Episode 47: Lexus LC 500 - 500h Comparison, Compact Crossover Head-to-Head Shoot-Out, Silly Toyota Prius Prime

The Lexus LC 500 is one of the best-looking and best-sounding luxury coupes on the market, but how does it hold up on the cold streets of Montreal? And who, exactly, would choose its 500h hybrid showroom-mate over the standard 500's V8 thunder? Benjamin drives them back-to-back to answer that question. Sami, on the other hand, spends a week driving not one, but four compact SUVs: the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue, and the Chevrolet Equinox, to see which one comes out on top. Wrapping things up, the pair discuss the Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, and specifically, how to devise a system that lets everyone around you know just how efficient you're driving. Spoiler alert: it involves the birth of a brand-new lifeform.

Links:

• 2018 Lexus LC 500 First Drive: Surrender To All This Relentless Beauty — The all-new 2018 Lexus LC coupe makes a compelling argument for automakers to do it their own way rather than simply trace the familiar lines on a map already worn down by the competition. It also proves that sometimes ignoring the prevailing winds makes for a more interesting journey for driver and brand alike.
• 2018 Lexus LC 500 First Drive: Ground-breaking luxury coupe lets Lexus find its soul — The 2018 Lexus LC is an act of bravery. Not only did Lexus take the unusual and difficult step of birthing a street car that hews almost perfectly to the gorgeous, yet production-challenging lines of the LF-LC concept that preceded it, but it also chose to ignore prevailing winds – or are those forced induction vortices? – that have come to define the drivetrains found in top-tier luxury coupes. That the Lexus LC is a stunning design achievement is obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes. That it also waves a big, five-liter middle finger in the direction of its would-be German rivals is in a way both a more and a less-subtle statement.