These days the Lexus brand are renowned for their premium class vehicles and one of the flagship models is our featured car; the hugely desirable and very quick Lexus LC Coupé. This superb offering isn’t exactly brand new on the scene; it has been around for a few years now but, like a fine wine, has improved along the way. A prestige sports car, the LC has been quietly gathering plaudits for its dramatic looks and high-class interior. Not only is this car available as a coupé (as seen in our images) and as a convertible, it has also just been updated to keep it fresh.
On The Outside
The looks rather speak for themselves, don’t they? The LC has luxury coupé proportions with an exterior design that projects an avant-garde elegance, remaining faithful to the Japanese company’s design aesthetic. The car sporting profile is characterised by its sweeping roofline, which tapers rearwards from above the centrally positioned cabin to create a distinctive silhouette.
Chrome-plated mouldings along the side of the glass roof amplify the elegant shape, their rear edges shaped to echo the lines of a traditional Japanese sword, apparently. The blacked-out finish to the roof and rear pillars creates a floating effect that visually separates the roof from the rear spoiler. The appearance can be enhanced by an optional carbon composite roof and an active rear spoiler –features of the Lexus ‘Sport+’ Pack.
With a notably low bonnet line, the prominent front and rear wings flare away from the centre of the car, housing wide, large-diameter wheels, while the door panels are pulled inwards, creating a powerful three-dimensional form that mirrors the spindle shape of the Lexus grille. The LC Coupé has 20 inch cast aluminium or 21 inch forged aluminium alloy wheels. The spindle grille is finished in chrome and has a mesh design with a visual tension that changes as it spreads across the front of the car. The unique LC lighting signature is created by independent daytime running lights in an arrowhead configuration and ultra-compact triple LED headlamp units.
At the rear, the Coupe’s roof tapers down between the muscular wheel arches, reinforcing the car’s wide and stable stance. The Lexus spindle shape is visible here in a three-dimensional form that is generated by lines flowing from the front of the car and along the sides, before cutting back around the inner edge of the rear combination lamps. The line of the spindle then moves outwards, following the shape of the licence plate mounting and outer edges of the tailpipes. In other words it is a terrific piece of timeless automotive design.
On The Inside
The LC’s 2+2 cabin combines elegance, superb comfort, sophistication and intricate attention to detail with a driver-focused cockpit. The area around the front passenger spreads outwards to create a comfortable and roomy space. The line of the door trim is an extension of an exterior line that flows from the bonnet and through the windscreen, building a sense of continuity between the outside and inside of the car.
The driver’s cockpit is designed to instil confidence with intuitive layout of the controls and an excellent, variable seating position. The driver’s hip point has been located as close as possible to the car’s centre of gravity, generating direct feedback of the vehicle’s dynamic behaviour. The driver also has a clear view of the road, uncompromised by the seating position thanks to the low bonnet line, the low-profile instrument panel and the location and narrow width of the front pillars.
Getting in and out of the LC is easy and comfortable thanks to generous legroom and enlargement of the door aperture to provide comfortable head space. Particular attention has been paid to the steering wheel design, with a change in the cross-section around its circumference to allow for variations in grip and twisting of the wrist. The magnesium alloy paddle shifts have been profiled for easier hooking with the fingertips and have a positive and satisfying click action.
The information displays are arranged in order of importance, with the most critical positioned closest to the driver’s sight-line, within the dashboard’s upper display zone. All are positioned at the same height, to reduce the degree of eye movement required for the driver to read them. The instrument binnacle features the latest development of the TFT technology, first introduced in the Lexus LFA supercar, including a moving central ring. Driving-related switches and controls are arrayed in a control zone that is concentrated immediately around the steering wheel. These include the paddle shifts, steering wheel combination switches, Drive Mode Select switch, starter button and shift lever, each located for the best ergonomic performance, focusing on easy reach and operation that allow the driver to concentrate on the road ahead with least distraction.
Providing the driver with a seat with the best possible combination of support and comfort was clearly a focus point in the development of the cabin. The aim was to deliver an advanced design with excellent holding performance and superb comfort. Lexus has achieved this with a new two-part construction technique in which the main part of the seat-back drapes over the shoulder area of the seat and wraps around the back. To ensure superior lateral support, additional bolstering is provided for the driver’s shoulder blade area. On the Coupé’s optional sports seats, the bolsters are even more substantial, with a focus on keeping the driver’s back in place during high-speed cornering.
On The Road
The Lexus LC Coupé is a two-door, four-seat GT car with its engine in the front sending power to the rear wheels; the classic configuration. It is best described as a sports car that is also a long-distance cruiser, and one of the best vehicles of this type that money can buy. The LC is powered by either 3.5 litre V6 self-charging full hybrid power-train, the first model to benefit from Lexus’s Multi Stage Hybrid System, or alternatively step up to the LC 500 version to find a 5.0-litre V8 engine, matched to a ‘Direct Shift’ 10-speed automatic transmission.
If aural experiences are your thing then the sound generated by the LC 500’s V8 unit is all part of the driving experience. For the technically minded, Lexus has changed the location of the valve that determines the route of the exhaust gases in the main silencer to achieve the ideal note. This makes its presence felt at start-up and at high engine revs (from around 4,000rpm). Despite this, while cruising, performance is quiet.
Lexus are a trusted brand producing a fine array of vehicles to suit most drivers’ needs. If a Lexus sounds like a great idea for your next car, please get in touch with us here at MHH International to enquire about the availability of current models. Our comprehensive export service from the UK to Kenya, New Zealand, Ireland and elsewhere globally could put you in the driving seat of one of the best premium cars on the road.