Lexus LC (2017 – 2024) Review

The whole world was blindsided when the Lexus LC was launched in 2017. Here was a company best known for its unerring reliability and comfortable saloons suddenly giving the Porsche 911, stunning Jaguar F-Type and highly desirable Aston Martin Vantage a run for their money in terms of design, style and performance. It’s not perfect by any means, but the Lexus LC is achingly pretty. Read on for our full Lexus LC review.

The Lexus LC was truly a bolt from the blue. Yes we’d driven fast models from the firm before, like the Lexus RC F. But while powerful, they were flawed and hampered by slow-witted gearboxes and underwhelming handling.

The Lexus LC coupe was different. Very different. This was a new breed of Lexus model that showcased the future of the brand, which went some way to explaining the not inconsiderable launch price tag of more than £75k.

This was Lexus’ flagship luxury coupe after all.

The design was, and remains, stunning. This is one car that gets noticed everywhere you go. Yes, we know style is subjective, but just look at it. The Lexus LC is a striking coupe or roadster, and the inside is also impressive as it feels modern, high-quality and there are no leftover Toyota bits either. It, too, looks extremely good.

It may be a high-performance car, but the Lexus LC also comes as a hybrid. The Lexus LC 500h was the first car to use the company’s new multi-stage hybrid system, designed to give more torque and usable power. 

Alongside that is the Lexus LC 500. It’s powered by a thumping 5.0-litre V8 engine – there are no turbochargers here – but it still possesses 477PS and will knock out 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds.

It also has a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which doesn’t seem promising, but actually works with great proficiency.

However, it’s the euphonious V8 which stands out. The Lexus LC 500 sounds colossal, with a compelling rumble on start up. Work your way through the revs – which is all too easy to do – and you’re met with a thunderous roar. It’s one of the best sounding cars there is.

The Lexus LC is not all just about the engine, though. There’s the supercar handling for a start. The steering has a wonderful precision to it, and while you’re always aware that this is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car, it offers so much traction and grip that it never feels intimidating.

So where does the Lexus LC sit amongst the competition? Well for similar money you can get a BMW M6 or a Jaguar F-Type with the supercharged V6 engine. To be fair, you wouldn’t say no to either of those given the opportunity, but the Lexus LC just has that something extra that makes it feel a bit more special.

Fancy a new Lexus? Read our Lexus RZ review here.

The Lexus LC isn’t merely about going fast in a straight line, because it’s actually a revelation when it comes to handling.

Performance cars from the brand – such as the Lexus GS F – have often been flawed in this respect, but the Lexus LC is a different breed.

Despite having a not inconsiderable kerbweight of two tonnes, it handles with surprising agility and is not intimidating or difficult to drive.

True, the sheer width – and the fact you’re low down – means that tight lanes are not especially easy to navigate. But on an open road, the Lexus LC is a wonderful sports car.

Push the Lexus LC a bit too fast into a corner and you’ll find it forgiving. There are huge amounts of grip from the front tyres and strong traction from the rear wheels.

That’s helped by a limited-slip differential which works with the traction control system – labelled VSC by Lexus – to keep everything in check.

Fortunately, it’s not an intrusive system.

We can’t really talk about driving the Lexus LC without mentioning the noise... or the noise of the Lexus LC 500, at least.

This is powered by a hefty 5.0-litre V8 which sounds even better than you’d imagine. Most cars with a V8 make a pretty good sound, but the Lexus LC is really quite something.

There’s a deep rumble on start-up and when you’re pottering around, but open it up and the noise is addictive.

Indeed, there are few cars that make you feel this good just with the sound of the engine and exhaust. It’s truly an immense experience. 

There’s more to the Lexus LC 500 than just noise and power, though – although it’s not short of the latter, with the V8 producing 477PS and no less than 540Nm.

That’s good for a theoretical 0-62mph time of just 4.4 seconds, which is only 0.2 seconds shy of a BMW M6 Coupe.

There is also the hybrid Lexus LC 500h. This gets the familiar 3.5-litre V6 Lexus engine with a lithium-ion battery, which is smaller and lighter than the nickel-metal hydride unit used in previous hybrids like the Lexus RX. 

Crucially, the Lexus LC 500h also has the Lexus Multi Stage Hybrid System, designed to give more responsive performance and increased power when pulling away. That means it can manage 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds. 

While it gains speed effortlessly, the Lexus LC 500h isn’t as fun to drive as the V8 version and, while incredibly advanced, it lacks the dramatic and exciting feel of its 5.0-litre counterpart, which is partly down to the CVT gearbox and the lack of noise.

Put it this way, if you bought a Lexus LC 500h, you’d always be jealous of anyone with a standard Lexus LC 500.

The Lexus LC 500 comes with a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which sounds excessive. It works really well, though, and isn’t as busy as you'd imagine, helped by the fact that the top three gears are pretty much exclusively for motorway cruising and there seems to be little difference between them.

