Lexus LC500H vs Aston Martin Vanquish

What's the difference?

A truly fuel-efficient performance car, who’d have thought? There are some obvious trade-offs for trying to exist in two seperate worlds, but the Lexus LC 500h largely handles its dual roles with aplomb.

The definition of luxury is having something you want, rather than something you need. And the Vanquish is definitely something you don’t need, but will desperately want once you’ve experienced it. It’s opulence on wheels, the kind of car you buy mostly because you can. Because owning a V8-powered Aston Martin wouldn’t cut it in your circle of friends. Or because you just want the very best things in life, cost be damned.

It's a little curious, the LC 500h. For mine, it's stunning from a distance. All gleaming alloys and bulging rear arches and sharp snout angled downward like its caught the scent of its prey.

But weirdly, it can start to look a little less impressive the closer you get to it - a little swollen and vague in its lines. It's very likely it's eye-of-the-beholder stuff (fellow CarsGuide scribe Richard Berry adores it from every angle, for example).

Inside, the front of the cabin is a busy but stylish space, with multiple textures layered on top of each other to produce a premium-feeling, sporty space. The low-feeling dash juts out, giving the front passengers an ensconced, cockpit feel.

Everything is predictably leather-wrapped and lovely, and while it's not as streamlined as, say, an Audi interior, it's not without a genuine sense of Japanese charm in the cabin.

While the engine is the unique heart of the Vanquish, the design is the first element that grabs your attention. Even for a brand renowned for its GT cars with imposingly long bonnets, the Vanquish stands out.

That’s because the designers deliberately added 80mm of space between the front axle and the A-pillar (the front windscreen pillar) to elongate the bonnet even more for what it calls a “rakish and indulgent” profile. 

The lines flow across the length of the Vanquish, from its trademark grille to its Kamm Tail, giving it a look that is somehow simultaneously classically Aston Martin - with elements of its multiple generations of GT cars - while also being contemporary. 

Some of the modern touches are derived from Formula One, as the brand looks to leverage its racing team, with bonnet louvres to help cool the engine without unsettling the air-flow too much.

Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman calls the Vanquish “an iconic halo model” and explained the design was deliberately pushing “beyond the expected, rational, and thoughtful.” Which sums up this dramatic piece of automotive art quite nicely.

It's not really. Especially in the backseats, which would make more sense if they were painted on. I'm no giant, but even my 175cm-tall head was pushed into the ceiling, and while there’s ample shoulder space for two adults, you’re unlikely to be able to convince two to get back there. 

Lexus has included something called the "Easy Access" function for 2020, which sees the front seats slide forward automatically to help with accessing the rear seats, and they do lower the Cirque du Soleil antics required to get back there, but this realistically not a car for carrying more than two adults, save an emergency. There are two ISOFIX attachment points in the rear, so child seats can be locked in there. 

That's not necessarily a drawback, though. This is a two-door sporty coupe, after all, and elsewhere, the sizeable dimensions (4770mm length x 1920mm width x 1345mm height) provide plenty of space for up-front riders.

You'll also find hidden cupholders, bottle holders in the doors, and all the power and connection points you need. 

A word on the tech, though. The LC 500h is crying out for a touch screen, though the brand's traditional mousepad system is improving.

Despite measuring nearly five metres long, the Vanquish is a surprisingly small car from a practicality perspective. Because the added wheelbase is ahead of the cabin, it remains strictly a two-seater, with no room for rear passengers.

There’s limited small item storage, too, aside from a couple of cupholders and a lidded console box. Although, on the plus side, the lack of rear seats creates room for some small shelves in case you need to store some loose items.  

It also has a surprisingly small 248-litre boot, which means limited storage for anything, including luggage, for a road trip in what would otherwise be a great road trip car.

As for the multimedia system, while not at the cutting edge (although Aston Martin will debut Apple CarPlay Ultra in its DBX model) the system works well for this type of car.

It’s unlikely too many under 25s will be grabbing this $700K luxury GT, so the fact the media system has a touchscreen and an array of physical buttons is a welcome detail.

