2024 Lexus LC500 Convertible Bespoke Build First Drive: What a Damn Shame!
Lexus’ lovely droptop is one of the most underrated, underappreciated cars on the planet.
The Lexus LC500 is not doing very well. After a banner year of 2,782 sales in 2021, Lexus moved fewer than half that many units in 2022. An uptick was recorded in 2023, and year-to-date sales for 2024 have outpaced those of last year. Regardless, it’s not looking like the LC500 will surpass its sales prime.
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Even if Lexus managed to get umpteen thousands of this flagship coupe on the road like it does its SUVs, it’d still be too few. That’s because the LC500 delivers unfiltered motoring delight—especially with its roof down. Immersion in a glorious V-8 soundtrack and sunshine splashed on soft leather is an experience more drivers should know, but the LC500 convertible remains tragically overlooked.
The Bad Is Better, the Great Is Greater
Lexus, like us, can't reasonably expect the LC500 to earn broad sales popularity, but it demonstrates it hasn't given up on the car by applying some enhancements for 2024.
Many complaints about prior versions targeted the maddening touchpad-controlled infotainment system that long infested the automaker’s lineup. Lexus has been on a campaign to change that to a more user-friendly touchscreen, which arrives as a 12.3-inch unit in the 2024 LC500.
Additionally, the Lexus Safety System driver assist suite gains emergency evasive steering assist and intersection collision avoidance. Front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera also become standard.
Taking a cue from other luxury automakers, Lexus offers its clients a higher degree of personalization through its new Bespoke Build program. On the LC500 convertible, Bespoke Build allows for paint, upholstery, wheel, trim, and feature combinations not possible via the standard configuration. Exclusive choices for the Bespoke Build LC500 convertible include dark red or blue roof fabric, as well as the white and blue interior colorway in our review vehicle. A dedication plaque ahead of the shifter further distinguishes Bespoke Build examples. Choosing Bespoke Build adds $5,500 to the base price; our car was generously optioned and rang the bell at $117,660.
Worth Six Figures at a Standstill
The LC500 convertible experience begins by simply witnessing the car. Its design is no less stunning than it was the moment it made its debut back in 2016, seeming more like a concept or coachbuilt custom than a vehicle in series production. Elegant proportions combine with sensuous sculpting to give the body an understated allure. Eye-catching lighting elements at each end are worthy of examination; an infinity mirror effect makes the taillights look like they have endless depth.
Without a roof, the LC500 convertible perhaps lacks the pure fluidity of its hardtop counterpart. Yet folding that soft top better displays the palatial cabin. As exquisite as the exterior, the interior’s flowing lines are minimally accented by metallic trim so as not to interrupt the swaths of leather. Attention to detail is tremendous; even insignificant pieces like the steering column surround and seat bases are color-matched with the cabin. Opening the doors reveals an interesting forged composite material between the inner and outer panels.
As a centerpiece of the cabin, the new infotainment touchscreen is a significant improvement. Its user interface is arranged in a generally intuitive way, although keen users may recognize the system’s similarity to that found in lesser Toyota models. Although Lexus appreciably preserves physical switches for most climate functions, it could’ve done more. In particular, activating seat heating or ventilation—crucial functions for top-down driving—requires tapping inexplicably tiny digital icons.
Driving a Modern Classic
Beneath a panel on the center console sits a physical switch to fold the fabric roof, beside which is another that raises or lowers all the windows simultaneously. Impressively quiet as the cabin is when enclosed, going al fresco in the LC500 convertible—a process that takes about 16 seconds—is sublime.
Much of that is owed to the engine, and not because of how powerful it is. With heritage that traces back decades through Lexus’ performance vehicles, the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8 is a relic in today’s turbocharged and electrified era. Its 471 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque aren’t stupendous figures by modern standards, nor is the 4.7-second 0–60-mph time it delivers. Additionally, the 10-speed automatic transmission has terrific shift quality but doesn't use its abundant ratios optimally. The gears are very long; second goes to about 60 mph, and at 80 mph the digital tachometer languishes below 2,000 rpm in 10th.
Rather than speed, it's sound that makes this engine epic. Always audible but never too loud, the mill rumbles bombastically on light throttle and builds to a spectacular bassy roar with the pedal down. Letting the engine bounce off the limiter just beyond its 7,000-rpm redline is uncouth behavior for such a suave vehicle, but Lexus celebrates how sonorous the LC500 is. Indeed, there’s no digital exhaust augmentation here—only real noises from the chrome-clad finishers and a tube that transmits engine sounds directly into the cabin. The LC is an unexpected inclusion among the best-sounding cars on sale today.
A rumored high-performance LC F seems unlikely to materialize, yet guiding the LC500 convertible through canyon road curves doesn't leave much to be desired. Clearly, this is not a sports car; beyond the lengthy gearing, its steering is relaxed and the roofless body structure perceptibly supple. Yet the adaptive suspension, bestowed with a convertible-specific tune, holds the car in deft composure as the chassis’ limits approach. Furthermore, the LC500’s rear-drive platform fosters engagement in a way that all-wheel-drive performance vehicles simply can’t.
The LC500 convertible also excels in casual cruising. Like any Lexus, it makes for a placid and uncomplicated way to get around. Despite the car’s low-slung appearance, space beneath its nose is sufficient to avoid scraping on parking blocks or steep driveways. As the front and rear axles are roughly equidistant from the driver, locating the car’s extremities proves more intuitive than the sizable body might suggest. The driver and front passenger have a great amount of space, plus accurate ergonomics that enhance comfort and control. Predictably, the back seats and trunk are minuscule; cargo capacity is compromised by roof hardware.
Luxurious as it is, a few items—or lack thereof—reveal how times have changed since the LC500 arrived. The digital instrument cluster, with its nifty motorized tachometer bezel, is small, low-resolution, and barely reconfigurable in comparison to what’s found in generic Toyota models today. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto run on the new touchscreen, but wireless charging is nowhere to be found. A more assistive lane-guidance system would benefit relaxation in highway driving.
Imperfectly Idyllic
In the exclusive sphere of luxury convertibles, the LC500 is in some ways outclassed. It lacks the raw performance that makes enthusiasts swoon, as well as certain practical amenities that satisfy regular drivers. It could be said, too, that the LC500’s greatest liability among expensive droptops is the logo in its spindle grille—a mark that on its own could send shoppers elsewhere.
Yet those more concerned with enjoyment than badge cachet will find it in the LC500 convertible. On looks alone, it'll be worthy of concours d’élégance consideration in decades to come. Quality and beauty in the cabin outweigh any digital irritations, as was the case even before this year’s touchscreen upgrade. On the road, the LC500 convertible strikes a fine balance between drama and comfort accompanied by a dulcet V-8 soundtrack. It’s a special, soulful car, the likes of which define classic ideals of motoring. Lexus deserves to sell a lot more of these than it does.
Alex's earliest memory is of a teal 1993 Ford Aspire, the car that sparked his automotive obsession. He's never driven that tiny hatchback—at six feet, 10 inches tall, he likely wouldn't fit—but has assessed hundreds of other vehicles, sharing his insights on MotorTrend as a writer and video host.
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