Simon Wittenberg heads to the scenic Malvern Hills to put Lexus’ flagship, the Lexus LC500, through its paces.
Based on the award-winning LF-LC concept (LF means “Lexus Future” whilst LC stands for “Luxury Coupé”), which was unveiled back in 2012 at the North American International Auto Show, the Lexus LC500 became a reality five years later following its presentation to the world’s media at Geneva.
Rolling off the same Japanese Motomachi production line that gave birth to the renowned LFA supercar, the rear-wheel-drive and two-tonne LC is built on the GA-L vehicle platform by a team of specially selected and trained Takumi craftspeople.
All boast lengthy experience in Lexus manufacturing, and they made the first examples of the LC500 destined for European shores back in May 2017.
In the line-up, there’s the choice of the full-blown 5.0-litre V8-powered Lexus LC500, which we tried out in Sport + Pack guise, or the more eco-friendly 3.5-litre V6 hybrid (the “h”).
Fighting the likes of the BMW 6-Series and Jaguar F-Type R (a fellow 5.0-litre V8 contender), or even the Porsche 911 for custom in the 80-odd grand price bracket, the competition in this upper echelon of the market is, without a doubt, stiff.
With just under 300 sold so far since its introduction to the UK, the Lexus is not everyone’s natural choice, but it’s different and has plenty going for it to fight its corner.
The LC500’s exterior is an object of beauty, with a plethora of sharp angles and beautifully sculpted curves to keep the eyes entertained for endless hours. Accentuated by the striking Naples Yellow paintwork (costing £675 for the privilege) on our test car, there was no getting away from the term “head-turner”.
The familiar Lexus spindle grille with a chrome surround lies at the foot of the long sweeping bonnet, which is flanked by the inward-looking “tick-like” LED running lights and side air intakes. The carbon fibre roof sweeps down to the rear boot lid, where the retractable spoiler can be found.
Look to the sides, and you are drawn towards the cleverly designed wraparound “T-shaped” lamps, which have a slightly hypnotic mirror effect when you peer into them. Underneath, the diffuser is punctuated by chrome exhaust tips.
On the subject of the car’s back end, the boot, as you would expect with this type of car, is small at 197 litres, but at the same time, it was perfectly spacious enough to hold a small weekend suitcase plus a few bags of shopping.
Into the cabin, the Lexus LC500 sports a 2+2 configuration, but the seats in the back will do little to accommodate a fully grown adult in a reasonable degree of comfort. A small child possibly at best, but that’s about it if you want to have sufficient legroom when at the wheel.
Upfront, there are the hugging eight-way adjustable heated and ventilated seats, which deliver a comfortable and tailored driving position.
The interior, which is clad in soft-to-touch Alcantara and leather, is nicely laid out, and the centre console, which is bound by a handle-like divider, has a lot going on. The central mouse-like touchpad, which is situated behind the nicely-machined chrome volume knob and the gear shifter, takes some getting used to as it’s uber-sensitive. Plus, if the car has been sitting in the sun, it can actually be very hot to touch, as we duly discovered.
At the top of the console is where you find the ten-inch screen next to the comparatively old-fashioned analogue clock. This display is the interface for the crystal clear 13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system (a £1,000 option), which is intuitive to use. Nevertheless, what lets the side down is the satellite navigation system which is far from user-friendly, disliking postcodes and needing a degree just to turn it off.
It’s a shame as everything else has been well thought through, and for a car costing close to £100,000, you would expect something a little more sophisticated and refined.
There’s an abundance of on-board technology to make the driving experience even more relaxed, such as the colour head up-display with road sign recognition (a £995 extra), and the wing mirror mounted blind-spot monitor.
The stalk to the top left of the steering wheel is where you can switch between the five driving modes which span from “Normal” through to “Sport+” (for earlier downshift timing and faster gear changes). We spent most of our test in “Comfort” which further increases the comfort of the ride through controlling the suspension.
At the wheel, all-round visibility is very good, which is further aided by the handy reversing camera. It’s a keyless start and stop button to fire the naturally aspirated V8 into life, and even the exhaust note when idling reinforces the might of the block that lies beneath.
Head on to the country roads away from the busy motorways, and this is where the Lexus LC500 is in its element. it’s an absolute joy to drive, with plenty of power on tap and no turbo lag to get in the way. It’s equally worth saying that the LC500 feels just as at home when navigating the more cluttered streets.
The ten-speed automatic gearbox with Sport Direct Shift and magnesium paddles (which can be used in Manual mode) shifts seamlessly to grant a fun and engaging driving experience.
With a 0-62 mph sprint time of under five seconds, this car is quick and will top out at a staggering 168 mph, and luckily there is some decent stopping capability to match courtesy of the electronically controlled braking system.
When sticking to the legal limits, you will happily meander along at around 2,000 revs leaving 7,000 unused on the counter, such is the potential of the Lexus LC500. When you put your foot down, you get a nice kick as the needle swings around to 4,500 revs, and the resulting acoustics when you open up the throttle, no matter how much, are utterly sublime.
The steering is reasonably sharp thanks to the Dynamic Rear Steering, which turns the rear wheels as well as those at the front, and the ride on the 21-inch forged alloys and run-flat tyres is very smooth, although it’s still quite a relatively hard setup.
The solid level of grip does inspire confidence when turning in at speed, and you can raise the rear wing at the touch of a button for even more downforce if you choose to go beyond the confines of the national speed limits out on the track.
We averaged around 30 mpg during our 300-mile round trip from London (versus the quoted 24) and used around three-quarters of a tank of fuel (the LC holds 82 litres), so the consumption is reasonable and won’t leave you glued to the petrol pumps throughout your journey.
Overall, this is a special car that looks the part, sounds the part, and is worthy of its place as Lexus’ flagship model. It’s good to be different and head away from the mainstream, and choosing the Lexus LC500 over its rivals will reward you accordingly.
Lexus LC500 Sport + Pack – specification at a glance:
- Price as tested: £88,565 (including options)
- Engine: Naturally aspirated 4,969cc V8
- Power: 471bhp @ 7,100rpm
- Top speed: 168 mph
- 0 – 62 mph: 4.4 seconds
- Transmission: 10-speed Sports Direct Shift automatic
- Combined fuel economy: 24.4 mpg
- CO2 emissions: 267g/km
Lexus LC500 – Where and How?
For more information on the Lexus LC500, visit www.lexus.co.uk.
Photography by Lexus and Simon Wittenberg.
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