2019 Lexus LC 500 Hybrid Road Test and Review

2019 Lexus LC 500h ・ Photo by Lexus

After driving the 2019 Lexus LC 500h, choosing the coolest Lexus of all time isn’t as easy as it used to be. Before the new LC Hybrid, the luxury brand’s LFA supercar was the easy choice for the title. The 552-horsepower V10-powered LFA, which the company produced from 2010 to 2012, is the quickest and most powerful Lexus ever — and with a price of $375,000 and up it’s the most expensive. Only 500 were produced.

Since the LFA, however, Lexus has become a leader in the cool car business. And the supercar’s awesomeness is all over the drop-dead gorgeous 2019 Lexus LC 500 coupe. Basically a two-door version of the newly redesigned Lexus LS 500 sedan, which was also introduced last year, the LC 500h Hybrid is the new flagship Lexus. And it’s the brand’s most expensive model. Sold in small numbers, the LC Hybrid is sexy, powerful, and exclusive, and it competes with Europe’s best including the Mercedes-Benz SL, Aston Martin Vantage, Jaguar F-Type, and Porsche 911. 

Hybrid Prices Start Around $95,500

Lexus offers the 2019 LC Coupe in two models: the V8-powered LC 500 and the LC 500h Hybrid. Powered by a 471-hp 5.0-liter V8, the LC 500 is the more powerful and the more affordable of the two. Prices start around $93,000, including a $995 delivery fee. The 2019 LC 500h Hybrid has a base price of $95,500.

Powering the LC Hybrid is a 295 hp 3.5-liter double overhead cam V6 that combines with an electric motor and battery pack to create 354 total horsepower. That power is sent to the coupe’s rear tires through a very smooth 10-speed automatic transmission, which can be manually shifted with paddle shifters. Every LC is rear-wheel drive. For 2019, Lexus has improved the LC 500h with a retuned suspension for greater ride comfort, standard Apple CarPlay compatibility, Amazon Alexa integration, and onboard Wi-Fi. With options, our test vehicle cost over $101,000.

Photo by Lexus

Beautifully Built and Well Equipped

With its long hood, intricate grille, and wide stance, the 2019 Lexus LC 500h is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. It’s also one of the most finely crafted cars you can buy. Lexus is known for its build quality and the LC Hybrid, which is built in Japan, is assembled to perfection with tight, even gaps, exacting fit and finish inside and out, and spectacular paint quality.

Standard equipment includes polished 20-inch wheels, run-flat tires, LED headlamps, a large 10.3-inch infotainment screen, a 12-speaker sound system, leather-trimmed heated and cooled power-adjustable seats, a power tilting and telescopic steering wheel, and dual-zone climate controls. Standard safety features include a pre-collision avoidance system, radar cruise control, lane-keep assist, and a lane-departure alert. Every LC 500h also comes with Drive Mode Select, which provides a choice of six driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Custom, Normal, Sport, and Sport+. Each adjusts the tuning of the adaptive variable air suspension, the layout and color of the gauge cluster, throttle response, and transmission performance. Our test vehicle also included the $1,000 Convenience Package that adds Intuitive Park Assist and blind-spot monitoring with a rear cross-traffic alert.

Photo by Lexus

Refined, Quiet, and Responsive

Unlike some of its competitors, the 2019 Lexus LC 500h is not a sports car but a grand touring car. It’s fast and fun, and it handles well, but the Lexus isn’t the kind of car you take to a racetrack to burn down its tires. No, this is the car you blast to Vegas for a weekend of whatever you’re into. The LC Hybrid is about performance, but it’s in proper balance with high levels of luxury and comfort.

Like the Lexus LS 500 sedan, the LC Hybrid feels solid and substantial, but never heavy or unresponsive. This coupe is smooth, comfortable, and quiet, and its adjustable suspension perfectly soaks up potholes and broken pavement despite the car's massive wheels and low-profile tires. The ride is smooth even in Sport and Sport+ Modes, but its handling ability will impress most drivers. Body control is excellent, there’s plenty of grip on the road, and it doesn’t lean much in hard corners. The hybrid’s steering is precise, and it’s not too heavy.

Photo by Lexus

Quicker than the Mercedes SL 450

If you’re looking for pure speed, the V8-powered LC 500 is the one you want. It’s lighter than the hybrid model and has more power, and that adds up to more speed. The 2019 LC 500 can hit 60 mph in about 4.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 13 seconds at 112 mph. That’s significantly quicker than the LC 500h Hybrid, which can hit 60 mph in about 4.7 seconds and run the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds.

