Verdict
At RM1,379,000, the Lexus LC costs RM640,112 more than the RM738,888 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, yet it is the more focused two-door: its 470 hp, 540 Nm 5.0-litre V8 reaches 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. The S-Class is the rational Malaysian luxury car, with five seats, a 350-litre boot and a 100-km EV range from its 28.6-kWh battery. Its rated 1 L/100 km consumption and RM2,128 annual road tax are dramatically easier to live with than the LC’s 8.6 L/100 km and RM10,991.
LC
Pick the Lexus LC if you want the 470 hp naturally aspirated V8, 4.4-second 0-100 km/h time and a two-door coupe body.
S-Class
Pick the Mercedes-Benz S-Class if you need five seats, plug-in hybrid running and far more rear-seat equipment for RM640,112 less.
Key differences
- Price: Lexus LC RM1,379,000; Mercedes-Benz S-Class RM738,888.
- Performance: LC 470 hp, 540 Nm and 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds; S-Class 362 hp, 500 Nm and 5.2 seconds.
- Powertrain economy: LC petrol rated at 8.6 L/100 km; S-Class plug-in hybrid rated at 1 L/100 km with 100 km EV range.
- Road tax: LC RM10,991 per year; S-Class RM2,128 per year.
- Passenger and luggage capacity: LC has 4 seats and a 197-litre boot; S-Class has 5 seats and a 350-litre boot.
- Size: LC is 4,770 mm long with a 2,870 mm wheelbase; S-Class is 5,289 mm long with a 3,216 mm wheelbase.
LC
- 470 hp and 540 Nm from a 4,969 cc naturally aspirated V8.
- Quicker 4.4-second 0-100 km/h time and 270 km/h top speed.
- Five-year warranty with 5-year/100,000 km free service.
- Costs RM640,112 more and has RM8,863 higher annual road tax.
- Four seats and a 197-litre boot trail the S-Class's five seats and 350 litres.
- No rear air-conditioning, rear-seat adjustment or rear USB-C ports.
S-Class
- 28.6-kWh battery, 100-km EV range and 11 kW AC/60 kW DC charging.
- Five seats, 350-litre boot and power-adjustable rear outer seats with heating, ventilation and massage.
- Adaptive LED Digital Light, 360-degree camera and parallel and perpendicular auto parking.
- Slower to 100 km/h at 5.2 seconds versus 4.4 seconds.
- Its 362 hp and 500 Nm trail the LC's 470 hp and 540 Nm.
- Four-year vehicle warranty is one year shorter than the LC's five-year cover.
| Price & overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | RM1,379,000 | RM738,888✓ |
| Body type | Coupe | Sedan |
| Segment | Luxury | Luxury |
| Assembly | CBU | CKD |
| Ownership | ||
| Road tax / year | RM10,991 | RM2,128✓ |
| Powertrain | ||
| Engine Tech | 32-valve DOHC, direct fuel injection, naturally-aspirated, Otto/Atkinson Cycle with variable valve timing | 24-valve DOHC with Electric Twin-scroll Turbocharger, Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift |
| Capacity | 4,969 cc | 2,999 cc |
| Horsepower | 470 hp✓ | 362 hp |
| Torque | 540 Nm✓ | 500 Nm |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol Plug-in Hybrid |
| Bore | 94 mm | 83 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 12.3 | 10.5 |
| Number of Motors | — | 1 |
| Motor Horsepower | — | 147 hp |
| Motor Torque | — | 440 Nm |
| Battery Capacity | — | 28.6 kWh |
| EV Range | — | 100 km |
| Charging Rate (AC) | — | 11 kW |
| Charging Rate (DC) | — | 60 kW |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Conventional Automatic | Conventional Automatic |
| Transmission Name | Direct Shift | 9G-TRONIC |
| Gears | 10 | 9 |
| Transmission Manufacturer | Aisin | Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) |
| Driveline | Rear Wheel Drive | Rear Wheel Drive |
| Performance & Efficiency | ||
| 0-100 km/h | 4.4 seconds✓ | 5.2 seconds |
| Rated Economy | 8.6 L/100 km | 1 L/100 km✓ |
| Top Speed | 270 km/h✓ | 250 km/h |
| Co2 | 267 g/km | 22 g/km✓ |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 4,770 mm | 5,289 mm |
| Width | 1,920 mm | 1,954 mm |
| Height | 1,345 mm | 1,503 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,870 mm | 3,216 mm |
| Weight | 1,965 kg | 2,385 kg |
| Fuel Tank | 82 litres | 67 litres |
| Doors | 2 | 4 |
| Seats | 4 | 5 |
| Boot Space | 197 litres | 350 litres✓ |
| Front Tyre | 245/40R21 | 255/40R20 |
| Rear Tyre | 275/35R21 | 285/35R20 |
| Spare Tyre | — | N/A, Tyre Repair Kit |
| Factory Tyres | Bridgestone Potenza S001L Run-flats | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP |
| Chassis | ||
| Assembly | Japan (CBU) | Malaysia (CKD) |
| Front Suspension | Multi-link | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Rear Suspension | Multi-link | Multi-Link with Air Suspension |
| Front Wheels | 21" Alloy | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys |
| Rear Wheels | 21" Alloy | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys |
| Steering | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) |
| Chassis Notes | Adaptive F Suspension - Sachs | Adaptive Dampers |
| Safety | ||
| Airbags | Driver and Passenger, Front Knee, Front Side, Front and Rear Curtain | Driver and Passenger, Driver Knee, Rear Passengers, Front and Rear Side, Front and Rear Curtain, Rear Left Cushion |
| ABS/EBD | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stability Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alarm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immobilizer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbag Disable Function | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child Safety Lock | — | Manual for Rear Doors |
