Stunning new convertible oozes luxury, but don’t mistake it for a sports car Detroit Free Press
If a better looking car than the Lexus LC 500 convertible goes on sale this year, I’m not sure mortal eyes will be able to withstand the sight. Like those who stare too long at the sun, the convertible’s owners may be blinded, unable to acknowledge even the existence of average-looking vehicles.
It’s a fine flagship for a brand historically more associated with rational appeal — great dealers and reliability — than “gotta have it” passion.
The LC 500 isn’t a sports car, its swooping lines and rumbling exhaust notwithstanding. It wasn’t developed to run fast laps, but to wow the crowd when you arrive for dinner or a day on the lake.
The LC 500 is also a bit of a bargain, something you seldom hear said of cars with cramped back seats and six-figure MSRPs. Prices start at $101,000, but inside and out, it has the visual impact of costlier Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati and McLaren convertibles.
Toyota’s luxury brand is famous for being the smart choice, not the passionate one. Few people have ever regretted buying a Lexus, but not that many have burned to own one of its cars. The LC 500 is a lit match.
Exquisite interior, tiny trunk
As good as the LC 500 convertible looks from the outside, the interior may be better, a symphony of painstaking design and fine materials. The gauges look like a precision timepiece. My test vehicle had optional semi-aniline leather front seats with the stylized Lexus “L” embossed on the rear of its headrests. Details like flowing lines and sculpted grab handles on the door panels complete a beautiful package.
Unfortunately, the LC 500 still relies on a touch pad mounted on the center console to control many audio, climate and navigation features. I’ve yet to find a situation where a touch pad is the best way to manage functions in a moving vehicle. The display for navigation, climate, audio and so on is a useful 10.3-inch screen.
The rear seat is cramped, more likely to see duty carrying grocery bags than people, but it’s a study in practicality compared to the trunk, which remarkably can’t accommodate a single golf bag, much less the rich-guy standard of two. That’s a significant fail for a luxury convertible.
The front seat is so comfortable it feels tailored, however, and the LC 500 is quiet and smooth on the highway.
Driving impressions
Supersonic looks notwithstanding, don’t mistake the LC 500 for a sports car. It’s fast in a straight line, with a claimed 4.6-second 0-60 mph time, but even that straight-line sprint feels more leisurely than Lexus’s stopwatch recorded. That’s certainly at least in part due to the convertible’s smooth, sumptuous ride, an achievement of insulation Detroit land yachts of yore would respect. Lexus claims an impressive electronically limited top speed of 168 mph.
The steering is light and not particularly communicative, and there’s a fair bit of body roll in enthusiastic runs on winding roads. Lexus’s engineering is unparalleled, so the LC 500 is probably faster around curves than it feels, but its relatively hefty curb weight — 4,540 pounds — and modest 471 hp and 398 pound-feet of torque define it as a grand tourer, not a sports car intended to run with the likes of V8 BMW 8-series or Mercedes SL, much less full-on sports cars and exotic convertibles like a Corvette, Porsche 911, Ferrari or Maserati Gran Turismo.
The LC’s 10-speed automatic transmission delivers virtually imperceptible shifts, in keeping with the car’s overall emphasis on buttery ride. Lexus engineers reinforced the convertible’s chassis to offset the absence of a roof and ensure it feels rock solid.
The EPA rates the LC at 15 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway and 18 combined. Unlike its hardtop sibling, the LC 500 coupe, there’s no hybrid version of the convertible.
How much?
All LCs come with 471-hp 5.0L V8, 10-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive.
Prices start at $101,000. As you’d hope, that price gets you a lot of standard equipment, including:
- Adaptive dampers
- Active sport exhaust
- LED “arrowhead” DRLs and triple-projector headlights
- Apple CarPlay
- Android Auto
- Alexa integration
- Navigation with 10.3-inch display
- 10-way power front seats
- Two USB ports
- Deodorizing and dust/pollen-removing air filter
- Leather trimmed interior
Standard safety and driver assist features include:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Automatic high beams
- Lane keeping alert and assist
- Blind spot and cross traffic alerts
- Front collision alert and pedestrian detection with automatic braking
My test car had a few choice options:
- Aniline leather front seats
- 21-inch forged wheels
- Mark Levinson audio
- “Climate concierge with upper body heating”
- Heated leather steering wheel
- Head up display
- Limited slip differential
- Special deep ruby red paint
The LC 500 I tested stickered at $110,895. All prices exclude destination charges.
2021 Lexus LC 500 convertible at a glance
Base price: $101,000
As tested: $110,895 (excluding destination charges)
2+2 rear-wheel drive convertible.
Engine: 5.0L V6
Output: 471 hp @ 7,100 rpm; 398 pound-feet of torque @ 4,800
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
EPA: 15 mpg city/25 highway/18 combined
Wheelbase: 113 inches
Length: 187.4 inches
Width: 75.6 inches
Height: 53 inches
Curb weight: 4,540 pounds
Assembly site: Motomachi, Japan
Contact Mark Phelan at 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter.
Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/mark-phelan/2020/07/29/2021-lexus-lc-500-convertible-takes-brands-style-new-heights/5528885002/