Despite possessing an impressive design, remarkable power configuration and being ranked as the top car of the luxury brand Lexus, it seems that the LC 500 still has difficulty finding its way to customers.
Compared to its competitors, the Lexus LC 500 is still a color scheme worth choosing to own: The Porsche 991 is clearly a street sports car. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz SL – the name bearing the heritage of the three-pointed star – has just been upgraded and has a very high price. The BMW 8 Series follows a modern, luxurious design mixed with a sporty spirit but still lacks a unique fashion atmosphere.
Launched in 2018 and there have been almost no changes in design; But so far, the Lexus LC 500 still appears to be unfaded by time. The lines of this sporty two-door coupe are still extremely trendy and classy at the end of 2022.
And if you step inside the interior compartment, you will certainly be overwhelmed by the high-class level and meticulous finishing of the highest quality material details such as leather, suede, metal, wood… – Very “good value for money” with its amazing price, as well as commensurate with the position of the top model of the Lexus brand. However, the LC 500 itself lacks rare or lightweight materials commonly found on luxury sports coupes, such as carbon fiber, composite plastic or ceramic.
In terms of power, the Lexus LC 500 is currently distributed with 3 versions in the US market, including: hardtop / softtop with a V8 engine with 471 horsepower and a version equipped with a hybrid engine. The pleasure of driving an LC 500 does not come from the ability to accelerate “back to back” like rival models; Because the car takes up to 4.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h.
While its rival Porsche 911 Carrera S can easily leave the LC 500 in the dust, doing the same thing in just 3.2 seconds – not inferior to any supercar from Italy. However, the V8 engine on the Lexus LC 500 still has its own interesting points and will certainly still please the person behind the wheel.
The sound emitted from this V8 heart will easily conquer the ears of speed-loving personalities; especially when the engine is at high rpm – right before shifting gears. And just by stepping on the gas pedal a little, the Lexus LC 500 will easily make daily journeys much more interesting and lively.
Compared to sports cars of the same price range, this capacity is clearly not commensurate with the price of the LC 500. However, if considered from the perspective of a Grand-touring road car – requiring the most harmonious convergence of many factors, from power to smoothness and luxury; then the value of the Lexus LC 500 has become much more reasonable.
The V8 engine on the Lexus LC 500 has a fuel consumption of about 23.5 L / 100 km – equivalent to competitors and within the acceptable range for an “eight-cylinder model” with a tendency towards sports performance. Of course, the owner of this car will certainly never care about the price of gasoline.
Compared to models with sporty performance like the Porsche 911, the Lexus LC 500 has a very smooth suspension system. The suspension system allows the car to go over speed bumps or bad roads very smoothly without leaving any uncomfortable bumps for passengers; Although the Lexus sports coupe wears wheels up to 21 inches in size.
In fact, smooth operation is also a traditional strength of Lexus, especially on large vehicles such as RX or LX. However, Lexus LC 500 does not let smoothness overwhelm the feeling of sporty operation. The suspension system is set to be moderately smooth so that the driver can still feel every vibration connecting the wheels to the road surface.
In addition, the Lexus LC 500 also possesses stable soundproofing capabilities in good quality road surface conditions and moderate operating speeds. When going through bad roads or at high speeds, the noise entering the car is quite loud; forcing passengers to dominate by increasing the volume of entertainment music.
Getting in and out of the car is also quite convenient, not restrictive or cramped. The seat position is convenient and makes it easy to grasp and confidently control the vehicle. Of course, you won’t be able to ask for much in the back seat space. This coupe is almost only for 2 people, the rear seats can hardly fit even small passengers and it should almost only be used for luggage. Although the trunk has a larger volume than the Porsche 911, the design is not very friendly: it is shallow and the bottom of the trunk is squeezed very small.
On the Lexus LC 500 participating in the review, the car is equipped with sports racing seats. This seat set is spaciously designed and can tightly fix the driver’s body to the vehicle, so the feeling of operating will be more confident. However, the back of the seat is too hard and has no side cushions, so if you sit for a long time, the driver will easily get tired and uncomfortable.
Although the interior space of the car is high-class, it is quite inconvenient when there is no useful storage compartment that can hold a smartphone – an indispensable item for today’s passengers.
The design of the Lexus LC 500 provides a clear view for the driver. However, the long hood and round front of the car will easily make it difficult for the driver to feel the surrounding space, especially when parking or on narrow roads.
At the rear, the Lexus LC 500 offers a rather cramped view – which is a common drawback of low-slung coupe models. In return, the blind spot warning system will effectively support the driver when wanting to change lanes or overtake a vehicle.
Another not-so-pleasant point is the experience with the infotainment system on the Lexus LC 500. The touchpad on the car is difficult to use, the interface is unfriendly and can easily cause distraction when you have to concentrate. The driver just made adjustments – looking at the screen.
This interface also seems outdated when compared to current competitors or even recently launched new generation Lexus models. In return, the car’s infotainment system can recognize voices and respond well to executing some basic commands such as adjusting sound, locating maps, controlling the air conditioning system…
In terms of technology, the Lexus LC 500 also has a basic driver assistance package compared to 2022 luxury cars such as: adaptive cruise control, automatic lane keeping – lane departure warning. The blind spot warning system and rear camera work very effectively, but if equipped with cam360, it would be better.
In short , the Lexus LC 500 is a very “sexy” sports coupe with impressively designed appearance, high-class interior space and smooth operation. Although the car does not possess remarkable power or the ability to accelerate as quickly as its European competitors; But the V8 engine still gives the driver of the LC 500 the joy of a luxury sports car.
Of course, Lexus engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the LC 500 more attractive and attractive enough to make rich owners spend money to own it. A typical example is improving and upgrading the entire vehicle infotainment system, from touchpad hardware to software interface.
