Drive Rising Star

Lexus may have arrived to the party a bit late in the country. But a revealing dime tour of its homeland shows that it’s got plenty of aces up its sleeve

At first glance, the glistening grand tourer awaiting me at the Shin-Yamaguchi station parking lot appears to be at odds with itself. Its front façade has a scimitar-like sharpness, giving it the sort of otherworldly good looks which can only come from incorporating bleeding-edge design technology. And yet, nestled underneath all that metallurgic wizardry is a solid 5.0-litre atmospheric V8 that’s so traditional it’s almost profligate by modern-day, forced-induction-meets-hybrid-power supercar standards. The Lexus LC500 – the brand’s pièce de résistance – is a confluence of old-meets-new values that’s the cultural hallmark of its home country, Japan.

My rendezvous is a highly awaited one, taking place after a two-hour Shinkansen ride from the industrial town of Nagoya, which is Toyota country. The LC dispenses with polite greetings and small talk, instead opening up the V8’s 32 valves upon ignition to symphonic effect – a curtain-raiser to the pantomime show that awaits me. It’s the front man of a band that consists of the upcoming UX crossover SUV, the LS500 Hybrid and the recently launched ES300h. The last two have maintained a quiet, dignified existence since their arrival in the Indian market almost three years ago, but it’s the UX that could prove to be the most popular, should it arrive in India soon.