[redhot47fla]

Originally Posted by city1991

That's pretty slick. What's the msrp on those?

The LC500 'vert MSRP is $101,100, and virtually all come loaded with the same appropriate options (upgraded seats, ventilation system, sound system, suspension, HUD, etc) that bring the sticker to about $112,000.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by redhot47fla

Perfect!

Yep, infrared/caramel with the sand top.

And yes, the sound is majestic!

I’ll remain plugged in here for some time. And thanks, Blooze, for the kind thoughts. I have a few miles still to go.

Perfect color combo! What many may not know here on the forum is that Infrared is the equivalent of a BMW Individual color. However, at ~$600 it's a bargain compared to the ~$2K I paid for the Tanzanite Blue on the M850i. Here's to many miles of smiles to go in that glorious LC500 convertible!

[Mgrae456]

Originally Posted by bloozemanAZ

Perfect color combo! What many may not know here on the forum is that Infrared is the equivalent of a BMW Individual color. However, at ~$600 it's a bargain compared to the ~$2K I paid for the Tanzanite Blue on the M850i. Here's to many miles of smiles to go in that glorious LC500 convertible!

I echo blooze's sentiment. Enjoy the car in good health.

[redhot47fla]

Day Two Report: We drove the LC500 'vert home from Jacksonville yesterday, about 160 miles, and I spent much of today configuring it and driving around town. Here are some initial impressions.

- Driveability: Delicious. The engine is throaty, responsive and without any hint of turbo lag, which makes sense since it's natural aspirated. The steering feels crisper, somehow sharper than my M850, which itself was crisp and sharp. I'd need more data, but I'm pretty sure the turning radius is wider than the M850s (with its rear steering).

- Cabin: It's snug. As expected, the backseat is unusable by humans of virtually any size and the trunk is severely limited in size. As mentioned by some here, the seats can be a problem. We find them comfortable, but the semi-rigid side bolsters enforce width limits - the seats will not be butt-friendly or hip-friendly to people of a certain size. Storage cubbies are scattered here and there, but it takes creativity to make the most of them. (I chose to store the owner manuals in the trunk rather than in the glove compartment, a first for me.) There is only one real cup holder; a small, square cubby in the center bundle can double as a cup holder when necessary. Wireless charging is not available and there is no natural place to settle your cell phone, which is remarkably stupid. However, the design, materials and workmanship of the entire cabin, from top to bottom, side to side, are exquisite. Absolutely first rate. Never seen or experienced anything like it. For me, that more than compensates for the limitations. Your mileage may vary.

- Apps, etc. - CarPlay and Android are bundled in. Can't speak to Android, but CarPlay integrates virtually automatically. Unfortunately, it must be wired into the car - it will not/cannot connect via Bluetooth. Given the cabin issues, this is inconvenient. OTOH, the embedded Lexus system easily receives, displays and responds to iPhone calls and texts (and maybe email) and I can easily Bluetooth music from the iPhone to the car, so I'm unlikely to be connecting often to CarPlay, which was my text-workaround go-to in the M850. Important: The LC's wi-fi system, satellite radio subscription, and iPhone app all linked up with me, the car, the Lexus computer farm, Venus and the universe all on the first try and with zero aggravation. I literally spent weeks trying to make that happen with each of the two M850s I owned. Lexus software engineers put to shame their BMW counterparts. (Cue blooze.)

- Audio system: Excellent. I know that Mark Levinson products are said not to be as great as they once were, but this system is just terrific - far superior to the Harman Kardon I had in the M850. I can't say how it might compare to the B&W,

- Infotainment: Yeah, that touchpad system kinda sucks, but once you figure it out, it's not as bad as many say, imo. When everything is configured (and I'm almost there), there should be little reason to dive back into that thing. And there are more hard buttons scattered around the dash than I expected. (LC defenders say a touch screen is not feasible because the reach is too long. It's not. I'm not particularly rangy or nimble and I could reach it - and, in fact, I keep doing so, only to be reminded of the futility of the gesture.)

- Customer relations: Out-freaking-standing. As I've mentioned, I finally found a veteran salesman and I couldn't be happier about that. Also, the dealership's equivalent of the BMW "Genius" actually knew what he was doing and provided instant and accurate advice every time I ran into a configuration problem. And...it's been years since I drove Lexuses...but, man, what a difference in the building itself. At the BMW dealerships we've visited, we were lucky to get a cup of coffee and a granola bar. This Lexus dealership has an actual cafe attached to the service department that offers not only complimentary coffee (six varieties of it) but also complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and lunch. We're thinking of selling the house and moving in.

