you made on the LS400. This car was an absolute game changer for the entire luxury segment and the car industry back in 1990. Not only did Toyota introduce a brand, but they shook the market and rattled mainstay luxury manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac with the introduction of THIS car.
That V8 DOHC 1 UZ FE engine (again designed by Yamaha) with 250 hp was awesome and even outperformed the BMW 740i of the time. Toyota really did their research with it. Its well known for its reliability when V8s of the era weren't that refined. It has a cult following to this day and is very well renowned in tuner circles for its reliability and ablity to withstand a lot of tuning abuse with some engines modded to produce well over triple the original numbers.
Also your other reviews are usually about the car, this one was a comparison with its 2018 counterpart which, probably inadvertently, seems very biased and shows the car in a poor light.
shakattakk well Doug doesn't know that, he was pooping in diapers in 1990.
@@charleel1800 I’m not sure if you know this, but there’s something called google
Its a quad cam and Yamaha didnt touch this one.
this
Did you even watch the video? He mentioned all that.
This vehicle is a piece of gold
It had a package of technology that isn't located in a vehicle now days
Did anyone notice? He DID NOT try the ‘sport’ mode during acceleration testing. ..
This ECT power switch turns the LS400 from a calm cruiser to something you can floor the gas pedal and feel the power. Although torque is still less than “sporty”
@@mymoshilove3 also the 5 speed model with 290hp is a bit quicker
@@cameronmartens1809mines 230 stock (2jz GE) and I can spin out the tires pretty easily anywhere
Love 90’s Luxury interiors. Simple. Beautiful. Well crafted.
My family has owned one of these since 1990. My grandmother bought one "right off the boat" in 1990, and my sister still daily drives it today, 257k miles and still going strong. Its an amazing car, ~20 mpg in a v8 that can get the car up to over 120 mph, tested by a friend ;). One of the most underrated 90s sedan, and one of my favorite cars of all time.
fuzzywiseman that 1uz reliability
Stephen Cain hell yeah 👌
Until I saw this video I thought this car would just be comfortable, but I never knew it had so many cool gadgets
Definitely not my favorite..but I highly respect the build quality..and the fact that this is the first Lexus ever manufactured..I would expect it to have all types of problems since it’s the first model with a new power-train..but no..definitely interesting..
You should swap out the 4 speed to the 1995+ 5 speed. Better gas mileage
I was nine years old and my former stepfather had one of these. I just remember being blown away by the Nakamichi sound system
Bob Smithereens so salty
Bob Smithereens Her mom was a fine lady, hooking up with random men was just her hobby.
Bob Smithereens not a whore. Things just didn’t work out ya know. Both parents are doing well.
sovan781 just ignorance on display
What is wrong with these kids nowadays? Disrespectful POS. A glimpse inside, sorry that you had to read these comments man.
Two other items to consider ... when this car first appeared on the road, tests here in the UK revealed that it had the best, most powerful brakes of any car on the road back when it was new. Its stopping power was almost frightening, as if Lexus wanted to make sure that if you needed to stop in an emergency, you STOPPED. The trouble being, of course, that cars with lesser brakes would rear end you if you floored the brake pedal in an LS400 ...
Next, some of these are still running over here, and, still running despite having intergalactic mileage counts. When Lexus built these cars, they built them to keep going forever, and some of them are still doing that. A few examples are still running after racking up half a million miles. Including, quite possibly, the dung brown one some tasteless individual bought in my home town when they first appeared back in 1990. Yes, one of the colours in the Lexus catalogue at the time was a hideous dung brown, which literally made the car look as if it had been dipped in a giant vat of diarrhoea. I really wish I'd photographed that car at the time, so I could show everyone just how frankly vomit inducing that shade of brown was.
By contrast, the white ones looked elegant, and there were some decent colours in the Lexus lineup at the time, with the metallic emerald green ones looking particularly chic.
To put into perspective why Lexus succeeded, they built a bomb-proof, ridiculously reliable alternative to an S-Class, and sold it for something like £15,000 less. They also had a far superior warranty scheme in operation when selling this car. They succeeded because they set out to beat Mercedes-Benz at their own game, and pulled off that trick, which at the time everyone thought was impossible. Once word spread that the LS400 was a better S-Class for 70% of the money, Lexus took off, and did so even here in the UK, where badge snobbery was a particularly hard obstacle to overcome.
In short, Lexus, with the LS400, delivered a car that contained so much that was comprehensively right. It was, back in 1990, an object lesson in how to build a car. In some respects, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are still catching up.
THIS...is still more reliable than 70% of the vehicles that are currently on the market.
Welcome To The Madness Agreed. Check craigslist and you will find all of them have 100, 200, 300k miles and still running/driving. My LS400 just rolled 241k
121bham I don’t think you know much about cars
And yet Doug gave it only a 7 of 10 smh
@@ev4n5eli0n01 i actually just found one on craigslist would you recommend it?
@@jessicataylor4071 I know quite a bit about them. Tell me the year and mileage
Dont want to seem like a fan boy, though I work for Lexus , however I feel as if though he undersold this car just a little bit, reliability being one of the major highlights of the car. Not to mention the commercials of the car going 140mph with glasses of champagne on the hood with minimal vibration. In any matter its great to see such a fine example !
Nicholas Powell I tip my hat to you sir!
How can you keep a glass of champagne on the hood at 140mph? Lol. I think it was champagne inside at 140mph, and glasses on the hood while at idle. This car was/and still is/ amazingly reliable.
It was on the dyno ua-cam.com/video/V1Pg-7uV7vU/v-deo.html
He isn't selling the car dumbass he just reviewing it for youtube money
They videotaped placing the champagne glasses on the hood while on the dyno. Haters claimed Lexus taped or glued the glasses before filming,but guess who the joke was on!!!
The "ECT" switch on the center console stands for "Electronically Controlled Transmission" -- setting it to "PWR" gives you more aggressive shift points than the "NORM". Flooring it in "NORM" will shift at about 5k RPM, while "PWR" will go all the way to the redline.
