Lexus LC 500 Convertible 2020 Review

It costs $19,243 to open the roof on the Lexus LC. That’s the difference between the price of the LC 500 Coupe and the all-new LC 500 Convertible, and most people shopping to put something special in the garage will see it as a bargain.

There is just the one powertrain variant available at launch for the cabrio, the lusty 351kW 5.0-litre petrol V8, which sees the Lexus LC Convertible open up at $214,000 plus on-road costs. The equivalent model in the fixed-roof range starts at $194,757. The coupe also offers a 3.5-litre V6 petrol-electric hybrid powertrain (LC500h) at around the same money.

The LC easily undercuts one of its key rivals, the BMW 8 Series, and is cheap compared with a Bentley or Maserati drop-top. Then again, it is ‘only’ a Lexus, right?

The engineering work on the convertible is first-class and so is the equipment and final finishing.

The key to the car is the folding canvas roof. It’s a four-layer job, hydraulically driven with plenty of insulation and what Lexus describes as a “wrinkle-free” outer fabric, including a glass back window.

It does its origami folding in 15 seconds at up to 50km/h, with a slight pause – for effect – at each end of the cycle.

It’s the first drop-top Lexus in six years but, as an open-air flagship, it follows the original and polarising Lexus SC 400 from 1991.

The convertible ticks all the luxury boxes from icebox air-con to upgraded heating (in the seats and the airflow around the occupants’ necks), as well as top-drawer leather and a brilliant Mark Levinson sound system.

It still has the awful haptic controller for the infotainment system that flaws the Lexus family, but compensates with everything from a colour head-up display to 21-inch alloys, and sat-nav with live traffic updates.

Buying into the LC Convertible experience also includes three years of the new Encore Platinum Owner Benefits scheme at Lexus, which includes a pick-up-and-deliver program for servicing and Lexus on Demand that allows owners to swap to another Lexus model at local or interstate dealerships and major airports.

The Lexus LC 500 Convertible looks almost identical to the LC Coupe, which shows the early engineering that went into the car. Only three panels are changed – front pillar, rear guards and boot-lid – and there is still 2+2 space in the cabin with no compromising in the front.

Lexus says the overall dimensions stay within millimetres and the boot only loses 48 litres of carrying capacity, rating it at 149 litres, while the front seat passengers only lose 11 millimetres of headroom and the sacrifice in the back is 4mm.

There is an ‘intelligent’ sensor system in the air-con package that detects the roof position, amount of sunlight, outside temperate and vehicle speed to ensure the right airflow distribution to keep the occupants happy on heating or cooling.

“There is an extra fold in the soft-top so it fits between the rear suspension towers,” says Sajid Hasan, the product planning manager at Lexus Australia.

He says there is extra strengthening steel and additional spot-welds in the convertible’s body structure, which is very close to the rigidity of the coupe. The roof structure is made from aluminium and magnesium.

Although Hasan says there is no ANCAP safety claim for the car, the safety package is everything expected in the class. It runs from six airbags and a pop-up bonnet for pedestrian safety to radar cruise control, lane keep assistance and a blind spot monitor and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

“The niche nature of the LC means it is not ANCAP rated,” says the CEO of Lexus Australia, Scott Thompson. “There is no intention for us to seek or apply an ANCAP rating. But we are confident in the safety of this vehicle.”

The Lexus LC 500 Convertible mirrors the coupe in its V8 engine, 10-speed automatic gearbox and rear-wheel drive.

It’s a bruiser cruiser, not remotely a sports car, which means the suspension settings are quite plush while still retaining good grip and braking power.

The headline numbers for the creamy-smooth engine are 351kW of power with 540Nm of torque and there are predictable driving modes and steering wheel paddles – with a slightly vague feel – for manual control of the transmission.

It can easily sprint from 0-100km/h in less than five seconds, but the best thing about the V8 is the crushing overtaking pace. It sounds good, too.

The body strengthening efforts and the relatively small roof, unlike some other big-and-bulky efforts, means there is minimal loss of structural strength and Lexus puts it almost on par with the coupe.

Any trip in the Lexus LC 500 Convertible is going to be cosseting and relaxing, although the drop-top can also lift and separate from the traffic if the driver gets enthused.

Lexus cleverly plans the press preview drive over some of the best twisty passes in NSW and has an LC Coupe along for a direct comparison.

Even when the temperature drops to 14 degrees Celsius, the LC Convertible is the one to have.

It also has an active noise system to cut intrusion in the cabin, but only if you’re not in the sportier engine modes with a V8 soundtrack or dipping into the strengths of the Levinson sound – which, historically, was a huge (and perhaps the only?) highlight of the original SC 400 convertible back in 1991.

The driving experience is near-identical to the coupe, although there is a slightly squidgy feel from the rear end in a few bumpy corners, and the open-air experience is excellent with absolutely minimal buffeting and a great heat-cool package.

When a few raindrops arrive, the top is up and locked with zero inconvenience.

It’s not a sports car, with a heft that sits at two tonnes, but can be cranked into point-and-squirt corners with confidence in the front grip and the power delivery on the way out.

It wafts through quicker corners and the V8 means overtaking is always easy.

Why would you have an LC Coupe when the LC Convertible drives just as well and has the open-air edge?

I’m not a fan of drop-tops for two reasons: sunburn and floppy bodies. But the body in the LC 500 Convertible is taut, and sunburn protection is only 15 seconds away.

So the LC is more like a multi-purpose 2+2 coupe, with purposing that runs from fresh-air cruising to semi-sports fun running.

There is a lot to like, even without the coupe roof.

How much does the 2020 Lexus LC 500 Convertible cost?
Price: $214,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 351kW/540Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 267g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested