Lexus LS500H (hybrid) vs Volkswagen ID. Buzz

What's the difference?

One might be surprised to learn that, without having driven the latest S-Class, rival large luxury sedans have struggled to juggle comfort and refinement with agility and speed. Even in this modern age of adaptive dampers and air suspension. The Germans, in particular, seem to struggle at times.

The latest Lexus LS, however, walks the line with impressive confidence and poise, prioritising the former yet without dropping the ball with the latter. Just keep in mind that the 500h Sports Luxury manages the balance best.

The bar may just about be raised with the bestselling Stuttgart's arrival from March, but even then, with its extensive and complete specification, outstanding hybrid efficiency/performance combination and remarkable build quality and presentation, Japan's master luxury sedan deserves to find more buyers in this country.

Well done, Lexus.

Fleet managers and tradies are notoriously pragmatic when it comes to shelling out on a new vehicle. In which case, the Cargo’s relationship with the charm-offensive people-mover version of the ID. Buzz counts for little.

Fortunately, there’s some real meat in the Cargo’s make-up and the powerful, torquey driveline is just part of that. The driving experience is also a refined one, with the now well-understood benefits in driver stress-levels that implies.

Never the biggest van out there, the Cargo nevertheless makes the most of what size it does boast, and there’s enough cargo space for it to be a serious contender for a lot of small and large businesses.

Finally, while it costs more than some of its competitors, it still boasts the potential for ongoing low running costs, depending on how and where it’s charged. Horses for courses, we believe it’s called.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The XF50 series is a long and imposing machine, but is also arguably the most Toyota-looking LS in history, sharing design cues with most larger sedans the company builds – and yes, even the Camry. This is a departure from the Mercedes aping ‘90s and '00 generations. If the latest S-Class can look like a 200 per cent enlarged CLA, why not?

The most obvious – and pleasing – changes are realised when the headlights are switched on, revealing the BladeScan tech. In the F Sport, the redesigned bumpers' air intakes are noticeably larger and have jazzier pattern inserts, as part of a broader exercise in differentiating the grades with what's perceived as ‘sportier' elements throughout the car. The divisive ‘Spindle' grille theme remains.

Out back – arguably the most Toyota-esque part of the LS – are piano black tail-light inserts to differentiate new from old.

If Lexus is about presenting nuanced styling evolution as to not spook the demographic, then the MY21 flagship sedan succeeds brilliantly.

As the working version of the ID. Buzz, VW has paid more attention to practicalities than extra backsides on seats. So, the Cargo is a three-seater with a conventional driver’s seat and a two-person bench for the passengers. There’s no walk-through function between the cabin and cargo area, either.

You can also forget fashion-driven stuff like alloy wheels; the Cargo proudly wears 18-inch steel rims, shod with old-school 80-inch 60 series front tyres and 8.5-inch 55 series rears.

It might sound like some kind of a backward step, but the Cargo makes use of a combination of front disc brakes and drum rear brakes. And while the latter sounds like extremely old tech, when you consider how much of an EV’s braking is done regeneratively (without the use of the friction brakes at all) the switch to simpler, cheaper drums doesn’t sound so retrograde.

But even with that philosophy of practicality over all else, those charming retro dimensions still shine through, giving the Cargo a character and personality that elevates it beyond being a mere appliance. Fleet managers won’t care; owner-operators just might.

This is more like it.

While nowhere near the apex of striking interior design, with a dashboard that – again – is quite clearly from the contemporary Toyota way of thinking, the LS is massive inside, heaving with standard luxury and obsessively crafted in a few key touchpoint areas.

The brand makes a big noise about the floating door-sited armrests and their very obviously expensive craftspersonship, but it is eye-catching and satisfying to drink in the detailing, extending in and around into the dash seamlessly, carrying on the flowing, salubrious themes of sculptured multi-dimensional shapes. In 1989 journos were handing out similar platitudes in the original LS.