I'm probably forgetting some things, but feel free to ask questions. To be clear, I am not advocating wholesale abandonment of BMW or the M850. No way. They're great cars and I'm glad I had a couple. I'm just offering some comparative info for anyone considering a move.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by redhot47fla

Day Two Report: We drove the LC500 'vert home from Jacksonville yesterday, about 160 miles, and I spent much of today configuring it and driving around town. Here are some initial impressions.

- Driveability: Delicious. The engine is throaty, responsive and without any hint of turbo lag, which makes sense since it's natural aspirated. The steering feels crisper, somehow sharper than my M850, which itself was crisp and sharp. I'd need more data, but I'm pretty sure the turning radius is wider than the M850s (with its rear steering).

- Cabin: It's snug. As expected, the backseat is unusable by humans of virtually any size and the trunk is severely limited in size. As mentioned by some here, the seats can be a problem. We find them comfortable, but the semi-rigid side bolsters enforce width limits - the seats will not be butt-friendly or hip-friendly to people of a certain size. Storage cubbies are scattered here and there, but it takes creativity to make the most of them. (I chose to store the owner manuals in the trunk rather than in the glove compartment, a first for me.) There is only one real cup holder; a small, square cubby in the center bundle can double as a cup holder when necessary. Wireless charging is not available and there is no natural place to settle your cell phone, which is remarkably stupid. However, the design, materials and workmanship of the entire cabin, from top to bottom, side to side, are exquisite. Absolutely first rate. Never seen or experienced anything like it. For me, that more than compensates for the limitations. Your mileage may vary.

- Apps, etc. - CarPlay and Android are bundled in. Can't speak to Android, but CarPlay integrates virtually automatically. Unfortunately, it must be wired into the car - it will not/cannot connect via Bluetooth. Given the cabin issues, this is inconvenient. OTOH, the embedded Lexus system easily receives, displays and responds to iPhone calls and texts (and maybe email) and I can easily Bluetooth music from the iPhone to the car, so I'm unlikely to be connecting often to CarPlay, which was my text-workaround go-to in the M850. Important: The LC's wi-fi system, satellite radio subscription, and iPhone app all linked up with me, the car, the Lexus computer farm, Venus and the universe all on the first try and with zero aggravation. I literally spent weeks trying to make that happen with each of the two M850s I owned. Lexus software engineers put to shame their BMW counterparts. (Cue blooze.)

- Audio system: Excellent. I know that Mark Levinson products are said not to be as great as they once were, but this system is just terrific - far superior to the Harman Kardon I had in the M850. I can't say how it might compare to the B&W,

- Infotainment: Yeah, that touchpad system kinda sucks, but once you figure it out, it's not as bad as many say, imo. When everything is configured (and I'm almost there), there should be little reason to dive back into that thing. And there are more hard buttons scattered around the dash than I expected. (LC defenders say a touch screen is not feasible because the reach is too long. It's not. I'm not particularly rangy or nimble and I could reach it - and, in fact, I keep doing so, only to be reminded of the futility of the gesture.)

- Customer relations: Out-freaking-standing. As I've mentioned, I finally found a veteran salesman and I couldn't be happier about that. Also, the dealership's equivalent of the BMW "Genius" actually knew what he was doing and provided instant and accurate advice every time I ran into a configuration problem. And...it's been years since I drove Lexuses...but, man, what a difference in the building itself. At the BMW dealerships we've visited, we were lucky to get a cup of coffee and a granola bar. This Lexus dealership has an actual cafe attached to the service department that offers not only complimentary coffee (six varieties of it) but also complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and lunch. We're thinking of selling the house and moving in.

I'm probably forgetting some things, but feel free to ask questions. To be clear, I am not advocating wholesale abandonment of BMW or the M850. No way. They're great cars and I'm glad I had a couple. I'm just offering some comparative info for anyone considering a move.

Fantastic and insightful review! Thanks.

I've only test driven one and I agree on the drop-dead gorgeous looks, materials, sound and overall feeling of e2e craftsmanship—wow! I'd honestly say it tops anything I've ever owned or driven bar none.

But I don't see how I can go from iDrive to Fisher Price overnight. The infotainment is, relatively speaking, laughable.

Performance is a big deal to me, too. Let's stop right there on that front.

