Early 2016 I visited the Detroit Motorshow, and surprisingly; the Lexus LC was there as well.
My reaction? This.
This is the Lexus LC500. We've already seen the concept version,
and this is the production version.
I had to read it twice to believe it wasn't a concept car.
How cool is this? The rear is very special.
The front is the new Lexus as we know it, but from the side...
It's almost a pure LFA-shape.
The Lexus LC. And how cool has this become?
Look at how low it is, how long the nose is,
how wide the hips are compared to the nose... It really goes like that from the nose to the back.
The rear is huge! You can really see the lines the LFA once had,
and that's very cool. They want to toughen up Lexus,
and they've succeeded.
It also goes with Lexus' vision. I visited Japan in 2014,
and Lexus told me they were going to approach things differently. They didn't want to be boring anymore,
they didn't want to have that dull design anymore. 'We want to become more extreme', they said.
If that meant they would lose customers who did like that dull appearance; 'so be it. It's a risk we're willing to take.'
It's supposed to be a car which you hate, or which you love.
So again; look at this car.
You can't put it any other way than it being a succesful design. It's got such an extreme design,
that you like it very much, or that you hate it with everything fibre of your being.
And that's exactly what Lexus wants.
The segment Lexus aims at with this car, is the one the 911 is in.
However, Lexus doesn't claim that the LC can challenge the 911. They want to focus more on the GT-class.
And that goes for more cars in that class. Just think of the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT,
So not the GT-S, but it still has GT in its name.
Or think of an Aston Martin Vantage, which is quite the GT as well.
The Maserati GranTurismo is a good rival as well.
The LC immediately comes in two shapes. The LC500, which I drive right now;
it's got a 5.0-litre V8 producing 477 horsepower. We already know the engine from the RC-F and the GS-F.
Also, there's a LC500h. That's right. A hybrid.
It's powered by a V6 and two electric motors. You can't really tell them apart from the outside,
Something Lexus has done knowingly. They also have the same price,
in other countries that is. In the Netherlands, there are CO2-taxes.
That means the price gap is €50.000.
So it's €116.000 vs €166.000, even though the cars are just as expensive before taxes.
It goes to show what kind of system we're living in in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do.
I've started testing the 500 first. Right now I'm driving through the Alps.
I really wanted to know how the V8 drove, I'll test the hybrid in the Netherlands some time later.
And to be honest, Lexus surprised me in a very positive way.
It started with the RC-F, which disappointed me just like the IS-F.
It was too lumpy, too heavy, absolutely incapable versus a BMW M3 or even an Audi RS5.
Then the GS-F came along, which surprised me in a positive way.
I had low expectations. Maybe you've seen that video,
the car had the personality of a BMW M5 from two generations ago. A V8, rough, one damper setting...
It was great fun! And then this car turned up.
Lexus has really tried their best. It really is a GT,
it isn't as sharp as a 911. The center of gravity is very low,
you're exactly in the middle of the car, the steering is incredibly direct,
and above all; if you get the Touring Pack, you get four-wheel steering.
That means it can corner even sharper.
That's a very nice feature in corners.
Then, the engine. It's a naturally aspirated V8 producing almost 500 horsepower,
where do you find something like that nowadays? Only American cars like the Mustang and Corvette get such engines.
Other than that? Nothing really.
Also, the power peaks at 7100 RPM, even though it redlines at 7250.
That means you have to reach for the power up there...
And that's a very rewarding way of driving. You're not always up there,
but if you get there, you really feel like you've achieved something.
That way, you'll get a smile on your face,
and that's supposed to be the target for a car like this.
Lexus has installed a new 10-speed automatic gearbox, indeed; ten gears.
You might ask yourself if that's necessary, but the advantage is that you've got much shorter gears now.
So where you used to shift up to third, you now shift up to fourth travelling at the same speed.
And because you've got an engine with a powerband in the higher revs, you can stay there more easily.
You shift gears much quicker, instead of having an incredibly long third and fourth gear.
Meanwhile, when you're travelling at 130 km/h, it only does 1800 RPM. Easy as can be.
The automatic gearbox then, if you put it in Sport or Sport Plus,
if you put it in manual, it reacts very good for a fully automatic gearbox.
It isn't as sharp or as quick as a double clutch, but what's most important to me...
is that the reactions are when I want them to be. So I flip, like that, and that, all good.
If you brake, you can feel the short gears as well.
Down, down, down. Great.
You know, even though it's two tenths of a second slower, I can't be bothered to complain about that.
So you won't hear anything bad from me.
So, the drive. It's quite difficult if I'm honest.
Lexus admits it's a GT, and that they're not aiming at a 911.
That's because they know they won't be able to challenge that dynamic.
But at the same time, it corners really good with that four-wheel steering,
the weight distribution is really good, so it remains very neutral. All good.
In the beginning I was amazed by the way it corners, it almost doesn't suffer from understeer.
That's a little bit fake, because of the four-wheel steering.
That way it gets quite nervous in the nose.
If I start to push it however, the tires start to squeal and it does start to understeer.
You can get it to go sideways as well, but that way you'll force yourself through the understeer.
When perfectly balanced, it tends more to understeer.
But if something like that occurs, you're driving at quite the speed.
Especially if you're driving on the public roads. So how much do you need,
even though you're faster with a 911.
Also, as a GT it's very good. Travelling long distances with this isn't a problem at all.
It isn't uncomfortable. If you encounter some bumps, it tends to shake about a little because of the big wheels,
but the chassis does its job. It's got very good insulation,
it's almost unfortunate it's got a V8, even though it's very quiet.
The wind noises aren't very apparent either, so it's actually better for long distances than a 911.
That way Lexus succeeded to position a very dynamic GT, a tad less dynamic than a 911,
but much sportier than a BMW 6-Series Coupé.
Typical Lexus. Or Toyota-Lexus really.
The interior... Right, Lexus means it's all very excellent.
The materials are great, the seats are fantastic.
Beautiful buckets, nicely adjustable and a great seating position.
But when it comes to buttons and screens... It's a mess really.
Some buttons there and there, a screen here and there another screen...
The driving settings? These bull horns next to the steering wheel.
Why? It's like they forgot to incorporate those buttons.
'Oh right, we forgot about those...' So now there's a lever on this side, and on that side.
It really is a mess, and it seems Lexus' focus is totally different than the European designs.
It really isn't for me. You have to access the menu to alter the heated seats,
and it's five clicks away. That means you'll almost hit a cyclist on the road,
because you're only paying attention to the screen, because you have to concentrate.
It really isn't handy.
I'll have to say though, Lexus has still got some cool details.
The clock in front of you for example, it really breathes LFA.
Or this movable clock. It can move as a whole so other screens can appear next to it.
It's all very cool.
So in total; the LC really is a great car.
It's also got quite a cool image, so if you like it and you're going to drive it;
you won't be disappointed would be my guess. At least not when you're driving the V8.
I'll drive the hybrid later on, because I'm curious to find out how that drives.
Of course, it isn't as good as a 911,
there are some points in the interior, the sharpness on the limit is a little too easy with that understeer...
But it's absolutely good enough to rival the established Germans.
They've already sold 15 of them in the Netherlands, even though they have never driven it.
2 of them are V8's, and they're sold to customers. Not to dealers.
That means some people dared to take the gamble.
It's the coolest Lexus available since the LFA, and it doesn't disappoint when it comes to driving it.
They wanted to make something more exciting, and they've done it. Done it very well indeed.
My compliments.