Lexus LC Review & Prices

The Lexus LC is the sort of car that satisfies your eyes, ears and backside. That’s because it looks sensational, it sounds like someone’s stuck a NASCAR engine into it, and it performs like a fleeing hare.

You’ll keep the smile on your face when you see the Lexus smart cabin. Its high-quality materials and original design mean it feels a cut above even classy alternatives such as the Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS5.

Sadly, while it looks great, the LC500’s unconventional dashboard layout can make it a pain to use. Things that are easy to do in the Mercedes or Audi – like adjusting the ventilation system and stereo – are annoyingly fiddly in the Lexus.

Unfortunately, things only get worse when you encounter the horrible infotainment system, which you need a Masters degree in computer science and the hand-eye coordination of a professional ping pong player just to use.

You’ll find the cramped interior easier to put up with given the Lexus’ svelte styling. Two people will be extremely happy in the spacious front seats, but the back seats are next to useless. Mind you, perhaps that’s not such an issue, because the boot’s so small it won’t take more than two people’s luggage, anyway.

Starting the LC’s V8 for the first time will soon take your mind off ‘trivial’ matters such as practicality, though, as it bellows out a bassy rumble that sounds like it belongs on the set of Days of Thunder.

With 0-62mph taking 4.7 seconds, the LC’s not quite NASCAR quick, but it’s plenty quick enough and what the V8 lacks in outright grunt it more than makes up for in character. In fact, it is such a pivotal part of the experience you may find it hard to consider the meek – admittedly cheaper to run and still quick – LC500h hybrid model.

Likewise, if you want your LC to be as sharp in bends as possible, you’ll need the Sport Plus pack, which includes rear-wheel steering and a grip-finding limited-slip differential. But, even when there’s no time for fun, the Lexus’ low-stressed engines, quiet cabin and long list of safety kit make it an extremely relaxing car to cover ground in.

But the reason the LC should be at the top of your shopping list – if you’re looking for a fast and stylish GT car – is its huge desirability that’ll make you the envy of all your friends. Find out how much you could save on a new Lexus LC or used Lexus on carwow, and why not find out how much you could sell your car for through carwow as well?

The LC500’s V8 sounds great and serves up plenty of performance, but some people might put up with the hybrid model’s lack of charisma in return for its slightly cheaper running costs

Around town

The Lexus LC is a big and heavy car, but despite this it's quite easy to drive in built-up areas. visibility out the back is decent, and having  front parking sensors and a rear view camera mean you can sneak into spaces without having to worry about scrapes. The only real downside is the ride, which can get a bit jiggly over pot holes and broken road surfaces.

If you'll be predominantly driving your Lexus LC around town, the hybrid model makes a lot of sense. You still get the brilliant looks, but now they’re  combined with affordable running costs and an electric-only running mode that’s perfect for gliding silently through the city. Sadly, the uninspiring engine noise and lazy CVT gearbox mean it can never offer the thrills of the V8 model.

On the motorway

Put the Lexus LC's optional adaptive suspension in its softest setting, and the car becomes comfortable enough to take the stress out of long journeys. Perhaps surprisingly, the sporty V8 model works very nicely as a motorway mile muncher - because the car's 10-speed automatic gearbox has a long top gear, it means you can maintain a cruising speed with the engine barely ticking over. Engine and road noise aren’t an issue, although the large tyres transmit a fair amount of noise into the cabin.

On a twisty road

Alternatives such as the BMW 8 Series are more fun to drive, but that doesn't mean the Lexus LC is out of its depth on a twisty road. This is especially the case if you decide to tick the box on the options list for the Sport Plus Pack. It's very pricey at £9,300, but it does add a limited-slip differential, adjustable suspension and rear-wheel steering. These help make the Lexus LC feel much smaller than it really is, and the sharp steering lets you slice through corners with the instinctive precision of a veteran surgeon performing a routine procedure.

