Hitting the Track in the Lexus LC 500 & LS 500 at Texas Auto Roundup
Many of my fellow writers had never driven the new LS before, so it was almost always checked out and lapping the track. I waited for everyone else to cross it off of their lists and get it out of their systems. Then it was my turn. The first day of the event, I left the LS 500 F Sport in its Normal drive mode for my initial lap. I needed to find out how well it performed in its most basic, everyday settings. Plus, I didn’t want to upset the Lexus rep who was riding shotgun. With my right foot down hard during the first straightaway, the new twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 seemed more sedate than I expected it to be, despite having 416 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque. Shifts from the 10-speed automatic were imperceptible. Body lean through the chicanes was expectedly noticeable, although the LS never wallowed as it made its way through the course. It seemed to sail from apex to apex; graceful and unhurried no matter which number was on its speedometer; feeling smaller and lighter than the 17-feet-long, 4,707-pound full-size luxury car that it was. It was striking how much the flagship felt like a speedboat.
The second day of the roundup, I got back into the LS 500 F Sport. This time, I was alone and free to engage Sport S+. I fully indulged, launching the $95,935 LS up the long strip of track in front of me. The performance mode unlocked a manic urgency that I had been waiting for. Lexus equipped that particular F Sport with a $9,700 Performance Package that added features such as variable steering, rear steering, active stabilizers, and an F Sport-tuned suspension. Those enhancements made their presence known as I shot from cone to cone. The big Lex continued to impress me with its nimbleness. Its LC DNA was more than just marketing speak. It was tangible in every curve.
As I got closer to the end of my lap, I noticed I was driving the LS faster and harder than I had originally intended. It was pushing me to push it. No other car close to the LS’s size had ever had that effect on me. Lexus has been trying to to reinvent itself as a more exciting, driver-focused brand. Just as the original LS surpassed what people thought a luxury sedan could be, Lexus has succeeded in making the LC and new LS more than just fun to drive. They’re brilliant.
Clearly, I wasn’t the only person at the Texas Auto Roundup who thought that. The LC beat the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody to come in first in the Performance Coupe category. The LS defeated its Infiniti rival in the Full-Size Luxury Car class. The pair finished 1-2, respectively, in voting for the vehicle that would be named the 2018 Car of Texas.