Introducing the Lexus LC 500h Hybrid Coupe

[Born2Drive]

For a true sportscar: structural rigidity and weight issue, I suppose...

It is beyond me why people want a big moon-roof in the performance vehicle.

 

[mikeavelli]

Sorry guys this is a GT, not a sports car. And for the record the SL offers it, even the 911 offers it. So why can't Lexus? Many of us have asked for panoramic roof options on more vehicles. Oddly enough the ES has it, the RX finally will offer it in mass but not flagship models?

Not being picky but I've driven many vehicles with it, it is nearly a must have.

 

[meth.ix]

It is beyond me why people want a big moon-roof in the performance vehicle.

Technically, this is a Full-Size Luxury Coupe Grand Tourer, rather than a performance vehicle. I know that it has good performance specs, but the main priority/purpose is Luxury.

Sorry guys this is a GT, not a sports car. And for the record the SL offers it, even the 911 offers it. So why can't Lexus? Many of us have asked for panoramic roof options on more vehicles. Oddly enough the ES has it, the RX finally will offer it in mass but not flagship models?

Not being picky but I've driven many vehicles with it, it is nearly a must have.

I agree. Possibly, there may be an option for a panoramic roof. But they should've shown it in the gallery, as they want people to see it's best variation. But, it still might have the option.

 

[Adrian de Leon]

Anybody else curious to how or what the new Lexus interface/UI looks like? If there is any difference at all

 

[spwolf]

0 to 60 in 4.9 is not the same as 0-60 in 4.3. So Perfomance is not the same.

Also the electric engine seems to stay engaged to 87mph or so and then it's off.. So no way a 3.5 V-6 will keep up as speeds rise with a 5.0 V-8.

And mind you I owned a GS 450h and RX 400h.

To me it should be 400 or 450h but I would still buy it as a 500h

oh, but you misread it

It is Geneva PR, so it is 0-62, and they say "significantly under 5s"... So lets assume 0-62 is 4.8s... GS450h European 0-62 mph is 5.9s. GS450h US 0-60mph is 5.6, so assuming same 0.3s difference, we get 0-60 in 4.5s.

As to the electric motors, thats not how it works. Maybe in some other cars, but with Toyota and Lexus, they work at any speed. What they talk about at up to 87mph is electric-only power. That means you can cruise in EV mode at 87mph (no gas spent). New battery and new motors also mean that new LC500h has 50% more instant electric power available compared to current GS450h... So that kick when you pressed pedal in GS450h will be 50% stronger in electric hp (60hp vs 40hp) as well as stronger due to better gearing (under 30, over 70)

At 100 mph you still get electric motors to assist you, they just wont power the car on its own... and engine will still shut off if you are braking at that speed. Significance of 87mph EV only is that at that speed (which is basically what 95% of Europe and 100% of NA drives at max), it will go between EV and engine to get best mpg (pulse & glide), basically making it possible to double the mpg on hway. Current GS450h can do this up to 62mph which is too low to be useful at any kind of highway. G3 Prius can do it up to 42mph. G4 Prius can do it at 70mph. Since more energy is recovered, more is available for pulse and glide as well.

Beauty of gear reduction of LC500h is that it brings enormous benefits to mpg and performance both.
So compared to your GS450h (i know you had great looking one), difference is that reduction gears provide more engine speed at startup (more torque available) and at high end where previous hybrids had very low limits due to limited gearing. Now Lexus Europe said that maximum speed of LC500h will be much higher than of their previous powertrains (which are currently limited between 160 and 200kmh, low for Germany). So where before, GS450h felt great between 30 and 70 mph, this thing is accelerate great at all speeds and have a normal top speed.

And then we get to overdrive 4th gear, that makes it possible to cruise at high speeds at very low rpm as well, which again was a problem with hybrids that did well up to 60 mph but above that they would spend way too much fuel. So higher end gear and plus EV-only at 87mph means highway fuel usage will be much lower than before.

Prius G4 for instance has been tested to better Jetta TDI at steady 70 mph due to similar improvements (longer gearing, EV was not activated), where previous G3 could not touch it (5 MPG difference). LC500h will do really great up until 87mph and still good after that.

So ability to feel the gear changes is just the 3rd one on the list for me... with performance and mpg being vast improvements from before.

