Recently I had the opportunity to drive both the Lexus LC500 and the Lexus GS F
around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Having previously driven the Lexus GS F on the street
I thought of it as the best vehicle offered by Lexus.
However, now is my chance to drive the beautiful coupe now in the line up: the 10-speed 5.0 liter V8 LC500
The car is beautiful and sounds beautiful,
but on the very first corner I took it on the track the balance felt off.
The rear end didn’t want to cooperate,
and as a result my cornering speed suffered.
I drove the GS F immediately after driving the LC500
and felt a big surge of confidence.
The GS F was predictable - easy to throw into the
corner and know you were going to come out of the other side fine.
It’s a big sedan, but it felt well-balanced and genuinely quick around the track,
which i was a bit surprised by.
Having taken both vehicles around the circuit back to back
it was easy to compare them directly,
but at this point I hadn’t looked at my track data,
and the only thing I really knew about the cars was that they shared the 5.0 liter, naturally aspirated V8 engine.
Aside from that I didn’t know the specs of either car.
I was simply judging them just based on what I felt on the track.
After returning to the stage area,
I asked other journalists at the event for their thoughts on the two cars.
Every member i talked to disagreed with me and felt that the LC500 was the better car.
Perhaps i was wrong, so I decided to go back and look at my data.
My two lap times in the LC500 were 1:59.84 and 2:00.15.
My two laps in the GS F however, were 1:58.52 and 1:55.52.
Both of which confirming my suspicion that the GS F felt more planted, better balanced
and as a result allowed for more confident quicker driving.
Looking at the speed data, my cornering speed was higher in the GS F for nearly every single corner.
Now I was even more curious about the vehicle’s specifications.
Was my better lap time purely a result of a more confident and inspiring car balance,
or were there other reasons to point out
as to why the LC500 didn’t perform quite as well around Mazda raceway?
As mentioned both vehicles use Lexus’ 5.0 liter, naturally aspirated, 90 degree V8.
In the GS F it's producing 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque.
In the LC500 it's producing slightly more of each - 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet.
The LC500 has a 10-speed automatic, where [as] the GS F has an 8 speed,
and I will say that the 10-speed did feel fantastic and shifted very quickly.
So what about the weight?
The GS F weighs in at 4034 pounds, while the LC500 weighs almost an additional 250 pounds at 4280.
Now, knowing that the LC500 weighs more, which car would you expect to have wider front tires?
Well, it’s the GS F.
With a 250 pound weight difference, which car would you expect to have larger brakes?
The GS F wins by huge margins here.
With both vehicles using 6-piston front calipers and 4-piston rears.
The GS F also has a better weight distribution and comes standard with a torque-vectoring rear differential.
The LC500 on the other hand, comes standard with an open differential
with the option to add a Torsen LSD (Limited Slip Differential).
To the LC500’s credit, it does manage a slightly quicker 0 to 60 time,
for which the additional torque and superior transmission play their part.
Now perhaps I missed the point and this LC500 is a luxury coupe designed for cruising, not track days.
That said, for $8000 more
I'd like to think that the cheaper car wouldn't have significant performance advantages,
and thats not even mentioning the Lexus RC F which is about $30,000 cheaper,
and weighs 300 pounds less, and is still a luxurious 2 door coupe.
Aside form the exceptional aesthetics, I'm just not sure I see the point of the Lexus LC500,
the GS F on the other hand is fantastic.
It’s quiet, it’s spacious, it’s a serious performer for its size
and was my second fastest car around Mazda raceway out of the 17 I tested,
and it’s significantly cheaper than the LC500.
The GS F is a big win in my book.
The LC500 leaves more to be desired.
Thank you all for watching. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below.
*Engine Sound*