By Staff Reporter

Being South African, the LC500 is not the first coupe that comes to mind when you think about luxurious  and powerful coupes but the LC500 deserves every little bit of your attention as it can get. To ensure it stays at the top of its game, Lexus has introduced subtle but key improvements to the flagship Lexus coupe.

Reduced weight and performance tweaks

The LC500 has shed nearly 10 kgs. This was achieved by using aluminum lower suspension arms, lighter suspension stabilizers with a hollow design and revised diameter, new high-strength coil spring material, and lighter 21-inch rear wheels.

The suspension also got some attention with absorber controls of the front suspension adjusted to increase the length of the stroke. This was followed by optimization in the bound stopper rigidity to help create a smoother overall suspension stroke. Rigidity has then increased in the rear stabilizers to enhance front turn-in ability to provide more linear steering input so the driver feels more connected to the road. All-in-all, Lexus says this will provide a smoother, softer stroke for enhanced connection to the road and overall feel for the driver.

To enhance things even further, Lexus has introduced Active Cornering Assist (ACA) in the stability control system. This new system helps control cornering by providing brake control to the inner wheels in accordance with lateral acceleration when G-force demands are greater during spirited driving.

Enhanced Transmission

The setup of the 10-speed automatic Direct-Shift transmission on the V8-powered LC500 has been improved to hold gears much longer when the driver gives a lot of throttle input. The car will also hit lower gears quicker to help with acceleration out of corners.

Exterior looks

Lexus has introduced two new exterior colours in the range, that is, Cadmium Orange and Nori Green Pearl. New 20-inch wheels with a Dark Graphic finish are now offered.

Interior

The infotainment is updated to accommodate Android (Apple Car Play was already on offer). In addition, Flare Red leather replaces Rioja Red leather hue. The Bespoke White leather trim gets a chop meanwhile.

Power

Power remains unchanged with the LC500 making 351 kW and 540 Nm from its 5,0 litre V8 engine. The coupe from Lexus does the 0-100 km sprint in just 4,7 seconds before achieving a top speed of 270km/h.

Pricing

The Lexus LC500 is priced from R1,991,400. The improved model is yet to arrive in Mzansi and we will let you know about its pricing when it get here.