ENGINEER EXPLAINS MEANING OF SPORTS CAR - AMG SL63 vs PORSCHE 911 vs LEXUS LC 500
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2024
- Can the Lexus LC 500 truly compete with the likes of Porsche 911 and Mercedes AMG SL63? Is the Lexus LC 500 a true sports car? What about the all-new Mercedes-AMG SL 63? And are either the LC 500 or the SL 63 as good as the leader of the pack, Porsche 911? Automotive Engineer David Chao explains what defines a truly great sports car, and then goes on to rank the Lexus LC, Porsche 911 and AMG SL 63 against each other based on these criteria.
Automotive Press is owned and managed by David Koichi Chao, a global expert in the field of automotive evaluation, engineering, and strategy. With over 35 years of engineering experience, David is able to review vehicles from unique perspectives utilizing technical and specialized methods. David is a board member and a director at AJAC (Automobile Journalist Association of Canada).
David is known around the world as an authentic specialist of Lean/Agile Thinking, and travels all around the world to review vehicles and teach latest engineering methods. Born and raised in Japan, David has an engineering degree from University of British Columbia and post-graduate education from MIT and Harvard Business School in Boston. - Авто та транспорт
I have owned an LC 500 for about a year now and it continues to surprise me with its agility and handling when driven hard. I still define it as a GT though. If you get one make sure it has the dynamic handling package.
As a LC500 owner- I agree 😀
I own a 997 911 Turbo but have a ton of respect for Lexus in general and the LC500 in particular. It terms of performance the 911 Turbo is way beyond the LC500, but now that I’m in my 50s I use it more as a GT car where the LC500 excels. I’m not ready to give up my 911 but I see an LC500 in my future. Enjoy your awesome car
? LC500 never have option for Torque Vectoring sys included in all GSF? Curious how options for LC500 feel in comparison on canyon road. GSF very entertaining in curves but daily it’s a bit too hard whereas base 911 n Boxster suspensions soak up nicely. I suspect LC500 could replace 3 of my cars pretty well, but until I gotta divest, spares for kids to learn with :-)
Great review! Lexus LC 500 is the best option and best for long term ownership!
With any class or purpose a vehicle is built to fulfill, I tend to (late in life, admittedly) go for those which require fewer visits to the shop. Ergo, the Lexus works best for me. Not only have I heard the horror stories regarding Porche maintenence, but I spent 19 years managing Mercedes-Benz dealer shops and building my annual budget projections using some pretty stiff charges for routine maintenance. Not as extreme as Ferrari or Porsche, but still catering to our professional and entrepenurial customers.......
I love your reviews. I hope you become the NEW UA-cam STAR! No music, no promoting used cars, etc. Thank you, Sir.
David, this was a great analysis of the three vehicles. The first time that I drove the 911 it was an incredible driving experience. The handling, the engine, especially the cornering was incredible. That would be my top choice. The Mercedes is wonderful, however, to drive every day would definitely be the Lexus.
Give me LC500 Convertible for everyday driving and weekend fun! You really don’t need a rocket on today’s roads! With the LC you get comfy driving pleasure and realizability!
David I really enjoy your contents. Great job👍. Don't forget to talk about the weight of the vehicles, it affects the overall experience
Cost of ownership and reliability would make me choose the LC500. If I had more money than sense I might take the Merc. Thank you.
Terrific, detailed analysis.
Once again, great analysis that leads everyone to their own conclusion, based on their circumstances you’ve defined so well. The LC500’s exhaust note definitely calls for a convertible. 💯 19:55
I sold my 911 and went with a 2024 LC500 convertible. Couldn’t be happier. Fun to drive and eats the miles. Six hours and you still feel great.
i agree with everything except calling a 911 turbo a sports car. Lets be honest thats a super car in a suit
….there is no substitute.
Hi David, I’m looking to purchase a 2024 bespoke LC convertible I cannot add the torsion diff or the Yamaha damper. Can you confirm if this is already included in bespoke package ?
I'm curious about your criticism of the LC steering feel. Is that of the variable ratio steering on the performance pack? Because I find that to be really well weighted and responds very well. I drove a 996 and a 997 turbo recently and would say that I prefer the feel of the LC even if it is a bit number overall.
