Super Bowl LI is less than two weeks away. We all know what time it is then, right? A number of automakers are already gearing up for the Big Game with their Super Bowl commercials, and as the days wind down to February 5, 2017, we’re going to see more brands roll out their ads in one of the year’s biggest night in advertising. For now, Lexus seems to be the first to the party after unveiling its 60-second extended spot for the Super Bowl, titled “Man & Machine.”

The star of the ad is the new Lexus LC, the same performance coupe that Lexus hopes will pose a strong challenge to established rivals like the Porsche 911. That goal won’t be realized overnight, but at the very least, Lexus wants the LC to make a strong impression to the American buying public, which is why the automaker pulled out all the stops to make this ad as meaningful and as memorable as possible.

The treatment of the ad itself is indicative of Lexus’ mood for the LC. There are no cute storyboards or witty lines. There are no gimmicks or cheap pops either. There's only the coupe taking center stage with noted street dancer Lil Buck providing the entertainment with his trademark style of dancing to the tune of Sia’s “Move Your Body.” A voice-over joins in half-way through the ad with a short comment about how some machines can inspire emotion, alluding, of course, to the Lexus LC and the reactions people get upon seeing the car and the emotions felt when driving it.

As far as the whole commercial goes, it’s not the kind of hard-sell ad that we’ve come to expect from Super Bowl commercials. Instead, it takes a different approach in establishing the LC as a car that’s worth our attention. On that level, the ad succeeds in doing just that, for better or worse.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Good start for Lexus, but I expected a little more

I’ve always been a big fan of all the Super Bowl ads and treat them as an added attraction in enjoying the full spectacle of the game. That’s been the case or a lot of years now and automakers have played a big part in creating that excitement with their respective commercials for the Big Game. So yes, I’m expecting a lot of ads to come out this year and from Lexus’ part, I expect the company to roll out more ads too. In fact, there’s already another version of “Man and Machine” that’s scheduled to run during one of the breaks in the second quarter of the game. It’s a 30-second ad and in addition to the LC, Lexus says that it’s also going to prominently feature the LS Sedan.

As far as the 60-second version of “Man and Machine” is concerned, I like it to the extent that Lexus got creative with its ad. The use of Lil Buck and Sia’s “Move Your Body” also added layers of personality. That said, the whole thing still felt flat to me, or at least uninspiring for a Super Bowl ad. Beyond a few novelty shots of the exterior and interior and the car performing some donuts in the end, I thought that the LC, despite being touted as the main star of the ad, was relegated to a spectator to Lil Buck’s incredible street dancing and Sia’s chart-topping song. Really, the best part about the ad is the song, not the car.

I get the approach that Lexus was going for here. I just didn’t think it succeeded in delivering on the message it created. The Lexus LC, by all accounts, is going to be a good (maybe even great) sports car that a lot of people will come to know and appreciate. It certainly has the credentials to be labeled as a sports car, thanks in large part to a 5.0-liter V-8 engine that produces 467 horsepower and 389 pound-feet of torque. The style is there in the car and the numbers are there too.

I just think that the commercial didn’t capitalize on highlighting those enough.

Lexus LC specifications

Read our full review on the Lexus LC here.