On the "Overdrive" button, pressing it actually disables the 4th gear on the transmission.
👀?
Can't speak for other cars, but that's not how the button works on the A340E transmission. The "overdrive" button is always "on" or "pressed", allowing the transmission to use 4th, while pressing it will make the button "stick out" as seen in the video -- you'll also get a light on the dash stating that "OD OFF", thus, only leaving 1st through 3rd gears usable.
Youre right, it keeps the car out of its final highway gear. Ford used this too. Even today I drive a 6 speed auto 2016 Freightliner truck with an OD switch to keep the truck from shifting to 6th.
Overdrive is a gear that is larger than 1:1. It takes more to move that gear so it's usually a 5th gear which by the time you reach it it requires much more energy to move, allowing for better gas mileage at higher speeds. Turning the overdrive switch off locks it out of the overdrive gear.
If there's an Indian here, This is the same model as Harshad Mehta's iconic Lexus
If you are a car enthusiast, you would know about this car before the tv show existed..
@@aaditjalal5788 Nope, I'm not a car enthusiast, I know this car through the TV show
@@anuragsingh9847 Good for you . Glad you learned something new. Now , being a car enthusiast myself, let me teach this Aadit guy a lesson ...
@@aaditjalal5788 Oh shut up. There are millions of car models in the world, even a car enthusiast shouldn't be obliged to know every brand/model. Oh wait, you tell me why the Mercedes W11 AMG has a V6 Turbo powertrain instead of a V8 ? Why does KERS work and where can we find it ? Or the dynamics of the V8 powertrain in the original Lexus Ls400 ? Why older luxury cars don't have EQC or traction control ?
The Lexus LS400 was a great car, I am glad @Anurag got to learn something new about this car, and disappointed in you for discrediting so much .
Lmao I came from the scam 1992 show, that guy was a real king 👑.
Doug and 1990 Lexus are almost the same age and yet this car looks Alot younger than Doug
Payam yazdi how old is Doug? He's not 28 is he?
He is 29 or 30. I think He is born 1988
I think Doug is 42 honestly
Payam yazdi is he 28?
He's 30, I seriously thought he was like 35-40 when I started watching his videos!
Im a big fan of your show and you. However, you dropped the ball on reviewing the LS400 so badly, I feel compelled to comment. You didnt compare the $3 million Bugatti to the BMW 850. If you're trying educate people comparatively, you should compare a 1990 Lexus with a 1990 Mercedes, Jaguar, or BMW. Or, you should compare the currently valued LS400 (probably $3000-$4000) to some other car in the same price range. Or, you should compare it to other family sedans.
Clearly, it's target audience is different than the G wagon, the Ferrari, and a station wagon. Why would fun, acceleration and looks be even remotely comparable?
My dad bought the a Lexus in 1990. I remember test driving it against Mercedes, BMW, and Cadillac. If you werent blinded by the brand names, it was literally no contest. The LS400 beat those cars in nearly every category. I was looking forward to that kind of comparison in this video.
What I find most interesting, myself, is that Lexus is more "art imitates life" than the other way around. If the 1990 Lexus looks blocky and simple, it's because that's what customers wanted the most. Toyota researches what people want and will buy and then that's what they build. As opposed to Mercedes, who actually SETS the trends instead of following them. (It seems nearly every mid-range car trend follows the latest Mercedes look)
Lexus rarely takes automotive risks: they respond the buyer. Its no coincidence the modern Lexus looks and performs like it does, because that is what people are buying right now. When people want boxy, Lexus builds boxy. When people want leather and wood trim, Lexus adds leather and wood. It's an elegant business plan.
Oh, and the recessed knob controls? Those are more than quaint....they are advanced safety features. In the event of an accident...any people not buckled into the back seat will not impale their faces on center console knobs when they go flying forward.
What sold me on Lexus is that my dad was a business professor who complained about how everything could be improved. For the first time in my life, I saw him buy a product that made him shut the hell up. He had ZERO complaints about his Lexus. That silence, was worth the price of car.
The car drove silent too!
Fully agreed, the original LS literally beat up it’s European competitors at that time.
You are right...mostly. You can say the Lexus was better than the competition in many terms. But forget about the driving experience. BMW was unbeatable in that regard. You can still drive a 1990 BMW and have fun with it today. Very engaging experience. As I said, I agree with you that Lexus is undeniably the better product. Driving the Lexus you can tell they were trying to beat Mercedes. Back then BMW and Mercedes weren’t targeting exactly the same clientele.
With all due respect, Doug is american. And mostly americans watch his videos. Their mind is set to trash certain cars/brands. What's more, his comparisons have always been retarded. "Doug score"? Really?? He's comparing the performances of 2019 hyper cars and of 1990's saloons, using the same scale.
Steyr001 Its not a serious scale. It’s more of a “Why not” thing for fun.
That v8 was revolutionary, it even changed the way America made them
In what way? GM and Chrysler still produce 16 valve pushrod V8 engines - basically 60’s technology. Only Ford uses more modern V8 engines with DOHC and 32 valves. GM tried with the Northstar V8 but that was no big success.
@@pilskadden Lawl. G.M. = Fiat, Fiat = V6 , No sheetz? :P
So b asicaly Every new G.M. Motor has half Ferrari V12 ,, same motor as Alffa Julia
@@miljororforsprakpartiet290 chrysler is partnered with fiat not gm dumbass
@@miljororforsprakpartiet290 fucking idiot
@@skyscourge5663How people not Undrstand Phiat do V6 truck instead of V8 truck ?? And its half ferrari v12. Like in Alpha Jiulia
Harshad mehta was smart buying this car as it is super reliable and ahead of its time
In the tv series the car shown was the real car harshad mehta bought 30 yr ago... The only thing not working on that car was bonnet hydraulic struts..
