Skip advert
Advertisement

Lexus LC500 – engine, gearbox and technical highlights

Two powertrains are available, both with ten-speed transmissions (of sorts). One is significantly better than the other.

Evo rating
  • Superb chassis balance; engine; interior; design
  • Transmission the weak link; iffy infotainment; hybrid nothing like as good as the V8

The LC is available in two distinct forms, each with a very different character. The more demure, sensible option is the LC500h, which as its name implies, is a hybrid. This is no Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid-style powerhouse, rather a more laid-back combination of the Toyota group’s naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 engine and a small electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack. Instead of being able to run on pure electric as in a plug-in hybrid, the LC500h’s parallel system is more about engine assistance.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The transmission is equally unusual for the class, being a novel type of CVT gearbox. Rather than simply have a single belt-driven gearbox with infinite ratios, Lexus instead has a total of three CVT-like gears, each with three ‘steps’ within it to emulate the feeling of a short, sharp gearshift. There is then a top ‘fourth gear’ which brings the total to ten real and/or virtual gears. This gives an impression of shifting gears as the car accelerates that’s more akin to a normal automatic transmission.

The second engine and transmission combo is more familiar, pairing a naturally aspirated 5-litre V8 with a ten-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox. The engine is the same Yamaha-fettled unit found in the current Lexus RC-F, and it’s a wonderful, sonorous, charismatic unit that totally defines the LC. 

The hybrid LC, although not inherently bad, is a calmer GT cruiser. When paired to this V8 though, the LC’s character totally changes. The auto’s shifts are sharp, but left to its own devices the gearbox can dither about – a complaint common with many transmissions with so many ratios to choose between.

For the 2021 model year, all LC500 models picked up a subtle set of front suspension upgrades including new forged lower wishbones, lighter coil springs and hollow anti-roll bars. Together, the components remove 10kg of unsprung weight from the front axle. For its final 2024 model year update, Lexus applied extra body bracing, stiffer engine mounts, new springs, dampers and roll bars, as well as revised gearbox and brake-by-wire tuning. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI
Cheap sports cars
Best cars

Best used sports cars – proper performance cars for less than a new Golf GTI

With the sun shining and fuel prices palatable, now is the time to indulge your used sports car desires
1 Jul 2025
New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement
Ferrari Amalfi front
News

New 2026 Ferrari Amalfi revealed – physical buttons return in the 631bhp Roma replacement

The Ferrari Amalfi picks up where the Roma left off, as a more capable, debugged super GT that’s finally brought back buttons
1 Jul 2025
Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?
Lotus factory
Opinion

Can Lotus survive its latest crisis?

Lotus’s latest troubles are grabbing headlines, but the writing’s been on the wall for some time.
28 Jun 2025