Lighter, lither Lexus LC 500 and 500h revealed

MANILA: Just three years after its launch, Lexus tweaks its already sexy grand tourer to a more improved version by making it lighter and giving it upgraded components.

While the sheet metal itself doesn’t get any upgrade, it does receive two new colors, Cadmium Orange and Nori Green Pearl (it now have 11 total body colors), and a refreshed 20-inch forged alloy wheel with Dark Graphite finish.

Engineers saved 22 lbs. by giving the car aluminum lower suspension arms, lighter suspension stabilizers with a hollow design and revised diameter, and new high-strength coil spring material.

After taking away the unsprung weight, the electronic absorber controls of the front suspension were adjusted to increase the length of the stroke before optimizing the bound stopper rigidity to help create a smoother overall suspension stroke. Rigidity was 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.

Vehicle stability control (VSC) with active cornering assist (ACA) was added as well to help the vehicle control cornering by providing brake control to the inner wheels in accordance with lateral acceleration when G-force demands are greater during spirited driving.

Logic changes to the 10-speed automatic direct-shift transmission on the V8-powered LC 500 were implemented to allow the engine revs to expand in the 50-to070% throttle range to accentuate the feeling of acceleration before shifting into the next gear.

Engineers also updated the downshifting model on the 500h multi-stage hybrid system, as it now will downshift into second gear instead of third to allow for smoother operation and more robust acceleration out of hairpin turns.

In the cabin, a new color scheme has been added, Circuit Red Leather, which makes it three all in all.

The 10.3-inch multimedia display has also been updated to give it Android Auto connectivity. Along with the preexisting Apple CarPlay, it now will allow 100% of the population with mobile devices to connect natively to the infotainment system.

Also read: Lexus ‘stimulates the senses’ at Milan Design Week