Lexus LC 500 Luxury Coupe Goes Full Predator With 467HP V8, 10-Speed Automatic Transmission
The spindle grille simply dominates the front-end of the and, and is perhaps the best implementation of the feature on a production Lexus to date (at least to my eyes). Flanking the grille are Lexus’ “Nike swoosh” running lights and funky LED headlight clusters. The profile of the LC 500 recalls a bit of the LFA supercar, while the stately rear-end is adorned with taillights that pay homage to the headlight clusters upfront.
Overall, the exterior design might be a bit on the busy side, but it seems to “work” for the most part. As for the interior, Lexus has gone leather happy, putting the caramel-colored cowhide on major touch points throughout the cabin. The overall color and design brings back memories of the Enterprise-D’s bridge, but maybe I’m just a bit crazy in the head.
The LC 500 is built on an “all-new, premium rear-wheel-drive luxury platform” that will underpin Lexus’ future high-end luxury sedans and crossovers. Much of the engine’s mass has been pushed rearward of the front axle, allowing weight distribution to hover at a “nearly ideal” 52/48. Powering the LC 500 is the same 5.0-liter V8 engine found under the hood of the RC F and GS F. In the LC 500, it generates 467hp and 389 ft-lb of torque.
When Lexus introduced the world’s first 8-speed automatic transmission with the LS 460, the competition thumbed their noses before introducing their own renditions. Now, we have vehicles with 9-speed automatic transmissions (from FCA) and the LC 500 brings with it a 10-speed automatic transmission. Remarkably, the new 10-speed automatic transmission is both smaller and lighter than the outgoing 8-seed unit. Lexus is targeting 0-60 times of 4.5 seconds with this powertrain combo.
Lexus has not set a launch date for the LC 500 and we still don’t know which side of $100,000 the vehicle will land once it arrives in the United States.
