Lexus LC 500h 33
Lexus LC 500h 37
Lexus LC 500 09
Lexus LC 500h 39
Lexus LC 500h 38
Matt Brogan9 Jun 2017
REVIEW

Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h 2017 Review

Lexus’ high-tech LC V8 and its hybrid counterpart bring space-age style to the Grand Touring segment
Review Type
Local Launch
Review Location
Balnarring, Victoria

Fortune favours the brave, and if the striking styling of Lexus’ LC 500 range is anything to go by, reward seems certain. But bold styling can create division and in this large coupe the ‘form over function’ mantra is certain to be front of mind in buyers asked to part with $190K. They needn’t worry. Lexus has nailed the brief; and in view of its nearest rivals, we’re pleased to announce we have come away impressed. Well, mostly…

Challenging convention with a design as avant-garde as the Lexus LC can test the loyalty of even the most devoted brand advocate.

Lexus has earned its reputation building reliable, if conservatively-styled, vehicles that have only recently dared to be different. Encouraging buyers who’ve until now shopped with their head to also involve the heart, therefore, might seem a little risky. But without risk, there’s no reward; and if Lexus is to conquer new buyers in a market teeming with envelope-pushing opponents it must be brave. It must also understand that it cannot hope to hang sales success on shapely sheet-metal alone.

Fortunately Lexus high-tech LC 500 and its LC 500h hybrid counterpart are more than just a pair of pretty faces.

Lexus LC 500 09

Style and substance
Engaging the eye is one thing. But we’d wager buyers willing to part with $190,000 of their hard-earned are a little smarter than to buy on looks alone. Perhaps it’s here that Lexus’ reputation has a part to play.

Reliable, well-engineered mechanicals and after-sales support that shadows its contemporaries are givens; though we note a number of firsts with the LC (short for Luxury Coupe) that should draw in those also wanting a departure from the norm.

In the LC 500, a Yamaha-tuned 5.0-litre petrol V8 (351kW/540Nm) combines with a new Aisin-sourced ten-speed automatic to delivery seamless delivery to the rear wheels. For the LC 500h Lexus’ proven 3.5-litre petrol V6 (220kW/348Nm) and synchronous electric motor (132kW/300Nm) are combined with a new, proprietary Multi Stage Hybrid Transmission. This unit combines a four-speed automatic and continuously variable transmission to mimic the action of a conventional multi-speed epicyclic auto.

Like the conventionally-powered LC 500, the LC 500h also drives the rear wheels, but is differentiated from familiar Lexus hybrids by being the first to employ a 310-volt (nominal) lithium-ion battery in place of the traditional nickel-metal hydride unit.

Lexus LC 500h 38

Complex simplicity
Motorsport runs in Akio Toyoda’s blood; and as head of brand for Lexus, his sway over the LC’s development is championed.

The tactility of the electric steering setup (directly transmitting the texture of the road surface and intentions of the front wheels to the finger tips) is up there with the best of its kind. The poise and communication of the LC’s taut new chassis (known as GA-L for Global Architecture-Luxury) likewise belies its circa 1950kg mass.

The LC uses a bespoke platform and body combining steel, forged and cast aluminium and carbon-fibre composites and feels as tight and taught as its close-fitting shut lines and lustrous paint would have you believe.

Lexus LC 500 08 1e4c

Yet in spite of the complexity of the double-ball-joint and strut front-end (inspired by Lexus’ previous sports flagship, the LF-A), compact five-link rear-end, 650-position adaptive dampers, and striking machined 21-inch wheels (with their own special breed of Michelin Pilot Super Sport run flats), the net result is one of effortless simplicity. This is an easy car to learn, and to drive fast. It communicates concisely and behaves predictably – even when tested on pockmarked country back roads.

Braking performance in the petrol V8 model is epic with the 338/308mm rotors and opposed-piston calipers delivering fade free performance.

Lexus engineers at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit where we tested the LC told us the launch 500 and 500hs had run the same pads through three straight days, which is impressive considering the speed (and weight) carried.

The V8’s brake pedal provides clean feedback and is very well modulated, almost the complete opposite of the Hybrid’s abrupt, wooden stroke.

Pricing and Features
Lexus LC 500h 40

Technology and technique
The LC isn’t a science experiment, but it is something of a ‘special’ build. Produced on the same Motomachi line as the LF-A, its almost artisanal construction means capacity is capped at 550 units per month, most of which are destined for the USA.

