I can't say I've ever driven the hybrid version but if it's anything like the other hybrids I've driven I'm sure it's major step back in many aspects from the pure version. A system like that is far better suited to an RX type of car where it probably will never be "driven"

 

Its just not the same at all. If you read reviews of the LC500h they all say the same thing.

 

I think this thought process is needlessly limiting. There were people who said they would never drive a car without a carburetor, or never drive a car with an automatic transmission, or never drive a car made in Japan...

Electrified technology is here to stay in cars, because by and large it makes cars better. My S Class is a great example, there is no downside to the 48v system, its all upside. In a parallel hybrid like Toyota HSD there are drawbacks in feel and performance, but thats not the case in every style of "hybrid" vehicle. Having had both the gas and hybrid Pacifica now I can say unequivocally that the hybrid is a better vehicle. It drives better, feels better, gets better economy, you have the option of EV driving...I see no downsides. If it was a vehicle you drove in a spirited way there would be downsides, but its the perfect powertrain for that vehicle.

Now with the LC500h, that car has a CVT and the hybrid powertrain loses the feel and sound of the awesome V8, thats a tradeoff that I would not make. But, if they added a 48v system to the V8...that I would be enthusiastic about because it would make it better with no downside.

I won't say "I will not drive" something, I don't care for 4cyls but if I am presented with a car that has a 4 cyl and I like how it drives and feels...I would be open to it.

 

I was violently anti-German for about 7 years lol! I'm angry at myself for self/limiting and never trying any outside of seeing basket cases at work.....

4 cyls though I would just simply have to have as a manual trans, I just don't think I can tolerate it unless it's something like a maverick hybrid that I'm using purely as a tool and under warranty. If I had to pay for repairs I would be staring at it the whole time thinking "why do you deserve me fixing you" lol!

 

They will keep getting better. Like I've said, the 4 cyl in the GLC and C Classes I have driven feels good...just doesn't feel good in the bigger cars

 

From a reliability and efficiency standpoint, there's no need to say a lot - some of the most reliable cars out there.

From a performance standpoint, it can be reasonably quick - assuming that they do the ratios correctly. In the GS/LS in particular, the reason for the 2-stage reduction gear on MG2 is also because of them being unable to physically fit a large enough motor given that it had to be (well, they wanted it to be) in the transmission housing - hence they elongated it as much as they could, made it their highest RPM motor yet (14,000rpm max for MG2 afaik, ~10,200 for MG1 but don't quote me on it - might pull logs later) and still had to rely on the motor reduction gear to keep MG2 in a workable powerband. If they had more space to work with and with modern EV motors spinning at ~18-20k RPM, I guess those things would not have been needed (or the performance figures would've been way better), but it is what it is. The taycan has the same setup for its rear motor and most high performance EVs don't really go beyond 300hp per motor, so it might just be the limit within the space constraints that these cars have (gs/ls in the transmission housing, the rest - right next to the diff, or where the diff is if it's a motor per axle). Not looking at EVs known to throttle heavily. One annoying bit is that there's no tuning potential - motors are almost always at their limits aleady (excl. 2nd gen prius and HiHy/RX400h - those can be boosted a tiny bit before the ECM hard-slams the throttle out of "the ECVT can't handle this much overdelivered horsepower" panic), so no superchargers or anything along the lines - which would defeat the point on an engine hard-optimized for fuel efficiency anyways (which the 3GS, 4LS and rx400h actually weren't, because... nobody knows).

From a driving pleasure standpoint... it entirely depends on how much torque fill the motors can provide while they wait for the engine to rev, which depends on the battery and the HV DC-DC converter (HV battery to inverter) - which is limited to ~35kw on pre-LC/LS500h models. Practically an EV if the demand is within the torque fill capacity, very disconnected under all other circumstances. You can keep the engine in revs, but that kind of defeats the point of the system. I've seen videos of people doing what looked like controlled powerslides with LC500h's on mountain passes in the alps, so perhaps they've vastly improved their throttle response with that iteration, but I still doubt that they'll approach something like the m35h/q50/q50s/w222 s400h (yes, an s-class) - all cars with 3.5l NA atkinson-only v6 engines, but with a motor near the torque converter of a regular auto instead of an eCVT.

And then there's the whole "why didn't they just make an actual 2UR-FXE and put that in their flagship sedan & coupe hybrid, when the 2UR-FSE was almost it (a bit more compression & later intake valve closing)". Putting a decent mid-size sedan powertrain in an LS... or an LC... works in the 5th gen LS, I guess, given that it's not really an LS, but that's about it.

Re: LC500 vs the hybrid - it's literally the worst car to put a hard-hybrid system like that, and they put in an underpowered and pretty bad sounding one. The IS300h is probably more enjoyable.

Would've loved to see more of the compound-split stuff.

 

This 457 horsepower 583 lbft would be a great addition to the LSh and LCh. I've driven both cars a few years ago. Smooth operators and they can yield high 20's to mid 30 mpg, but they lack the punch with their heavy weight and only 354 total system hp and 369 lbft. Probably only a matter of time before we see an LS/LSh with a 550, 600, or 700 designation.

Back to the LX. I doubt this will do much for sales but It's great to see a stronger power option on their flagship SUV

A GX hybrid based on the new GX550 is something that would interest me if it had this LX700h / Sequoia hybrid powertrain

 

I'm not so sure. That hybrid setup is for BoF models only.

 

That's true this specific setup is for BoF models. But never say never that there won't be a a more powerful hybrid LS. The LS500 already uses the V35A-FTS as does the Land Cruiser (VJA300), Tundra, LX, GX, Tundra, and Sequoia. A new series of i-Force (possibly under a different moniker) would likely be designed for Lexus unibody applications. Cars are getting more scalable platforms, battery technology is getting better, and ToMoCo has nearly 3 decades worth of hybrid prowess. Now it might not be on the 5th generation LS as we're 7 years into it's cycle, but I personally wouldn't bet against a more powerful hybrid LS in the future.

I'd also like to mention how much I love the addition of the Overtrail model on the LX like it's GX sibling. Lexus really listened and watched as off-roading and overlanding has carved out a nice little niche in the market.