2019 Lexus LC500h Hybrid Review
2019 Lexus LC500h Hybrid - Lexus's sensational LC coupe, which starts at $92,995, is an excellent success in that it looks and feels as distinct and also unique as you may wish for an auto approaching $100K-- or, with alternatives, also cresting that quantity. Past its wild styling and also beautifully fitted interior, the 471-hp LC500 we drove previously this year acquired a big amount of character from the free-revving, normally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 mounted up front. That made us rather careful as we approached the subject of this test, the LC500h crossbreed, which costs $4510 more yet has 117 less horse power from its gas-electric drivetrain utilizing an Atkinson-cycle 3.5-liter V-6 as well as two electric motors.
2019 Lexus LC500h Hybrid Review
It's not that we can't value the LC500h's drivetrain, called a Multi-Stage Hybrid in Lexus-speak. It incorporates the V-6 with a set of electric motors through a remarkable transmission that's basically two transmissions in one. It incorporates both a two-motor hybrid constantly variable transmission (CVT) as well as an Aisin four-speed automatic to widen the hybrid operating variety; check out our complete explanation of how it functions here.
On the road, the Multi-Stage Crossbreed system's procedure stands out from various other Lexus and Toyota crossbreeds that utilize the familiar Crossbreed Synergy Drive setup. As a result of the unique transmission, there's a sensation of stepped equipments shifting whenever the gas engine is running, which is preferable to the high-rpm droning we're often compelled to endure from crossbreeds equipped with CVTs. Yet the LC500h's power delivery still isn't really quite suited for difficult driving; also in Sport or Sport+ mode, the "shifts" are oddly slurred as well as artificial, keeping the powertrain from really feeling genuinely receptive and producing a weird soundtrack. It certainly cannot compare the auditory delights of the LC500's V-8 as well as the crisp shifts of its conventional 10-speed automated.
All this crossbreed intricacy amounts to a prodigious curb weight of 4521 extra pounds for the LC500h, 143 extra pounds greater than the LC500 and just 62 pounds less than a Honda Odyssey minivan that is almost 16 inches longer. As anticipated, this hinders the LC500h's velocity, with the zero-to-60-mph sprint taking 4.8 secs, 0.2 second slower than the LC500, as well as the quarter-mile can be found in at 13.6 secs at 103 miles per hour compared with the V-8's 13.0 seconds at 112 mph. Neither number is slow, but one need to consider that entry-level, $110,000 Porsche 911s are kipping down 11.9-second quarter-miles and 3.4-second runs to 60 mph.
On a brighter note, the way that the LC500h comports itself when the going gets twisty is surprisingly satisfying given its mass. Its actions are crisp and also the automobile aspires to alter direction, with sharp turn-in from the well weighted guiding. The structure feels extremely stiff and there's just sufficient conformity programmed right into the dampers that the flight is totally civil, also in the stiffer Sporting activity mode.
Our examination vehicle was furnished with several performance-enhancing choices, consisting of $1440 for 21-inch wheels covered in Bridgestone Potenza S001L run-flat tires, a $390 limited-slip differential, as well as the $5960 Performance plan that brings a carbon-fiber roof covering, an energetic rear looter, rear-wheel steering, as well as variable-ratio steering. These bonus most likely contributed to the LC500h's 0.91 g efficiency on the skidpad and its 165-foot stop from 70 mph. Once more, nonetheless, those numbers fade beside the base 911, which struck 1.06 g and also 135 feet in the same metrics.
On the road, the Multi-Stage Crossbreed system's procedure stands out from various other Lexus and Toyota crossbreeds that utilize the familiar Crossbreed Synergy Drive setup. As a result of the unique transmission, there's a sensation of stepped equipments shifting whenever the gas engine is running, which is preferable to the high-rpm droning we're often compelled to endure from crossbreeds equipped with CVTs. Yet the LC500h's power delivery still isn't really quite suited for difficult driving; also in Sport or Sport+ mode, the "shifts" are oddly slurred as well as artificial, keeping the powertrain from really feeling genuinely receptive and producing a weird soundtrack. It certainly cannot compare the auditory delights of the LC500's V-8 as well as the crisp shifts of its conventional 10-speed automated.
Our examination vehicle was furnished with several performance-enhancing choices, consisting of $1440 for 21-inch wheels covered in Bridgestone Potenza S001L run-flat tires, a $390 limited-slip differential, as well as the $5960 Performance plan that brings a carbon-fiber roof covering, an energetic rear looter, rear-wheel steering, as well as variable-ratio steering. These bonus most likely contributed to the LC500h's 0.91 g efficiency on the skidpad and its 165-foot stop from 70 mph. Once more, nonetheless, those numbers fade beside the base 911, which struck 1.06 g and also 135 feet in the same metrics.
2019 Lexus LC500h Hybrid Car Review
If the LC500h doesn't verify its nerve in regards to outright performance, then it must offset that with its gas economy, right? Yes as well as no. The crossbreed's combined/city/highway EPA rankings of 30/26/35 mpg are substantially more than the V-8's 19/16/26 figures. Although the LC500h's average of 24 mpg in our hands disappointed its EPA integrated number, it still beat the 17 mpg we got from the LC500 by a considerable margin. We were more let down in the hybrid's performance in our 75-mph freeway examination-- undoubtedly a circumstance where hybrids have the tendency to underperform-- where it accomplished 30 mpg, only 1 mpg much better compared to the LC500.
If we were investing our $100K on among these Lexus sports cars, there's no doubt it would certainly be the V-8. While the two LCs share the same striking shape, the very same impeccably constructed interior (sadly including the exact same frustrating infomercial system controlled by a picky touchpad), and the exact same dramatic visibility when traveling, the costlier crossbreed supplies just a small fuel-economy benefit while compromising way too much of the speed and sound that make the LC such a phenomenal piece to begin with.
If we were investing our $100K on among these Lexus sports cars, there's no doubt it would certainly be the V-8. While the two LCs share the same striking shape, the very same impeccably constructed interior (sadly including the exact same frustrating infomercial system controlled by a picky touchpad), and the exact same dramatic visibility when traveling, the costlier crossbreed supplies just a small fuel-economy benefit while compromising way too much of the speed and sound that make the LC such a phenomenal piece to begin with.
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