Considering the interior is hand assembled, and every engine block is examined with a medical grade CAT scanner to ensure they’re free of imperfection, the ‘limited’ status of the LC is understandable.

That shouldn’t impact sales of the LC locally. Big luxury coupes don’t sell in big numbers Down Under. But it does give us an insight into the technologies and techniques demonstrated here and their impact on the the broader Lexus range -- especially the LS sedan flagship (due in Australia in February 2018).

It’s expected other Lexus models will also benefit from the LC’s Safety System + technology, combining autonomous emergency braking, active lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, active bonnet, and rear lane-change warning to name a few.

Lexus LC 500h 32

From material choice and fabrication (think seat shells constructed of an aluminium and resin composite, two years in the making) to crisp-acting switch gear and logically placed primary controls, the cabin is as much art as an inviting driving environ. Perhaps the only let down in a sea of suede, brushed metal and leather is the 10.3-inch central infotainment array which is too complicated to operate easily on the go.

Still, we have to admire the excellent driving position and clear sightlines Lexus has managed to carve from that sinuous, low-slung structure. The LC looks like a car that’s would be hard to see out of and place. It isn’t… at least not in daylight. We look forward to testing Lexus’ impossibly small (30mm!) LED headlights soon.

We also admired the high-end Mark Levinson audio system and its 13 speakers, 918 watts, active noise cancelling, and largest-ever in-car subwoofer. The system must be experienced to be believed, and allegedly took engineers over 5000 listening hours to perfect; tuning the ‘sound stage’ to perfectly match the LC’s acoustic space irrespective of your taste in music.

Comfortable, capable, captivating
The V8 LC 500 is also capable of making its own music. The team involved in tuning the exhaust for the Lexus LF-A has waved its wand over the LC’s plumbing, imbuing a rich, satisfying soundtrack that saturates the air on heavy throttle openings.

There’s plenty of snarl on the upshifts, and a cheeky crack as the revs match on downshift. You’ll make more gear changes than required just to get an earful.

It’s one of the many positives the naturally-aspirated V8 has working in its favour. The fact it also scores a limited-slip differential as standard is another.

Lexus offer the LC 500 and the LC 500h with an optional Dynamic Enhancement Package ($15,000) that adds passive four-wheel steering, variable steering ratio, carbon-fibre roof and scuff plate, and Alcantara seats.

Lexus LC 500 18 h45p

We sampled the V8 with and without the pack and can honestly say we’d stick with the standard set-up. The steering, chassis and differential cooperate so well that the enhancement package seems redundant. It also seems to amplify the rear-end’s tendency to wriggle around at the limit, an effect exaggerated again under very heavy braking.

That unsettling-at-the-limit sensation is found again in the LC 500h when shifting ‘gears’. The gap between ratios and the severity of the ‘steps’ built into the CVT are obvious when selected manually via the paddles, and slur when left to their own devices.

Coupled to an uneventful soundtrack, the experience detracts from the car’s appeal.

Lexus LC 500h 41

The crisp, athletic feel of the V8 model, in spite of being slightly more nose heavy (54:46 v 52:48 front-to-rear), is still our pick as the more enjoyable drive.

And really, that’s what the LC is – or at least should be – all about. It should be driven to be enjoyed, and the best way to do that is to buy the V8, as it comes, off the shelf, and head for the open road.

It’s a terrific package that is equal parts comfortable, capable and captivating, and shows that Lexus has a car, finally, that enthusiast buyers can enjoy… And without an $800,000 price tag.

2017 Lexus LC 500 pricing and specifications:
Price: $190,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 351kW/540Nm
Transmission: Ten-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.6L/100km (ADR Combined) / 14.1L/100km (as tested)
CO2: TBA
Safety Rating: TBA

2017 Lexus LC 500h pricing and specifications:
Price: $190,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder petrol and synchronous electric motor
Output: 220kW/348Nm and 132kW/300Nm (264kW combined system power)
Transmission: Continuously variable and four-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.7L/100km (ADR Combined) / 13.6L/100km (as tested)
CO2: TBA
Safety Rating: TBA

Related reading:
>> Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h International Launch Review

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Written byMatt Brogan
See all articles
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
84/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
17/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
16/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Behind The Wheel
17/20
X-Factor
18/20
Pros
  • Power and sound of V8
  • Balance, ride and handling
  • Bold styling inside and out
Cons
  • Convoluted infotainment menus
  • Run-flat tyre noise ingress
  • Hybrid power delivery
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