Since its earlier production days, the LC 500 has been the most gorgeous Lexus coupe available and has remained strangely similar to the concept it is based on. Since then, not much has changed, and now for the 2022 model year, Lexus is offering a custom build for both the LC 500 and LC 500h that will allow you to customize your unique LC 500.

Overview

Although The LC series is getting old and is about to come to the end of its life cycle, it is the best Lexus sports coupe you can buy right now. That’s not the only thing, getting inside will give a luxurious view of the cabin and will confuse you as to whether it is a sports car (by the exterior looks) or a grand tourer. The LCs are rare and if you get to see one, consider yourself lucky. Although nothing changes in the design and technical department, Lexus is providing a custom build with loads of customizations available for interested buyers. So if you are willing to spend extra cash on customizing your new LC 500, Lexus will welcome you with cozy hugs. For 2022, Lexus claims that the suspension has been re-tweaked for better vehicle stability over high speed. The Sport package has also been updated with the addition of 21-inch forged aluminum-alloy wheels for the 2022 model year. While the trims and features stay the same for both the LC 500 and 500h, the performance differs majorly with the former being powered by a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 and the latter being a hybrid gets powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that's assisted by an electric motor. So, it is a grand tourer from the Japanese side of things. What about the competition? Well, we have got the BMW 8 Series Porsche 911, and the crazy expensive Aston Martin Vantage. On paper, they all can eat the LC for breakfast but there’s a lot more than what meets the eye. So, make yourself a cup of coffee and scroll down for in-depth knowledge about the 2022 Lexus LC 500 and the LC 500h.

Trims and Features

Both the LC 500 and LC 500h are available in just one trim. Although, there are three packages: Touring, Sport, and Dynamic Handling offered by Lexus to give you full autonomy over choosing the right components for your LC. The LC 500 coupe is powered by a big 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 which puts out 471 hp and 398 lb-ft while the LC 500h gets a hybrid mill which gets coupled with a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V-6 and puts out about 354 hp combined. A detailed trims and features list is just below.

LC 500. } }

Price: $93,050.

- 20-inch alloys.

- Keyless entry.

- LED headlights and taillights.

- Leather upholstery.

- Leather, wood, and aluminum trims.

- Multi-level power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation support.

- Power-adjustable steering wheel.

- Fully digital instrument console.

- 10.3-inch infotainment screen.

- Navigation system.

- 12-speaker audio unit.

- WiFi connectivity.

- Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa compatibility.

Standard safety features include:

- Adaptive cruise control.

- Lane-keeping assist.

- Forward collision mitigation.

- Blindspot monitoring.

Touring Package. } }

- Premium leather upholstery.

- Microsuede headliner.

- Heated steering wheel.

- 13-speaker Mark Levinson premium audio unit.

- Parking sensors.

Sport Package. } }

- 21-inch alloys.

- Alcantara sport seats.

- Glass or carbon-fiber roof panel.

- Enhanced braking with more up-to-date suspension dampening tech.

- Torsen limited-slip differential.

Dynamic Handling Package. } }

- Rear-axle steering with variable ratio.

- Speed-activated rear wing.

- 21-inch alloys.

Exterior: Gorgeous but remains unchanged

Since it arrived in 2018, the LC 500 has lived up to the hype it once created by the concept car. It had a look that was not only unique to the automotive world but also sophisticated. Fast forward to the 2022 model year and there are no visual enhancements done to the LC 500 but still, it has the power to catch a lot of attention on the road. But if the looks don’t deceive you, the throatier exhaust note surely will but more on that later. As it is a coupe, the design aesthetics include a lot of sharp-looking front fascia, tapered sides, a lot of cuts and creases with the attractive tail end.

The front LEDs are uniquely designed and are not like the other Lexus cars. What matches with the other lineups is the huge hourglass-shaped intake grille. The hood is large and that is okay, for it will cover the massive 5.0-liter engine under it. The semi-floating roof, flush-door handles, and the 20-inch alloys come fitted as standard. The tail section, like it has been all these years, looks kind of chunky yet bold. The boomerang-shaped LED taillights look gorgeous with the chrome-surrounded Lexus logo at the center of the tailgate. The exhaust outlets are chrome-painted as standard with a huge diffuser at the center.

