formality - Can "let us" always be used in place of "let's"?



Me: Perhaps we need to make a left turn at Albuquerque
Him: Let us try that



Now I would have said, "Let's try that". "Let us" sounds wrong to me in this instance. Is it? Are there contractions which are improper to use in their full form? I've always thought that in formal writing contractions are avoided. Are there any contractions that should be used even in formal writing?




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