The 2025 Lexus LC 500 is both a swan song and love letter to old-school motoring. With most luxury brands downsizing to smaller engines, usually with forced-induction and mild hybrid set-ups, Lexus is the last to offer a normally aspirated V8 in their flagship sports coupe. Yes, the LC 500h still exists with its V6-and-hybrid drivetrain, but for the love of cars, please just get the V8. I almost didn’t want to return this LC, savouring every single kilometre and every single minute behind the wheel. It reminded me why I love cars so much.
My attachment to the LC began with a vacation earlier this year down to Orlando, Florida. My options for “cool” cars to rent off Turo were limited to a plethora of Dodge Challengers, Chevy Camaros, or a 2018 LC 500 finished in Caviar, with 80,000 miles on the clock. I went with the obvious choice, but one thing stood out to me from starting up its 5.0-litre normally aspirated V8 for the first time. It made me feel alive and never stopped putting a smile on my face. Driving it around Orlando and even taking it down to Sebring for a few days made me realize how well certain aspects have and haven’t aged. This 2025 model builds upon what was already so good to begin with, and fixes one key gripe that makes these cars much easier to live with.
What’s new for 2025?
There isn’t much new this year, but the most notable change from the 2024 model year carries over. Lexus got rid of their touchpad-based infotainment, which was extremely cumbersome to use in early LCs, and in place retrofitted its new 12.3-inch touchscreen used throughout the rest of the lineup. Although I do miss the look of the old infotainment screen being better-integrated into the dash, I certainly do not miss interacting with it, and most new buyers will prefer the touchscreen. With wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you never have to worry about not being able to use key apps like Waze and Spotify during your weekend drives or daily commutes if you so desire.
How does the LC 500 look?
In terms of styling, the LC 500 is a big car. It evokes the same presence it did when we first saw it back in 2018. It showcases Lexus’ L-Finesse design philosophy; the athletic yet elegant body lines, the coke-bottle shape subtly emphasizing the rear end, and the oversized spindle grille and signature LED running lights are best showcased in this package. It is a unique Japanese design that doesn’t take any inspiration from other luxury manufacturers and because of that, the looks like nothing else on the road today. Our tester’s Copper Crest Metallic shines beautifully in the sun, highlighting all the contours and subtle visual nuances. It’s not for everyone, but this rose gold-like hue is a great aesthetic palate cleanser in the sea of greyscale colours littering our roads. Everywhere I went, people either turned their heads for a second glance, rolled down their windows for a thumbs-up, or even complimented it.
Lexus LC engine, performance, and driving impressions
Optioned with the $15,525 Performance Package, this adds key features such as a carbon fibre roof, sport seats with more aggressive side-bolstering, a Torsen limited-slip differential, and a power-retractable rear spoiler that adds additional form-and-function to this already capable grand tourer. For 2025, the LC 500 coupe receives additional front and rear underfloor braces for increased structural rigidity and better body control when pushing the car near the limit. Power from the V8 remains unchanged, at 471 horsepower at 7,100 RPM and 398 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 RPM sent to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine is whisper quiet around town, but opens up to a refined, Yamaha-tuned V8 bark when you go foot-to-the-floor. Another meaningful update that the LC 500 receives is slightly revised transmission programming to iron out mid-throttle upshifts, making for an even more seamless driving experience. These minor changes may not seem like a lot on paper, but adds to the LC 500’s dual-personality nature.
If you decide to push the LC 500 past, say, six-tenths, you can feel the 4,340-pound heft despite Lexus’ attempts at using carbon fibre on the doors, trunk, and roof. But the addition of the Performance Package, with the limited-slip diff in tandem with the four-wheel steering, keeps the LC sure-footed and planted around long sweepers, and helps it feel smaller than it actually is going around tighter turns. The adaptive dampers further emphasize its dual-personality nature; in Comfort mode, the LC absorbs bad pavement and almost wallows like a true luxury car. Flick the stubby knob to Sport S+ and the suspension dampening tightens up, throttle response becomes sharper, and you’ll have even more confidence to put this gran-tourer through its paces. Not to mention an even bigger smile on your face.
How’s the LC 500 inside?
The LC by far has the best interior I’ve seen and felt in terms of craftsmanship, material choice, and solidity in a very long time. The feeling of being cocooned in leather and Alcantara really makes you feel like your money is well-spent, and isolation from noise, vibration, and harshness lives up to the Lexus badge, even with our tester’s proper Michelin Pilot Sport 5 summer performance tires. Even down the road, the LC stands the test of time; the 2018 model I got to know on my vacation still felt solid, with no unwanted squeaks or rattles even after 80,000 miles. This 2025 model will more than likely feel no different after just as many miles and smiles, if not more. Drive your cars, people.
The most noticeable downside of the 2025 LC — also apparent with the 2018 I rented — is storage space and practicality. The trunk offers a whopping 153 litres of cargo space; enough to accommodate a golf bag, but barely. My carry-on luggage took up most of that space, leaving little room for anyone else’s. And although the LC 500 has rear seats, they’re merely just a suggestion, or best left as a joke on your third and fourth passengers if they’re brave enough. It would’ve been nice to see Lexus give the top half of the rear seats the ability to fold 90-degrees, like in the Porsche 911, thus turning them into a slightly more usable parcel shelf. And just like with the 2018 model, this 2025 tester still only has one small cup holder and proper cubby for your phone, other than the shallow armrest compartment or the puny door pockets.
Is the Lexus LC worth it?
Then there is the price. The 2025 Lexus LC 500 starts at $115,515, but our tester comes in at $131,040 as-tested due to the Performance package and Copper Crest paint. Two other satisfying-to-drive performance coupes come in around the same price point as the LC — the Porsche Cayman GTS with its 4.0-litre flat-six, and surely at least one (or a few) versions of the C8 Corvette either undercut or hover around the LC’s as-tested price. Adding insult to the injury, you can even have yourself an extremely capable Corvette E-Ray for not much more money. It’s extremely capable, still packs a V8, and fits two sets of golf bags in the trunk, along with a cooler in the frunk for all your cold ones when you tee off. Try doing that in an LC 500.
Pragmatism and logic aside, the 2025 Lexus LC 500 is the last of its kind and certainly one of the last times we’ll hear that Yamaha-tuned V8 sing. Its performance numbers definitely aren’t earth-shattering compared, but the LC 500 doesn’t exist to play a numbers game. It exists to stir up emotions. It makes you feel alive. It reminds you that cars can still have charm and personality without being singular in their approach to making an impression. You’ll keep daydreaming about the LC 500 long after giving back the keys.
