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Writer's pictureMike Hagerty

Words of Love: The 2023 Lexus LC 500


2023 Lexus LC 500 front 3/4 view

My neighbor Phil (good guy, car guy, owns two classic Porsches) kids me that I keep writing nice things about the Lexus LC 500 so that Lexus will keep sending them to me.


Yeah? So?


2023 Lexus LC 500 rear 3/4 view

Five-plus years in, the LC 500 has lost exactly----carry the three----none of the impact it had on me the first time I saw one. And the reviews I've written of every one I've driven (this one and this one and this one and this one and especially this one ) make that abundantly clear. I mean, just look at it. It is the best-looking car on the road today and (my website, my opinion) can hold its own against all-time designs like the original Jag E-Type, the '63 Corvette and the '63 Buick Riviera.

2023 Lexus LC 500 hood up

2023 Lexus LC 500 engine

And the LC 500 isn't just sculpture. Under the hood is a 5.0-liter, 471 horsepower V8 mated to a ten-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 happens in 4.4 seconds. Active sport exhaust, performance brakes with aluminum calipers, adaptive variable suspension. A ferocious track machine? No. A grand tourer with some serious power and the ability to put it to good use? Absolutely.

2023 Lexus LC 500 trunk open

2023 Lexus LC 500 rear seat

The LC 500 has two weak spots---a tiny trunk (5.4 cubic feet) and a near-useless back seat, unless the driver and front passenger are 5'5" or less. But that's true of most of the cars the LC might be cross-shopped against (BMW 840i, Mercedes SL, Corvette, Jag F-Type).

2023 Lexus LC 500 front seats

2023 Lexus LC 500 instrument panel

The base price of the 2023 Lexus LC 500 is $94,600 including destination. Standard equipment includes 20-inch 10-spoke wheels with run-flat tires, triple-beam LED headlamps, power-folding, auto-dimming heated outer mirrors, a glass roof with a sunshade, Lexus' comprehensive Safety System+ active safety suite, navigation, a 12-speaker audio system, heated and ventilated leather-trimmed power front seats, and a dual-zone climate control.

2023 Lexus LC 500 steering wheel and gauge cluster

2023 Lexus LC 500 center console

2023 Lexus LC 500 center stack

Our car was treated to extra-cost options---$900 for a head-up display, $1,220 for a 13-speaker Mark Levinson Reference surround sound audio system, $595 for the Cadmium Orange paint, and $9,750 for the Dynamic Handling Package (21-inch forged alloy wheels, a Torsen limited-slip differential, active rear steering, variable gear-ratio steering, a speed-activated rear wing, intuitive parking assist, Alcantara sport seats and headliner, a carbon fiber roof (replacing the glass roof), and carbon fiber door scuff plates). That brings the as-tested price of the 2023 Lexus LC 500 to $106,885.

2023 Lexus LC 500 front view

2023 Lexus LC 500 side view

2023 Lexus LC 500 rear view

So, no---I'm not objective about the LC 500. I fall in love again every time I see one. And again every time I drive one. Phil gets me.

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