If the techno-overload of a Mercedes MBUX or Tesla's OTT tablet leave you cold, this enhances the luxury experience by adding a rich, cosy, warm ambience – though the instrumentation binnacle is familiar; all we can see is the first IS 250 of 1999, complete with its single, watch-face inspired analogue dial.

Here, of course, it's digitised and multi-configurable to accommodate sat-nav, multimedia and other vehicle-related needs, but it is a oddly nostalgic, given the brand's first BMW 3 Series rival is now almost forgotten. Still, it's interesting and isn't that what eccentric rich people who don't want to drive the cliché luxury behemoths desire?

With endless adjustability, the seats are sumptuous to the point of subsuming, in the way you'd imagine a limousine to be, but because of their bolstered support, they also can be manipulated into gently cupping you enough to stop you sliding about when throwing the Lexus about with gay abandon – more on that later on.

It doesn't need mentioning that the fit and finish is fabulous, with the enveloping luxury continuing out in the back seat. The Sport Luxury's airline-style recliners are enough to turn doubters into doe-eyed believers, with their restful, relaxing, relieving, refreshing and revitalising ways – well, to an extent that an airport massage-chair minus the coin box and dodgy stains can, in any case. But the fact remains: ensconced deep into that leather-lined luxury, slumber beckons. Namaste!

And that's the point of LS. It creates a sanctuary from the outside elements at least as effectively as Audi A8s, BMW 7s and Merc S' have costing upwards of 50 per cent more. The cabin is spacious, soothing and secure. On our extended drive of both 500 models, this was made abundantly clear with two stints behind the wheel of the visually similar ES 300h.

Quiet and refined, that car felt loud and coarse compared to the smooth silence of its supersized sibling. Mission accomplished, Lexus.

Twin sliding side doors will be popular with those making multiple deliveries into sometimes tight spots. And even though there’s power latching, the Cargo lacks the powered side doors of the people-mover version of the same vehicle.

But for many operators, manual doors are quicker to open and close and, when you’re doing it dozens of times a day, those seconds can add up. Like the side doors, the Cargo’s tailgate is a manually operated one.

The default tailgate is a single piece, top-hinged unit that forms a handy umbrella when it’s opened and is also high enough for most adults to walk under without stooping.

The option tailgate is a pair of barn doors which open out and back, allowing loading via a forklift. The only catch there is that if you choose the barn doors, you lose the rear window altogether.

Inside the load area, which VW says will accommodate two standard pallets, there are rails for use as tie-down points, and a wooden cargo floor.

To be honest, though, the rails are too high to secure dense, heavy items, so there are also six beefy tie-down points around the floor’s perimeter. Protective plastic trim also extends half way to the roof on each side panel.

For safety, there’s also a partition to separate the driver’s compartment from the load, and there’s an access port for longer loads that require the full length of the interior. Under-floor storage areas are located on each side, accessed from inside the door opening.

With a load-space length of 2232mm, and a minimum cargo-bay width of 1230mm at the pinch-point (the rear wheel arches) the Cargo is pallet-friendly, and the load bay height of 1279mm means a cubic capacity of 3900 litres.

However, payload is limited a little by the vehicle’s own mass. The kerb mass of 2352kg is pretty brutal (batteries are heavy, right?) and the Gross Vehicle Mass limit means the payload tops out at 774kg.

While the batteries’ typical location under the floor makes for a flat cargo area, the electric motor between the rear (rather than the front) wheels means that the Cargo may not be quite as suitable for a rear-mounted wheelchair ramp as some of its competition.

Phone charging on the go is taken care of by four USB-C ports in the cabin. There’s a single 12-volt socket in the cargo bay and a couple of neat touches such as four coat hooks behind the seat and illuminated door handles and convex rear view mirrors, recognising the fact that many delivery vans spend a lot of time reversing into tight spots, too.