Heavy as it could ever be, the LC 500 weighs 4,340 pounds while the 500h weighs 4,420 pounds. But the BMW M840i weighs even more with 4,758 pounds while the Porsche 911 Carrera is the lightest with 3,487 pounds. Other dimensions include the 187.4-inch length, 75.6 inches of width, a ground clearance of 5.2 inches, and 113 inches long wheelbase. If you compare the exterior dimensions of the LC 500 with that of the others, the Porsche 911 would be the most compact while the Lexus and the BMW would be found just similar.

2022 Lexus LC 500 Exterior Dimensions

Interior: The posh cabin with supreme comfort might just sweep you off your feet

Don’t believe us? Get yourself an LC 500 for a test drive and let it speak for itself. Lexus has picked up every bit of luxury components and implemented them inside the cabin, starting from the leather-stitching on the dash, wooden trims on the door panels, everything feels upscale. The beautiful electronically adjustable leather-steering wheel has buttons to toggle through various interfaces through the fully digital instrument console. It is a typical Lexus-styled console with a moving bezel, making it unique in the segment. Lexus has fitted the LC 500 with aluminum paddle-shifters as standard, and they have the most satisfying clicking effect we have ever found on grand tourers. The center console has been stretched to align with the dash, dividing the driver from the passenger. Except for the drive selector and the touchpad controller along with a few buttons, the center console looks clean with the long center armrest being in a perfect position. For the faint-hearted, Lexus has offered not one but two handle grabs on the front passenger side, one has been attached to the dashboard and the other is on the right door panel.

Let’s now talk about the seats, they all come wrapped in leather as standard. However, the Sport package will unlock Alcantara sports seats. The standard seats are very comfortable and come fitted with eight-way power adjustability with memory functions, multi-level heating, and even ventilation for both the driver and front passenger. Lexus has worked well to keep the outside noises away from getting inside the cabin and the LC 500 offers a comfortable and quiet ride. Practicality is not something you would want with a car this appealing and sporty. So there are four seats to make the numbers but the rear row seats are best suited for under adults, especially kids up to 11-14 years. But we can assure you that the interior spaciousness is better than what you would get with the Porsche 911. There is decent headroom and ample legroom at the front and below-average headroom and legroom at the rear. But that does not make it the worst among the competition, the Porsche is and the BMW leads the group with a slightly better rear headroom and legroom. The 8 Series Coupe does have a much better boot space if compared to both the LC 500 and the 911, and the fun fact is, it is even better than the Lexus and Porsche combined. Anyway, here are a few interior features that are worth taking notes of:

- Dual-zone automatic climate control.

- Keyless ignition.

- Fully digital driver information display with moving bezels.

- 8-way power-adjustable front seats with memory functions, multi-level heating, and - ventilation options.

- Leather upholstery.

- Leather-wrapped steering wheel with power tilt and telescopic adjustability.

- Microsuede headliner. (Optional)

- Alcantara sport seats. (Optional)

- Heated steering wheel. (Optional)

2022 Lexus LC 500 Interior Dimensions

Now, we generally do not like talking negatively about a car’s infotainment system. While Lexus has refined and added a lot of features to their current line-up, the LCs get behind with the old touchpad-controlled interface. So, there is a 10.3-inch display with sharp visuals but is not lag-free. With Porsche out of the way, BMW has always impressed us with their iDrive system and it is sad that the LC coupe is priced very similarly to the 8 Series but lacks the latest tech. This might be a sign that the company will launch a new LC in 2023. With all these out of the way the 2022 LC 500 gets features like:

- Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa connectivity.

- WiFi integration.

- SiriusXM.

- 12-speaker Pioneer sound unit.

- USB ports.

- Navigation system.

- 13-speaker Mark Levinson premium audio unit. (Optional)

Performance and Handling: The more it revs, the better

The LC500 features the same massive 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 engine which we witnessed in the IS 500. This high-revving engine puts down 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of maximum torque through the rear wheels, via a ten-speed shiftable automatic transmission. Toyota’s engines are meant to be refined and this V-8 engine proves to be one. However, the LC 500h, as you can probably tell, has a hybrid engine. So, there is a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V-6 coupled with an electric motor on the rear axle. The power output is marginally less if compared to the non-hybrid LC 500 which is about 354 horsepower combined. The LC 500’s V-8 engine might be powerful by the numbers, especially if it comes in comparison to the Porsche 911 Carrera. But given that the latter is lighter and has twin-turbochargers, the throttle opening time would be much shorter. The 8 Series on the other hand has two engine options but to the engine characteristics, we will take the M850i for the comparison and the rest is history for the Lexus.

