2017 Lexus LC price and equipment

Lexus is pitching its new high-end LC coupe equally to traditionalists and new-agers.

And proof of that is the fact that both the hairy-chested V8 version and the petrol-electric hybrid variant will be priced identically.

The magic number is $190,000 with an extra $15,000 for the Lexus Dynamic Handling package which adds four-wheel-steering, an active rear spoiler, a carbon-fibre roof panel, Alcantara trim and a limited-slip differential for the hybrid (standard on the V8).

The hybrid uses a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine as well as the assistance of an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery that sits behind the rear seat.

Dubbed a multi-stage hybrid, the system uses a CVT transmission with 10 distinct steps as well as four speed ranges for the electric assistance motor.

Output of the petrol engine is 220kW of power at 6600rpm and 348Nm of torque at 4900rpm while the electric motor adds up to 132kW and 300Nm.

The conventionally powered 5.0-litre V8 version borrows the powerplant from the RCF coupe to arrive at 351kW at a stirring 7100rpm and 540Nm at 4800rpm.

The V8 is tied to a 10-speed automatic transmission with a lock-up torque converter, while a tube under the bonnet pipes the engine's soundtrack into the cabin.

Lexus claims the hybrid LC will sprint to 100km/h in 5.0 seconds while the V8 needs just 4.7 seconds.

The official fuel consumption number for the hybrid is 6.7 litres per 100km, while the normally-aspirated V8 averages a high-ish 11.6 litres.

Adaptive suspension features on both versions with the rear-end being a particularly compact design to allow for a low centre of gravity as well as making space for the hybrid's battery-pack. Both variants ride on 21-inch alloy wheels with Michelin run-flat tyres.

Compared with the RCF (itself no tiddler) the LC is 55mm longer, 75mm wider and 45mm lower.

A hefty 1950kg kerb mass for the lighter V8 cements the car's position as a grand tourer rather than an outright sports car, despite the extensive use of aluminium and carbon-fibre in its construction.

But Lexus says the design has been subjected to a mass centralisation program and that the coupe's torsional rigidity is the best the brand has ever achieved, including the LFA supercar.

Safety is a given in cars like this of course, so the LC gets autonomous braking, radar-based lane-change assist, eight air-bags, tyre pressure monitoring and a pop-up bonnet for pedestrian protection.

Inside, the two-plus-two layout features hand-assembled trim elements, a 918-Watt Mark Levinson stereo system and active noise control similar to noise-cancelling headphones.

Built in the same factory that produced the LFA, the LC is expected to achieve monthly sales in Australia of about 10 units.

Of those, the current projection is for as many as 80 per cent of those sales to be of the V8 model.