The close ratios of the 10-speed box mean you won’t find yourself waiting for the engine to reach its peak powerband.

Instead, the super-quick shifts mean the Lexus LC is always eager to accelerate, should you want to. 

The Lexus LC was never tested by Euro NCAP, but the firm has always made very safe cars and this high-end model is no different.

All come with a full suite of airbags, ABS anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control.

You also get radar-guided adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assistance, blind spot monitor, parking sensors all round and a rear parking camera. 

There’s automatic emergency braking, too, plus there was the option of a head-up display when the car was new. This is worth having in a used model.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the Lexus LC is not rated for any towing.

The driving position is pretty much perfect, with a low-slung seat and a high central tunnel that makes this feel like a bona fide sports car.

But there’s more to it than that. The Lexus LC gets a lot right across the board.

The neat hand-finished gearlever, for example, just requires a gentle nudge to get into gear and is close to the steering wheel.

The instrument cluster is simple and clear, plus it can be adapted to suit your mood – the best-looking version has a big rev counter in the middle, with the digital speedo at its centre.

It gets the basics right, too. This may be a high-performance sports car, but the seats are still comfortable, as well as supportive.

Go for a Lexus LC with the Sport Package and you’ll get sports seats with bigger side bolsters.

Practicality is unlikely to be a huge priority if you’re after a Lexus LC, but it still has a reasonable boot, which seems bigger than the 197 litres suggest (172 litres in the Lexus LC 500h), and you can squeeze in a set of golf clubs too.

There are back seats – of sorts – which you can at least fit a child seat into.

Lexus interiors have often been a bit of a mixed bag, with a tad too much Toyota included for our liking. But that all changed with the Lexus LC.

This is a cabin that looks and feels like it belongs in such a striking, impressive car. Yet it has a bit of character, too. This is no bland execution of a sports car interior – yes it's minimal, but it also has a charm that is often missing in Lexus cars.

Elements like the Alcantara upholstery, which comes with the Sport package, help of course, especially when chosen in a dark red or caramel brown. 

A new-generation Remote Touch Interface touchpad was introduced for the Lexus LC.

The system still isn’t great and it does feel a bit like you’re trying to operate a 15-year-old PC, but the large high-resolution screen on the dash looks good, and the menus have been smartened up to make the whole thing a bit more usable.

Around £42,000 is the entry point for a used Lexus LC. That gets you a seven-year-old example with broadly 40,000 miles to its credit, and it will have a full service record, too.

For those with a bigger budget, the coupe can be had as a three-year-old with 12,000 miles for around £65,000.

Choose the Lexus LC Roadster and prices begin at £68,000 for a four-year-old car with 20,000 miles, which still seems fair value compared with some rivals.

If you’re worried about running costs for a high-end performance car like the Lexus LC, you could go for the hybrid version, which promises 42.8mpg combined economy.

However, our Real MPG data shows this works out at a true 32mpg, which is not much more than the non-hybrid V8’s 30mpg in the real world, compared to its officially claimed 24.4mpg.

That being the case, you might as well have the joy of the V8 for the sake of 2mpg.

Given the Lexus LC was launched in 2017, all cars require the same flat rate of road tax at £180, although the hybrid gets a £10 discount – hardly a deal breaker for buyers in this sector.

However, you will also have to pay the £390 surcharge for road tax on any car up to its sixth birthday that applies to all models that cost more than £40,000 when new.

Insurance for the Lexus LC sits in groups 48 to 50 (out of 50), so none is cheap to get covered. Again, though, this is on a par with all of its key rivals.

In terms of servicing, Lexus dealers will be more affordable than the likes of Porsche dealers, which is a plus for owners.

Both the Lexus LC 500 and  Lexus LC 500h come with 20-inch cast alloy wheels, a glass roof with sunshade, LED lights front and rear, rain-sensing wipers and power door mirrors with auto folding and reverse tilt functions.

There’s also Lexus’s Climate Concierge system with nano technology to maintain optimum air quality and temperature, semi-aniline leather-upholstered front seats that are electrically adjustable and have integrated heating and ventilation functions, and a Lexus Premium Navigation with a 12-speaker Pioneer audio system, DVD player and 10.25-inch display, plus an eight-inch colour TFT multi-information display.

The aluminium sports pedals look good, and there’s also an auto-dimming, frameless rear-view mirror, LED cabin lighting and draped Alcantara door trims.

The Lexus LC Sport Package adds sports front seats, Alcantara upholstery, a carbon fibre roof and 21-inch forged alloy wheels.

The Lexus LC Sport + Package comes with an active rear spoiler, carbon fibre scuff plates, Alcantara headlining and cabin trim, and Lexus Dynamic Handling with Rear Steering, Variable Gear Ratio Steering and Torsen limited-slip differential.

There were just three equipment options when the car was new: the 13-speaker Mark Levinson Reference Product audio system, a colour head-up display and metallic paint.