 

[spwolf]

The latest post of new pictures gives an answer to your question: apparently it looks like a panoramic one on the outside, but is in reality a classic sunroof on the inside. If you take a good look at the picture below, you'll see:

it is all glass top... what you are seeing is retracted sunroof cover that is basically what restricts the length of the viewable sunroof. If you look closer, you can see that "end" part of "sunroof" is irregular like a sunroof cover (slightly tappered on edges to fit windshield). This car has very small roofline like a coupe as you can see in your pic, it ends only few inches after the B pillar (door), so there is no anymore space to place the cover. Once again, if we look closely, that cover is exactly at half of the size of the roof... So it has nothing to do with structural rigidity since it is all glass anyway. Just a very small roof. It looks to me that headrests on back seats are nowhere close to being covered by the roof, at least in that pic.

 

[spwolf]

we can see in this pic that the back window goes over the half of the back seat.

 

[mikeavelli]

^^^ Nice observation....I guess I'll shut my mouth about the sunroof until I can sit inside

 

[mikeavelli]

It is beyond me why people want a big moon-roof in the performance vehicle.

Funny timing but an industry bud wrote this today.......

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-definition/

 

[Born2Drive]

Funny timing but an industry bud wrote this today.......

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-definition/

Good Read! Thanx, Mike

I agree with him on most part of it (not all), especially the list of none sportscar.
But, I don't think that sportscar has to be a convertible.

And, that is why I wrote in the neighbor post, as long as Ferrari is still there, those sportscar wannabes look really stupid. Glad to hear Lexus not wasting resource on LFA2

 

[spwolf]

^^^ Nice observation....I guess I'll shut my mouth about the sunroof until I can sit inside

looking at interior, there seems to be a beam going from B pillar to other side as well, so thats for structural rigidity for sure. Thats where the open part ends. And at least half of the back seat is actually under back window and not roof .


Another thing that I noticed in interior shots, this is very wide "moonroof". I guess since it is all glass, they can make it as wide as possible, and it is. Unlike real moonroofs that are positioned in the middle of the roof, this goes all the way to the doors. So it is going to look pretty good from the inside.

 

[spwolf]

we can compare it with 2016 RX panoramic roof... and we can see how in RX, there are few inches extra between doors and where panoramic roof starts (use A pillar as reference, in LC A piller is lined up with pano roof, while in RX it isnt).

Also it has same B pillar beam. Difference is that in LC, roof is much shorter so there is no space to have a second part, few inches after the doors end, back window starts .

 

[mikeavelli]

oh, but you misread it

It is Geneva PR, so it is 0-62, and they say "significantly under 5s"... So lets assume 0-62 is 4.8s... GS450h European 0-62 mph is 5.9s. GS450h US 0-60mph is 5.6, so assuming same 0.3s difference, we get 0-60 in 4.5s.
.

Sorry, didn't misread, we simply are interpreting their "estimate" differently. The LC 500 launched here is 0-60 in low 4s. Obviously the LC 500h will be potentially slightly slower but have MPG in spades over the 500. Could this be a 35 MPG Luxury GT?

I hope no one interprets my posts as not liking the 500h, it seems to be marvelous and appeals to me a bit more than the 500 (for gas engines, I lean to full blown AMG/F/M etc cars). Talk about decisions some people have to make!

 

[spwolf]

Sorry, didn't misread, we simply are interpreting their "estimate" differently. The LC 500 launched here is 0-60 in low 4s. Obviously the LC 500h will be potentially slightly slower but have MPG in spades over the 500. Could this be a 35 MPG Luxury GT?

I hope no one interprets my posts as not liking the 500h, it seems to be marvelous and appeals to me a bit more than the 500 (for gas engines, I lean to full blown AMG/F/M etc cars). Talk about decisions some people have to make!

LC500 is 4.4s and LC500h is likely 4.6s at worst. If that holds true, I expect 500h to be faster in-gear due to that extra 60hp from motors.

If all of the above proves correct, LC500h is true pick of the range! Also, Chief Engineer said the same - that he prefers 500h if he has to pick between the two.

 

[DOC4Lex]

this is true proper Luxury from Lexus they have up their game big time with the LC

 

[James]

this is true proper Luxury from Lexus they have up their game big time with the LC

LC LCH maybe an LCF here by 2018...?!?!

 

[spwolf]

PSD/transmission is quite cool

 

[krew]

krew

New images of the hybrid coupe with an Atomic Silver and red leather color combination.

View the original article post

 

[ydooby]

^Hate those press pictures. Why can't they photograph the car in natural lighting, where the car would look 100x better?

The black/red interior looks great, even if used everywhere else already though!

 

[meth.ix]

I love the red seats. In other cars this interior color was only available in F Sport or F models.