@@aaditjalal5788 no the car Harshad Mehta owned was a 1990 model but the car shown in the series was a 1998 model. The crew bought the car for 5 lakhs n spent another 6 lakhs to bring it in running condition
Jesus christ Doug, I swear you do this shit on purpose. If a car has suspension that can raise and lower, you have to show it to us raising and lowering.
Lachlan Cook I thought he was gonna tbh
Yeah thats pretty basic
To be fair Doug did the same when I asked him to show me his balls...
Lmao.....
Lachlan Cook It made me upset lol
There's a reason Toyota stuck with the 4 speed auto for so long....they never broke down. Honestly this car was tested on the Autobahn back then and was faster than the same Sclass and 7 series of the day topping out at 155mph. That's not bad for a 4 speed automatic
Funny thing is most 1990 models would still be on the original trans and doing so reliably with just a fluid change or two.
@@3UZFE yep my '91 500SL is still on the original hydraulic 4 speed with a couple fluid changes. Shifts and feels perfect with 100k miles, which isn't a ton, but for the age it works great.
@@austinramsay 100k ain’t shit lol
@@austinramsay is that w140 or 126?
@@seddam w126,w140 came out in 92
Anyone knows that a 1990 LS is going to have a different ride quality and menu of technological options than a 2018. Grading a 1990 car model on a 2018 standard is just dumb. You're talking 28 years of working improvements; and the original LS will outlast many new cars on the road even today.
@Steve Prince True, I believe it's better even than many of the new Lexuses. This was when cars were simple, comfortable, reliable with many options, just practical vehicles. The technology on many newer cars is obsolete before the mid-cycle refreshes, or as soon as a competitor releases a model with more advanced, popular features.
Doug was comparing them saying that Lexus has come a long way from what they originally started, Doug has driven supercars that in itself gives him on hell of a bias. I've never taken Doug seriously, and i like to watch his videos because he's like that awkward neighbor that seems nice but a bit creepy lol
yep I agree see my comment
it's a fantastic car unbeatable for reliability
I drive my 99 ls400 on a nice day then jumped in my friends 2016 chevy cruze and im thinking, shit my cars better than this haha...
For real. I used to have a LS400, had 330k miles on it before it got hit
Who is here after seeing harshad mehta’s lexus car in scam 1992
@@aaditjalal5788 Oh shut up. There are millions of car models in the world, even a car enthusiast shouldn't be obliged to know every brand/model. Oh wait, you tell me why the Mercedes W11 AMG has a V6 Turbo powertrain instead of a V8 ? Why does KERS work and where can we find it ? Or the dynamics of the V8 powertrain in the original Lexus Ls400 ? Why older luxury cars don't have EQC or traction control ?
The Lexus LS400 was a great car, I am glad @Anurag Hazarika got to learn something new about this car, and disappointed in you for discrediting so much .
yes bro!!! and i like this car so much❤️
I was here when this video was released. But I wanted a Lexus LS even before.
Me
@@aaditjalal5788 bro scam 1992 ke bad sab lexus ke diwane hogaye he lexus ke sabhi video par ye comment mil jayga 😂
Simply the best Japanese car ever. You keep the new Lexus, I'll gladly drive the 1st gen LS400.
Dougs score no longer has any meaning to me after this review.. I give this review of the ls400 a 0 out of 5.
Me too this car was the shit
Same here. It's hard for any older car to get a fair shake. I know things have gotten much better but your right, this was a big deal than. I still remember the commercials back than touting how quiet the panels were and how smooth this car was and still it.
They're ridiculous. I think he should rethink them. You don't rate a 1990s car by today's standards. You mark it as a 30 year old vintage car. A 50 year old vintage car would have another standard. A 60 year old vintage car yet another standard. Even a last generation car has a different standard, cars of the early to mid 2000s. I agree with you. He comes off almost as pretentious to make such a condescending review of a landmark car.
100p
@@brandonburr4900 right and the commercial with the champagne glass test while car was accelerating
Doug: *Compares ls400 with new model*
Me: Oh wow, they're like the same size
Doug: This thing is just _gargantuan_ compared to this one. It's almost a foot longer than the original ls.
Me: Oh.
Doug did injustices to that car. He did not once mentioned the advert for the launching of the car which shook the world
Doug the type of guy to wear two Supreme Tshirts at the same time for maximum clout
Still looks beautiful today...
Oh yeah, i like the look inside and out. Simple , yet beautyfull in some way
Yeah.
Looks like a mid 90s Buick Century.
@The Legend of Texas The exterior of this car is just as soulless. I'd much rather have an LS430 over this LS400. The W140 as you mentioned is nice too.
The Legend of Texas don’t ever talk about Mercedes when comparing to Lexus. Mercedes needs to intern at Lexus so they can find out how to build a vehicle
21:33 “By today’s standards this car is far short of a luxury brand”
This man is saying that a 29 year old car doesn’t have 2019 technology and comfort. He is a “professional” car reviewer and columnist. Let that sink in. Doug is also worth about $2,000,000. He’s a millionaire from California yet he complains that a 1990 Lexus isn’t like a 2019 Lexus.
This is why everyone hates mainstream media and critics from every topic. I’m here only for the car, i can’t stand Demuro or his immature unprepared reviews.
Is it complaining or is it just stating a fact
Not to mention the car was quite literally revolutionary for its time
I have watched a few of his videos. Not impressed and can't understand his 3 million subs! What makes him a car expert. Misses a lot of features and then says an older car doesn't feel right because it has no modern tech. Wow
@@philliesphan312 His 3 million subs is basically from him trying to explain odd things about cars that go supposedly unnoticed in other reviews, but also from him being a dickhead to a pt cruiser
@@comdrive3865 but the PT cruiser sucks, ok it doesn't look so ugly but it's unreliable and crappily built.
Some of Indian comments here are from the web series "Scam 1992" where the protagonist buys this car to show that this was the best imported car the richest can buy.
Doug the type of guy to say November one instead of November first
In the U.K. we say "The first of November" or "November the first."