There are loads of storage nooks and cupholders around the cabin, including a full-width tray on top of the windscreen. The three-seat layout is going to work very well for some businesses, too.

The only catch there is that the fixed cargo barrier imposes a very upright backrest when the seats are moved all the way back for taller drivers. Move them forward a little and the backrest angle can be eased.

The big downside is the lack of a spare tyre of any sort. Instead, you’ll need to rely on the tyre sealant and 12-volt compressor with which VW equips the Cargo. At least there’s a tyre pressure monitoring system to give you early warning of an impending flat tyre. There’s a tool kit, as well.

The Cargo is capable of towing a 1200kg braked trailer.

With a starting price of $79,990, the ID. Buzz Cargo is hardly the cheapest of the mid-sized EV van bunch. The LDV eDeliver 7 undercuts it by plenty at $63,990 and has more payload and cargo space into the bargain.

The Peugeot e-Partner matches up with the VW more closely in space terms, but has much less range, offset by a brilliant special offer price of $49,990, right now. Ford’s E-Transit Custom will probably be much closer to the VW’s price-tag when it finally arrives Down Under.

So, what does the extra money get you? Fundamentally, the Cargo presents as a pretty classy version of a van. The twin side doors and choice of single or split tailgate are part of that, but even the timber floor in the load area suggests somebody has put a bit of thought into this car’s specification.

In the cabin, the three-across front seat is trimmed in tough cloth, and there’s a dual-zone climate-control system. A 12.9 inch touchscreen is the major interface, and the driver information is conveyed via a smaller, animated dashboard.

Volkswagen has also figured out that not all vans need to be white and plain, so there’s a range of metallic and pearl paint options, a 19-inch wheel and tyre upgrade, and the forklift-friendly wing doors are a snap at $390 extra.

You can also upgrade the side and rear doors to fully electric operation and there are upgrades to LED matrix headlights as part of the same option package.

The LS is powered by two versions of a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine.

Around 75 per cent of buyers choose the 500, which employs Lexus' V35A-FTS 3445cc double overhead cam 24-valve twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, delivering 310kW of power at 6000rpm and 600Nm of torque from 1600-4800rpm. Powering the rear wheels via an updated AGA0 10-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with driver-adaptive tech, it can reach 100km/h in 5.0 seconds flat, on the way to a 250km/h top speed.

For the facelift, it receives a revised twin-turbo set-up with reduced lag, new pistons and a lighter, one-piece aluminium intake manifold to save weight and cut noise paths while retaining existing outputs.

The 500h, meanwhile, gains software updates for more electrical assistance at lower revs for stronger acceleration times and feel. It employs the 8GR-FXS engine – a 3456cc naturally-aspirated variation with a higher compression ratio (13.0:1 versus the 500's 10.478:1), developing 220kW at 6600rpm and 350Nm at 5100rpm.

Being a series-parallel hybrid, there is a 132kW/300Nm permanent magnet motor and 650-system volt lithium-ion battery, making for a combined power output to 264kW. It now can run longer on pure electric – up to 129km/h compared with 70km/h before. Sending drive to the rear wheels via the L310 continuously variable transmission with a four-speed shift device and a 10-speed simulated shift control operation to mimic more natural auto responses, it requires 5.4s to hit 100km/h, and manages the same top speed as its 500 counterpart.

Both autos, by the way, have more aggressive Sport and Sport+ shift ratio software, while the M manual mode has paddle shifters.

Kerb weight varies from 2215kg (500 Sports Luxury) to 2340kg (500h Sports Luxury).

Because it’s based on the short-wheelbase version of the ID. Buzz people mover, the Cargo gets the short wheelbase body and a single electric motor driving the rear wheels. Outputs are 210kW of power and 550Nm of torque which, even on paper, promises pretty stout performance.

The electric motor is mounted between the rear wheels and there’s a single-speed transmission because that’s all the torquey electric motor needs to offer a full range of road speeds. Speaking of which, the Cargo has a top speed of 160km/h (more than adequate in Australia) and VW claims it will get from rest to 100km/h in about 8.0 seconds. Which feels about right.