Both engine options give the Lexus LC a good turn of speed, but the V8-powered LC500 is the most fun on a twisty road. The engine makes a terrific rumble, and the paddleshift controls for the 10-speed automatic gearbox make it more engaging to use than the drony CVT gearbox in the hybrid model.

The Lexus has loads of space for two adults, but even small kids will lose the blood supply to their legs in the back seat, and the boot is small and awkward to load

Practicality

The LC isn’t over-endowed with interior cubby spaces, but there are enough to keep the cabin tidy on the kind of cross-continental adventures the car was built for.

There’s a decent amount of storage under the huge front centre armrest and a USB port so you can leave your phone concealed without having to unplug it every time you stop for petrol – which you’ll be doing rather a lot in the V8 model.

While the door pockets aren’t huge, they’ll take a small bottle of water sitting on its side and you get three cupholders – two under the armrest and a third in front of the gearstick. The latter is a brilliant place to stick your phone when you inevitably give up on using the car’s built in sat-nav.

Getting a comfortable driving position is easy because the front seats have height adjustment, slide miles back on their runners and you get an electrically adjustable steering wheel that moves for rake and reach.

Lumbar adjustment is standard, too, and it’s more supportive than the inflating airbags you get in some cars’ seats. But, while that’s a welcome way of staving off backache on a long journey, the narrow seats can administer you with a dead leg if you rack up serious miles and aren’t, well, the ‘spindliest’ of people.

On the upside, heated seats and a heated steering wheel come as standard and are brilliant for kickstarting your body on cold mornings, while their ventilation function will stop you sweating in the summer.

Space in the back seats

Lexus does equip the LC with a pair of rear seats, but the space in the back is so limited they're borderline unusable for adults. The low roof and tight space behind the front seats makes getting in tricky and, if you thought rescuing Chilean miners was hard, just wait until you attempt to extract someone from the back of the LC.

As a result, if you need a coupe that’s also practical, you’d be much better off considering the more conventionally styled Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe or Audi RS 5.

Boot space

Unfortunately, Lexus hasn’t managed to pull off any miracles by packing a big boot underneath the LC500’s svelte body. Whichever way you look at it, it’s small.

How small depends on whether you go for the LC500 V8 or the LC500h hybrid. The former has a 197-litre capacity, but the hybrid – which hides its electrical gubbins under the floor – can only manage 172 litres.

Neither figure is brilliant when you consider that alternatives – such as the Audi RS5 (465 litres) and the Mercedes C-Class Coupe (355 litres) – have significantly more luggage space.

Both these cars are also a lot easier to load than the Lexus, which suffers from a high load lip that you’ll have to lift your belongings over and a small opening that is hard to squeeze luggage through.

The Lexus LC’s interior looks brilliant and feels like a million dollars – even the frankly awful infotainment system and haphazard dashboard layout can’t dampen your enthusiasm

The LC’s interior looks refreshingly different from what you’ll find in models such as the Audi RS5 and Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe and, if anything, feels even better built.

If there’s a part of the interior that isn’t covered in leather then you’ll struggle to find it. Doors padded in flowing suede – complete with sculpted interior handles – drive home the feeling that you’re in something special and even the minor buttons are made from cold-to-the-touch metal.

Unfortunately, the unique design does have some drawbacks – such as knowing exactly how everything works. Even simple things, like adjusting the car’s ventilation system or tuning the radio, require a degree of fiddling that isn’t needed in the more intuitive Mercedes or Audi alternatives.

The biggest endorsement you can give to the Lexus’ interior is that it’s special enough for you to forgive its terrible infotainment system.

Its 10.3-inch display isn’t as crisp or as clear as the one you’ll find in a BMW or Mercedes – and there’s no option for Google Earth’s beautifully detailed maps, like you get in an Audi – but the real problem is the infuriating touchpad control system.

It’s so sensitive that guiding the screen cursor accurately is hard when you’re parked and almost impossible when you’re driving. Its fate as a useless system is sealed by the feedback that is supposed emulate pressing physical buttons, but actually bounces your finger off the button you’re attempting to press.

Still, at least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now standard, which makes using the system a little easier.