Uniqueness seems to be a rare trait in the new car market. Considering how homogeneous design has become, it’s not too often you see something that truly looks different from everything else on the road, as well as within its class, that’s currently on-sale as new.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with modern sports cars and grand tourers. Their slick, long, low-slung shapes soldier on as the keepers of striking and unique automotive design, and will continue to look good for decades to come. Like the A90 2022 Toyota Supra 2.0 - in 10-to-15 years, I believe we’ll look back on that and think that it really was a breath of fresh air.

Though, that’s not the best example, nor is it the most unique. Neither is anything out of Europe at any price point. No, the most unique, striking, and refreshing fare on sale today is by Toyota’s luxury sub-brand: The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Coupe.

Especially if it’s a 2022 luxury car that's painted in such a gorgeous color as Nori Green Pearl, such as this example I had the privilege of wheeling around for a whole week. But the uniqueness doesn’t end with its design, as it’s also a solid luxury grand tourer, with handling and performance that you wouldn’t expect from something of its ilk.

The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Coupe starts at $93,050. This example has $15,620 in options, including Lexus’ latest Bespoke Build Package, and after a $1,075 delivery fee comes out to $109,745.

One Of The Greatest Naturally-Aspirated V8s Of All Time

To the casual onlooker, it’s not immediately apparent what lives under the hood of the LC 500’s massive grand-tourer befitting-hood. Plus, considering the amount of cash that it commands and the bespoke interior appointments that it offers, you would think there’d be some restraint and refinement engineered into the way it propels forward. Luckily, that couldn’t be further from reality.

Sending 471 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels is Lexus’ beloved eight-cylinder masterpiece, the 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE. It’s been in the brand’s lineup in one LC trim or another since the beginning, and has made quite an impression bolted up underneath the track weapon in the RC F, and also in the IS 500 we recently reviewed. It's also in the GS F and IS F. It’s refined in the sense that it quickly and smoothly revs up to its 7,200 RPM redline. Instead, it’s a ravenous power plant capable of shoving the 4,340-pound coupe to 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds, all while singing one of the greatest bass-filled V8 symphonies, ever.

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You wouldn’t expect the opulent LC 500 to produce such a tone. But it does, and is it brilliant. Once the tach needle passes 4,000 RPM, the revs and exhaust gain exponentially more vibrant, and if you’re lucky enough to pass through a tunnel along the way, it’s a good idea to drop the windows and listen to all thirty-two valves inside the 2UR-GSE go to work.

Those same valves also actuate as if they’re directly attached via linkage to your right foot, with no electronics or throttle body in-between. The 2UR-GSE’s response is some of the best I’ve ever experienced behind the wheel of a high-end sports car/grand-tourer. Every millimeter of pedal movement instantaneously reflects a congruous amount of change in RPM, which makes inputs in the most fun scenarios, such as on a twisty mountain road, an utter riot.

One Athletic Brute

The 2022 Lexus LC 500’s overall dimensions and curb-weight don’t exactly allude to it being a solid twisty road contender. Neither do the 245/45/20 front and 275/40/20 Bridgestone rear touring tires, which are great for highway comfort, but not exactly meant to hold the portly brute tightly against the tarmac when the G-meter begins to swing out wide.

Nevertheless, the LC is quite impressive when the road goes anywhere but straight. While it doesn’t seem like its adaptive dampers ride much differently between its Normal, Sport, and Sport various modes, body-roll stays reigned-in quite well across all three, and even in especially-twistier bits, such as those found above Malibu, California. As a nice plus, the LC’s excellent ride irons out rougher stretches of tarmac incredibly well. If it weren’t for the empirically inconvenient truth of wheeling a big car on a narrow road, you would swear its tendencies were more like something nearly 600-pounds less. Maybe it’s the naturally-produced horsepower, maybe it's the sporty, driver-centric cockpit, but while you’re always cognizant of the big Japanese tourer’s size and weight, it’s never a major inconvenience. If anything, it’s really just tire-limited. Had Lexus opted for a stickier compound and 275-wide tires at all four corners, assuming they’d fit, this thing would have shocking capability in the most unexpected places.

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It’d sure make use of its brilliantly-engineered chassis. Beneath all four of the LC’s wheel arches live all-aluminum, fully-independent multi-link suspension, with electronic adaptive dampers thrown in for good measure. Again, the latter bits don’t offer a whole-lot of performance difference between its several modes, but it rides quite comfortably overall.

