2019 LC500: How to Improve on Near Perfection?
Did the LC500 change the game with its subtle 2019 refresh?
The Lexus LC500 might be the pinnacle of what Lexus is capable doing in the automotive industry from a design and performance standpoint. The car is so deeply elegant and profusely provocative at the same time. Every single line of on the body of the LC500 is shaped and crafted with a single purpose in mind: sex appeal. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see or sit inside of one of these marvelous vehicles, you’ll be really sorry that you’ve missed out for this long. There is something truly special about the car and I, personally, think its one of the best looking cars ever designed. It caries a certain weight when you see it and simply, it cant be holistically described with words.
For the 2019 year, the LC500 saw some slight updates. The question in our minds is how do you make something this good better than it already was? Maybe Lexus took the car in the wrong direction this year? Thanks to savagegeese‘s car review YouTube channel we are able to get an answer to some of these questions. Let’s dive a little bit deeper into the details.
Jack from savagegeese resonates people’s biggest complaint in regard to the LC: the infotainment system. It is far from modern compared to its competitors, sluggish, and doesn’t have the responsiveness you wish it would. However, with the the integration of Apple CarPlay, some of this burden has been alleviated.
Another substantial change that has been made for the model year is the suspension tuning, which has been substantially softened via the damping and compression adjustment, as well as a different set of bushings. This allows the car to ride more plush than the 2018 model. Also, the steering rack bushings have been updated to give more direct steering feel, while the transmission’s shifting logic has been updated to solve the middle ground shifting that customers had complained about. Essentially, when the car is being driven dynamically, but nowhere near the limit, the transmission will now have a good middle ground shifting speed instead of being only slow or ultra fast.
Did Lexus manage to somehow make this LC500 into a perfect sports car and perfect GT cruiser at the same time with this refresh? Sadly, no. The car still has its limits and it needs to be understood that it is at heart, a GT touring car that has sporty features and not the other way around. To make it clear, the LC500 is about luxury first and performance second.
Those expecting an amazingly responsive chassis feedback and raw steering simply aren’t looking in the right market. However, if you’re interested in a glorious V8 that shifts as fast a DCT when pinged and feels smooth and sweet every mile, you might have found your new car. Luxury has never looked this good in this segment and we mean it. Do yourself a favor go find one of these cars to test drive, you’ll thank us later.
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