Anyone driven the LC500? What was your impression?
For a big GT car it has very tiny trunk space like the F-Type.
Same 0-60 time, XKR exhaust sounds better imo.

 

You couldn't pay me enough to own another Lexus. Don't fall for the hype. Here's the truth.

I bought a new 2007 LS460, most options, $72K MSRP, for a good deal at end of the model year - or so I thought. Beautiful car, but...
1. Dashboard rattling. R&R dashboard, replaced clips at base of windshield with slightly thicker ones under warranty.
2. Excessive wind noise. Replaced F&R, R&L single-pane glass with double-pane glass under warranty. Better, but still noisy when windy outside. Tried to fix 3 times, finally gave up and lived with that minor annoyance.
3. Defective engine valve recall. 48 valves replaced under warranty. Less than 15K miles when done. Inexcusable.
4. Defective fuel rail safety recall, fire hazard. Aluminum rail replaced with stainless steel rail under warranty. Inexcusable.
5. Driver's side view mirror stopped folding. Out of warranty cost to replace $950. No thanks. Lived with it until I traded for my XJ.
6. Airbag warning light, intermittent at 35K miles. Safety hazard because when light comes on the airbags are disabled. Dealer diagnosed bad wiring harness under dash, initially refused to cover under warranty because 4 years and 9 months old but relented because I had also previously bought a new RX350 for my wife from them. Dealer said they'd pay for the parts ($2,400) if I'd pay for the labor. They charged me for 18 hours labor at a discounted rate of $90/hr., for a total of $1,620 that I paid with my AmEx. Shortly thereafter, I got the TSB on that "non-recall" that called for repair time of 7 hours and I realized that they overcharged me for 11 hours!

I FedEx'd my overnight letter to the General Manager and told him that unless I received their refund check for overbilling me those 11 hours ($990) within 24 hours they would leave me no choice but to dispute that charge with AmEx and pursue my legal remedies. I received their check the next day. I subsequently traded that LS460 for my CPO 2013 XJ SC and am glad I did.

I might have forgotten a few other problems. The airbag defect should have been a warranty repair, and padding the hours and overbilling me for labor was the last straw.

Lexus will never get my business again. Even if they didn't have that fugly face that not even it's mother can love.

 

Another Lexus experience................
Wife bought a two-year old 2006 Lexus RX400 Hybrid. She drove it for seven years and put on about 85,000 miles. She brought it in to Lexus once for a recall for something-or-other, and the dealer gave her a new 2015 RX350 for the weekend.
Less than a year later, and she traded the RX400 for a 2015 RX350 (trade = I sold the 400 privately). She's had that now for just over five years and it's never been to any shop for anything but oil changes. Granted, she's put on less miles as she also had a 2011 Fusion Hybrid for commutes, but she's about in love with her 350. Now she wants to get the newer styled RX450 because she misses having a hybrid, as my daughter's husband now has the Fusion as of a few months ago when my wife retired.
HOWEVER... I don't think I'd swap from my XKR to a Lexus because Lexus is...... mundane. At least 'mundaner'.

 

Maybe around 4 or 5 months ago I spent the day at Lexus promotion at our local race track, did a few laps in the RC-F and LC500 amongst others before getting back in my 08 XKR and driving home.

Well I was able to give both the RC-F and the LC500 some serious jandal and its was a bloody good experience, They were pretty damn amazing and for sure cornered better than my XKR but then all the performance Lexus I have driven always seemed to ride on rails compared to my XKR.

And they both have a very sweet exhaust note.

But they are not a good looking car from the front end, I don't mind the look from the rear, the bulging rear guards have a XKR flavour about them.

Interestingly the car I remember the most about that day was the GS- F, this car is a beast, complete sleeper and really well balanced.

Apparently the production on this model is about to cease if not already and there is nothing planned to replace it.

Its really comfortable inside, has truckloads of interior volume and just blew me away with its performance and handling ( all the Lexus vehicles I drove that day were stock standard).

We have owned a bunch of Lexus cars over the years and have found them to be brilliant with reliability and quality of construction. Also the aftermarket support from Lexus NZ has been first class ( well apart from one dumb error they made once in servicing and mechanical problem solving).

Anyone who wants a performance sleeper that is super comfortable as a family car I cannot recommend highly enough the GS-F.

Its on my list.

 

Saw one the other day and it passed the initial "give it a second longing look" test. When the convertible is introduced it will definitely be one to look at eventually. Other than that no input as I haven't driven one.

 

Not defending Lexus but a couple of questions:
Was the double-paned glass an OPTION that you did not select when you purchased the LS460?
Didn't the Jaguar XJS have rather serious problems with a cracking fuel rail causing engine fires?
Were the 460's valves replaced and Fuel rail replaced at NO COST to you AND you were provided with a loaner car?

I'm going to give you that a rattling dashboard on a $72k Lux sedan is inexcusable. It simply ain't Lux if it's got wind noise or rattles, etc. which
is why I worked so hard to eliminate wind noise on my vintage 1997 SC400.

