LEXUSLS 1990 - 1995

　　When Toyota entered the premium segment with the newly founded Lexus brand, the LS was not only its flagship but also became the best-selling product in the lineup.

　　When Honda introduced the Acura premium brand on the U.S. market, many people thought that the carmaker's management was not precisely connected to reality, but the facts showed otherwise. Toyota was already working on a similar project, but it wasn't ready yet. But it was made available in 1989, and the LS was the most essential piece of the puzzle.

　　While some could argue that Toyota's designers took their inspiration from Mercedes-Benz, the reality was that the LS was a better-built vehicle with narrower gaps between the body panels. Moreover, the car impressed with its big, rectangular headlights and the chromed trim around the grille. In addition, the bumper hosted extensive turn signals and, in the apron, there were standard foglights.

　　For upholstery selection, Toyota had to choose between 24 different types of leathers and opted for the best of them. There were no compromises whatsoever. The craftmanship of the front bucket seats and the comfortable rear bench matched Mercedes-Benz and BMW standards, which were considered the most important competitors. The instrument cluster hosted four clearly drawn and arranged dials with green on black illumination. At the same time, on the center stack, the carmaker placed a very complicated yet impressive sound system.

　　Under the hood, Toyota installed its best available engine, a 4.0-liter V8, which was very reliable and fuel-efficient for its segment. Then, to top it all off, it paired it with one of the smoothest four-speed automatic transmissions from that era.