Lexus now has a new luxury boat, and it costs more than some Sydney mansions

One of the greatest insults you can throw at a luxury car is to suggest that it handles like a boat.

What, then, are we to make of a luxury boat that, presumably, handles like a car, because it wears a Lexus badge?

This is the question that plagues us as we consider this curious maritime move by the world’s biggest car company (Toyota, which owns Lexus) while wafting through the effusively expensive enclaves of Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton in Florida.

The Lexus LY 650 is a 65-foot, open-ocean flybridge cruiser, built with the help of one of America’s premier boat builders, Marquis Yachts.

Most pronounced is the striking bronze, silver and black colour scheme, but there’s also its modern profile, with windows that run almost the full length of the hull. It looks fast.

Significantly more expensive than any land-lubbing Lexus, the LY 650 starts at $5.4 million and stretches to almost $7 million if you tick all the option boxes. It offers a top speed of 33 knots, a cruising speed of 26 knots and a range of between 250 to 300 nautical miles. Yet, despite its serious numbers, the Lexus impresses more for its luxurious Nuvolari Lenard cabin.

You can lounge about on three outdoor couches or sit at the cocktail bar with its exquisite eucalyptus cabinets or the dining table surrounded by sumptuous linen lounges.

Downstairs are three generous-sized state rooms, each with en suite, and a main cabin that’s as gorgeous as a luxury hotel suite.

The LY 650 does, of course, handle like a boat, but this time that’s OK.

Where to park it

The problem with buying a $5 million-plus boat like the Lexus LY 650 is that it demands an appropriate setting.

Fortunately the views across Kings Bay from this ocean-access Gold Coast residence fit the bill perfectly.

The property has landscaped gardens, a heated swimming pool, formal and informal dining and living areas, and of course, facilities to moore your Lexus LY 650.

Alex Phillis from Alex Phillis Real Estate has advised on a $3.595 million price guide for the residence.