santa delivers an lc500...
01-08-22, 04:52 AM
#242
1 year update... so I've had the lc500 just over a year now.
i've done about 4000 miles. no issues. I got paint protection film (PPF) on the whole front end of the car, and sills, and had the car ceramic coated too.
will take it for its first oil change and checkup soon. I don't live close to a dealer so could go to a couple of different ones (75-100 mi. away).
thoughts on the car now...
I still love taking it for a drive.
the rear steering and VGRS are a true joy and my favorite feature. I'm more of a handing guy than a speed guy.
the built in nav is a bit lame but fortunately with android auto and apple CarPlay I can use the phone's apps and that works well.
the 'storage' box between the seats is only deep enough to hold a deck of cards, lol but at least I can put my phone in there with a usb cable I leave in there connecting it to the car. simple. I have a separate aa adapter but it's not that convenient in so little space.
I'm a techie but I'm beginning to find a 'just right' feel to the inside controls ... it has everything I need and want (mostly) and it's beautifully designed and things like simple up/down metal toggles for left/right temps, a few other buttons, a large metal rotary volume **** and other controls on center console. the steering wheel controls are tasteful and work well. the 'horns' on the gauge pod are weird lol... the left I will NEVER use (I think it's snow mode, lol), and the right is for normal/sport/sport+/comfort/eco. who the hell drives an lc500 in eco?
even the touch pad, which isn't ideal, at least means I have no fingerprints on a touch screen!
one bug I found is that the car will FORGET I set it to have no haptic feedback on the touchpad. I can then either reset it in the menu, or it will be fixed the next time I start the car.
one giant omission in the car is a lack of a front camera. the front is low, large, and easily scraped. bad, bad lexus. a couple of owners on the forum have had a third party one installed but when I looked at the video of doing it I really don't want someone doing it, ya kinda have to take the entire interior apart!
about the lexus v8 and the 10 speed auto... the v8 and special exhaust barks to life on startup but quickly settles to a fairly quiet idle. the 'red line' is UNDER 4K upon startup, but as the car warms and the car is driven, it slowly rises to 7K. the more 'spirited' those early miles, the quicker the redline rises. since I live in a neighborhood with 25 limit, so it works out, I take it easy until the exit, and my main exit turns right onto a divided highway and a gentle hill, so I thoroughly enjoy blasting up the hill the other exit is a FLAT road with some great right angle turns...
the 10 speed is interesting... in the sport modes, the car doesn't use more than 8 gears. gears 9 and 10 are obviously highway cruising gears and the rpms are VERY low in 10th and the car is very quiet (engine noise).
between the engine and the transmission, the car feels pretty analog and old school, but in a fun way. an electric car is faster, smoother, quieter, so hard to deny, but it's just entirely different.
I wish the car had laminated side glass and I wish the run flat tires weren't so noisy, but they're not terrible. when the tires are done I will probably get non runflats.
overall, very happy I got there car, before lexus gives up on the v8.
that'a about it for now!
i've done about 4000 miles. no issues. I got paint protection film (PPF) on the whole front end of the car, and sills, and had the car ceramic coated too.
will take it for its first oil change and checkup soon. I don't live close to a dealer so could go to a couple of different ones (75-100 mi. away).
thoughts on the car now...
I still love taking it for a drive.
the rear steering and VGRS are a true joy and my favorite feature. I'm more of a handing guy than a speed guy.
the built in nav is a bit lame but fortunately with android auto and apple CarPlay I can use the phone's apps and that works well.
the 'storage' box between the seats is only deep enough to hold a deck of cards, lol but at least I can put my phone in there with a usb cable I leave in there connecting it to the car. simple. I have a separate aa adapter but it's not that convenient in so little space.
I'm a techie but I'm beginning to find a 'just right' feel to the inside controls ... it has everything I need and want (mostly) and it's beautifully designed and things like simple up/down metal toggles for left/right temps, a few other buttons, a large metal rotary volume **** and other controls on center console. the steering wheel controls are tasteful and work well. the 'horns' on the gauge pod are weird lol... the left I will NEVER use (I think it's snow mode, lol), and the right is for normal/sport/sport+/comfort/eco. who the hell drives an lc500 in eco?
even the touch pad, which isn't ideal, at least means I have no fingerprints on a touch screen!
one bug I found is that the car will FORGET I set it to have no haptic feedback on the touchpad. I can then either reset it in the menu, or it will be fixed the next time I start the car.
one giant omission in the car is a lack of a front camera. the front is low, large, and easily scraped. bad, bad lexus. a couple of owners on the forum have had a third party one installed but when I looked at the video of doing it I really don't want someone doing it, ya kinda have to take the entire interior apart!