Man, I don’t know. I have a 997 Turbo and my friend has an LC500 with the variable ratio steering and it miles behind the 997. I love the LC500 and I will eventually sell the 911 and move into an LC500 as a more luxurious, comfortable GT car, but in terms of steering, handling, agility, quickness, speed, braking, etc. the 911 Turbo a far superior.
David, I will take the LC. 😁
Great video. Thank you.
I would have loved if you were able to drive the 911 though. I did appreciate you covering all three vehicles comfort and ride because who wants to bounce around all especially with a passenger who gets bounced around unless you want her to bounce around. 🤓😁
Car handling is a LOT more than the steering. It is about torque vectoring, managing body roll, managing drag, over steering, under steering, and a few or things.Also, I have driven Alpha Romeo, thy are no glittery at all. on highway. I’ve opened it up.
I too have a ‘23 LC500 Convertible. I can’t imagine it being any better than it is . Love it even when it’s sitting in the garage 🏖️
Nice review David! All 3 are great, but if I had the means, I'd buy a 992/911 GTS with the manual transmission. I wouldn't buy the 911 Turbo as it's too expensive, the SL is up there in price as well and I'm not sold on long term newer MB reliability and depreciation.I cant imagine the repair cost for all that fancy MB technology once it glitches....The LC on the other hand is a nice design, but a little subtle as a true sports car IMO, though the price range of the LC is right on target.
Man, I love that blue color on the Mercedes.
Excellent video and explanation! This definitely helps my decision. I am really liking the LC500 for the price point but I think it is a little under powered.
Remember that the 911 came come with 4WD/AWD, manual or automatic. The 911 has many more options than the others, and they all have the same quality & reliability. Personally, I love the Alfa/Romeo 4C.
Great insight David. I have own 911GT3 and S560 Cabrio, your video makes me wonder if LC500 would be a better/comparable choice?
Lexus F motor V8 makes epic sounds 3800rpm+, I take mine there and short shift at 6000 rpm just to hear it make those sounds again. That said, a 911 is not to be forsaken as one day on an autocross and another on track (4x30 min sessions) will attest.
I have a 911 Turbo and have driven my buddies top of the line LC500 on a road trip from Austin to Pensacola to attend FloraBama.. The LC500 cabin is an amazing place to be, but it terms of performance it is slow and handles very poorly compared any 911, but particularly the higher end versions. If I was going to drive 6+ hours, I’d rather do it an LC500, but for less than 6 hours, the 911 is just simply a much much better sports car.
Hi David,
Outstanding analysis of the three vehicles … I thought the MERCEDES BENZ would’ve been better to compare with the Porsche since they are both sports cars… I feel in my opinion that the LC 500 is the best grand tour in the world… considering the looks fit and finish reliability and dependability and overall value… Respectfully, I put the LC 500 number one… they are all vehicles but my heart belongs to Lexus and the Tara factory and Moto Machi factory🇯🇵❤️🤍🌎
I always wanted the 911 GTS, but the dealers are playing hard to get any allocation. Some want $40k to $50k over msrp here in California. I went ahead and ordered the 2024 LC500 bespoke and should be here in a month.
The 911 4S cabriolet is the real competitor to the SL63, when optioned out both will go out the door at 195k. MSRP is misleading because 911 has everything as an option, where SL63 comes loaded to begin with. Have a 22 SL63 and absolutely love it. But I am appreciated that all of these are too much car for the road and you can have a lot of fun with much less power. Not that I mind having the extra power in your back pocket.😉
Please compare the Lexus IS's steering vs its competition.
911 is the ultimate sports car but the LC for economic reasons and ultimate long term reliability.
Great analysis. A true sports car comes with a MT ONLY.
Your explanation of handling is very clear, but wouldn't you include things like g-forces in turns and recoveries from fish-tails or drifts, and the car's responsiveness to get into those? I'm not a racer by any means (very few are) but I have always been amazed at rally racers, or off-road racers in their tiny little 600HP cars who execute amazing maneuvers around corners, taking their cars airborne over jumps. My guess is that their cars must be very well balanced! Wouldn't that be "handling"? I have driven a car that seemed to want to continue even a small fish-tail (a light rear end), and that made it difficult to handle. On a small patch of sand I almost went off the road at only 30mph. On snow, it was useless.
