Can the 2018 Lexus LC 500h Dance with the ‘Dragon’?
The 2018 Lexus LC 500h is down on power, but U.S. Route 129 ‘Tail of the Dragon’ is all about handling.
If you read my review of the 2018 Lexus LC 500h, you know that I’m upset that the car doesn’t have more power or more fuel economy. But what happens when you remove horsepower from the equation? With more than 300 corners in just 11 miles, U.S. highway 129 is a road that rewards balance and poise over grunt. The “Tail of the Dragon” is a road where an S2000 with a good pilot will outrun any supercar you can think of. So, I figured it was the best place to see what the latest Lexus coupe was really made of.
A quick introduction for those unfamiliar. U.S. 129 is a small road that runs between the border of Tennessee and North Carolina in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. It’s tight, technical, and dangerous. It also makes it the perfect location to test a car’s handling, and you’ll even see camouflaged manufacturer mules up there from time to time.
It was a damp Thursday morning, which would make testing a little tricky, but it also meant the road would be mostly empty. I loaded up some cameras and started the hour long journey to U.S. 129.
The LC 500h just devours miles without issue, and we are relaxed and ready when I arrive. The seats are highly bolstered, but require a bit of adjustment to get just right for a proper back road flogging.
I start with everything set to Sport+ settings, giving me the quickest engine and transmission response, heaviest steering, and stiffest suspension adjustments. Within a few turns, it quickly becomes obvious that the LC 500h’s battery pack is tucked behind the rear seats. Initial turn in is very weak and there is a strong tendency to push. Applying any real power until you are completely past the apex results in more understeer than I appreciate.
The brakes are immense, and you can lean heavily on them for repeated stops. If you are a fan of diving deep into the braking zone, the LC 500h will keep you very happy.
The tires on this particular tester have a few thousand miles on them, and the weather is far from perfect, but the lightness of the front end was unexpected. A few miles in however, and I start to get things dialed in. The brakes on the LC 500h are immense, and you can lean heavily on them for repeated stops. If you are a fan of diving deep into the braking zone, the LC 500h will keep you very happy.
The balance of the car is very even overall, and it should be easy to rotate, but the lack of horsepower and an absurdly intrusive traction control system are working to keep me on the straight and narrow.
After a few miles, I begin to figure out the best way to drive the LC 500h on a road like the Tail of the Dragon. I set a custom performance profile in the car’s computer and I set the engine to “normal” for softer throttle response, and kept the suspension on maximum attack. I also switched to exclusively manual control of the transmission. Keeping the revs under 4,500 and relying on the battery for some extra torque, it became easier to tame the nose of the LC 500h. The stiffer suspension helps keep the front end from going too light under power, and the softer throttle response let me dial in a more exact level of power.
Despite the extreme cornering, lean was decently controlled, and the Lexus became a solid dance partner. Even the car’s two-ton heft was well-masked.
Once everything begins to flow, the Lexus LC 500h becomes an immensely enjoyable thing to drive. It takes effort and patience to get it right, but when it all comes together, it feels wonderful. Despite the extreme cornering, lean was decently controlled, and the Lexus became a solid dance partner. Even the car’s two-ton heft was relatively well-masked thanks to the lack of straights. It’s hard to realize a car is under powered when you aren’t getting any real chances to slam the “go” pedal.
Overall the LC 500h is a far more capable Dragon carver than I ever would have realized. Many of the car’s relative weaknesses are negated by the tight and narrow roadway of U.S. 129, and being able to lean heavily on the car’s brakes coming back off the mountain was confidence-inspiring in a way few cars manage to achieve.
The 2018 Lexus LC 500h may not be as fast as its V8 sibling, but when you remove the power advantage, it still proves it can be a very capable performance coupe.
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