Another aspect of the LC that’s a bit surprising is its brakes. They’re definitely engineered for graceful touring despite being dubbed as Performance by Lexus. The pedal is light, progressive, and in no way grabby. That’s generally a good thing, though it doesn’t bode well for enthusiastic driving confidence. In the cool temperatures I wheeled the 500 through, they did a pretty good job maintaining strength, but started to become overwhelmed while reigning in all 4,340 pounds (and one heavier set driver) in downhill successions of tight corners. While they measure in at an impressive 15.7-inches up front with six-piston calipers, and 14.1-inches out back with four-piston calipers, they can only do so much coming back down from some pupil dilating figures on the dashboard.

Lexus generally doesn’t bring a lot to the table in terms of steering feel and weight, and the LC doesn’t stray far from this. Though, its ratio is great, and is definitely where you can tell luxury and weight took priority over engagement and enthusiasm. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a grand tourer and not a focused sports car after all. Even though its sports-car-tendencies are quite good.

Beautiful, Bespoke, and Opulent

And yet, the LC 500 can also be a calm, relaxing cruiser. Wind noise is non-existent, and when set to comfort mode, it glides along in subdued, high-end luxury comfort. Inside, this 2022 Bespoke Build features Alcantara with Manhattanhenge leather accouterments, Alcantara sport seats, a shiny little badge that signifies a certificate of authenticity (a nice albeit slightly cheesy touch), and a 13-speaker Mark Levinson Reference surround system that takes it to an extra-pleasant next level. All of the LC's touch-points feel brilliant, but especially its thick-rimmed and grippy steering wheel.

The overall interior is nearly orange in color intensity, and makes it a delightful place to be. It’s warm and relaxing at any hour of the day, and the materials it's painted on are quite comfortable to boot. Lexus’ infotainment is a breeze to configure. Then, as a nice touch, its power-tilt and telescopic steering wheel with memory is a very nice touch. This was all just enough to fit my six-foot-three stature inside, with the seat set to as low as possible and the steering wheel pulled in nice and close.

While all the aforementioned niceties account for $9,870 of this particular LC’s options, it’s still surprising that it tops out below $110,000. That’s certainly a chunk of change, but a solid-deal when compared to its direct competition by the likes of BMW and Aston Martin. Good luck spec’ing a BMW 8 Series to a similar level for any figure south of $120,000, or Aston Martin’s significantly higher $205,600 cost of entry in the DB11. As a quick frame of reference, the Bimmer beats out both jumping to 60 MPH, but the DB11 and LC are neck and neck. The LC, however, beats out both to a bloody pulp in the looks department.

Which, truly, is where the 2022 Lexus LC 500 shines. It looks like nothing else on the road, which is so refreshing to write in this day and age. It takes a few cues here and there, and owes some of its good looks to the legendary V10-powered Lexus LFA we wish to bring back. But when compared to anything else of its size, class, and performance figures; it's unique and incredibly striking.

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For quite possibly the first time in sports car-slash-grand tourer design history, its optional Carbon Fiber Air Wing rear spoiler (a lofty $2,750 option) hurts the overall look. This "spendy" piece of slender composite looks OK from a couple of angles, but otherwise, I’d do without. The LC just doesn’t need such accents. Its carbon roof (a $2,400 option, surprisingly cheaper than the much smaller spoiler) is a welcome touch, and some of Lexus’ other available wheel designs look great, but pound-for-pound (hefty curb weight), this thing just looks brilliant.

It’s So Hard To Find Anything To Dislike

The 2022 Lexus LC 500 is a unique, capable, opulent, beautiful, and comfortable grand-tourer. It’ll even return reasonable fuel economy for weighing north of 4,000-pounds and having a high-strung V8 under its hood: 16 mpg in the city, 25 mpg on the highway. Though, these figures are a little tough to achieve due to that latter bit about what’s under the hood.

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Besides not coming equipped with the best tires and not being as roomy as I would’ve liked for my tall stature, it’s a luxury bargain in 2022. Even its ten-speed conventional automatic transmission is a peach for what it is, in an era of millisecond-shaving dual-clutches. In an era of what seems like increasingly bland, appliance-like crossovers clogging up the roads, at all price points, the LC 500 is the complete opposite. While it’s a shame that one has to pony up over $100,000 to spec one like this tester, it’s still a solid deal against its competition, and beats out all of them in the looks department, to boot.