LC500 - 3 Weeks In

malcolmw · February 27, 2018

I have had my LC500 V8 for 3 weeks now and I have done about 650 miles thus far and so it is run-in enough for me to have had a little play. My comments come from a background of having had SL500 and CL500 Mercs and an Aston Martin DB9.

The build quality is excellent (much better than the Aston) and it all feels tough enough to use as a daily driver and not just for nice days at the weekend like I did with the DB9. By the way, my door handles seem to retract just as they should.

I have been quite gentle during running-in. I always do this as I think that I am running-in myself as well as the car and, for example, you need to fiddle around with the seat position to get it right. I have been monitoring the fuel usage thus far and have got 25.1mpg on super-unleaded. My journey pattern is typically trips of 8 to 25 miles on mixed A/B roads but not much motorway. The on-board computer seems about 6% optimistic on mpg against brim-to-brim fill ups but I will keep this under scrutiny.

The power delivery is quite different to the Mercedes turbocharged engines with high revs being needed to get performance however, the crackle and general sound from the exhaust is ample reward. Where I have used a bit of throttle in sport mode, I have been quite surprised at the performance. It seems faster than the Aston (450bhp) perhaps due to the 10 speed box optimising the power usage at higher revs. I have seen the traction control light flash on now and then but nothing excessive.

The suspension comfort mode seems to work best at slower speeds (<30mph) on poor surfaces. In normal driving, I can hardly tell any difference.

In the cold weather, the automatic climate controls seem to work well and I have set the seats and steering wheel heating to their middle settings as this seems enough.

Drawbacks?

- The long doors on a wide car mean you need a lot of room and to plan ahead when parking.

- The brake pedal seems set a little high compared to the throttle so I have set my seat a bit further back than I normally would to avoid my right leg aching.

- The touchpad is probably the worst feature and and is much too sensitive. (I have played about with speed and feedback.)

- I have not yet been able to log it on to the My Lexus system (but I don’t think this is much of a loss).

Good Points?

- It is very easy to drive in traffic (unlike a lot of high performance cars).

- Everyone thinks it is fantastic looking. (So do I.)

- Overall a great car.

I will give further feedback in due course but if you want my views on anything, just ask.

EssexGonzo · February 27, 2018

Thanks for the report, what a fantastic car.

My wife's got a relatively new NX and I completely agree with you about the touchpad (terrible) and Lexus online (not missing much, seems too much like a faf).

An LC is on my "retirement car" list for four years' time. I don't suppose you'll be thinking of changing your car in 2022......?

bvhout · March 1, 2018

Hi,

I'm kind of warming up to the touchpad. In the mean time I've kept my mercedes cl 500 and I think that it is the more comfortbale car, less bumpy, and the controls are much more intuitive. As a result I quite often choose the mercedes above the lexus, especially when I expect a boring drive. The mercedes isn't better or worse, it's different. If I'd be forced to choose, the lexus would definitely stay. It can do everything the mercedes can - maybe less comfortably - but it shines in so many more ways.

Be careful with putting the lc 500 in the most sporty mode. It is very, very addictive. And I'm not into driving very fast at all.

Ben

bvhout · March 1, 2018

On 27-2-2018 at 5:37 PM, EssexGonzo said:

Thanks for the report, what a fantastic car.

My wife's got a relatively new NX and I completely agree with you about the touchpad (terrible) and Lexus online (not missing much, seems too much like a faf).

An LC is on my "retirement car" list for four years' time. I don't suppose you'll be thinking of changing your car in 2022......?

Don't wait until retirement. Sometimes, dreaming about a car is just as nice as owning one. Sometimes owning one is a disappointment. Not in the case of the LC500. Moreover, you'll be used to the touchpad in 2022.