Doug reads owners manuals on the toilet
Jeff Boski Doug poops owner manuals when on the toilet
And I watch his videos on the toilet
Ironic since he didn't know what the ECT switch or the Overdrive button did
Jeff Boski i view dougs videos on the toilet.
who doesn't? when else are you supposed to read them?
Some thoughts:
--Those "floating dials" were REALLY awesome looking in person in 1990.
--That Nakamichi stereo was a really expensive option and considered likely THE best stereo available from any manufacturer of the time.
--That tomb-like silence you mentioned was also a HUGE improvement over other luxury cars in 1990
fucking what? Interior noise was always a huge deal in luxury cars.
Supposedly the default EQ curve of that Nakamichi stereo was different depending on if the car was supplied with leather or fabric seats to compensate for the acoustic differences
@@broman260 no shit, he didn't say it wasn'tyou illiterate, he's saying the LS400 was BETTER then the other luxury cars were in quietness and it WAS.
@@roboticvenom1935 dipshit dude was clearly implying that other luxury cars of the time were noisy inside, which they weren't. Maybe the ricemobile was a bit quieter, which would considered a small improvement, not a huge one unless you have a disability.
It's crazy going back to Doug's old videos and seeing how calmy he explains everything. It's like he does a line of coke before every video now. He became a true UA-camr!
😆
I love the simple design of 90s/00s cars.
The extreme curves and protruding tail lights these days looks horrible in my opinion.
Agree. we're getting into the late 1950s styling era (Think Edsel). These cars will not age well. It was an awkward time between the mid 1950s and 1960s. Let's hope the cars 10 years from now look better, not worse (I for one think cars from the early 1950s look better than most 1960s cars)
I agree, this car it has a better and simpler look than the modern LS. All was functional and practical
From a practical point of view visibility was much better in older cars. Given the current trend we will reach Captain Scarlet's SPV by 2040
Oh, and hey Doug, yes, the mirrors are small, it was an era where small mirror = better fuel economy. This is why the 1990s has most of my favorite cars. Power was coming up again, and yet, fuel economy was also increasing, cars were light weight for their size..... I wish I could have been older in the 1990s because there are tons of cars I would have bought new, and kept.
Carstuff111 If I knew then what I know now, eh? 😁
To be fair, gas was a bit on the expensive side during the early 1990s due to the ongoing Persian Golf War.
Plus, automotive technology we now take for granted to improve fuel economy and performance (e.g. direct injection, turbos, aluminum and carbon fiber bodies, 6+ speed automatic transmissions, etc.) were too expensive and/or unreliable to be mass produced.
Yellow fog lights give you better visibility during fog.
niacal4nia and they look badass. Especially on white cars
yes the color is supposed to "intensify the road" visually
niacal4nia you’re a frog
J D M
B R O
also reduces glare to other drivers.
The Japanese cars from the 80-90's were the best, almost bulletproof. It's sad to see they haven't really improved ever since then other than some technological advancement.
They were perfected back then. These cars were bulletproof. the 1uz is probably one of the best engines ever created.
THIS... is a LEXUS! Not these present day things with 20" wagon wheels and a flared grill down to within one inch of the pavement.
I thought I was the only one who thought the current grill styling ON EVERY MODEL is just way over the top.
Hey Doug, when you are rating these 90’s relics why do often rate them with newer models? I think you should have a 90’s relics rating chart and compare 90’s vehicles with only other vehicles from that same era. You have enough car reviews of just about every time frame to have an extensive review scoring chart. But what do I know, nice review.
Backyard production he considered it but wanted to keep the doug score as a whole consistent
I would love to see this. It's not fair to compare features between now and then. Cars have gone completely crazy with features these days. There are wires in everything.
Very good point. I own a 1992 LS400 and still drive it today. I still think my 1992 LS is still more well built than most of today's cars that are made with a bunch of cheap, plastic parts. The 1990 LS400 made what Lexus is today. This car deserves much more respect than what Doug is giving it.
Doug the type of guy to stop you mid conversation just to wipe a smudge off your face.
And Thats very quirky
can someone explain these jokes? why every video have so many
Gary Pelaez it's a habit people have
Those “the type of guy “ jokes are getting bored , be original . Fucking asshole . Get a life
Critical thinker go fuck ur self fucking disgrace of the universe
2:05 I love how he jumped from one car to the other without losing his spiel, like he was doing a magic trick
I had 1998 LS 400. It was amazing. Handles like a Civic with a great ride. Now I love my LS430.
To my knowledge, it's the most reliable sedan ever made
Nice to see you over here CPS. I am on my second one, a 1998 Mark 4 and yes, it is very reliable.
For the most part the Japanese do very well with making cars that last and don't fall apart. I see plenty of old American cars here in PA and while they may last a while, they're usually falling apart. Old Japanese cars don't really do that.
I have read that Lexus has never had to sell a replacement auto gearbox for an LS because of mechanical issues. I am not sure if that is the case.
you forgot about the Nissan Skyline sedan and the Nissan Skyline station wagon
@Sai There never was a Skyline station wagon, you're referring to a Nissan Stagea with Skyline front clip. And Skylines aren't known for reliability, or really any Nissan for that matter.
You forgot the fact that the 1UZFE engine in the LS400 is FAA certified as an aircraft engine, not many automotive engines have ever met that standard.
Also when talking about the ride quality, you just came from an LS500 to an LS400, compare the LS400 to a base model 2018 Civic or Kia, or any other base line sedan from today and you will note that a nearly 30 year old car has better ride quality than even many modern sedans today.
Think about it, a damn near 30 year old luxury sedan that is reliable enough to be daily driven even today, that has as many and in some cases more features than modern baseline sedans for a considerably less "sticker price" (between $1,500 - $4,000) and it's ride is smoother. How many cars can you say are capable of that feat?
These cars are legendary for their quality and reliability, and while it looks like another old barge to most people, to automotive enthusiast the car is a shining example of how to build a car right.
Signed a proud 1992 LS400 owner, with 92K original miles on the car.
