Lexus Safety System+ is a collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) that helps a driver maintain control and avoid collisions. When Lexus and its parent company, Toyota, announced the package of ADAS, it said LSS+ is “designed to support the driver’s awareness, decision making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds.”
The first version of the technology debuted on the redesigned 2016 Lexus RX crossover SUV, and Lexus rapidly expanded LSS+ to other 2016 model-year vehicles. In the years since Lexus has improved upon LSS+, and today several versions exist depending on the vehicle and model year.
As this article is published, they include original LSS+, LSS+ 2.0, LSS+ 2.5, and LSS+ 3.0. The automaker is also rolling out its Level 2+ Lexus Teammate hands-free driving assistance technology, starting with the 2022 Lexus LS.
The original recipe for LSS+ includes the following driving assistance and collision avoidance features:
- Adaptive cruise control (works at speeds over 25 mph)
- Forward-collision warning
- Pedestrian detection
- Automatic emergency braking
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keeping assistance
- Automatic high-beam headlights
The 2016 Lexus RX was the first model to get LSS+, and half a decade after its debut, models such as the Lexus GX, LC, LX, and RC still relied upon it.
When Lexus began improving LSS+, it added a “version two” distinguisher to indicate a more sophisticated, next-generation iteration of the technology.
Highlights of LSS+ 2.0 include:
- Upgraded radar and camera units
- All-speed adaptive cruise control (including stop-and-go capability)
- Cyclist detection during daytime
- Pedestrian detection during daytime and in low-light conditions
- Preceding vehicle detection during daytime and in low-light conditions
- Lane Tracing Assist (a lane-centering assistance function, giving LSS+ 2.0 Level 2 hands-on driving assist technology)
- Road Sign Assist (reads road signs and displays the data for the driver)
With the arrival of the re-skinned 2021 Lexus IS, the company made some improvements to its LSS+ 2.0 technology. However, they weren’t significant enough to give the collection of ADAS a full version-update boost. So, the automaker calls it LSS+ 2.5.
Highlights of LSS+ 2.5 include:
- Improved adaptive cruise control (more quickly overtakes slower vehicles when the driver changes lanes to go around them, the process now beginning when the driver signals the lane change)
- Improved lane and road edge recognition capability
- Intersection Turning Assist (identifies when it is unsafe to make a left turn across traffic or when pedestrians are in a crosswalk and can warn the driver or brake the vehicle to prevent a collision)
- Emergency Steering Assist (when the driver makes a sudden steering change, such as to avoid an object or correct a potential lane departure, this evasive steering assistance technology helps to keep the vehicle under control)
On its flagship luxury sedan, Lexus offered an optional LSS+ A package. This package equipped with the car with LSS+ 2.5 and exclusive features including:
- Front cross-traffic warning
- Front Lateral Side Pre-collision System (warns the driver of a potential collision with vehicles approaching diagonally, such as on a cross street ahead)
- Lane Change Assist (when the driver signals intent to change lanes, and both the adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assistance systems are active, the car will actively steer into the adjacent lane)
- Active Steering Assist (similar to evasive steering assistance, but this technology can actively steer the car within its lane of travel to avoid collisions with pedestrians or objects)
With the redesigned 2022 Lexus NX crossover SUV, Lexus gave its Lexus Safety System+ technology another upgrade to LSS+ 3.0 status. This version of the ADAS is based on LSS+ 2.5 but adds the following functions:
- Right/Left Turn Oncoming Pedestrian Detection/Braking (works when making turns to identify pedestrians and cyclists approaching the Lexus, warns the driver, and can brake to avoid a collision)
- Oncoming Vehicle Detection (identifies oncoming vehicles that stray into the Lexus’s path, warning the driver and automatically activating the brakes if necessary)
- Curve Speed Management (automatically reduces vehicle speed for curves, such as freeway transition ramps, when the adaptive cruise control is active)
Every automaker is continually updating, improving, and refining its ADAS with the ultimate goal of offering Level 3 and higher autonomous driving capabilities. With Lexus Safety System+, these improvements come in smaller increments, larger updates, and even exclusive option packages for flagship models.
Undoubtedly, the future will bring LSS+ 4.0 and higher versions of the company’s Lexus Safety System+ technology.
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