Despite its impressive design and impressive performance specifications, the Lexus LC 500 seems to have a hard time finding its way to customers.
Compared to its competitors, the Lexus LC 500 is still a very attractive color scheme to choose from: the Porsche 991 is clearly a street sports car. Meanwhile, the Mercedes-Benz SL – a name with a heritage of a three-cylinder star – has been upgraded with a high price. The BMW 8 Series follows a modern and luxurious design mixed with a sporty spirit, but lacks the fashionable personal atmosphere.
Introduced in 2018 and with little change in design; but until now the Lexus LC 500 still does not seem to be fading away in time. The lines of this two-door sports coupe are still extremely trendy and classy at the end of this year 2022.
And if you step inside the interior, you will be overwhelmed by the level of luxury and meticulous finishing of the highest quality details such as leather, suede, metal, wood … – very “worth every penny” with Its exorbitant price, as well as commensurate with the status of the leading Lexus model. However, the LC 500 itself lacks rare materials or lightweight materials often found on luxury sports coupe models, for example: carbon fiber, composite plastic, or ceramics.
In terms of power, the Lexus LC 500 is currently offered in 3 versions in the US market, including: hardtop / softtop with a V8 engine with 471 horsepower and a hybrid engine. The thrill of driving an LC 500 does not come from the ability to accelerate “hit the back” like its rivals; because the car takes 4.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h.
While the Porsche 911 Carrera S rival can easily make the LC 500 “smoke” when performing the same 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 surely still make the person sitting behind the steering wheel happy.
The sound coming from the heart of this V8 will easily conquer the ears of speed lovers; especially when the engine is at high revs – just before shifting. And just stepping on the accelerator a bit, the Lexus LC 500 will easily make daily travel routes much more interesting and vibrant.
If compared to sports cars in the same price range, this power is clearly not commensurate with the price of the LC 500. However, if considering it as a grand-touring model – requiring the most harmonious combination of many factors, from power to comfort and luxury level; 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 acceptable for a “eight-engine model” with a sporty orientation. Of course, the owner of this car will certainly never care about the price of gasoline.
Compared to sports-oriented models like the Porsche 911, Lexus LC 500 has a very smooth suspension system. The shock absorber system allows the car to pass over speed bumps or rough road sections very smoothly without leaving any uncomfortable jolts for passengers; although the Lexus sports coupe wears wheels with a size of up to 21 inches.
In fact, smooth operation has always been the traditional strength of Lexus, especially on large models like the RX or LX. However, the Lexus LC 500 does not let comfort override the feeling of sporty driving. The suspension system is set up moderately so that the driver can still feel every movement connecting the wheels with the road.
In addition, the Lexus LC 500 also has good soundproofing ability under good road surface conditions and moderate driving speed. However, when passing through bad roads or at high speeds, the noise entering the car is quite loud; forcing passengers to overpower by increasing the volume of entertainment music.
Entering and exiting the car is quite convenient and not cramped. The seating position is convenient and gives a feeling of easy control and confidence in driving. Of course, you cannot expect much from the rear seat space. This coupe is almost only for 2 people, and the rear seat is hardly suitable even for young passengers and it should only be used for luggage. Although the trunk of the car is larger than the Porsche 911, the design is not very friendly: shallow and the bottom of the trunk is squeezed very small.
In the Lexus LC 500 participating in the review, the car is equipped with sport seats. These seats are designed spacious and can firmly fix the driver’s body to the car, so the driving feeling will be more confident. However, the backrest of the seat is too hard and there is no thigh cushion so if sitting for a long time, the driver will easily get tired and uncomfortable.
The interior space of the car, although luxurious, is inconvenient when there is no useful storage compartment that can fit a smartphone – an indispensable item for today’s passengers.
The design of the Lexus LC 500 provides a panoramic view for the driver. However, the long hood and the rounded front end will make the driver difficult to feel the surrounding space, especially when parking or on narrow roads.
On the other hand, the view from behind the Lexus LC 500 is quite cramped – a common disadvantage of low-profile coupe models. However, the blind-spot warning system will be a very useful support for the driver when changing lanes or overtaking.
Another not very 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 not user-friendly, and it is very distracting when having to concentrate on driving while adjusting – looking at the screen.
This interface seems to be outdated when compared to current competitors or even with recent Lexus models. On the other hand, the car’s infotainment system can recognize voice commands and effectively respond to the execution of some basic commands such as adjusting sound, mapping, controlling the air conditioning system, etc.
In terms of technology, Lexus LC 500 also has a basic level of driver assistance package compared to 2022 luxury models such as: adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist – lane deviation warning. The blind-spot warning system and rearview camera work very effectively, but if equipped with a 360-degree camera, it would be better.
In conclusion, the Lexus LC 500 is a very “sexy” sports coupe with an impressive design, luxurious interior space, and smooth operation. Although the car does not have impressive power or the ability to accelerate fast like its European rivals; the V8 engine still brings the LC 500 driver the feeling of joy of a luxury sports car.
Of course, Lexus engineers still have a lot of work to make the LC 500 more attractive and have enough appeal to hook up the wealthy owners. Typically, improving – upgrading the entire infotainment system for the car, from touchpad hardware to software interface.
Phan Anh (Tuoitrethudo)
Source: Edmunds.com