1990 ls4 here with 250k couldn't have said it any better myself. still getting 20mpg, still running strong.
motor also has 6 bolt mains,,,,
Austin Taylor yes it does
I expected the weekend score to be fairly low, but I do not like what Doug rated. But the weekday score should have been very high, minus the 20MPG on premium fuel but it's a luxury car with a V8 from the early 1990's, what do you expect?
Weekend Score:
Styling - 4/10, I agree it's an old design but still not bad.
Acceleration - 3/10, I am not sure if you tried turning off overdrive and putting the ECM on PWR and then flooring it, it's not super car fast but I can get mine to 60 mph in 6 seconds so, yeah, definitely not a 1.
Handling - 4/10, it's a luxury barge, and yes there is some serious body roll, but it's a very pleasant drive and driving it is effortless, I would give it a 4 not a 3.
Fun Factor - 2/10, I agree it's not a fun car but it is a relaxing car. If you want a fun car go buy a BMW M3 and have fun with the repair costs.
Importance - Yep I brought this back, so **** you Doug, this car gets an 8/10. Why an 8 and not a 10? -2 because most people will just see an old looking Camry with a Lexus badge. However +8 because gearheads and mechanics know how legendary these cars are, they are the gold standard when it comes to reliability and ingenuity, a symbol of near perfection, this also opened the door for all the other Asian cars to bring their luxury brands to the US, such as Infinity and now Genesis, not to mention how drastically it changed the luxury car market forever.
Weekday score:
Value - 10/10, seriously where else can you get a luxury sedan with a near bulletproof powertrain that just requires regular maintenance to keep it going, and the features you get are still expensive option on many new base line cars. For 2K-4K USD you can OWN a car instead of leasing and put extra money into it if you want or save the money for something else. The value you get with these cars today is just an nuts as when people were buying these cars for 30K-40K USD right off the lot.
Comfort - 9/10 (the car is surprisingly quiet for such an old car, and the ride quality especially with air suspension and even just the standard is better than most modern sedans off the lot), these cars are the epitome of Japanese attention to detail and design perfection.
Features - 8/10 (can be 10/10 with modding), seriously, heated sets (and you can mod in cooled seats), electronic headrests, electronic seat belt adjustment, full power seats, power tilt steering wheel, digital A/C controls, cruise control with speed adjustment (this is still not standard on some cheap cars, I am not joking, the base Dodge Dart does not have cruise control!). Sure the radio is outdated, and in many of the cars the original speakers are shot, but I replaced mine with a Kenwood Excelon DDX594, and ran it to an Alpine class D 500W digital 5 way amplifier using 5v T-Spec V12 preout's mated with Pioneer D series speakers and a new Pioneer 10 inch 2 Ohm subwoofer (250w RMS). Now I have HD radio, bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple Car Play, voice commands, just about what you would expect from a modern car with additional features.
Quality - 10/10, seriously Doug get your head out of your ass, near 30 years old and still working as intended, you could not ask for any better from any automaker, this is how it's supposed to be done. Hell the engine and transmission along make it a 10/10.
Practicality - 8/10, decent cargo space, 4 door sedan, but the fuel mileage on premium makes it more costly than some would like to daily drive in comparison to an XLE Camry, the fuel mileage is the only thing holding this car back from a 10/10 in this category.
Overall Weekday Score - 45/50 with a possible 47/50 when modded correctly.
Overall Weekend Score - 21/50
Total Score = 66 - 68 / 100 and this is by MODERN STANDARDS
Total Score Circa 1990 - 90/100
Spartan0536 the Doug score is stupid AF, I always skip them
In every one of doug's videos, I only watch the quirks and features part. The driving part and the dougscore part are pretty useless.
I like to see the driving, but who cares about the scores?
I totally agree with you two. I’ve never understood the “Dougscore” in practically any of his reviews. It is just useless.
Love the drive part, gotta see and hear the vehicles operate…. U just gotta!!
A 1990 LEXUS LS400 IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAR IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE GALAXY
Nate Staub no its not
No, it's competitors look better. But the LS is more realiable and has more tech.
Agreed 100%
one of the most boring looking cars ever made*
@@nicolasmikah4168 yesss
damn, 28 years old and only 38k miles.
Yeah that's wild. My 2013 Jetta almost has 43k, and I don't even drive it very much.
or, just maybe it has 10038000 miles?
My 1992 delsol only has 47750kms
Just like Doug!
That is insane for a car that age
I like the old LS better.
Me too.
This is the first LS. There aren't any LSs before this one. Do your research.
@@GeeEm1313 I was referring to the current LS. Not the 1990 one. Anger much?
Still a beautiful car in my opinion.. I love my 93' LS400 im going on 280k miles on the odo n she's still going without a single issue besides regular maintenence.
In 1995 I talked my dad into buying his LS400. He loved that car and drove it all the way to his death, and after he died my mother gave me the car I talked him into buying. I am still driving that car today and all my friends tell me it is such a smooth and comfortable ride.
Foglights were yellow since yellow light provides better visibility when, suprpsingly enough, driving through fog
they're better for visibility but they don't cut through fog as good.... most 24hrs racing cars still use yellow lights and i know that most of the luxury and sport cars from Japan in the 1980-1990's used yellow fog lamps... (it would be cool if they did put yellow fog lamps in the new Supra)
WRONG!!! it's for RAIN, gooF.
I was 12 yo when the 90 Lexus LS400 came out. I like luxury. I would take the 1990 model over a 2018 model anytime. She’s pretty.
1741clovis me too!!!!! And feel like a BOSS pulling up!!!!
The '90 LS400 came out 13 years before I was born and I'd still take the '90 over the '18
1990 Ls 400 smh *Classic*
Still? Haha I’d take it mainly because if that... I don’t have to be born before those decades to know the 80s and 90s were the greatest decades
I’m only 17 now but I agree. The only thing in the new ls that I’d want more is the sound system😂
5:25 What I like about older cars is how driver-oriented they are. Nothing to really distract you, in the same time you can appreciate the quality of materials better, and they even may feel more luxurious, just because the interior is so simple. 16:54 I think that was called "load-limiter"
When you rate the most Reliable Sedan ever made in Quality a 7/10.
thex2thaz haven't you heard? Its the new 5/7 perfect score. haha
But DAMN got a 7?
