
Tokyo 2015: Lexus LF-FC is a break with convention
Fuel cell preview of flagship sedan is a work in progress
Lexus’s continually different tack – particularly in an uber-conservative segment such as the luxury sedan – is to be applauded. And like mainstream brand Toyota, with the LF-FC Lexus is stepping beyond its hybrid roots, previewing fuel cell technology that presumably lies somewhere in the brand’s future.

From an exterior perspective, the overall design is curious. The spindle grille now marks the beginning of an inner fuselage which becomes the main body of the car. The fenders flow separately off the huge, C-shaped outer air intakes but this doesn’t really work with the other forms. From some angles the stance of the car is good – and the primary proportions are ok. But spend longer looking closer and things lose their way.

At the C-pillar and over the cant-rail the surfaces fight what they’re being made to do. From the rear three-quarters, the car can look heavy and ungainly. And from oblique angles, the LF-FC appears too stiff – the glasshouse is poorly resolved, there is a lack of tumblehome around the upper rear cabin which adds bulk and takes away elegance. But some angles speak of Aston Martin or even Maserati – which Lexus should take as a great compliment.

Considered overall, there are a lot of ideas here and something inherently good underneath that’s trying to get out. But rather like fuel cell technology itself, the LF-FC has the feel of something that’s still a work in progress.