Car And Driver estimated that the LC 500 would go 60 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds and a standing quarter-mile timing has been recorded at 13 seconds flat. The LC 500 would not feel sluggish after it builds up the revs but you can test your patience in the city limits. The ten-speed transmission has been improved with the timings and now it does not feel as clunky as before. The Porsche 911 Carrera, the cheapest 911 you could buy, goes 0-60 in just four seconds, yeah that’s a Porsche by all means. The M850i, being the priciest among the other 8 Series trims, will make the side passenger cry at a claimed 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. So the M850i is the daddy of performance for the under $100,000 coupes.

Let’s talk about the handling dynamics of the LC 500, well, in simpler words, it is good. When you rev past 4,500 RPM, there is a sudden punch of power, and boy that V-8 symphony is too good. The feedback from the steering wheel matches the likes of the BMW and the Porsche with the stiffer suspension coming into the role for taking down fast corners. The Bespoke Build introduced for the 2022 model year LCs will be based on the Sport package which unlocks a Torsen limited-slip differential with Yamaha performance rear dampers, and even packs better brakes. If you are an enthusiast, we will suggest you opt for the Dynamic Handling package which will make your LC 500 a beast on its own. It will get rear-axle steering for better maneuverability, along with an automatically activated rear spoiler which will deploy if you let loose the beast.

2022 Lexus LC 500 Performance Stats

Fuel Economy

High-revving powerful engines are not best-friends with the fuel tank and the LC 500 proves it correctly. The 5.0-liter chunky V-8 engine does sip a bit more gas than usual and even gets lower EPA ratings of 16/25/19 for the city/highway/combined. Side-by-side the LC 500h is the more efficient one among the two and that is obvious, being an MHEV. The EPA rates the latter with 26/34/29 for the city/highway/combined and the gains are huge over its V-8 counterpart. So, the LC 500h is for you if fuel economy and cost of ownership are what you prefer. The LC 500 gets a 21.7-gallon gas tank that can deliver about 540 miles on the highways. The LC 500h, on the other hand, gets a slightly bigger 22.2-gallon gas tank, and with an efficient powertrain, it can deliver about a whopping 750 miles on the highways.

2022 Lexus LC 500 Fuel Economy

How safe is the new 2022 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h?

For a flagship Lexus coupe, you don’t have to sacrifice the safety quotient. You will have the full suite of driver assistance features which Lexus calls the Safety System+. It packs the following safety features:

- Adaptive cruise control.

- Lane-departure warning.

- Lane-keeping assist.

- Frontal collision mitigation.

- Automatic braking assist with pedestrian detection.

- Blindspot monitoring.

- Rear cross-traffic alert.

As for the safety ratings, neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS had the pleasure to crash-test the LC 500 and that is common for rare exotic cars. As for the reliability, the outgoing 2021 and the 2020 model year before that have no recall history. The other Lexus cars have received five-star ratings by the NHTSA, so the LCs will not score less if tested.

Are the new 2022 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h worth the asking price?

Upon entering the fifth year of production, the LC range might not have received any significant design or mechanical changes but, the subtle tweaks and tunes have made it even better. It is one of the cheapest luxury two-door coupes that you can buy which sports a symphonic V-8 along with top-tier cabin quality and features. The Porsche 911 is just too costly for what it is offering and the BMW M850i is too powerful and not as luxurious as the LC 500 and 500h. At last, it all comes down to personal preference but we think that the decision-making duration won’t be too long as the M850i is for the hardcore enthusiasts and the LC 500 would be the best of both (luxury+performance) worlds.

What is the price of the 2022 LC 500 and the LC 500h?

Should I buy a Lexus over a BMW?

Is the Lexus LC 500 a practical car?

How reliable are Lexus cars?

How fast is the Lexus LC 500?

FAQ

Q: What is the price of the 2022 LC 500 and the LC 500h?

The LC 500 starts at $93,050 and the LC 500h is priced slightly higher at $99,050. Both have additional delivery changes.

Q: Should I buy a Lexus over a BMW?

Yes, because you will get most of what the Bimmers offer at a lower price tag and even has a better build quality in areas you wouldn’t notice.

Q: Is the Lexus LC 500 a practical car?

Like most of the two-door performance coupes, the LC 500 is not as practical as you would expect. If you want slightly better practicality then the BMW 8 Series might interest you.

Q: How reliable are Lexus cars?

The Lexus LC 500, like all the other Lexus cars, has a minimum recall history and is one of the highest-rated companies in terms of reliability.

Q: How fast is the Lexus LC 500?

The 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 found inside the LC 500 can sprint to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just 4.6 seconds.