THE CLASSIEST LEXUS COUPE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_lexuslc_2018

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 23

The LC was a different kind of Lexus -extreme, aggressive and very desirable. It's a luxury GT coupe with a real sporting edge.

Modelsword count: 12

2dr Coupe (3.5 Hybrid / V8 500h) - [standard, Luxury, Premier, Takumi]

Historyword count: 300

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.

What You Getword count: 360

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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