Rented a 2018 LC500 for a day with unlimited miles

[RX400h]

This one was originally a dark silver color. The owner had it partially wrapped in a scheme that did draw lots of attention.

My impressions:
1. The seats were very comfortable - not in the same way that our RX's seats are but we could easily drive cross country on either vehicle's seats.
2. The infotainment system's touch pad is not my cup of tea. I tried something similar in an Audi A4, a while back and I really didn't like that one, either. Fortunately, it didn't take long to figure out the NAV setup.
3. The radar cruise control is different from what I am used to in my 2014 Mazda 3 in that the LC's default is normal cruise control. I'm puzzled as to why that is an option. Apparently there are extra steps involved to turn on the radar part of cruise control and they are not intuitively recognized. 
4. The interior sound when you floor the gas pedal is both loud and intoxicating. If I didn't have my wife in the car I would've heard this sound much more often. 😉
5. Handling was a good as can be expected from a heavy car. I understand that the 2021 LCs are a bit softer in the ride harshness department. Yes, the 21-inch wheels and tires certainly contributed to the stiff ride but I like it that way. 

All-in all, I had a great time in wine country, Temecula, visiting friends, relatives, and former coworkers on a Monday and Tuesday. The weather was picture perfect.
Here're some pics:

[Lexus Owners Club]

Nice one Dave.....completely and utterly jealous now 🙂

Looks superb with the wrap and shame that Lexus don't actually produced that colour scheme.
I too drove an LC500 for a day and totally agree with your review comments....it  really is a superb car and would absolutely go for one over other high-performance cars as it seemed totally useable as a daily driver as well as being able to 'produce the goods' when needed.

 

 

[Bykfixer]

My son rents sports cars for a day from time to time to see if he wants to buy it in 10 years when he can afford one. 

[Lexus Owners Club]

2 hours ago, Bykfixer said:

My son rents sports cars for a day from time to time to see if he wants to buy it in 10 years when he can afford one. 

That's a great idea Mike! 

I still don't think I could afford a sports car even in 10 years time 🙂

 

[RX400h]

10 hours ago, Lexus Owners Club said:

Nice one Dave.....completely and utterly jealous now 🙂

Looks superb with the wrap and shame that Lexus don't actually produced that colour scheme.
I too drove an LC500 for a day and totally agree with your review comments....it  really is a superb car and would absolutely go for one over other high-performance cars as it seemed totally useable as a daily driver as well as being able to 'produce the goods' when needed.

 

 

Absolutely, Trevor; it was somewhat similar to the Jaguar F-Sport I rented last year. Of course, the LC is a more reliable car, for sure.
Dave

[RX400h]

5 hours ago, Bykfixer said:

My son rents sports cars for a day from time to time to see if he wants to buy it in 10 years when he can afford one. 

Did he rent a McLaren 570? 😉
This 2018 LC is currently going for $75,000 or so, depending upon the mileage. However, at some point they will go for $50,000. Now if only the McLaren came down to that price! Once you have a Lexus for many years, you are spoiled when it comes to NOT having to fix or get things fixed every year or two.
This is how it is with Mazda Miatas and I may always have one in manual transmission form. They are like little toys that so much fun to drive.
The LC is a fantastic GT car, though. I would even consider the LC500h for its great fuel mileage and only a small amount of acceleration drop. 
 

[RX400h]

3 hours ago, Lexus Owners Club said:

That's a great idea Mike! 

I still don't think I could afford a sports car even in 10 years time 🙂

 

I'm sure you could afford a Miata, Trevor.😉

[Bykfixer]

He rents cars like Acuras, Hondas, Fords and Mazdas. He ended up buying a 12 year old Acura TL AWD with SH technology from the 5th generation Prelude where clutches up front bias torque applied to wheels in corners. 

Think turning a wheel chair at high speed. You would reduce the speed of the wheel to the inside. Honda uses sensors and clutches to reduce the speed of the inside wheel. 

[RX400h]

One of my uncles drove a tank in WWII. I still remember his telling me that the tank turned by stopping or slowing down one of the two tracks. My 2001 Corvette's active handling would apply hydraulic pressure to any wheel's calipers to ensure that the car's direction of forward travel was always where the steering wheel was pointed. It saved me a couple of times. Technology sure does progress over time.

[Lexus Owners Club]

On 5/28/2021 at 7:06 PM, RX400h said:

I'm sure you could afford a Miata, Trevor.😉

MX5 Eunos mk1 - close enough to the Miata .  what a superb little car it was, regret selling it as it was such good fun on the road and track 🙂

 

[RX400h]

Very nice! I'm sure another one is waiting for you. I may never NOT have one in the stable.
By the way, a friend I had many years ago during the early 80s had a Triumph TR7. That was a really fun car as well, although not quite as reliable as the 1990 Miata.

[Lexus Owners Club]

The TR7 was a very unreliable car as poor design but they did shoehorn a 215ci Buick V8 into them and renamed them TR8 which was fun in those days

[Bykfixer]

Was that before or after the SunBeam Tiger with it's Ford engine? 

[RX400h]

On 6/3/2021 at 6:04 AM, Lexus Owners Club said:

The TR7 was a very unreliable car as poor design but they did shoehorn a 215ci Buick V8 into them and renamed them TR8 which was fun in those days

Yes, as were all other Triumph cars that I can recall. I'm not sure if I ever saw the TR8 in person but I remember it being on the cover of Car & Driver magazine. I think it was an aluminum V8 and fairly lightweight.

Bykfixer, the TR8 went on sale sometime around 1978. 

Quote

The Sunbeam Tiger is a high-performance V8 version of the British Rootes Group's Sunbeam Alpine roadster, designed in part by American car designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby and produced from 1964 until 1967. Shelby had carried out a similar V8 conversion on the AC Cobra, and hoped to be offered the contract to produce the Tiger at his facility in the United States. Rootes decided instead to contract the assembly work to Jensen at West Bromwich in England, and pay Shelby a royalty on every car produced. Two major versions of the Tiger were built: the Mark I (1964–1967) was fitted with the 260 cu in (4.3 L) Ford V8; the Mark II, of which only 633 were built in the final year of Tiger production, was fitted with the larger displacement Ford 289 cu in (4.7 L) engine. Two prototype and extensively modified versions of the Mark I competed in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, but neither completed the race. Rootes also entered the Tiger in European rallies with some success, and for two years it was the American Hot Rod Association's national record holder over a quarter-mile drag strip. Production ended in 1967 soon after the Rootes Group was taken over by Chrysler, which did not have a suitable engine to replace the Ford V8. Owing to the ease and affordability of modifying the Tiger, there are few remaining cars in standard form.

 

[Lexus Owners Club]

On 6/5/2021 at 12:10 AM, Bykfixer said:

Was that before or after the SunBeam Tiger with it's Ford engine? 

That was after the Sunbeam TIger

[gentrion]

Never tried driving an LC500 but with your good experience, I would love to rent one someday.

[RX400h]

On 7/7/2021 at 7:26 AM, gentrion said:

Never tried driving an LC500 but with your good experience, I would love to rent one someday.

You'll love the uniqueness, power, sound, comfort, and attention. I had been checking turo ads for over one year before someone finally started renting this LC, here in San Diego. Check turo.com in your area; you never know when one will pop up.