As for the 1170-watt, 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system, it performs incredibly well, as you would probably expect. Like the car it has loads of power but excellent attention-to-detail with fantastic clarity, too.

The Vanquish sits at the top of the range for now, at least until the new Valhalla supercar arrives in Australia, and has an eye-watering starting price of $737,000.

Not only does that not include on-road costs, which will likely push the price closer to seven-figures, there’s also the plethora of options and customisation you can choose from that will add to the amount you pay.

Not that the standard specification is bad. For $700K you do get 21-inch alloy wheels, carbon ceramic brakes, 16-way adjustable sports seats, keyless ignition, a 10.2-inch touchscreen multimedia display, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, wireless phone charging and a 1170-watt 15-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.

Of course, on top of all that you get a bespoke chassis and a unique twin-turbo V12 engine, that puts the Vanquish in the same class as the Ferrari 12Cilindri, which starts at $803,500 - making the Aston Martin look competitive. 

The LC 500h is powered by a hybrid setup that combines a 3.5-litre V6 engine with a 650-volt "Lexus Hybrid Drive" system and a lithium-ion battery. That setup delivers 264kW of power, and somewhere north of 350Nm in torque when the engine and motor outputs combine.

That power is sent to the rear wheels via a CVT automatic, and will produce a sprint to 100km/h of around 5.0 seconds. 

According to Lexus, 10 clear improvements were made the way the 2020 LC 500h drives, including a new transmission tune, more structural bracing added for rigidity, new suspension components and spring rates, and altered stabiliser bars. 

Has it made a difference? Read on. 

The engine is undoubtedly the star attraction of the Vanquish, with the twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 being the last of its kind in the British brand’s line-up now that the DB12 has switched to an AMG-sourced twin-turbo V8. 

While that engine is arguably better with its excellent performance, smaller dimensions and lighter weight, the fact remains that for many of Aston Martin’s long-time buyers, it’s V12 or nothing.

It also helps that the V12 produces an extremely potent 614kW and 1000Nm, which is way ahead of the 611kW/678Nm the Ferrari 12Cilindri makes. So you get bragging rights at the golf club with your Ferrari mates.

The engine features a unique titanium exhaust and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transaxle that drives the rear wheels.

That is enough to propel the Vanquish to a top speed of 345km/h, making it the fastest production car the brand has ever produced, with a 3.3 second 0-100km/h time.

Lexus says the LC 500h will sip 6.8 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle - very impressive for what is ostensibly a performance coupe - and emit 152g/km. 

The LC 500h is equipped with an 82-litre fuel tank. 

To say the Vanquish isn’t the most fuel frugal vehicle on the market is an obvious statement, but even its claimed 13.7L/100km is best described as optimistic.

That’s not surprising given its size and performance, but with an 82-litre fuel tank that’s a driving range of less than 600km, at best.

In the real world, during our time in the Vanquish, the car’s trip computer was indicating that we stayed in the high teens; although that featured limited freeway/extra-urban driving.

There’s something very strange about hitting the start button in what is ostensibly a sports car, and being greeted not by the bark of an exhaust, but by the gentle whirring on the car’s electronics coming to life.

But then, the Lexus LC500h is not your average performance car.

It essentially trades the out-and-out grunt of its V8-powered sibling (which produces a monstrous 351kW and 540Nm) for a kind of best-of-both-worlds approach that pairs the punch of the V6 engine with the fuel efficiency of a hybrid powertrain. 

If that sounds like an compromised approach to pure performance, you're right. But reframe the way you look at the LC 500h and it all starts to make a bit more sense.

Remember, this isn't a track-attack weapon, but a potent on-road bruiser, and the flow of power on offer always feels ample, and you never want for too much more off-the-line pace on public roads. 

Among the biggest selling points of the LC 500h is the sheer distance between its various personalities. Engage Eco, or even Normal, drive modes, and it’s a quiet, mostly very comfortable (though it can be unsettled by bigger bumps) kilometre-eater, but engage Sport or Sport Plus and it rightly transforms into something significantly angrier.