Please note: the LC is not a sports car. I don’t believe it was ever designed to be that way. Owning a 23 Convertible I can say that I believe it to be GT, okay be sporty but not a sports car.🏖️
Sport cars are for people who already have another bigger car in garage for family use. Fun dynamic should matter more than reliability since you won’t drive it often as the family car you have. If you can only afford to own one car, get an SUV, not a sport car for reliability.
But i dont have a family
Lc all the way 💪
I hope you would review Alfa Romeo
For everyday use without headaches without empty your wallet is Lexus lc 500 any day.
sports cars can do autocross well, grand tourers not so well; meanwhile, grand touring fab for road trips even with 10 min curvy sections while sports cars become a bit tiresome (911 manual and GSF driver here).
Agreed. My daily driver is a 997 911 Turbo and I love it, but for anything over 5 or 6 hours, the LC500 is a very nice place be.
Only one SL generation came with hydraulic rack and pinion steering, the R230 -from 2001-2012. The AMG's of the period even had a more road feel focused tune called "AMG Direct Steer; the system continually varies the steering ratio depending on the front wheel angle, speed and load forces on the suspension components". Updated to state of the art tires like Michelin Cup2's, the steering feel and handling is even more rewarding than today's electrically steered SL63 and of course are quicker.
Have you driven the new SL63 in Race or even in Sport+ mode? The R230 never comes even close to this or the performance/handling. The R232 is lightyears ahead. I think you don't understand what happened with the SL when AMG took over development. The R232 is no typical "old school" SL anymore.
Your often mentioned costs, so your choice is too fine a LC500.
I have a 2016 Benz E 400 Convertible and I have similar reviews about my car as those cars...
I love dropping the top taking useless driving trips just for the satisfaction.
But because of affordability I do want to upgrade its too a 2019-2021 AMG 63 CONVERTIBLE.
good god, that huge iPad sitting in the middle of the AMG SL63's cabin... what the hell?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?
I am 53 years old. In my opinion, there are TWO separate cars: Hot Rods & Sports cars. To me, a "hot-rod" is a sedan with 4 seats or 2+2 and a "sports car" is purely a 2-seater. Think of Dodge Demon vs. a Mazda Miata. A sports car to me is always small and light, and cares about light weight instead of horsepower. Also, a top coming off adds to a sports car feeling.
Yea, but a 911 Turbo will cook a Demon in any 1/4 mile street race and the Demon doesn’t even need to show up if there’s a turn, let alone on a track. Don’t get me wrong, on a very high quality 1/4 drag circuit, the Demon will win, but anything less than that the Demon loses.
I appreciate the thoughts from your perspective, but I didn't feel any more convinced the Porsche or Merc are any better than a great GT car. Steering feel or speed for example I don't think dramatically improves the driving experience especially if most of your driving is on public roads and not a track.
Mate, you only need 30 seconds driving a Porsche on public roads to know it is a far superior sports than an LC500. Don’t get me wrong, I love LC500s and when I want a pure GT car, I will trade in my 911 Turbo, but an LC500 is slow, lethargic, and handles like a barge compared to a 911.
Drive a ND2 miata..... it will change your understanding of a sport car.
There simply is no substitute
911: One car to rule them all
can you please review Tesla cars?
This is the closest the SL has been to the 911.
Agreed. I have owned 13 Porsche, half of them 911s. The new SL63 is VERY close to the 911, very good job AMG.
lexus
Where is the Lexus lc500 built?
Japan
@@clays1507 thank you
no manual? Is it really a sports car.
owning manual 911 and Lexus GSF (auto matic, same V8 as LC), I can say not shifting on an autocross or tight track is helpful. Going through canyon roads and mtn passes, having a manual is great!
Come on, David, give us some information on the 2024 4Runner.
You're doing this a disservice by not mentioning anything. We rely on you!!
Let me work on a new video on the new 4Runner....!
@@AutomotivePress Outstanding Sir!! we are all excited thank you!!
good info .. on the contrary Mercedes has lost its classic interior feel !
The answer is no!! Lol
I think what it boils down to is this: which car will be desirable 10-20 years from now? Depreciation. Which is more rare? It doesn't matter which is faster. Aging matters.
Thus…the 911 is the choice…depending on the model. In this video…then it is the 911 without a doubt. Great video and thank you for creating.
I hate Mercedes dashboard
Lexus for me
None of those are sports cars