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The LC was a different kind of Lexus -extreme, aggressive and very desirable. It's a luxury GT coupe with a real sporting edge.
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History
Remember this car. In future years, we think it'll be seen as the turning point from which Lexus became a more credible rival to the European premium makers. Not in terms of this LC model's sales importance of course. Launched in 2017, it was very much a low volume niche market luxury product, a coupe, like the company's existing RC model, but a size larger to better compete with GT segment contenders like the BMW 8 Series and the Porsche 911.
That was a daunting brief, and one that you might think a Lexus - any Lexus - would struggle with. Until you start to get to know this car. Yes, the V8 version borrowed its 5.0-litre engine from the brand's manic RC F model, but there the carry-overs ended. Everything else that really matters here was completely new, including the stiff, sophisticated and relatively lightweight GA-L architecture. Another we hadn't seen before in the luxury GT segment back in 2017 was hybrid power, in this case a 3.5-litre V6 unit of the non-Plug-in variety for the LC500h variant. It's hard not to be seduced by the V8 version though, an engine mated to the segment's first 10-speed auto gearbox and good for the kind of performance that might even worry a lower-order supercar.
Perhaps that's predictable because the LC does itself have supercar genes, with much in its design shared with a model of that kind, the rare exotic Lexus LFA, which was hand built by the brand in small numbers back in 2010. The LC rolled out of the same Motormachi Japanese factory and had much the same kind of exclusive feel, especially in the Convertible form that joined the range in 2020. It's the Coupe version though, that we look at here. The LC sold until 2024.
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What you get
There were both Coupe and (from 2020) Convertible versions of the LC - it's the Coupe version we look at here. One way or another, you're going to have a reaction to this car - and that's exactly what Lexus wants - and needs after several decades of designs that almost nobody can remember. We simply have to start with this shouty nose section and the way that it showcases the brand's signature chrome-framed spindle grille more effectively than any previous model. In profile, you get a better perspective for the real DNA of this design, with the swept-back roofline emphasised by chrome-plated side mouldings that amplify the elegant shape, their rear edges shaped to suggest the lines of a traditional Japanese sword.
All this being the case, it would have been somewhat disappointing if on the inside, Lexus had served up something more conventional. Fortunately it hasn't done and there's plenty to admire in a cabin that betrays painstaking design and even higher standards of fit and finish from the Motormachi Japanese factory. The leather seats are absolutely superb, as they should be in any good GT, especially these lower-set sports chairs that feature alcantara and come as standard above entry-level trim, positioned to locate you as closely as possible to this coupe's centre of gravity.
The gauges you view are based on those of the brand's old LFA supercar, with a central virtual rev counter and digital speedo dial that on the press of this steering wheel button slides sideways to the right to reveal another screen with trip computer, audio, safety and settings options.
Rear seat leg room is extremely tight and the sloping roofline means that even adults of quite normal height will have their necks uncomfortably cricked against the roof lining. Once you lift the boot lid (which can only be done manually) there's just 197-litres of space available - and that's a best-case scenario that assumes you choose this LC500 variant. Go for the alternative LC500h hybrid and that figure falls to just 172-litres, due to the fact that the petrol/electric model has to package in the hybrid system's lithium-ion battery back here too.
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What to look for
This is a pretty bullet-proof luxury coupe - but there are still things to look for. The best-known issue is what's called a 'Valley Plate' coolant leak from the 5.0-litre V8 which requires significant labour to repair as the intake manifold must be removed. Early models may experience water pump failures or thermostats that get stuck open, preventing the engine from reaching optimal operating temperatures. Some early production examples have been known to develop oil leaks around the timing covers or oil sumps. While the engine is highly durable, the oil can overheat if tracking the car hard in Sport+ mode for more than 5 minutes.
A known, somewhat common problem is water getting into the electronics of the pop-out door handles when washing the car, which can cause them to fail. The climate control servo motors can occasionally act up, causing strange noises or improper airflow. Thoroughly check the infotainment system; it was known to suffer from freezing and glitches. Inspect the expensive big wheels for scrapes and scratches. Obviously insist on a full service record.
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Replacement parts
(approx prices based on a 2020 LC Coupe - ex Vat) Lexus parts aren't that much cheaper than those you'd get from the premium German marques, so don't expect big bargains here. Lexus LC parts range from £5 for basic consumables to £25,000 for a V8 engine. Oil filters start around £5, and front wiper blades are about £21. Alloy wheels are typically £2,600 each and pre-programmed TPMS sensors are around £79. A replacement bonnet costs around £1,075 (excluding painting), and door skins are about £1,600. A new front cover for the existing key (the surface peels!) is around £148. A door mirror is around £900. A bonnet is around £1075.
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On the road
The LC shares much of its DNA with the old Lexus LFA supercar - including an insistent reliance on normally aspirated power. In the V8 LC500 Coupe variant, that's delivered by a 471bhp 32-valve 5.0-litre V8 borrowed from the brand's smaller RCF Coupe. This proves to be more than up to the job of moving this car along very quickly indeed, storming to 62mph in 4.4s en route to 168mph. Inevitably, it lacks the torque that comes as part of turbo technology, but Lexus reckon you won't really register that thanks to the trick this V8-powered LC has up its sleeve; what back in 2017 was the sector's very first 10-speed automatic gearbox. The idea is that with so many gears, you simply won't notice the atmospheric 5.0-litre unit's relative lack of pulling power because of the way this car compensates with such a closely-stacked multitude of ratios.
We should mention at this point that there's also an alternative LC Coupe model with a very different engine beneath the bonnet, an LC500h hybrid variant that mates a 354bhp 3.5-litre petrol V6 with a lithum-ion battery-powered electric motor developing a further 177bhp. Thanks to clever 'Multi Stage' hybrid technology that amplifies engine response and delivers up to 10 'virtual' gear ratios, this is a performance hybrid like no other you'll have driven and is only fractionally slower than its V8 stablemate. Yet it's still able to return up to 44.1mpg on the combined cycle and up to 145g/km of CO2. With both versions, a standard 'Drive Mode Select' system gives you a choice of driving modes, but even with the softest of these - 'Comfort' - selected, the ride isn't quite supple as you might expect from the kind of long distance GT sporting car that Lexus portrays this model to be. It's not an out-and-out sportscar either, though it can get close to that when specified with the extra cost 'Sport + Package' that gives you variable-ratio steering, rear-wheel steering and a Torsen limited-slip differential.
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Overall
Lexus said that this was supposed to be more of a 'sporting GT' than a sportscar, but if so, it should have a larger boot and give its driver the potential to select a softer quality of ride. For what it's worth, we think that underneath the GT pretensions, there's something of a sportscar dying to assert itself with this LC, but you'll only really appreciate that if you get a car whose original owner specified the optional 'Sport + Package', which gives you the variable rate steering, limited slip differential and rear-steering system that really completes what the engineers were trying to do here.
In summary, we're in no doubt that this is the kind of car Lexus should still be making. Something different in concept and execution to what's on offer from the European premium brands the marque has never quite conquered. Most people likely to buy one of these will probably have decided to do so long before they get behind the wheel. This model does, after all, have that 'want one' factor. As, going forward, every Lexus should.
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