All of that said, if I could transplant perhaps 2 of 3 M8 characteristics into that car-> well, I'd be sat in a mirror image of what sits in your garage.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

[Ozzie8]

Thanks redhot47fla for the cool review. I upgraded my wife's Lexus recently and got to sit inside your car and fire it up. Super gorgeous inside and out and engine sounded exquisite. I agree with your comments on the practicality of the interior and the Infotainment is from a Toyota Camry and is the same as my wife's Lexus and its from the Ark Age. Very very tempting nonetheless.

Enjoy your new treasure mate, wishing lots of cool drives.

[stein_325i]

Great update. I 100% agree about Lexus dealers, they are fantastic. One that I use to go to has a theater room with massage chairs and a cafe as well, it really is the best dealer and service experience out there.

[Wolfman64]

Congrats on your new car and thank you for your impressions!

Not a Lexus person myself but I find this one to be the best looking one from the line-up.
You may be able to use a cheap wireless converter to make CarPlay a bit more user friendly. Not quite as elegant as BMW's implementation but beats plugging in...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by redhot47fla

Day Two Report: We drove the LC500 'vert home from Jacksonville yesterday, about 160 miles, and I spent much of today configuring it and driving around town. Here are some initial impressions.


- Apps, etc. - CarPlay and Android are bundled in. Can't speak to Android, but CarPlay integrates virtually automatically. Unfortunately, it must be wired into the car - it will not/cannot connect via Bluetooth. Given the cabin issues, this is inconvenient. OTOH, the embedded Lexus system easily receives, displays and responds to iPhone calls and texts (and maybe email) and I can easily Bluetooth music from the iPhone to the car, so I'm unlikely to be connecting often to CarPlay, which was my text-workaround go-to in the M850. Important: The LC's wi-fi system, satellite radio subscription, and iPhone app all linked up with me, the car, the Lexus computer farm, Venus and the universe all on the first try and with zero aggravation. I literally spent weeks trying to make that happen with each of the two M850s I owned. Lexus software engineers put to shame their BMW counterparts. (Cue blooze.)

- Audio system: Excellent. I know that Mark Levinson products are said not to be as great as they once were, but this system is just terrific - far superior to the Harman Kardon I had in the M850. I can't say how it might compare to the B&W,

- Customer relations: Out-freaking-standing. As I've mentioned, I finally found a veteran salesman and I couldn't be happier about that. Also, the dealership's equivalent of the BMW "Genius" actually knew what he was doing and provided instant and accurate advice every time I ran into a configuration problem. And...it's been years since I drove Lexuses...but, man, what a difference in the building itself. At the BMW dealerships we've visited, we were lucky to get a cup of coffee and a granola bar. This Lexus dealership has an actual cafe attached to the service department that offers not only complimentary coffee (six varieties of it) but also complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and lunch. We're thinking of selling the house and moving in.

I'm probably forgetting some things, but feel free to ask questions. To be clear, I am not advocating wholesale abandonment of BMW or the M850. No way. They're great cars and I'm glad I had a couple. I'm just offering some comparative info for anyone considering a move.

Jumping in on the "cue". Yes, Lexus in the digital world vs BMW is a completely different experience. The catch-22 as you have found is that BMW is one of the few car manufactures that support wireless CarPlay (and now Android Auto). When I did my test drives of a LC500 that wasn't even a consideration but unfortunately your experience now proves it does not support wireless.

As for the audio system, all of my Lexus (including my outgoing GS430) had Mark Levinson audio. Lexus does it right and I did the same HiRez audio shootout in a LC500 as I did with the M850i. Obviously, I could not do side by side but from memory the Mark Levinson was fantastic but just needed a bit more volume to get it to open up vs the 40% on the B&W in the M850i.

Customer relations? With nearly 20+ years of Lexus vs my now 5 years with BMW there is absolutely no comparison. As posted before, my SA at Lexus would pick up my GS430 at the house in the "loaner", leave me said loaner and when the service was done come and swap out the cars. Seriously that is never ever going to happen in the BMW world.

[shachiku]

TBH, i think the 8 Series Coupe/Convertible is the 'least' special (in looks) among the 2-door competition.

The real reason I even gone for the 8 series was the GC version lol. The 4-door 8 Series imo is where its at.

There are way too many "cool" 2 doors out there for the 8 coupe/convertible to compete imo. But not so much for the GC.

[Ozzie8]

Originally Posted by shachiku

TBH, i think the 8 Series Coupe/Convertible is the 'least' special (in looks) among the 2-door competition.

