by Anthony Fongaro - Photos vis Volkswagen- 10/03/2021
Automakers try to make their flagship vehicles stand out and be truly unique. They’re supposed to be the pinnacle of what the automaker has. If you look at most automakers, you’ll see a plethora of SUVs and coupes. There’s one car segment that has become quite rare: the flagship convertible. Why is this? People just don’t seem to buy convertibles like they used to. Lexus went the opposite of most of its competitors by bringing out the LC500 coupe and convertible. The LC500 was definitely something out of the left field for Lexus.
I’ll just skip to the chase: The LC500 convertible is beautiful. I couldn’t find an angle where it looked amazing. At the front, you have the traditional Lexus massive grill with some angry-looking headlights. Looking at the LC500 on the side, you’ll see a sleek and muscular design. Mine had the Infrared red paint along with 21-inch forged alloy wheels and a brown soft-top. The rear isn’t as striking as the front, but it has a cohesive design with taillights that look stretched out. Those taillights look good, but the weird plastic trim on top of them isn’t necessary.
So, it’s a great-looking car, huh? Well, let’s just inside and see if it’s as special as the exterior. The first thing that drew my eye was the door handles which look like knives. I didn’t think that the Toasted Caramel leather was bad, but there were a few negative complaints about the color. If you’ve been in a Lexus of late, about 90% of what I’m going to tell you is already common knowledge. Looking ahead, you have a nice leather-wrapped steering wheel with all the safety and entertainment functions. Something you normally wouldn’t see in a Lexus: large paddle-shifters. They felt great since they had a slight weightiness to them.
Design is key in a convertible, and Lexus did a great job with the interior. It feels premium and plush, down to the leather-wrapped gear-selector. The seats are heated and cooled, which was nice for our 100-degree days. Although I’ll talk about the infotainment system later, it is laid out well. There is this odd divider that’s in the cabin that doesn’t make sense. Shockingly, there is one fatal flaw for the LC500: one cup holder. One! If I’m paying $111,000, I want two! The LC500 is technically a “two-plus-two”, meaning the backseat is a joke.
Lexus has one of the most interesting designs for their dials. It’s a dial on a physical piece of glass that slides when you want it to. It doesn’t display the most amount of information, but the head-up display helps with that. LC500s also have the Lexus alien-ear knobs for the driving modes which is quite convenient. Sadly, the LC500 shows the downside of being a Lexus: the navigation system. It still uses a trackpad along with a few buttons, but it is still the most infuriating infotainment system. You do get used to it, but it is still terrible.
What isn’t terrible is the design of both the convertible top and the placement of the convertible buttons. You press a button that flips the top up to reveal your buttons for the convertible top and all the windows. Pressing and holding the convertible top ads a display for the progress of the roof and can be done at up to 30 MPH. The roof and windows all go up and down quickly. Lexus’ Mark Levinson 13-speaker sound system is good as usual, but there is something that sounds even better. The best part of the LC500.
The one real advantage of the LC500 convertible compared to the coupe is being able to hear that engine. The 5.0-liter V8 produces 471-horsepower and 398 lb-ft. Combined with a 10-speed automatic, this giant rear-wheel-drive convertible gets from 0-60 MPH in 4.6 seconds. I can attest that the LC500 is quick, but the V8 noise is intoxicating. Lower the convertible top put the windows up, and listen to that engine as you accelerate. Even while cruising around, there is a miniature-rumble. The 10-speed automatic wasn’t too bad but seemed to be a little slow to shift. Going back to the interior, you need a quick lesson on the gear shifter and how to flick it into gear. The reverse is left and up, neutral is left, the drive is left and down, and manual mode is down. Got it?
Click the right stalk in front of you, and you’ll have a few different drive-modes. I was surprised to see one was snow? Who’s driving their rear-wheel-drive convertible in the snow? Anyways, there are quite a few driving modes. There’s Normal, Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport +, and Individual. I didn’t feel quite the difference between normal and comfort, but there’s a huge difference when you get into Sport +. When in Sport +, you want to test the limits of the LC500. There are differences in the exhaust, steering, and throttle which makes the LC500 a loud and brutish beast. But does it need to be?
Not really. Although it’s nice that in almost every mode the LC500 will drop gears and shout, it is relaxing. This may handle alright, but this isn’t a sports car. This is a grand tourer. Something that you drive about to get all the looks. The LC500 felt best on 50 MPH roads with the convertible top down, windows up, and listening to music. Although this drives well, I didn't do more than 15 MPG. Like I said, this is different from most flagship vehicles because of its demeanor. Lexus connoisseurs will remember that the last flagship was the LFA, with a screaming V10 engine and $350,000 price tag. By those standards, the LC500 is now a bargain flagship.
So, flagships aren’t cheap. The breakdown for the LC500 convertible starts at around $101,000. The Infrared red paint is $595, those great-looking wheels are $2,650, and the head-up display is $900. There’s also the $5,290 Touring Package. This has semi-aniline leather seats, an upgraded sound system, a heated steering wheel, and a climate concierge. Out-the-door, you’re looking at a price of $110,000. Would I recommend it? I would if you can get past the infotainment system and one cup holder. If you can, you’ll have the best-looking Lexus and one of the best-looking convertibles.
Some Nerdalicious Stats
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