It might not be the absolute sharpest tool in the performance car shed, but the LC 500h does bristle nicely when those modes are engaged, the hybrid factor seemingly replaced by a satisfyingly meaty exhaust note and an accelerator that’s suddenly far more sensitive to the touch.

The steering feel is nice and the inputs direct, but there is something about the car’s 1980kg weight that doesn’t inspire the deepest of confidence, at least not on the rain-slicked roads we were travelling along .

A pure performance coupe? Perhaps not. But a sporty, stylish and, when you want it to be, comfortable cruiser with the ability to turn the volume up when you come across a twisting road? Bingo.

As cars go, few can match what the Vanquish offers. Even in my 20+ years of driving every type of car imaginable, the Vanquish stands out as being something distinct, bold and special.

Sitting behind the wheel, the bonnet looks like it stretches out to the horizon and you feel like you’re sitting on the back axle of the car. And yet, when you start driving, the Vanquish feels like it shrinks around you.

At normal speeds it feels like a classic grand tourer, relaxed, refined and easy to drive. Obviously it's a firmer ride than your average luxury car, but that’s a small price to pay for the breadth of capability this car offers. 

Because once you get out of the urban environment, the Vanquish becomes something else entirely. On a winding road this British beast is surprisingly agile for such a big car.

The steering feels direct and the front end responds with much more precision and poise than you should reasonably expect from a car with such an exaggerated bonnet.

No, it doesn’t have the dynamic aggression the more compact Vantage offers, but it manages to take elements of that car and combine it with the GT nature of the DB12 to give you the best of both Aston Martin’s coupes.

Of course, the catch is it’s much too fast for Australian roads and isn’t really designed to be a track day car, so in Australia - without autobahns or more liberal views on speeding - the Vanquish in many respects doesn’t make sense.

But that is arguably its driving essence, you buy it because you know what it’s capable of, even if you’ll rarely use it, and that is an absolute luxury.

There’s no ANCAP rating given the extreme low-volume nature of the Vanquish. However, it does come with complete airbag coverage for both occupants and a laundry list of safety acronyms.

These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning (FCW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), traffic sign recognition (TSR), lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW), blind spot assist (BSA) and rear cross-traffic assist (RCTA).

In addition there’s driver attention assist, to make sure you stay alert in such an expensive machine, and door exit assist, so you don’t open the long doors into a passing car or cyclist.

Importantly, none of these systems are intrusive or annoying, so credit to Aston Martin for integrating them smoothly.

So, to ownership. Let's start with the basics first, before we move onto the new Encore Platinum benefits. 

The LC 500h is covered by a four-year/100,000km warranty, and servicing (capped for three years at $595 a pop) is required every 15,000km.

You will know already the Lexus's stellar Encore ownership program includes handy features like valet (pick-up and drop-off) servicing, but the new Encore Platinum level for owners of its more exclusive models unlocks some seriously cool stuff. 

One is a new On Demand service, which allows owners to book a different style of car when heading off on a holiday or business trip. So, say you own the LC 500h, but want to take the family to the snow and need a seven-seat 4WD like the RX L, then Lexus will lend you one at no charge, which you can keep for eight days.

The loans are available in your state or somewhere else in Australia if you're travelling, with your car waiting for you at Qantas Valet for you when you arrive. 

The One Demand service is available on four occasions over your first three years of ownership (which is also the length of the Encore Platinum membership). 

The Platinum level also provides eight examples of free valet parking at select shopping centres, as well as hotel and restaurant benefits, and invitations to Lexus' drive days around the country.

Despite the extraordinary price tag the Vanquish is covered by a very standard three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. It’s a surprising, and some might argue disappointing, short period of coverage for a car that is not only expensive but should have a long life.

However, it does redeem itself in some way by including the first five years of servicing into the cost of the car. Ferrari offers seven for its models, so Aston Martin is still behind the market, but included servicing feels right for a car costing nearly $1 million once you put it in traffic.