DRIVEN: Lexus LC500h Does It Have What It Takes To Challenge Aston Martin?

Ask a New Yorker in the middle of midtown rush hour about how they interpret the phrase “time is money” and chances are you’ll be brushed off with a rude look. Even in the city where money talks and sleep is cast into the “nobody got time fo’ that” heap, New Yorkers know that no amount of money can buy back time wasted on unimportant things like our questions. Money can, however, make the short time we have on this Earth a better one, and the Big Apple’s affinity with the LC500h that Lexus lent us is proof of that.

The effect the LC's body has on a street-bound audience does wonders to justify its six-figure sticker price. Yes, you read that right. You can thank $11,100 of optional doodads for helping our hybrid test car blow past its $96,510 base price and reach the $100k+ finish line. Included with our LC was a performance package that bathes the interior in alcantara accents, adds rear-wheel steering, an active rear spoiler, variable gear ratio steering, and then replaces the roof and door sills with carbon fiber. A 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system and a convenience package that bundles driver aids like intuitive park assist, rear cross traffic alert, and blind spot monitoring all ballooned the price further.
Read Article

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 4/10/2018 12:41:17 PM

0 Boost

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder always, but in a blind test based solely on numbers, yes this Lexus and a DB11 are similar. From a market and buyer segmentation angle, nobody shopping at the Aston Martin dealer is going to look at this car. They may not even know it exists. A buyer with $275-$350k CAD for a DB11 in Toronto isn't looking at cars at $100k-$120k. This same logic would hold for condos, boats, cottages etc. People don't cross shop like that.

jameswisrik - 4/10/2018 8:07:46 PM

+3 Boost

I would have both in my garage.

cidflekken - 4/10/2018 1:34:14 PM

+1 Boost

I've seen a few LCs strutting around town and there just seems to be something missing about it. Honestly can't put my finger on it. The high-buck dealerships are right up the street from me and every time I pass the Aston dealership, those car look like a million bucks. The LC doesn't carry that same panache. The front-end looks great, but the rest of the design is underwhelming, especially the rear end. And I've seen it in black, silver, white, a dark red/brown, and blue. It's one of the few cars that looks better in photos than it does in person.

PUGPROUD - 4/10/2018 3:30:58 PM

+1 Boost

I cannot imagine a potential Aston Martin buyer cross shopping a car at half the price. The panache, heritage and brand snobbery are leagues apart.

carloslassiter - 4/10/2018 3:54:00 PM

-3 Boost

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read on here, and that's saying something for a site in which Darringer and that other crazy guy are regular contributors.

It would be like cross shopping Rolex and Seiko watches and trying to argue that the Seiko keeps time just as well. Of course it does, and that's utterly irrelevant.

TomM - 4/10/2018 6:18:53 PM

+3 Boost

I have learned that the HEADLINES from this site are often completely disengaged from the content of the articles - often fail to actually mirror the articles purpose - and In at least some cases - seem to be a real "reach" in the questions they propose - as if the the headlines are written independently from the rest of the posts.

IF I were a conspiracy theorist - I would suggest that this particular headline question was a result of some "payola" of some type - and while I am not actually accusing anyone - it is clear that the AGENTS are NOT THAT STUPID that they would even consider a Lexus to be a competitor to an Aston - and of course - we all know they are NOT. And while there are several people who post here who exhibit a real abiding support for particular manufacturers - they are already well known to us - and we can consider their responses based on their overall posts and reputations from those posts.

And then - there are times when I think they are just posting this nonsense to see if any of us are still alive!!!! - but for no other obvious reason other than maybe a slow news day.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 4/10/2018 5:55:06 PM

0 Boost

I would likely bet that of the reasons for buying a DB11 listed 1-10, being the Bond car brand ranks up in the top 3, if not the top 2. An Aston Martin is not a rational purchase. You buy it so when you suit up in your tuxedo for a night at a gala with your spouse....You are James Bond. And no other car, from any other maker, at any price, can give you that feeling.

You only live twice, or so it seems
One life for yourself, and one for your dreams
You drift through the years and life seems tame
Till one dream appears and love is its name
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone
This dream is for you, so pay the price
Make one dream come true, you only live twice
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone
This dream is for you, so pay the price
Make one dream come true, you only live twice

garysandiego - 4/16/2018 11:01:58 PM

+1 Boost

I never before paid attention to the lyrics of "You Only Live Twice". It's quite a poem!

Now, back to cars...

MDarringer - 4/10/2018 7:16:51 PM

+1 Boost

The answer is "no", this is not an Aston Martin, but this comparison is like asking is Rihanna is a better singer than Beyonce. For some yes and for some no. I'd go with the Lexus in a heartbeat.

CANADIANCOMMENTS - 4/10/2018 8:36:49 PM

+1 Boost

The rational choice. And your accountant would agree. Benz parts aside, nobody wants to know the names of the service managers kids.

MDarringer - 4/10/2018 9:51:03 PM

0 Boost

When the wife took her Lexus in for an oil change, she fell in love with the LC. I could make her very happy by getting her one, but she's perfectly outfitted for cars at the moment (Lexus and Escalade). I'm the one suffering with my Shelby and no company car at the moment. I'm sure TheSteve feels my pain. The Shelby is a pain in the ass on the 405 so I've been driving a Jensen on my weekly excursion to the south coast. I miss the Continental. It's a barge, but I loved it.

PS: I'd also choose Rihanna.

supermoto - 4/11/2018 11:11:20 AM

+1 Boost

No chance. It's like asking if a buyer of a Patek grand complication would consider a Seiko.

skytop - 4/11/2018 7:01:58 PM

0 Boost

Looks like any other supermarket driven Lexless automobile. BLAH