Yeah, I’m trying to be non biased since I’m a huge Lexus fan, but some of his scoring seemed low. Even when compared to the new LS
n84434 I had a 98 LS400. Everything and I mean everything worked up until I sold it with 168,000 miles. Despite being the car being 20 years old the leather was the softest I’ve ever been in and maintained itself immaculately. The wood steering wheel never aged and felt new everyday. The AC anything never went out but for a refill on Freon. Never had a problem with the dash board/speedometer and unlike every other car I’ve ever been in, everything was built very very tight and of immaculate quality. I would feel confident purchasing any LS400 from any time period today with an ok history. Something that cannot be said of any other Luxury car.
I can understand a lot of things but to rate a LS400 in quality with anything other than a 10/10 is incomprehensible to me. I don’t understand what more quality you could want, the car has a very famous million mile version of it for Christ sake (Matt Feria Lexus)
AJ Farley to be fair he does go pretty in depth in a lot of his videos about cars ranging from McLaren to Nissans. Despite the wide variety of vehicles he does do a lot of research on some things even going to the point of reading every owners manaul. However I have to agree that overlooking the LS400’s prestige of being so reliable and well built is unforgivable.
Doug the type of guy to claim he is a car enthusiast and not know what overdrive is.
And also doesn't know how does the power button functions, which is as simple as delaying the gear change to a higher rpm point. Poor doug
TR7 TRIUMPH also he does not know that a lot of cars had this switch well past the 90s. For him to not know that seatbelts stretch in an accident( which would reveal those"replace belt" labels) amazes me.
I don't know why I'm still amazed of Doug, the professional car reviewer, having no idea what (common to semi-common) things in cars do or mean.
Doug the kind of guy that's never heard of Dunning-Kruger.
You're assuming that Doug is a professional.
Ibhad a 2000 ls400 and now i just got another one 1998 i love them
Doug forgot to tell us he is 6ft 3" in this video!!!
So much better looking than the overstyled new one... I just might be a little biased because I've had a few of 'em, and I put 200k miles on one as a teenager. I love these cars, they do lack the passion and interest factor that something like a Volvo or a BMW has but, these are amazing cars.
I think the new one is absolutely gorgeous!
DIY Dan Glad you feel that way Dan
Do agree with diy dan, Lexus or even Toyota for that fact weren’t cars with grand design but they were reliable cars made to last with lesser maintenance costs
That new one looks like an amazing drive
Yeah these (and most Lexus models other than maybe some of the I series) are just not "passion" cars. Reliable, well-built and feature packed, but not something to actually look forward to driving. But judging by the success the Lexus brand has enjoyed for nearly 30 years now, I'd say they still got the formula right. I've got a 2007 RX-350 with 235K miles on odd-o-meter that still runs great and looks pretty. Comfortable too, and the interior doesn't look cheap or gaudy at all. Not flashy like a Benz, but other than a few failing ignition coil packs, it's never had any mechanical issues - even if it does, the parts are cheap!
I remember back in the day when Consumer reports had an article on their website(www.consumerreports.org) and they actually recommended buying a USED(certified) Lexus LS over buying a BRAND NEW Mercedes or BMW. Lexus got my attention after I read that article.
I can't believe that gorgeous car was around in 1990. So ahead of its time from a styling perspective. That body is exquisite. My personal favorite LS is the generation from the late 90's
4 years ago at the Chevy dealer, a saleswoman was trying to impress about the electronic tilt steering wheel on the 2014 Impala. Meanwhile, the Lexus LS400 had this feature in 1990, and Mercedes might have had this feature in the 1980's.
NotBen101 Sounds like your typical car salesman who is just there for the money and knows nothing about cars and couldn’t care less about them. They’ll say anything if it gets you to buy the car so they can get their commission. But I agree, in 2014 that was old news. Acura’s and some Mazda’s had that back in the 90’s too.
I think like this when I see people paint brake calipers and cars still being sold with halogen headlights (instead of at LEAST HID). Both of these were items on a 993 Porsche in the 90s.
NotBen101 my dad had a 90 Mercedes s class 500sel it didn't even have automatic power tilt and telescopic steering wheel. It had a power switch to adjust the steering up and down but it didn't automatically go back in and return to original setting when u switched on and off the car. Lexus was the first to bring this plus numerous other things like the digital instrument cluster. There's so much more he didn't cover as well in this review.
female saleswoman
Heated seats is another one,tons of 80's euro cars had them,even low end Volvo's and american cars had them in the late 90's but it was still very uncommon up until now.
Doug DeMuro 16:43 Common in seatbelts and safety harnesses are break-away stitch zones. These are stitch zones designed to break away at an exact level of applied force to do two things: 1) Absorb impact to reduce trauma in the human body 2) Indicate that stress has been put on it enough that if used again it will actually hurt a person. So a part of a label is hidden in that break-away zone and it will appear if the stitching has busted.
I don't know for sure but did seatbelts have those explosive ratcheting devices in them back then?
Callum Donington That I don't know. Of course they had the centrifugal cam locking systems back then and earlier but my guess is the "explosive" thing came along later. All that stuff is an evolution. Beats the old 60's/70's/80's "illusion of safety" lap belts that essentially turn your upper body into a hammer on impact.
use your seatbelts and no they dont tear away they keep you inplace. this is just design.
Minecraft guy 11 They don't tear away, portions of them unfold from break-away stitching to absorb force and indicate wear.
Doug the type of guy to close the fridge door with his hips
Most ls400 are still running eith spare parts still available. Most german rivals are either scraped or preseserved in their respective museums.
For some reason I think this car is stunning. Easy 10 on styling for me.
Joe Al
And you're 10 years old and like changing genders
Especially rear end is gorgeous. I wanted LS400 to be my first car 8 years ago, but got a Camry...