| Seat Belts | 4 Three-point | 5 Three-point with Illumination and Rear Belt Bags |
| Blind Spot Info System | ✓ | ✓ |
| ISOFIX | Available on two rear passenger seats | Available for 2 Outer Rear Seats |
| Autonomous Braking System | Yes | Yes, with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection (up to 130 km/h) and Evasive Steering Assist (up to 108 km/h) |
| Lane-keeping Assist | Steering Correction | Steering Correction |
| Collision Warning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seatbelt Reminder | For All Seats | All Seats |
| Safety Notes | Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), TPMS | Pre-Safe, Pre-Safe Impulse Side, Driver Attention Monitor with Eye Tracking |
| Lighting | ||
| Headlamps | LED Projectors | Adaptive LED Projector with Matrix High Beam (Digital Light with Projection Function) |
| Taillamps | LED Combination | Full LED |
| LED Daytime Running Lights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear Foglamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wing Mirror Turn Indicators | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cabin | ||
| Front Seats | 8-way Power Adjustable Front Seats with Driver's Memory Function, Ventilated and Heated | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Memory, Heating and Massage Functions; Pillow Headrests; Passenger Seat Adjustment from Rear Seats |
| Rear Seats | — | Power Adjustable Outer Rear Seats with Memory, Heating, Ventilation, Massage and One-touch Recline Functions; Folding Rear Pillow Headrests with Built-in Neck Warmers; Powered Ottoman and Leg Rest for Left Seat with Massage Function; Centre Load-through |
| Front Air-con | Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control with Air Balance Perfume System and Ioniser |
| Rear Air-con | — | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Sunroof | — | Panoramic, Tilt and Slide |
| Power Sockets | 1 Front | 4 Front USB-C, 6 Rear USB-C |
| Interior Lighting | Map Lights and Ambient Lights | Map Lights and Active Ambient Lights (64 Colours) |
| Cup Holders | 2 Front | 2 Front, 2 Rear |
| Sun Shade | — | Double Sun Visors, Powered Rear Windscreen and Rear Door Window Sunshades |
| Audio | 10.3" Lexus Premium Audio Remote Touch Controller with 13-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Sound System, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay | 12.8" OLED Touchscreen Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Augmented Reality Navigation; 11" Rear Entertainment Displays; 7" Rear Android Tablet; 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound System (710 Watts) |
| Convenience | ||
| Power Windows | Two Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch |
| Engine Start | Keyless Push Button | Keyless Push Button |
| Locks | Keyless Operation | Keyless Operation with Pop-out Door Handles |
| Auto Start/Stop | — | ✓ |
| Auto Headlamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Wipers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cruise Control | Active Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, Stop and Go and Speed Limit Assist |
| Tiptronic | ✓ | — |
| Paddle Shift | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Audio Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Tilt | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Telescopic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electric Steering Adjustment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boot Operation | Remote Control Operation | Powered with Contactless Operation |
| Parking Sensor Front | 4 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Parking Sensor Rear | 4 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Reverse Camera | Yes | Yes, with 360-degree Camera |
| Auto Parking | — | Yes, Parallel and Perpendicular |
| Folding Wing Mirrors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Power Door | — | Soft Close Function, All Doors |
| Hill Start Assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instrument Cluster | Full LCD Monitor | Full LCD Monitor |
| Parking Brake | Electronic | Electronic |
| Convenience Notes | — | MBUX Interior Assistant, Fingerprint Scanner, Front and Rear Qi Wireless Chargers, Rear Wireless Headsets |
| Warranty | ||
| Warranty Mileage Manufacturer | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Warranty Manufacturer | 5 years✓ | 4 years |
| Warranty Notes | 5-year/100,000 km free service | 8-year/160,000 km Battery Warranty |
Specs shown for the selected variant of each car. ✓ marks the better figure where lower/higher is objectively better. Road tax: West Malaysia, private registration.
Used LC & S-Class for sale
LC vs S-Class FAQ
Is the Lexus LC or Mercedes-Benz S-Class better?
The S-Class is better for five-seat luxury use, plug-in hybrid driving and rear-passenger comfort. Choose the LC for its 470 hp V8, 4.4-second 0-100 km/h time and coupe layout.
What is the price difference?
The Lexus LC is RM1,379,000 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is RM738,888, so the LC costs RM640,112 more.
Can the Mercedes-Benz S-Class run on electric power?
Yes. The S-Class plug-in hybrid has one 147 hp, 440 Nm motor and a 28.6-kWh battery, with a stated EV range of 100 km. It accepts AC charging at 11 kW and DC charging at 60 kW.