GT vs. GT: Aston Martin DB11 V8 Takes On Lexus LC 500

Motor Trend pits the Aston Martin and Lexus grand tourers against each other on the road and on the track.

When it comes to the Aston Martin DB11 V8 and the Lexus LC 500, there are two major ways you can look at them. On one hand, you can consider them miles apart – as far as England is from Japan – from each other in terms of philosophy. One is from an English automaker known for crafting generations of large and luxurious grand tourers. The other is from a conservative Japanese company that has never previously made a car with the price tag and power to compete in the high-end GT segment. While the English car generates 503 horsepower and 498 lb-ft of torque, the Japanese machine makes do with 471 horsepower and 398 lb-ft. They’re further divided by a base price difference of nearly $110,000; the Aston starts at $201,820, which dwarfs the Lexus’s $92,995 price of entry.

On the other hand, you can view the DB11 V8 and LC 500 as being close to each other conceptually. Both have dramatic, swooping profiles. The Aston has a turbocharged V8 up front that puts its power to the ground through rear-wheel drive. The Lexus has a front-mounted, naturally aspirated V8 which also uses the rear wheels to get moving.

In the above video, Motor Trend tests both cars on the roads of Spain and the country’s Parcmotor Castelloli track. There’s no denying that both cars are remarkably different from each other. Referring to the Aston Martin, which has ample torque and better turn-in and balance than its heavier V12 sibling, co-host Jethro Bovingdon says, “If there’s gonna be a DB11 sports car, this is it.”

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However, the Aston isn’t perfect. Compared to the surprisingly track-capable LC 500, the DB11 V8 is less balanced and composed, requiring more attention and work to get it to behave properly. Its brakes quickly tire of track duty. The LC does exhibit understeer, but Bovingdon and his co-host Jonny Lieberman find it easy to make the big Lexus move fluidly. Approaching the edge of its capabilities, they discover there’s no sharp drop off, just a gentle downward slope. Lieberman remarks, “This would be a great car for instructing somebody on, like, the importance of being smooth on a track. The smoother you are, the better it feels.”

It’s a close match. Lieberman finds it hard to declare a definite winner. Ultimately, he and Bovingdon pick the DB11 V8 for its on-road performance – but just barely. Lieberman says, “This Aston, it wins by, like, a smidge.”

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.