The facelifted Lexus LS saloon is now available to order in the UK with prices starting at just under £79,000. Boasting a lightly updated exterior design, tweaks to the hybrid powertrain and revamped suspension, as well as new safety tech, the flagship saloon hopes to take the fight to established German rivals.

In the UK, the car will be available in a choice of three main trim levels, but Lexus will sell you option packs that bridge the gaps between the models. All, however, will come with the reworked 3.5-litre V6 hybrid system, which has been modified to use electricity more of the time, aiding performance and refinement.

The £78,900 starting price gets you the ‘standard’ LS, which comes with 20-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch touchscreen navigation system and the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration systems. That’s combined with two-zone climate control, leather upholstery and 20-way electrically adjustable front seats, as well as a sunroof and a 360-degree manoeuvring camera that provides a top-down view of the car and its surroundings.

2021 Lexus LS facelift

Plenty of safety kit comes as standard, with radar-based adaptive cruise control that maintains a safe distance to the car in front and a lane-keeping assistant to prevent the car wandering from its lane. Blind-spot monitoring, which alerts the driver to vehicles lurking in the blind spots over the driver’s shoulders, is also included in the asking price.

If you want more, though, you can opt for the Premium Pack, which takes the asking price to £86,600. That pack gets you a whole host of goodies, including 18-way electrically adjustable rear seats, a Mark Levinson sound system and four-zone climate control that rear-seat passengers can set their own interior temperature. The rear seats also get heating and ventilation, while there are power-operated sunblinds for the rear windows.

Opting for the Premium Pack also gets you the option of four-wheel drive, which gives the car a little more ability to get moving in inclement weather. Going down the all-wheel-drive route, however, adds a little more than £3,000 to the price tag, taking the total to £89,725.

If you’re happy without four-wheel drive, you could choose the sportily-styled F Sport model instead. You get most of the Premium Pack goodies included in the £86,600 price tag, and you also get the F Sport body styling pack, which includes model-specific wheels and sporty black trim.

The Takumi model tops the range, offering 22-way adjustable ‘Ottoman’ rear seats, rear-seat entertainment and a wood-trimmed steering wheel. The £105,365 sticker price also includes a new digital rear-view mirror, which uses the rear parking camera to provide a clearer rear view, without headrests or passengers getting in the way. Lexus says the system has the added benefit of a clearer image at night or in poor weather.

The Takumi’s standard features can be supplemented with the Nishijin and Haku interior trim option, which commands a £7,600 premium. The package sees traditional Japanese metalwork and weaving techniques employed to adorn the inner door panels and handle surrounds.

Gallery: 2021 Lexus LS facelift