Lexus LC500 Convertible 2022 review – a glamorous alternative to a 911 Cabriolet
Striking, charismatic and very appealing. This isn't a 911, but was never meant to be...
The Lexus LC500 really is a wonderful blip in the Lexus range – a two-finger salute to the market's obsession with SUVs and turbocharging with concept car-like looks and a naturally aspirated V8 engine. We already love the coupe, but in 2020 an open-top convertible model was added, shifting the LC's priorities away from being a sporting coupe and instead focusing on being more of a cruiser.
Lexus will only offer the LC500 Convertible with its 2UR-GSE atmospheric V8 and not the hybridised V6 that’s also found in the coupe. While its on-paper figures look impressive enough: 457bhp at 7100rpm, the V8’s relative lack of torque (391lb ft) means this is not a fast car in context of rivals. It’ll reach 62mph in 5sec dead, which is quite substantially down on pretty much anything similar from Germany but in the Lexus, especially when it’s configured as a convertible, we’re not entirely sure it matters.
The ten-speed automatic gearbox is also carried over, but has been given a software overhaul to improve the shifting characteristics of all those ratios in the last few model year updates. Despite the excessive amount of gears to choose from, the ratios aren’t quite as short as you’d expect, instead you get what feels like a stack of redundant gears at the top end of the transmission.
In manual mode, the shifts up the gearbox are fast enough, if not quite as crisp as the best ZF boxes used in German rivals, but by contrast the downshifts are almost laughably aggressive and elicit a definite chuckle every time you pull the paddle.
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While the changes to the 2022-model year LCs are subtle, they have been acutely focused on specific hardware elements that do make a substantial difference. This starts with the double wishbone front suspension, which has been enhanced with the fitment of new forged and hollow-cast aluminium components that reduce unsprung weight by 10kg.
The convertible body has needed some work to maintain rigidity, with new bracing underneath the A- and B-pillars, a new tower brace above the rear suspension and some strengthening braces along the chassis floor. These new components come at a cost, namely the 105kg weight penalty over the coupe that takes the convertible to a hefty 2035kg
The folding roof’s packaging requirements have also meant the loss of the coupe’s rear-wheel steering system, but given the Convertible’s more relaxed demeanor, this isn’t a big loss. The LC’s basics are otherwise unaffected; it’s still superbly built inside with fabulous materials, refinement is exceptional, the seats and seating position are brilliant, and the stereo top notch.
There's a feeling that the LC has been developed with a no-expense-spared mentality, even if in reality Toyota's ideals aren't quite as pure in the current economy. Yet when sat in the stunning cabin you don't really notice any of this, instead just staring at the quite astounding build quality and feeling the luscious materials make the inside of a Porsche 911 or new Mercedes SL feel like a modern, but souless gym.
You can’t help but be drawn into the theatricality of the LC: the concept-car looks, that cabin and the shrill whine of the starter motor waking up that sonorous V8 engine.
The LC immediately feels resolved in a way the previous model year cars didn’t, with an appreciable improvement in ride quality and wheel control. Despite the 21-inch wheels, the Lexus LC500 Convertible rides with superb sophistication, gliding over sharp road intrusions with impressive wheel control. There is a hint of scuttle shake with the roof down over the roughest of surfaces, but it still has more composure than the previous LC, and feels more connected to the surface than something like a BMW 8-series.
Turn up the pace and the LC500’s 2035kg kerb weight certainly doesn’t disappear, but there’s still a playfulness to the chassis that’s encouraged by the deftly-calibrated limited slip differential. The relative lack of torque makes it an easy car to drive at any speed, but the steering does lack the precision of a 911 or Aston Martin Vantage.
Get into a groove with the LC and it flows beautifully; keep the engine on the boil, enjoy its barks and grumbles as you rip up and down the ratios, pour the car into bends and slyly overdrive the rear axle. It’s a great GT, even if it does lack the coupe’s agility and ultimate precision.
Don’t mistake this for inability though, the coupe’s balance and playful energy is still there, but the convertible has a different character, lacking lateral support when being pushed and stopping short of feeling comfortable when driven closer to the limit. The brakes are strong enough to handle the mass on the road, but the pedal is too long and soft, speaking to the car’s cruiser character to the detriment of high-speed confidence.
Prices, specs and rivals
The LC500 Convertible is available in two trim levels starting at £102,545 for the entry-level car and rising to £108,395 for the Sport Plus. Both versions are extremely well equipped, as you might suspect, but it’s the specialised components that make this feel like a real halo product and not just an expensive Lexus. Elements like the beautifully damped volume knob, intricate interior door handles and even the glovebox release feel superb, beyond Bentley levels of luxury even, and in a less overtly obnoxious way. There's also two special edition models on sale as of 2022, with the Black inspiration taking a sportier approach, and the Regatta Inspiration that looks like it's been designed for Tommy Hilfiger. Both cost £111,045.
Rivals naturally verge on either side of the LC in both the GT and sports car space, with Porsche’s 911 Carrera Cabriolet PDK closest in price and package. At £99,800, a basic 911 will be pretty stark in terms of equipment, and it is quite substantially down on power, but thanks to its traction, torque and PDK box will still destroy the Lexus in a straight line. It’s also the more resolved handling package, but if your 911 Cabrio is being bought on the premise of posing rather than poise, you could do much worse than to consider the Lexus as a more glamorous and charismatic alternative.
Mercedes-AMG has a new SL, which is a dead-on rival for both the Lexus and Porsche with its newfound rear seats. It's available with a four-cylinder and two V8 options, costing from £108,020 for the SL43. The V8s are much pricier, with the mid-level SL55 costing from £147,475 and the SL63 coming in at a whopping £171,725.
The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster is a more dynamically aggressive proposition at £126,950, but matches the drama and exoticness of the Lexus, while at the other end of the spectrum is BMW’s M850i Convertible which has marginally more rear seat space than the Lexus. At £116,920 feels expensive for what it offers, perhaps sharing one too many interior bits and pieces with a 320d. But it’s fast, knocking a whole second off the LC’s 0-62mph time.