Although that’s still plenty quick, it’s surprisingly slower than the 2019 Lexus LS 500 sedan, which is powered by the brand’s all-new 416-hp twin-turbo V6 engine. The big four-door can reach 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. That said, the Lexus LC Hybrid can easily outsprint some of its European competitors, including the Mercedes SL 450 and the base 296-hp version of the Jaguar F-TYPE.

Photo by Lexus

Luxurious Sporty Interior

The LC Hybrid’s driver-oriented interior is a large part of the coupe’s sporty personality. You set low in the Lexus and grip a thick, leather-wrapped, three-spoke steering wheel. There’s also digital instrumentation that’s similar to the gauges in the LFA supercar, with a center-mounted tachometer, paddle shifters made of magnesium, and comfortable seats with large bolsters. Although the seating position is aggressive, the driver’s seat is height-adjustable so drivers of any height should be able to get comfortable. The A-pillars are slim and carefully carved to increase visibility, and build quality is exceptional.

All the interior materials feel expensive, including the suede on the dashboard, doors, and console. The dash wraps beautifully into the door panels, and the center console is tall, which gives the cabin a cockpit feel. Our test car had the Touring Package, which added special leather to the seats, a suede headliner, and a 915-watt Mark Levinson audio system, which is exceptional. However, its interior color combination of white seats, a blue dash, and orange and blue on the door panels and console isn’t for everyone.

Photo by Lexus

Complicated In-Cabin Technology

Although many of the controls inside the Lexus are easy to understand and well-placed, some are overly complex and should be easier to use. Turning on the seat heaters, for instance, requires several steps and a dive into the infotainment systems many menus. Pushing a button on the console is all it should take.

The LC's infotainment system has a massive screen, which is great, but its Remote Touchpad interface can also be frustrating. Although it’s easier to use than the brand’s previous systems, it’s still not as intuitive as it should be. Too many features require multiple menus, and its large touchpad, which is manipulated with your fingertips like the pad of a laptop, is too slow to respond to inputs and can be distracting to drivers. Lexus should switch the system to a large knob interface, like you find in a BMW, Mercedes, and Audi, or better yet a touchscreen.

Photo by Lexus

Cool Tech and Optional Features

The LC Hybrid’s infotainment system does feature beautiful graphics and many cool functions. One of our favorites is called Destination Assist. Instead of using the touchpad to input an address into the coupe’s navigation system when driving, this feature places a call to an extremely polite “response center agent,” available 24/7, who will find the destination for you and upload it to the car. The process is quick and convenient and keeps you from being distracted from the road.

For $5,960, buyers can also choose the optional Performance Package, which adds active rear steering to the coupe’s suspension, a speed-activated rear wing, and variable-gear-ratio steering. On the exterior, the coupe gets a carbon fiber roof, while the interior is dressed with a carbon fiber door scuff plate, a suede headliner, and suede seat inserts. There’s also an available Sport Package with a cool glass roof.

Photo by Lexus

Small Trunk, Big MPG

Unlike some of its competitors, the 2019 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h seat four. The back seat isn't huge, but this coupe will take four grown adults to dinner if the other couple has a sense of humor. Its trunk, however, is small for its class. With 5.4 cubic feet of trunk space, the V8-powered LC 500 offers quite a bit less space for luggage than the Mercedes SL with its top up. The LC 500h hybrid has even less, with 4.7 cubic feet of space.

That said, the Lexus LC 500h is one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its class. The LC 500 is thirsty, with EPA estimates of 16 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. But the LC 500h is a fuel-sipper, with ratings of 26 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. That’s very impressive considering its performance. We averaged 30 mpg in mixed driving.

Photo by Lexus

Final Thoughts

Lexus is known for its hybrids. Its parent company Toyota practically invented the genre with the Prius, and Lexus' hybrid-powered RX SUV is also very popular. The extremely smooth hybrid system in the 2019 LC 500h is impressive. It makes plenty of power and significantly extends the coupe’s miles per gallon.

We were also impressed with the LC’s exterior styling, which stops traffic; its beautifully finished interior; and its expansive list of luxury features. Although the LFA supercar is probably still the coolest Lexus, the 2019 Lexus LC 500 and LC 500h run a close second. And they cost about a third as much as that supercar ever did. If you’re looking for a performance luxury coupe, the 2019 Lexus LC and LC Hybrid are easy to recommend.

Photo by Lexus