Driver's side mirror and Airbag problems the ONLY out of warranty failures you experienced over how many years of ownership?

The Airbag problem not being properly diagnosed / repaired at 35K is utterly inexcusable as well as their behavior and overbilling. I attribute that (along with the 18 hours) mostly to a LARGE % of auto techs today NOT being "fully competent" at electricity/electronics. E.G., unable to "voltage drop" a circuit despite having an ASE cert in Automotive Electronics.

FWIW I worked (as Lead Electrical Engineer) on Toyota airbag systems at a Wheelchair van mfr that converted Siennas to mobility vans. There is no "black magic" in Toyota airbag sensors, wiring, or ECMs. In fact they're practically self-diagnosing; they HAVE to be. I was awarded a patent for my work there.

I understand your annoyance at Lexus however, compared to ANY Jaguar I have owned or worked on....lol,, I think you jumped from a lukewarm pot right into a sizzling frying pan. Best of luck to ya.... psssst! Next time I'd be glad to give you $500 more than the dealer offers you for your "Lemon Lexi"

Cheers!

 

Me, I'm gonna have to wait till Lexus gets rid of the Whale-Filter-Feeder snout on their vehicles to WANT to own a new one. Meanwhile I'll keep racking up the miles on a 1997 SC400 which looks and runs like the day it came off the showroom floor. 197K miles.

 

I've got a wanna-buyer in S.F. for that RX350 the day she's ready to move up to the RX450. Buddy of mine. Let me know what they offer ya for it and I'll see if he can match or exceed.

 

My answers are in red above.

 

This pretty much sums it up in the Jag vs Lexus discussion!

I should revise my original statement...I would gladly take a hard look at the LC500 when I am ready to let my XK go. I will go to another brand, I want to look back when late in life and have been in a variety of car makes and models. But if I was in a position where I was buying an XK for the first time and it was up against the LC500 I would pick the XK. I won't bother trying to say why, Stuart stated it too well above.

If I was in the market for a 4 door sedan I would for sure go with an XJ rather than a Lexus LS.

 

Wolfy, it would be interesting if you posted the same question on a Lexus forum and share some of the responses.

 

The LC500 is a gorgeous car.
Sounds good as well.

However, to compete with a 5.0 XKR the Lexus would need it's own "R" variant.
The power/wight just is not there. The Jaguar would smoke it.
Maybe the Lexus has aero superiority for higher speed driving, but I don't know.

The LC500 is the most interesting XK like new car to me.
I have other priorities for my spending then a LC500.
A used XK or XKR offers the better proposition.
The LC500 really only enters the picture if you want to buy something new and are looking for a substitute for a new XK that Jaguar didn't make.

 

FYI - The fuel rail problem/fires existed in the middle 80's. I know from experience. Had the issue with my 85 12 cylinder Van den Plas. Jaguar took care of it at no cost to me.

 

Don't misunderstand me. My gripe was with the first year of the LS460 and my crooked dealer. I'm sure that Lexus addressed all of my issues and that later years were much more reliable. As for my dealer, you can't fix crooked.

 

I never considered an LC500, as there hasn't been a convertible yet. We'll see what it looks like in a few months. Still probably a no-go though.

 

You've never seen the GSF, the LC500, or the RC F in person, turned on. The exhaust note is amazing, with a thunderous sound that easily dwarfs the stock XKR note, and the fit and finish inside are top notch. At the upper end of the GSF and RC F line the interiors are at least as good as the XKR, and short of some of the limited edition XKRs or XKR-S, the newer Lexus models easily exceed the older XK interiors.

They're sporty GT cars and they have pretty comparable performance, with much better technology and classic Toyota reliability, so it's not uncommon to see high mileage (100k+) ones holding their values.

You buy the Lexus because on paper it's the obvious all around choice. You buy the Jaguar because it's the uncommon, cool Brittania option that gets more attention or just has a certain je ne sais quoi to it that the Lexus and German brands don't. But if you think a Lexus sports car is mundane, you're the same person who write off the whole Jaguar line as an old stodgy brand for old men, completely missing the jewels that are the XKR and F-Type lines.

 

Wow, that's definitely not true. The 0-60 figures are pretty comparable - both in the mid-4s. The Jaguar makes a decent bit more power, but hooking is its weak spot and it's something that's been noted by a lot of journalists, including Chris Harris' review of the XKR-S. I had a 100hp lead over a BMW and it was neck and neck for dig races because the tires just spin on launch.

 

It exists now:
https://www.lexus.com/models/LC-convertible
Looks nice, especially that blue ‘Inspiration’ series.

 

This is what I find perplexing about Jaguar cars. On paper they all have more horsepower than the competition and yet slower 0-to-60.
How is this possible??

On LC500 v XKR, performance-wise both are similar, but LC wins out with its considerably higher MPG and more efficient engine. Looks-wise I still prefer the Jag.

 

Why all the treads about comparing the xkr ?