dseag2

Looks like an exotic. Great job, Lexus!

SW17LS

$100k barely gets you a 911nowadays though... I also have always loved the 911. Very different car than the LC.

patgilm

I was at the Lexus dealer yesterday and they had a silver one and it looked really good but the wheels IMO were terrible and I actually like most of the factory wheels they have these days. The chrome or polished look as well as the style just don't look good to me.

For $100k it is a nice car but I really wish they started this car out with the new V6TT engine so it was completely new. I think that would get me over the hump. Between this and a new 911 I'm not sure what I would buy, I have never driven either. If it had the V6TT I would definitely get the LC since it looks great and so different.

Gojirra99

Yep I wish they offer better looking rims .......

Johnhav430

I like the details, they matter. There was a pic of the battery, which wasn't crystal clear, but it looked cheap, the clamping on the negative post. I get the attitude, it works, but in a 100k car, it should be outstanding quality.

My 2006 LS430 has great quality overall, but there are hints of cheapness. Power window switches that could be out of a Corolla, mirror switches that could be out of a Camry, steering wheel switches that could be out of an Avalon. Then there are nice touches, like those felt thingys that prevent anything from falling into the crevices between the front seats and console, and the same which drops down to block sunlight above the rearview mirror--those are things Germans would think up. My hopes for Lexus is that they do go over the top and one day sell their cars toe to toe with the Germans. But it goes back to heritage, remember, this car co only came about in 1990, not 1916, or 1926.

SW17LS

You will always have some level of that in any mass produced car. I could show you "cheap" things in anything.

Johnhav430

Most definitely, since I did the ABS job on my E92, I was curious what it looked like on the F30, and the F30 was quite cheap looking as far as how all the covering fit in place etc. (on the E92 the brakes/clutch/ABS is on the driver side, the ECU is on the pass side, all is hidden) This probably is also on the F80/F82, so BMW has cheapened their production. Although the 3 is no longer entry level, one could say it really is. On a $100k car, one would hope that the 3 borrows from it, rather than the other way around. My theory, is that there's a reason, why a E92 335 series tips the scales at over 3,500 lbs., when engineers went as far as installing composite fenders to save weight, and a Lexus LS tipped the scales at 3,990 lbs. The latter is significantly larger in dimension. My point is that a focus group can hopefully look over any Lexus and be floored at how high the quality is and how it is lacking any hint of cheapness. I'm sure out there in the world is an engineer who says I wanted to use a better negative post clamp but the bean counters nixed it, saying the $0.99 one works just as well as the one that cost $4, and they threw the % delta as well as marginal benefit at me...

SW17LS

I'm a stickler for quality, but I think you're reaching here. I've spent some time with the LC, haven't driven it but sitting in it and looking at it under the hood, etc. It's the highest quality Lexus I've ever seen.

mmarshall

It will get that Range Rover you like.

Generally true. I have yet to see a perfect car, inside or out, even in the Rolls/Bentley/Maybach class.

Johnhav430

Maybe it's possible, but when the 991 launched, I saw a Carrera S that Porsche brought, and it stickered for $140k, while a 997 I was looking at was a Turbo S and was $163k. My hunch is that a $100k 911 is a stripper, and definitely not an S. I thought there was always a golden rule, never buy a Porsche without the S. This kinda makes me wonder, what happened to my invites to the 718 launch?? All kidding aside my wife says she gets emails from Porsche all the time, and thought I was getting them too....thanks Porsche.

edit: misquoted.....

ragingf80

I don't know anything about my ABS system in my F80, but I can tell you that the brakes on the F80 are nothing like the ones on the F30 even with the M Sport brakes and Track Handling Package. It's like night and day how much better the stopping power is on the F80.

Johnhav430

Actually referring to the trim under the hood, not the hardware....I googled a pic of the F80 motor under the hood....if you envision an inverted U from the firewall, it's all the plastic outside of the U. It seems like BMW cut costs on all of that material, imho....not 100% on the F80/82, looks like it from the pics, but on the F30, 100% certain....(it's kind of like when they removed the sound deadening material on a E92 hood, say a '10 vs. a '08, these are trifling amounts, but they did it to save $$$, or an ash tray door....) Just trying to say it would be nice if the trend reversed and suddenly we felt the latest is much higher quality, that's all....not everyone cares, I understand....

1111GS

Thank you for the great detailed review Hoovey.

I was at the dealership for service and saw someone driving a white one to the back. I got excited. Didn't know it was already out. After I checked my car in, the car was already long gone. Walking into the waiting room and surprisingly, there was another white one sitting in the showroom. Call me crazy but I think these cars look better in pictures. I walked around the car and I don't know. Not that I will buy it but "the want" wasn't there. I'm sure it's a super nice coupe but I don't have the feel for it

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, that's one thing i absolutely dislike on this car. it's one thing about having different style rims, but these wheels just don't look too appealing at all. just like the sc430, that car never had any decent looking wheels.

thanks for the review hoovey, good stuff! now the car is finally out and publicly available, i hope none of the (omitted, how can i forget who could be reading) are jealous anymore about me driving and reviewing the car a year earlier. this is such a great car to drive, it sounds awesome, the car drives very tight with great dynamics, and for a touring / gt i think it's wonderful. don't expect this to drives like a real sports car because it's not, you have to set the expectations right. styling is bold, there are goods and bads, though i personally think the interior can use more improvements.

in today's new car market, i think you get a lot of car for 100k. i don't think there are a lot of other 100k NEW car that delivers what the lc500 can. but on the flip side, i know it might not be fair, but for 100k, there are quite a few other attractive used car that i would consider as well, making the lc500 possibly not at the top of my list.

keep in mind i am just talking about the lc500. the lc500h, on the other hand, i simply would not consider that car. it's a huge disappointment

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

My friend has a SC400, it can get somewhat lose, but you're right many muscle cars are the real squirrely cars

Thanks Jill. Tranformational is a great way to put it. Definitely the next stepping stone in crafting the next generation of Lexus.

I think the picture you're quoting is just a bad angle when referring to the overhang. I'll admit its not the shortest, but compared to other Lexus's its not bad at all.

Side shot



Fair enough, and there are plenty of cool desirable cars for this price. To play devils advocate, if you get the opportunity to sit in, and be able to drive one at least around the block to really get a sense of what this coupe represents (because styling won't always do it for people, the whole don't judge a book by its cover), I think you'd like it. But yeah a static look can't always wow a person.

Agree with a lot of your points H.