The LS 500 returns a combined 10.0 litres per 100km, or 14.2L/100km urban and 7.6L/100km extra urban. Thus, the combined carbon dioxide emissions rating is 227 grams per kilometre, but can range from 172-321g/km. A theoretical average range of 820km is possible.

Moving on to the hybrid, the LS 500h manages a combined 6.6L/100km, or 7.8L/100km urban and an impressive 6.2L/100km extra urban. Its combined CO2, therefore, is 150g/km, and can drop as low as 142g/km and rise as high as 180g/km.

The Hybrid's average range should be about 1240km.

Both models require premium unleaded petrol as a minimum - 95 RON in the LS 500 and 98 RON in the Hybrid.

A key goal has been on reducing the stop/start frequency of the 500h's petrol engine during high-speed driving to increase both refinement and response.

Power comes from a 79kWh battery which, thanks to the official maximum consumption figure of 22.2kWh per 100km, gives a theoretical range of 402km.

Again, that’s plenty for a last-mile van. And in the real world, we recorded a figure of just under 20kWh/100km, so you’ll get closer to the claim than most EVs out there.

Charging from an 11kW socket should take about seven-and-a-half hours to get the Cargo from 0 to 100 per cent charge while the VW will also charge at a maximum of 185kW from a commercial DC fast-charger. In that instance, charging from five to 80 per cent should take about 30 minutes.

VW equips the Cargo with a Mode 2, Type 2 charging cable and there’s also a DC to DC converter. A CCS Type 2 charge port is included as standard as is a household power-point-friendly charge cable which should take the Cargo to full charge in just under 23 hours.

No matter what it says on the badge, the LS is first and foremost a large, heavy and imposing luxury sedan. Its sporting capabilities are relative.

Keeping that in mind, the updates for the MY21 version are a success, since the largest Lexus passenger car is uncannily quiet and refined, as you might hope and expect. The ride quality is largely cushioned and free of bump intrusion inside, with a sense of gliding over most road surfaces as if they were blemish-free.

We much prefer the Sport Luxury version, and the 500h in particular, because it can run silently in electric mode for periods, and somehow feels more lavish and plusher to ride in.

Whether that's psychosomatic or actual is debatable, for essentially both the 500 and Hybrid share the same multi-link front and rear platform, adaptive dampers and rear air suspension set-up, but the impression is that this grade is the choice for those wanting to feel ultimate luxury and peace.

On paper, the 500 F Sport should be the driver's choice, since it has the racier look and set-up, as well as 600Nm of tree-trunk-pulling torque.

The thing is, it doesn't necessarily feel all that athletic, and maybe that's because the whole existence of this model is based around isolating its occupants as comfortably as possible. This is no criticism, and the LS certainly envelopes everybody as a great limo ought to, but don't expect Audi S8 levels of steering crispness or handling agility.

Anyway, if you need to feel as if you are a princess in exile escaping villains with bazookas out the back of a Kombi, then the LS does an exceptional job in keeping the 2.3-tonne-plus mass in motion, cornering safely and precisely where it is pointed to, without losing too much composure or traction in tight, fast bends. This is quite a feat, really, for the big Lexus can be hurried along a mountain pass through narrow passages like a much smaller sedan, and without being bumped out of line or off course.

Again, for all-out performance, the 500h feels stronger, especially when called on to pull ahead instantly at speed, because the electric assistance is palpable compared to the regular 500's twin-turbo V6. Both are obviously very, very fast and sufficiently responsive to throttle inputs – and it's a sign of the brand's engineering prowess that their internal serenity means the speed isn't obvious until you're looking at the speedo – but there isn't even a whiff of lag in the Hybrid. That said, once on the go, that twin-turbo V6 in the 500 soars.

