Lexus LC 500 Convertible 2024 Review

You’ll need $218,242 plus on-road costs to get behind the wheel of the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible, but unlike some of its rivals in this segment this price is pretty representative rather than just being a starting point to swell outrageously with optional extras.

This is almost $14,000 more than the equivalent hard-top – though more on that in the next section – and puts it in the same segment as a wide variety of competition, depending on what exactly you’re after.

The likes of the Jaguar F-TYPE P450 Convertible, BMW M4 Convertible and forthcoming Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 Cabriolet all fit the same sports-luxury mould, though those wanting a more focused driving experience would do well to investigate the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible or Porsche Boxster GTS 4.0.

As mentioned, the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible comes loaded with equipment as standard, including keyless entry and start, a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, 12-way power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats and 13-speaker Mark Levinson stereo.

Mechanically, there are staggered 20-inch (front) and 21-inch (rear) wheels, adaptive dampers and large brakes (338mm discs with six-pot callipers front; 308mm discs and four-piston callipers rear), but the LC 500 Convertible does without the Coupe’s variable-ratio steering and rear-wheel steering, not to mention the carbon-fibre roof for obvious reasons.

All Lexus models come with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty in Australia and capped pricing servicing will set you back $3475 over the first five visits, required every 12 months or 15,000km.

The Lexus Encore aftersales program provides roadside assistance, a service loan car and discounts at various dining and entertainment venues, while the cost-optional Elevate and Platinum tiers add the ability to book another Lexus on demand, valet parking at participating shopping centres and entry to a variety of airport lounges around the world.

Passive and active safety is well catered for by the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible with eight airbags and the full suite of safety assistants, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, active cruise control and much more. Helpfully, these driver aids are also well calibrated with rare and subtle interventions

Arguably the biggest upgrade to the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is the proper touch-screen infotainment display that recently arrived, finally replacing the dreaded mouse or trackpad that made every Lexus infotainment system such an ergonomic challenge to navigate for years.

It’s not the slickest system around as prods and swipes are sometimes ignored, but it makes the LC 500 a thousand times easier to interact with and it not only has smartphone mirroring but also Lexus Connected Services capability.

This allows owners to remotely lock or unlock the car, access fuel level, tyre pressures and vehicle location, start the engine remotely as well as live traffic and weather updates and automatic collision notification and emergency services calling.

The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 under the bonnet of the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is likely to be a key contributor to the purchasing decision.

If you’ve never experienced it, you might wonder what all the fuss is about, as 351kW/540Nm isn’t going to garner many headlines these days, nor is 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.0sec.

Numbers don’t tell the story, though, which we’ll come to later, but power is fed to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential.

Despite those 10 ratios, the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible isn’t particularly frugal either. In fact, there’s no ‘particularly’ about it, as the claimed combined fuel consumption is 11.6L/100km.

However, unlike some of its turbocharged competition, whose official fuel claims can be extremely misleading, being naturally-aspirated means than even under hard use the LC 500 has a ceiling on how much fuel it will drink. That said, best not to ask.

There are numerous chinks in the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible’s armour when you get behind the wheel. It struggles to fill the role of the luxurious grand tourer due to the unsettled ride quality over poor surfaces and the engine’s high-revving nature.

Combine the very soft throttle response in the normal mode with 540Nm at 4800rpm to motivate 2035kg and it doesn’t make the relaxed, fuss-free progress of some of its competitors.

Unfortunately, that weight ticket is a key reason why the LC 500 doesn’t stack up as a sports car, either.

The lack of body rigidity and soft suspension – by the standards of the genre – also don’t help its case. But while these initial paragraphs might lead you to believe that Lexus’s luxury two-door is no good, this is not so.

There are flaws, yes, but this is still a deeply enjoyable car to drive. It all starts with that engine. Power increases and the note gets progressively harder with each 1000rpm increment that passes.

Without turbocharged torque, there is an element of delayed gratification to the LC 500’s performance but that only makes the gratification even more, well, gratifying.

In Sport+ mode it’s truly aggro, with razor-sharp throttle response and super-quick gear shifts, the 10 ratios meaning the tachometer doesn’t drop too far when a new gear is selected.

Likewise, there’s a fundamental rear-wheel drive rightness to the handling of the LC 500. If you’re a truly keen driver you’ll appreciate the added sharpness and agility of the coupe, but the convertible is still very capable and enjoyable.

Drop the roof, extend the engine at every opportunity and the wall of noise means the body wobbles are soon forgiven, if not forgotten.

As is typical of the brand, the inside of the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is a high-quality environment. It feels very well put together, as you’d hope.

The swoops and creases of the design might not be for everyone, but the driving position is very good, the materials are suitably posh and finding everything you need isn’t difficult thanks to plenty of physical buttons.

The LC still has the coolest instrument dials in production, with movable rings from the LFA supercar, and ditching the previous trackpad has not only made the infotainment much easier to use but freed up some more space on the centre console, too.

Technically, the LC 500 Convertible is a four-seater, but it’s very difficult to imagine anyone other than pre-teen children fitting back there and even then only for brief periods.

However, the presence of ISOFIX anchor points means a kid seat can fit on the passenger side, albeit at the expense of a front passenger.

Where the LC really struggles is boot space. The Coupe isn’t too bad, but half of that space is now dedicated to storing the roof in the convertible, so while the weekly grocery shop will fit just fine, you’re going to have to pack light for a weekend away.

A car like the 2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is purely an emotional purchase, so the question is if you love the look and feel of the car, are its flaws of great enough magnitude to put you off?

They shouldn’t be. If you’re a keen driver the Coupe is definitely the pick, but despite not really knowing what it wants to be, the LC is a beguiling machine.

It looks a million bucks, makes a wonderful noise, is very enjoyable to drive and feels like a luxury product.

It’s a car that won’t be for everyone, but if you like the idea of it, chances are you’ll love the execution.

2024 Lexus LC 500 Convertible at a glance:
Price: $218,242 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 5.0-litre V8 petrol
Output: 351kW/540Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 232g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated