missedapex

After owning my LC for ~9 months here are my impressions and observations so far. I will try keep it brief and simple so that others can jump in with their opinions.

Overall driving experience – I feel that this is one of the strongest assets of this car. The ability to place the car where you need it is excellent, up to a point. Get closer to 9/10ths of its limits and physics takes over due to the weight of the car. The seats are some of the best seats I have ever sat in and the overall experience is very solid. The exhaust notes are intoxicating even if it may suffer a bit from the old adage of its bark being greater than its bite.

Selectable driving modes – Could be better and is somewhat limited in its diversity. Most of the settings are just binary with either normal or sport as a setting. The most perceivable changes are for the drivetrain (engine and trans) with a slight steering change in sport+. The suspension adjustments are not that noticeable unless on very rough roads or pushing the car past its adhesion limits.

Pure performance/speed – Many of you that own an LC know and have openly stated on this forum that the car is so much more than just its numbers. While I agree with commentary, there is no hiding that the LC is just slow when compared to other cars in real world pulls. Don’t get me wrong it is still amazing to drive but anyone that says its fast is either trying to justify their purchase or does not have prior experience with other performance/modified cars.

Quality – The look and feel of most of the interior parts projects a level a quality that I would expect from a car in this class. Unfortunately, there are build/quality issues that I would not expect. However, these could just be due to an early build for a first-year car. Only time will tell. These range from internal rattling to brake squeaks to fuel pump recall to a lag in the navigation screens, and other small issues.

Looks – Don’t get me started on this one. I tend to be someone that enjoys being a wall flower and not front and center on the stage. I prefer to be home with the family rather than being out with friends. This car has definitely brought more attention to us than we feel comfortable with. For example, we have had other drivers stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of the car. Countless number of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and even employees that were on the clock stop what they are doing to take pictures of the car. We had three occasions where folks that were driving trying to take a video of the car and precede to drive around the car to get all sides of it in their video, one almost hit us. We even had a group of folks, 5 people, standing around the car looking at it when we got back from a dinner out.

With all of that said, would I buy the LC again if I needed to replace my current one or would I look for something different? As things stand today, I would be inclined to replace my LC with another LC without any hesitation. Does that mean the LC is the best car out there, No. Does that mean that the LC is the right car for you, maybe. Does that mean that the LC is a fun and engaging car to drive that puts a smile on my face, for me that answer is YES.

Superman60

Congratulations on your new car, thanks for the write up.

stormrider

Thanks for the great review Missedapex. I am in the market for a new toy and having a hard time picking one, one min I want the LC500, and seconds later the C7 Z06 is looking good for the same money. I am also
looking to get a used R8 again for about the same money, so your write up helps a lot. So you mean if you have to do it over again, you will still buy the LC500 knowing what you know now. Thanks again.

missedapex

Yes, I would still buy the LC. The Z06 is nice and pulls much harder than the LC but I found myself not feeling as comfortable and relaxed after long drives (I was a passenger) with the Z06. I have not been in a R8 so I cant provide any feedback there. From my perspective I see the Z06 and the R8 in a different class of cars from the LC. They are more pure sports cars while the LC is more of a GT with a slight bias towards a softer luxury profile.

PK Auto Design

Great Review. Its always nice to see an owner be honest about his experience positive and negative, and still say they would do it all over again. It is wild that it attracts so much attention though!

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

Awesome review. Where in CA are you located? South or North?

-Josh

missedapex

Northern, SF Bay Area

Thorne

Great Review!

I agree: The bark (and look) are stronger than its bite. The car simply feels sluggish compared to what I would expect for a marketed 4-something 0-60 time. I would be curious to hear if anyone has ever reproduced the advertised numbers.

It's a beautiful car, however, and luckily I don't do many stoplight races or track days. (Zero of each, zero planned for the future.)

On a side note, I am not sure if I would personally consider this a competitor to an R8 or a Z06. Those are in a completely different league in terms of off the line performance. But that is only my opinion.

Zeitaku

I have owned my 2018 LC500 for 4 months now and have placed over 6,000 miles on mine. Have driven it hard in both sport modes, have floored it off the line in both auto and manual (paddles) and have taken large open sweepers as well as tight hair pins on a razors edge at very high rates of speed. I have also taken it out of state on an extensive road trip with some spirited driving along the way but primarily engaged in Economy Mode most of the trip.

Agree completely on this one.



Agreed!

I disagree with this one. Both my GT-R R35's were much faster off the line and from a highway pull. However, make no mistake you cannot compare a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 that only puts down 398whp @7,100rpm to any of the exotics or JDM or domestic forced inducted cars making 100+whp and 100-150 ft lb of torque much lower in the rpm band. In that case, let's see what Boost Logic comes up with as they are in R&D on the supercharger kit for the LC500 as of now. I promise once the kit is developed and tested for sale and the numbers come back as suspected it will change the game for the LC500. Speculated numbers are at 600+whp at around 6-7psi that is close to 700 crank HP which will definitely pull harder than even a full bolt-on E85 tuned R35 GT-R. That's good for a 10 second 1/4 mile with the right tires and launch and a low 3 second 0-60. Then the LC500 is in the Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren territory for real. Even better it's more rare.

The quality is Toyota's finest designers who thought outside the box of the LC500. I have not experienced any rattling in mine are you sure you don't have any loose change or items in the door's pockets, cup holders or center console? Ha! Brake squeal? Well if you have been around high performance or modified cars with any power as claimed then you should already know that performance brake pads will have dust build up very fast that create the noise. The few LC500 owners that I have read complaining about the squeal simply do not understand how to brake properly with these type of pads nor were they informed on brake in period with high performance calipers, pads and rotors. As far as the recent recall it was very minor and honestly frivolous. Toyota Motor Corporation recalled the fuel pumps as a precautionary measure and not due to any faulty equipment reported from any LC500 as far as I know.

What did you expect? Toyota/Lexus have not had anything remotely stand-out or stylish since the LFA and the MKIV TT Supra. So it's no surprise that the LC500 an actual concept car that went into production would attract the Instagram paparazzi anywhere the vehicle is seen. That's the price we pay for owning and driving exclusive, rare and unique cars.

For me the LC500 is the needle in the hay stack. EVERYONE has a Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, BMW, Benz, GT-R, Corvette etc. etc.. The exclusivity to have something right now that you don't see 5 other ones pass you on the road is quite nice. It makes the car that much more special in my opinion. The aesthetics are ahead of it's time as was the MKIV Supra which to this day still looks amazing and current. For the first time I bought a car that I think I will actually be keeping. No other car has the all around package like the LC500 does. It's not the best I agree but no car ever is right? We will always find something to gripe about whether it's lack of performance while comparing it to another car, lack of fuel economy, uncomfortable ride or seats, aesthetics, design etc. etc.. I feel Lexus hit a home run with this car and the only thing I would change is simply adding about 100hp and I would be absolutely content 100%. I would definitely buy another one.

stormrider

Thank you so much for the insight. I was going to ask you about your experience with other performance "fun" car. To me buying a toy is not limited to a sports car or gt car, I just want a fun car. To me, they are all fun car but built quality and reliability is most important.

missedapex

My experience with other fun cars range from owning, driving or having been a passenger (more than just a few times) in the following cars; supercharged Cobra Mustang, highly modified Z28s, numerous Vettes/Z06, Porsche 718 GTS, Tesla D100P (I know ☹), Audi RS4, BMW M3 Light weight M3/M5/M6, Mazda RX7 R1 Twin Turbo, a few Supras MK3 Turbo and MK4 TT, Maserati Gran Turismo, and a MR2 Turbo. I have not had the privilege to drive or spend a good amount of time in any supper cars such as Ferraris, Lambos, or McLarens.

BobBass

Zeitaku:

I have seen the "bedding in the brakes" posts but do not recall seeing anything that addresses your statement. Would you care to expound on this? This brake squeal issue is one of the things that makes me a little apprehensive about acquiring an LC 500.

Zeitaku

Some people who buy new high performance cars assume they can take it off a lot and begin hot rodding it by doing launches, hard braking and burnouts etc. without bedding the rotors first. Anytime you install new brake rotors, brake pads, or both, it's advantageous to bed in your new rotors. Bedding in your brakes helps transfer an even layer of brake pad material onto the brake rotors which assists in smoother brake operation and improved braking power. Having a uniform layer of pad material on the brake rotor is essential to minimizing brake squeal and vibration. Perform 3-4 medium stops from 45mph. Slightly more aggressive than normal braking. You don't need to come to a complete stop for each pass. This brings the brake rotors up to temperature so they are not exposed to sudden thermal shock. Make 8-10 aggressive stops from 60mph down to 15mph. For this set of semi-stops, you want to be firm and aggressive, but not to the point where ABS activates and the wheels lock up. Don't come to a complete stop but rather a semi-stop (~15mph). Accelerate back up to 60mph as soon as you slowed down to your semi-stop.

The brake pads andbrake rotor are extremely hot at this point and sitting on one point will imprint the pad material onto the surface unevenly. This can cause vibration and uneven braking. You may notice that your brakes will start fading, and sometimes smoke, after the 6th or 7th pass. This fade will stabilize and will gradually recess once your brakes have cooled down to normal operating temperatures. Drive carefully as your brakes may feel softer for the next few minutes. Try not to come to a complete stop and find a stretch of road where you can coast for 5-10 minutes, preferably without using your brakes. After the break-in procedure, there may be a light blue tint on your brake rotors as well as a gray film deposit. The blue tint shows that your rotor has reached the appropriate temperature during the bedding process, and the gray film is some of the pad transfer material.

Hope this helps.

CowtownTX

Problem with the vette is that there is one on every corner.

stormrider

I don't see too many C7 Z06 running around in Houston area, only once in a while but I do see more of the C6 and C5.