RE: Lexus LC500: Driven

[_Neal_]

Stig said:

daveco said:

My parents bought the newer Lexus IS saloon a year ago after being fed up with Merc reliability, and love it.

But it is absolutely pants to drive and everything feels cheap/tinny and very Toyota Avensis-ish.

The steering has no feel and the CVT box is the worst transmission I have ever encountered.

The engine is woeful as well, at the slightest hint of acceleration it feels completely overwhelmed.

I'm not sure what it is, but the car seems to lack any soul or personality.

Lovely looking thing and I'm sure it is perfect for the older buyer who doesn't care about any of these things

The IS bears about as much resemblance to the LC as a Ford Focus does to the GT.

Agreed, and is anyone who's criticising the Lexus actually reading the review that points out how good it is to drive?!

[big_rob_sydney]

Stig said:

I'll just leave this here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w0P3SCwtq4

Much appreciated Stig. That was a very interesting piece.

We wont know how it stacks up until it has a direct head-to-head, but in isolation it looks and sounds brilliant. Great vid.

[ST270]

My daily is an IS 300h Fsport - dunno about the comments regarding "Toyota parts bin" on here but the fit and finish is head and shoulders above the Merc i had prior. The drivetrain is not sporty due to the cvt but when hustled it is actually a good chassis and more planted at the rear due to the batteries. The engine noise when cruising is a bit whiny yes but the sound insulation and Mark Levinson hifi counter this.

In traffic it is a dream - silent and effortless and importantly it looks (to me) great and different to many other mainstream cars.

This new Lexus looks fantastic to me and even for those who don't like the looks you don't have to worry - you won't see many about - exclusivity is part of the appeal!

[Itsallicanafford]

ST270 said:

My daily is an IS 300h Fsport - dunno about the comments regarding "Toyota parts bin" on here but the fit and finish is head and shoulders above the Merc i had prior. The drivetrain is not sporty due to the cvt but when hustled it is actually a good chassis and more planted at the rear due to the batteries. The engine noise when cruising is a bit whiny yes but the sound insulation and Mark Levinson hifi counter this.

In traffic it is a dream - silent and effortless and importantly it looks (to me) great and different to many other mainstream cars.

This new Lexus looks fantastic to me and even for those who don't like the looks you don't have to worry - you won't see many about - exclusivity is part of the appeal!

+1, love my IS300h, its a great daily driver

[Speed_Demon]

I know looks areally subjective but I absolutely cannot see why you'd pick anything over this with regard to looks this makes the German offerings look utterly bland.

And while performance may be a little blunt due to the weight, that's somewhat a side effect of the superior build quality. Let's not forget where Lexis comes on reliability surveys compared to their German rivals.

Edited by Speed_Demon on Friday 9th December 13:40

[tekyd]

Love the interior, I don't think it's fussy or bewildering.

I'll be checking the 500h out for sure when it comes out

[tekyd]

Itsallicanafford said:

+1, love my IS300h, its a great daily driver

+1 more! The IS300h is a great car, the 500h will be super if they've been able to make the gearbox a bit more sporty and responsive, which is really the only critism I have of the 300h

[Stig]

Harry H said:

What a shame. There's so much potential in Lexus. Fantastic engineering, superb reliability, it's not german and generally great value. I'm sure they've delivered a great car.

But that front end is just cheap and nasty with no class. Trying to make a statement and failing completely. I'd seriously consider Lexus as I believe the brand has some great attributes but they really need to sort out the styling. Not just on this but the whole range.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and judging from what I've heard form the world's motoring press, it's you who appear to be running agains the tide of opinion in this respect.

But each to their own of course!

[dufunk]

http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-reviews/2017-lexus...

Seems the Aussie's are the only ones who have got the rights to video the review!

[jamespink]

Gandahar said:

daveydees said:

From the comments, it looks like this is a bit of a marmite car. You love it or hate it... I hate it. There's nothing visually there that works. The lines are too messy like a cheap Decepticon from a transformers movie. The wheels are rank, it's really heavy. The list goes on! Bleuuurgh!

I agree it's a marmite car, quite a few positive comments on here, more than I expected to be honest.

I'm pro and con on the outside. The rear looks too fat again, like the GT-R, but it is distinctive, Toyota no longer conservative, this is no Auris. I love the interior, I think it is an interior that would you be more than happy in on the first day stroking the textures and pushing the buttons and checking the damping of moving interior parts as you would be happy 2 years later.

It is heavy, that's Lexus build for you and a big V8. Maybe it has some Landcruiser in it?

Considering this is big and heavy it still puzzles me why Toyota have not released the FT-1 as a Lexus to to fill out the lighter side also

Edited by Gandahar on Friday 9th December 09:15

Given they have the cohesive design of the FT-1 here: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=toyota+ft+1&... Why on earth have they released the 500?

[carlpea]

dufunk said:

http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-reviews/2017-lexus...

Seems the Aussie's are the only ones who have got the rights to video the review!

At least they produced a high def video .

[hondansx]

Wow, i think this looks great - inside and out. They really need to make that FT-1 too!

[underphil]

bit lame that the peak power is at the same RPM as the rev limit !!

[big_rob_sydney]

Speed_Demon said:

I know looks areally subjective but I absolutely cannot see why you'd pick anything over this with regard to looks this makes the German offerings look utterly bland.

And while performance may be a little blunt due to the weight, that's somewhat a side effect of the superior build quality. Let's not forget where Lexis comes on reliability surveys compared to their German rivals.

Edited by Speed_Demon on Friday 9th December 13:40

Completely agree.

Lexus quality is amazing across the board. JD Powers tells it like it is, so for reliability and quality, they are known to be masters. Fashion is temporary, but quality is lasting.

[kambites]

underphil said:

bit lame that the peak power is at the same RPM as the rev limit !!

That, for me, is torque-curve nirvana.

[Loyly]

I absolutely love that, it looks absolutely stunning. Well done Lexus!

[carlpea]

Better video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2eWI6kda2Y

[dufunk]

Engine to be revved the way the Japanese like it, it also has serious tuning potential a few supercharged RCF's about. Exhaust system and headers have seen 50bhp gains.

[stuno1]

It's a cracking looking car IMO. Incredible styling inside and out but it won't appeal to everyone. I owned a IS-F and loved it for it's uniqueness and rarity. Someting all performance lexus cars have in common which is not what Lexua wants. There are too many people in the UK not willing to try the brand and give them a fair try. They have a huge amount of stigma to overcome to be successful in the performance PH market.

For those wanting more speed and power an 'F' varient is coming but will e 100k ish which makes it compete with some serious oter cars like the 991 GTS, AMG GTS, 12C (all be it they are used). Also, people want to wait for lexus cars to depreciate before buying them.

For those who do buy them they will have a reliable, high quality well desigend (ergonomically) and very well specced car. I really hope these cars do well....but i am a lexus fan.

[theholygrail]

Not been a fan of recent Lexus styling - LFA aside- but this is instantly my new favourite, non-hypercar, car. The yellow one in Evo looks fab, even though I hate yellow cars!