about the lexus v8 and the 10 speed auto... the v8 and special exhaust barks to life on startup but quickly settles to a fairly quiet idle. the 'red line' is UNDER 4K upon startup, but as the car warms and the car is driven, it slowly rises to 7K. the more 'spirited' those early miles, the quicker the redline rises. since I live in a neighborhood with 25 limit, so it works out, I take it easy until the exit, and my main exit turns right onto a divided highway and a gentle hill, so I thoroughly enjoy blasting up the hill
the other exit is a FLAT road with some great right angle turns...the 10 speed is interesting... in the sport modes, the car doesn't use more than 8 gears. gears 9 and 10 are obviously highway cruising gears and the rpms are VERY low in 10th and the car is very quiet (engine noise).
between the engine and the transmission, the car feels pretty analog and old school, but in a fun way. an electric car is faster, smoother, quieter, so hard to deny, but it's just entirely different.
I wish the car had laminated side glass and I wish the run flat tires weren't so noisy, but they're not terrible. when the tires are done I will probably get non runflats.
overall, very happy I got there car, before lexus gives up on the v8.
that'a about it for now!
01-08-22, 04:57 AM
#243
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
ride comfort on my '21 is very good. lexus has improved it each year. i've read '18 was a bit rough, '19 was a good improvement, '20 a bit more, '21 they made some more substantial changes, with some hollow suspension components and other unsprung 'lightening'. for '22 they did a bit more comfort tuning. i only have the '21 to go to on. the '21s with low profile runflats themselves are obviously fairly unforgiving on hard bumps but the suspension around it is really comfortable which is pretty remarkable given how low the front is. highway cruising is very very comfortable and the seats are so good i can go for hours with no squirming from discomfort.
01-08-22, 07:51 AM
#244
Lexus Fanatic
I bought a tire kit with slime and a compressor. My Pacifica has such a kit and no run flats. You’ll be fine.
01-08-22, 08:07 AM
#245
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (20)
about replacing the runflats, i can't see throwing away that kind of $ so far.
01-08-22, 08:29 AM
#246
Lexus Fanatic
This is the kit that I have:
01-08-22, 08:34 AM
#247
Lexus Fanatic
You have staggered wheels as well. Bigger and the front and smaller at the rear? It really is sad the deletion of a full size space. Tundra now deletes it as well and just offers a temp
01-08-22, 08:41 AM
#248
Lexus Fanatic
The wheels are so big you can't have a full sized spare, where would you put it?
Staggered wheels are always bigger at the rear, BTW
Staggered wheels are always bigger at the rear, BTW
01-08-22, 09:08 AM
#249
Lexus Fanatic
01-08-22, 09:13 AM
#250
Lexus Fanatic
Honestly, now that I no longer have it, it doesn't concern me. I don't have runflats or spares in either car and I never give it a second thought.
01-08-22, 09:23 AM
#251
Lexus Fanatic
I somewhat agree. I think a LC500, a full size space is completely pointless as you want to emphasize handling and styling. That all said, when the new Tundra comes with a temp spare, it just goes to show you how cheap Toyota is being as no matter what, you are going to have to go for a new tire and your trip can be ruined. Not the same thing in my two SUVs are I could just carry on for the duration of my trip. There are definitely pros and cons to having no full size spare. I think the new LX600 has a full sizer.
01-08-22, 09:44 AM
#252
Super Moderator
Meh. The last time I had a spare in my DD was 12 years ago. Last time any car in the fleet had one was 4 years ago. Don't miss it. And I certainly wouldn't care in a fun weekend car like the LC.
Oddly enough, though I've owned many vehicles both with and without spares, I've never owned one with a compact temporary or inflatable. It was always either full-size (usually but not always on a matching wheel), or none at all.
Bit, glad you're loving your LC. Can't believe it's been a year already. And 4k miles in a dedicated fun car is pretty solid work, so I know you're enjoying it.
Oddly enough, though I've owned many vehicles both with and without spares, I've never owned one with a compact temporary or inflatable. It was always either full-size (usually but not always on a matching wheel), or none at all.
Bit, glad you're loving your LC. Can't believe it's been a year already. And 4k miles in a dedicated fun car is pretty solid work, so I know you're enjoying it.
01-08-22, 12:00 PM
#253
Lexus Fanatic
In a perfect world I’d rather have a spare, but I put a spare tire on a car maybe once every 20 years, it just doesn’t bother me.
01-08-22, 12:16 PM
#255
Lexus Fanatic
Michelin has devolped the airless "Tweel" that the military has done some tests with, but I don't know if we will ever see it in passenger-vehicles.