The real reason I even gone for the 8 series was the GC version lol. The 4-door 8 Series imo is where its at.

There are way too many "cool" 2 doors out there for the 8 coupe/convertible to compete imo. But not so much for the GC.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

[FBMWWINS]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

No reason to be mad dude there are many that think otherwise and for one I think there is a more than decent portion of Convertibles and Couple owners in here (especially M850i-wise as well as some M8s). Actually and funny enough, when I bought my 6 series back in the days, it was clear for me the F06 was the way to go over the F12 and in the said case, I really thought the coupe was missing something in its lines. Thus the F06 was the clear choice as it appealed to me the most. With the 8 series it's exactly the opposite and I much prefer the "cut" version. There is no need to justify it or make one feel better than the other because as elementary as it sounds, in the end it's subjective and just personal taste. Unless I needed some REAR SEATS and more space as a whole, I'd have no reason to change, at least for now. That said, ALL 8 series for me are amazing looking beasts, regardless of model and engine.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by FBMWWINS

No reason to be mad dude there are many that think otherwise and for one I think there is a more than decent portion of Convertibles and Couple owners in here (especially M850i-wise as well as some M8s). Actually and funny enough, when I bought my 6 series back in the days, it was clear for me the F06 was the way to go over the F12 and in the said case, I really thought the coupe was missing something in its lines. Thus the F06 was the clear choice as it appealed to me the most. With the 8 series it's exactly the opposite and I much prefer the "cut" version. There is no need to justify it or make one feel better than the other because as elementary as it sounds, in the end it's subjective and just personal taste. Unless I needed some REAR SEATS and more space as a whole, I'd have no reason to change, at least for now. That said, ALL 8 series for me are amazing looking beasts, regardless of model and engine.

Errr, he's Australian… he was poking fun at it.

As to your opinion on the GC vs, Coupe:

[Ozzie8]

Originally Posted by FBMWWINS

No reason to be mad dude there are many that think otherwise and for one I think there is a more than decent portion of Convertibles and Couple owners in here (especially M850i-wise as well as some M8s). Actually and funny enough, when I bought my 6 series back in the days, it was clear for me the F06 was the way to go over the F12 and in the said case, I really thought the coupe was missing something in its lines. Thus the F06 was the clear choice as it appealed to me the most. With the 8 series it's exactly the opposite and I much prefer the "cut" version. There is no need to justify it or make one feel better than the other because as elementary as it sounds, in the end it's subjective and just personal taste. Unless I needed some REAR SEATS and more space as a whole, I'd have no reason to change, at least for now. That said, ALL 8 series for me are amazing looking beasts, regardless of model and engine.

Hey FBMWWINS - my angry face was kind of me poking fun at myself - that I bought the 8 Coupe! It goes to my deep seated inner anxiety - did I buy the right car, did I buy the right model, did I pay too much, should I get another one etc etc. Totally respect your opinion but as I have discovered it is the opposite of mine when it comes to BMW's. Not only did I buy the 8 Coupe my previous car was the 6 Gran Coupe!

[Ozzie8]

Originally Posted by limeypride

Errr, he's Australian… he was poking fun at it.

As to your opinion on the GC vs, Coupe:

You get me mate. I know I called you a prick a few hundred posts ago. But given your intervention here I will now have to call you a helpful prick.

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

You get me mate. I know I called you a prick a few hundred posts ago. But given your intervention here I will now have to call you a helpful prick.

I only wish I could double like this post.

[limeypride]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

You get me mate. I know I called you a prick a few hundred posts ago. But given your intervention here I will now have to call you a helpful prick.

Typical bloody Aussie—takes what we English create, makes it bigger and brand it their own… just behind bars. Wait, was I talking about Aussies or Americans—> same cars, different bars.

Love you both!

[FBMWWINS]

Originally Posted by Ozzie8

Hey FBMWWINS - my angry face was kind of me poking fun at myself - that I bought the 8 Coupe! It goes to my deep seated inner anxiety - did I buy the right car, did I buy the right model, did I pay too much, should I get another one etc etc. Totally respect your opinion but as I have discovered it is the opposite of mine when it comes to BMW's. Not only did I buy the 8 Coupe my previous car was the 6 Gran Coupe!

Must be some kind of telepathy then! Probably you inspired me from so far away as you did get the 8 series before me. Your statement is so true that some here might actually believe it. I totally understand you as I too ask myself some of those questions, but mostly which one will the next (BMW) be.