classic vs modern
Xk still a fantastic shaped vehicle

 

I'll take the sizzling frying pan any day before I would look at that grill in my driveway.

 

The best way to enjoy a Lexus is to make sure you never have to look at the nose of it.
Park mine ‘nose in’ to the garage, ‘nose in’ at public parking lots, and anywhere else, just bury the nose, so when you walk away, and walk back, you never have to look at it.
Just enjoy the sides, rear, and interior. That’s enough.

 

On the earlier models, the XKRs don't have a limited slip diff, so the power isn't put down in a way that will prevent smoking the tires and slipping. I know that one of the members here, Cameron/Cambio (find him on the group on Facebook) has an aftermarket limited slip dof option for the XKR that he offers, says it adds much better traction, and I'd believe it.

Later models have limited slip difs, but I'm not sure on the details and how "good" they are compared to other solutions on the market. Then you have the transmission itself - shorter gears in the lower range and longer gears in the upper range are good for cruising (like a GT) whereas you'd get different gearing ratios in a proper sports car that hold the power in the lower range longer. There's also the shift speed, which seems fast to us but is nowhere near the speed of a double clutch transmission than even a BMW 335is uses, also commonly found these days in Porsche and Lexus sports cars. When the numbers are already in the ballpark, the dual clutch transmissions can make a big difference.

Finally, I think it may be a drivability or brand style choice. The XKR is basically a British muscle car in terms of weight, power, sound, and driving style. The same is said for a lot of the other, earlier models like the XJR. The cars are "brutes in suits", and it's a nearly trademark style for them to be seen smoking tires, sliding out the back, and giving very strong acceleration due to the high torque. But you don't often see them winning races - it's all about the show, the style. I think that it's part of that classic Jaguar swagger image, TBH. I've been watching a lot of reviews lately from first time reviewers and they all comment a lot about the immense neck-snapping torque with a lot of surprise and delight, and I think that is a facet that was intentional on the engineers' part.

 

Other cars are also depreciating and entering affordability range or even comparable prices to the XK series, so there are a lot of great options out there. Like the XKs, the LC500 is a 2 door GT with similar output and rare production numbers. Seems like a good comparison for someone looking at the upper price range of late model XKRs.

 

If for no other reason than the Nike Swoosh drls on the front and the same when the brake lights in the rear light up, I wouldn't buy the Lexus let alone the front end styling. I wonder how much Nike paid Lexus for the product placement rights. When I sat it one of the first LC500s to show up at my local dealer, I thought there were some very odd interior touches as well. The period of the large GT segment may be waning, and I would expect that like every ugly car Lexus makes in the 2 door luxury/sports car segment, the LC 500 will be languishing on dealer lots unsold like its LFA brethren. There are still new ones available after 8 years and heaps of praise.

 

Some designs are timeless, like the Chrysler Building, Georg Jensen silver, the Rolex Day-Date, and the Jaguar E-Type, and still look good today. The X150 design includes many styling touches inspired by the E-Type and, although not a classic like the original, is nevertheless a timeless design.

Not so for the Lexus LC500 design. To me, it smacks of gimmicky "look at me" touches, like the alien Predator face even its mother can't love, and the odd-looking kick-up behind the doors just to be different. It simply doesn't flow the way the 4.2L X150 design does. IMHO, the 5.0L facelift didn't help, and reminded me of a catfish, although I prefer the newer LED taillight design. Just my .

 

Your two cents is spot on.