Old Lexus has aged so well in terms of styling. Gorgeous curves.
Zogger568 I don't know, the LS400 looks really bland to me.
There are no curves what u talking about
I agree. I'm not a fan of the new design language.
Talking about the new one? Lol
They were not trying to make "art" with a car. Just elegance, rational lines, perfection. Chris Bangles ruined the automobile design with ugly BMWs. We are still not out of his influence. Ugh.
Damn, I miss real dials and buttons on cars.
Rockwood Joe And floor dimmer switches.
Also, the electroluminescent gauge cluster has always wowed me. As for the center stack, Toyota simplicity at its finest.
My grandma's Cressida had the ECT and overdrive button as well.
keep ect in perf mode and car will Scoot!
I can't help but laugh at the mocking tone that you address the past with. This car was groundbreaking in so many ways, and you're so spoiled by the advances in automotive technology that you can't seem to recognize it. It's odd how you laugh at 250 horsepower. The Mustang GT at that time had 225. The Chevy 454 SS pickup had 230. Think about how this was the first V8 Toyota had made, and that it was so well engineered that they would routinely last half a million miles. You're mocking features that no other car had at the time that were in any way affordable and/or reliable to any kind of degree.
All I'm trying to say is, maybe you shouldn't find it so laughable, the way things were then, when you don't even know what a graphic equalizer is. And by the way, $36000 for a car was no joke back then either.
There were other periods of time when things weren't as advanced as they are now. Cell phones barely existed then. Screens in cars didn't exist either, outside one or two very obscure models (and they weren't touchscreens).
You sound like a jackass to people that were actually conscious at the time this car came out.
Yes, he screwed this one completely. He's lost it big time.
You are so right, my friend! Doug's score is quite unfair!
But actually there were touch screens back then, in some GM cars (though these models were indeed obscure, especially the Buick Reatta)!
As far as I'm concerned these cars are infinitely reliable with a smooth relax ride and will still cruise at triple digit speeds. Name a 20 plus year car that still runs as smooth and looks as good as the Ls...Gs...or SC etc all supremely over engineered
just by looking at the engine makes one respect the engineers and the car they made
This car was heavily based on Toyota Crown, so mostly interior and ouside styling was different but engine, platform, transmission and all mechanicals were already proven and quite conservative. It was cheaper than S-classe or BMW 7 and much more reliable than universally hated Jaguar XJ40. It was calculated and well engineered car, and had good marketing. Very reliable, conservative, comfortable, good performance and MPG. Would I ever consider it to be better than Jaguar non-XJ40? Bloody hell no, never, nothing can beat that English style and aura of proud, very British way of doing everything. But for most buyers, this doesn't even matter, that is why they buy Lexus.
Yellow is the correct color for the fog lights because yellow cuts through fog better. Educate yourself Doug.....damn! :)
Every Japanese car form this era (afaik) has the yellow fog lights
This is true , even now, if you had whitest LED HID , you just blind yourself from the glare
Give this man a BEER
Ilya Elis You couldn't be more wrong. You need to educate yourself against fallacy and general misconception. A yellow light or filter cannot and does not improve vision in foggy conditions.
carlos oliveira For stupid: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_yellow
When is the video with the Chiron coming out ?
Kermit The Frog never
Kermit The Frog Few weeks later I think.
Karan Aujla wrong Doug posted a behind the scenes picture of the pic
That video needs to be like 1 hour.
Vladimir Putin do you think you're funny or do you just like waisting your time?
Harshad's car The Bull Of BSE.
I asked my daughter if she had seen my newspaper. She told me that newspapers were old school and that people use tablets today. She handed me her iPad.
That fly didn't stand a chance.
realAdolfHitler to lol 😂
I was a little disappointed he didn't talk about the gold exterior badges
That was well known with Toyota’s and Lexus.
For example, until 2015 the land cruiser has gold badges.
Qatar cars It would be cool if they bring it back, maybe a more modernshade of gold
On Toyotas of the '90s, the gold badges were only on the XLE models.
They also used to have smoked grey badges too.
Qatar cars - gold badges from Toyota didn't exist until this car
This was the first car to wear the Lexus badge and the modern Toyota emblem. Prior, all Toyotas had the TOYOTA lettering badges only
Technically, fog lights have always been yellow. White light does not cut through fog, it reflects. The Americanized white lights, on the front bottom of cars in the bumpers, are "Driving Lights". Driving lights are supposed to fill in the gap that headlights lights would create immediately in front of the car and were aimed relatively low. Fog lights were supposed to be aimed a little higher. Problem was US drivers would turn on and leave them on, in none fog conditions, blinding oncoming traffic. US automakers started making them all clear, keeping them aimed low but in most instances, continued to call them "Fog Lights".
Fog lights have NOT always been yellow. 1973 Volvo 164e European optioned white fog lights. (Not an option for North America.) I'm sure there are others, but I know the Volvo. Probably not an option in the U.S. due to what you said of U.S. drivers not turning them off.
Ok.
At a point in time, most Japanese cars used yellow for fog lights. I think it’s been proven wrong now but I still prefer yellow lights in rain or fog.
I like yellow lights and as matter of fact I'm still driving cars with yellow headlights today (I had updated for descent yellow bulbs) - it is uncommon, but they are the best for driving in hard visibility conditions like fog or heavy snow and because of lower contrast they don't make your eyes so fast tired after long night driving, but probably for most driver these days it would be something first to get used of it after a while (or maybe not). France mandated yellow lights till mid 90's, rest of the European countries optional to standard warm white. After been pushing by other EU countries France they first get rid of yellow low-beams, then hi-beams and in the end fog lights although from 2010 Europe still allows only yellow fogs even for modern cars (in GB and France You could have all yellow) beside Japan or Australia where they are still allowed for all lights. Don't know how is this now in America or Canada - I know that some drivers in north-western territories/cold states still use them.