Considered in this context, you have to say that the MY21 LS is an exceptionally sumptuous and sophisticated limousine with the speed, safety, security and capability of taking you from point A to B without drama or noise. 

Or, for that matter, excitement.

First impression of the ID. Buzz Cargo is that it’s a very sophisticated piece of equipment for a tradie van. That’s largely down to the silent operation of the electric powertrain, but also because we suspect the suspension has been tuned for a little more comfort than some of the competition.

The upshot of that is that when it's relatively heavily loaded, you can feel the difference, and while the Cargo absolutely coped with the 500kg of breeze blocks we drove it with, there’s no doubt there was a load on board.

Even walking up to the loaded Cargo revealed the ride height had dropped a few millimetres, and speed humps could be felt making the rear multi-link suspension earning its keep.

However, there was never any bottoming out, the steering never lost its accuracy and that stonking driveline was more than capable of getting it all rolling in a fair hurry.

Forward vision is great with that huge, deep windscreen framing the view, and even though there are two A-pillars on each side, they don’t contribute to a terrible blind spot thanks to clever placement.

The Cargo’s steering is sharp and pleasantly accurate without being hyper-active and its fair to say driver stress levels would be a lot lower in this van than many of the diesel-burning, hard-riding alternatives. Owner-operators are likely to love it.

Commercial vehicles have come a long way in this department in a few short years, so the ID. Buzz Cargo needs to be up there with the best of them in this age of OH&S compliance.

As such, there’s standard autonomous emergency braking that works at all speeds and also incorporates pedestrian and cyclist identification. This has all been made possible because the Cargo shares the same current-gen platform as the rest of the ID. Buzz range, and is not an afterthought model spun off last year’s platform.

Other drive-assistance gear includes lane-keeping assist, rear-traffic alert and an exit warning system. Combined with emergency assist, swerve-support and oncoming vehicle braking (when turning) VW calls its driver-aids package a "semi-automated driving assistance system" (their words, not ours). There’s a rear view camera as well as multi-function camera set-up.

The usual front airbags are also standard, as well as side-curtain airbags in the front compartment, although there’s no centre-front airbag thanks to the three-seater arrangement.

The passenger’s front bag can be disabled in the case of the front seat being used for extra luggage space. And while the front seat consists of a driver’s pew and a bench for two passengers, the central seating position gets a proper three-point seat-belt. All three belts also feature pretensioners.

You also get adaptive cruise-control, multi-collision braking, a driver fatigue monitoring system and even tyre pressure monitoring.

Volkswagen Australia has no intention of crash-testing an ID. Buzz or Cargo locally, and is instead relying on the car’s Euro NCAP score of a maximum five safety stars.

Lexus offers a four-year 100,000km warranty, which is considered one of the worst in the industry for mileage distance, due to the low number. Most rivals offer unlimited kilometre warranties, as well as more years in some cases.

However, it does come with a three-year program covering standard logbook services completed at an authorised service centre, with the first three annual/15,000km services for the LS costing $595 apiece.

A complimentary pickup and return service from home or workplace is available, as are a loan car, exterior wash and an interior vacuum during servicing. It's all part of the Lexus Encore Owners Benefit program, offered for three years and includes 24/7 roadside assistance.

Finally, the Encore Platinum brings the aforementioned travel destination free Lexus vehicle program (four times a year over three years) in Australia and NZ, as well as numerous valet parking and events privileges, limited to a several annually, and discounted fuel at participating outlets.

VW offers its five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty on the ID.
Buzz Cargo, as well as an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the batteries.

Down-time is a dirty word in the transport industry, so fleet operators should appreciate the 24-month/30,000km service intervals which reflect the relative simplicity of the BEV platform.

Also of interest to fleet managers will be VW’s offer to bundle the lease repayments, charging infrastructure and charging costs into a single monthly payment.

There’s also up to 10 years of capped price servicing on the ID. Buzz Cargo.