Now try to drive with these modern white or bleu'ish bulbs or LEDs in fog...good luck...although I noticed most Americans, Japanese and Russians have absolutely no idea what they are for...so use them in any conditions as additional lights (called douchebag or d-bag lights) glaring oncoming drivers.
US Cars still got my yellow fogs 😎 updated to LED bulbs but I like to use them when it’s rainy, foggy etc. science may say they don’t work well but they work great for me.
If this had a BMW badge, Doug would be licking its exhaust pipes.
Please go back and drive the other so called luxury vehicles of that era, it is a much better vehicle in every way.
Yeah when these came out they were every bit as nice as the German cars, more features, more reliable and for less money. We knew from the start that they would be successful. Any concern that they wouldn't be taken seriously or seen as something of a "Fake Rolex" were quickly swept away.
THIS IS
Sparta
Murica
Pct1theory America
NOT Matt Farrah’s Million Mile Lexus
Pct1theory A 1990 LEXUS LS400
this is honestly one of the greatest cars ever made. this car had SO much power for a 4door back in the day. HEATED SEATS IN 1990
This car just became veryyyyy famous in India😂
I like your videos but you comparing this to the new one is about the most annoying thing ever. In 1990 this was a great car and you just put it down because it's not a 2018. Really poor review
He didnt put it down at all he just compared the 2 cars
I work at a Lexus dealer, and we have a 1990 LS400 also, though it has 500,325 miles on it. It's been sitting in our showroom for 4 years now. Totally awesome cars, truly one of the best ever made in my opinion.
Also that ECT switch stands for Electronically Controlled Transmission, and as far as I know it just changes the shift points to something more aggressive. Newer models also have a snow mode. In addition, it's interesting to see just how many little things they changed in the succeeding model years that I haven't explicitly noticed, like the climate control and odometer for example. They got there eventually, lol. I also never knew that about the instrument panel.
That ECT PWR mode still exists in a lot of modern Toyotas
Indeed
Yes, the ECT was more of a traction control than a power control. Drop the power a bit when in snow or rain to prevent wheel spin. Doug, as usual, missing some of the more obvious details of older cars, yet speaking with authority anyway. Same with the Overdrive button - look at any American automatic trans. car from the 80s & 90s and they all have OD.
The car deserves recognition because it was first, but I think Lexus' true feat was 10 years later when the 2nd generation came out, the LS430. The 400 was a compromise because they wanted it to be accepted, once they had the market figured out, the 430 was built as the best car possible and it is one of those iconic cars, like the w123 Mercedes of the 1980s that people still want. Unlike the LS400, the 430 still looks good today and doesn't stick out as ancient. It had an in-dash video screen - a first, which controlled many more firsts: multi-climate control, navigation, bluetooth phone controls, and stereo controls - all (now) hilariously sitting above the cassette deck. Also cooled seats, electric rear shade, refrigerator, adaptive headlights AND cruise control, 19" rims. All with the reliability and maintenance expense of a Toyota Camry. This is back when air conditioning was an option on most cars, along with powered windows & mirrors and cars were considered exceptional if they made it to 100,000 miles.
Yeah honestly Doug comes off as a new car fanatic and doesn't seem to know all that much about older ones. I honestly prefer the styling of the LS400, the LS430 just doesn't really do it for me. But you're correct in the rest of your statement, the 430 was the better car overall. I'm just partial to the OG.
Yeah, but the ECT PWR mode does let it hold onto the revs longer. That particular and specific setting is indeed something like a basic Sport mode.
This car was AWESOME back in its day. Lexus set a new standard in what should be expected from a car: reliability, quality, comfort, style, speed, the whole package. The LS400 was so good that the US considered adding a 100% tariff because nothing could compete with it. And Mercedes had to retreat upmarket because they couldn't compete with Lexus at that price point (around $50K at the time). The Lexus SC400 sport coupe was amazing too. There were some incredible cars during that time: the Nissan 300zx Turbo, the Toyota Supra, the Mitsubishi 3000GT, the Lexus GS400, the BMW 7-series and 8-series to name a few.
bruh these are so popular in the middle east, literally people buy a 90s model for a lot of money.
U are sooo bad at comparing a 1990 car to 2019 car comon dude
This is the car Ryu and his friends destroys with only bare hands in street fighter II.
Round. Three. FIGHT!
The first thing I think of when I see one of these.
Yeah true! Bonus round.
Luiz Almeida wow
Niiiiice!
Doug, please review a former presedential car! What do you say? 🤔😁
Putin had some BITCHIN' limos
modelllichtsysteme wow is that u? I watched so many vids of your channel they are just amazing!
Wow didn't expect to see you here! Love your work mate!
The US Secret Service is responsible for dismantling and destroying past presidential cars.
Clinton's Cadillac Limo sold at Barret-Jackson a few years ago, but that's cause he never technically used it.
once upon a time in 90s a legend used to own this
HARSHAD MEHTA ..........
BIG BULL🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
PWR button is when u want the auto transmission to shift up at higher rev. Kind of sports mode. Turn off the Overdrive button it will prevent shifting to final gear.
I was hoping someone would say that... Kinda weird he doesn't know what an Overdrive button does lol...
Yeah... overdrive is just 4th gear. I always assumed that it was because drivers in the US were used to 3-speed autos with an added (sometimes aftermarket) overdrive gear for highway cruising. The PWR button clearly says ECT - Electronically Controlled Transmission.
rickmancr my guess American V8s had so much torque they can do with taller 1st gear & fewer gear numbers.
Is this Matt Farah's million mile Lexus?
I think it is
38k miles, one owner. Which is insane for a car like this.
Is that Doug Demuro's 38,000 mile Lexus?
This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus.
This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus.
/This is not Matt Farah's million miles Lexus./
Matt's is a 1990. This is a '93.
Metaroose no
Doug the kind of guy to call a shifter a transmission selector 🤖
⚙
I watched it again, it could be the 30th time. This car is so well built and Lexus is such an excellent brand. Lexus haters please free up the surface of Earth.