“Oh my god, it sounds like a freakin’ NASCAR,” my friend exclaims as I stomp on the throttle to merge onto the freeway. There’s a huge V8 revving under the hood in front of me and a pair of exhaust tips roaring behind me, but we’re not in an American muscle car or European sport sedan. I’m behind the wheel of Lexus’ LC 500 convertible, a gorgeous grand tourer that happens to use one of the greatest engines of the past few decades.
The LC has been awesome since the moment it debuted, but it was bogged down by a seriously outdated and horrible user interface. With the addition of a touchscreen and some other new tech features that were introduced for 2024, there’s basically nothing to genuinely complain about with the LC anymore, which means it can finally take the crown as probably the best car you can buy in the U.S. right now, of any sort and at any price. It is just absolutely awesome to live with, especially when you’ve got the convertible version and the weather is cooperating.
Full disclosure: Lexus loaned me this LC 500 convertible for a week with a full tank of gas. I used it as my daily driver, and took it on a weekend trip to Lake Arrowhead in the mountains near Big Bear. I really didn’t want to give it back.
No longer infuriating
Lexus’ old touchpad-based infotainment system was universally maligned by reviewers, and for good reason. It sucked. The graphics looked old, and the touchpad and other controls were infuriating. At least the system came with Apple CarPlay, but it was frustrating to use without having a screen you could touch. As in its other models, Lexus has completely overhauled the LC’s setup by adding a 12.3-inch touchscreen atop the dash. The rectangular screen is well-integrated into the design — mercifully, it means there’s also no more analog clock on the dash — and you still get knobs for volume and tuning and a row of physical climate control buttons. The menus are all much easier to navigate, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are now wireless.
Another huge upgrade to the LC is the fitment of a surround-view camera system as standard, something that wasn’t previously offered. I think every single car benefits from a 360 camera, but the LC especially so due to its wide rear fenders, long nose, and low bumper lips and side skirts. The image quality from the cameras isn’t amazing, but it’s much better than nothing. The LC’s parking sensors are improved as well. It is a bit annoying that the seat heating and ventilation controls are in the screen, but at least a button on the console brings up the menu.
Still looks unbelievable
Recent styling changes to the LC amount to new wheel designs and some fresh colors — including the awesome Copper Crest that debut on the RX — and that’s about it. That’s just fine, as it’s not like the LC needed any tweaks in the first place. It’s one of the rare cars where the production car looks not only basically identical to the concept but actually even better, which is especially impressive given the original LF-LC concept was designed without production in mind — the positive response was so overwhelming that Lexus just had to build it.
We’re now 12 years past the original concept’s debut and 8 years since the production car was revealed, and there’s still nothing else on the road that looks like the LC, or even comes close. Even in the dull (but sparkly) Cloudburst Gray of my test car, a $500 option, it’s absolutely stunning. The LC is also one of the only convertibles that looks good with the fabric roof up, too. I’d probably go for the coupe myself, as I prefer the looks and I’m not really a droptop guy, but the LC convertible’s wind deflector does a great job of keeping the cabin quiet and calm with the top down.
Aside from the new touchscreen the LC’s interior is essentially unchanged, and that’s fine too. What the LC’s cabin lacks in overall storage space (there’s barely any) and cupholders (there’s only one and it’s tiny) it makes up for in sensational design and world-class build quality. I mean, just look at how cool the door panels are, and the passenger’s grab handle! Putting the LC’s cabin over the top in the best way is my test car’s $1,900 white and blue leather scheme, unlocked by going for the $5,500 Bespoke Build package. Nearly every surface is either white or blue, and the two-tone works well with the asymmetric dashboard and center console design.
Sportier than you expect
Also unchanged is the LC 500’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8, which is simply one of the greatest powertrains of the modern era. It still puts out 471 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Lexus says the LC convertible will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, and it feels a bit quicker than that in practice. The engine is a joy to rev to its 7,300-rpm redline, but even when doing so, it’s still not so fast as to be ridiculous or too much for the street. The large magnesium paddle shifters are really satisfying to use, and the transmission fires off quick shifts that give me a nice kick in the pants. It doesn’t hunt for gears as much as other autos do, either.
Don’t listen to naysayers that talk about how the LC sucks to drive. Sure, it’s not as precise and perfect a sports car as something like a Porsche 911, but it’s far from bad or boring. The steering doesn’t give a ton of feedback but it is direct and takes minor corrections well, and the LC’s adaptive suspension gives it a supremely comfortable ride that always feels composed and planted in corners. Hustling the convertible on the twisty roads around Lake Arrowhead is a blast, with the car being more rewarding to push than you might expect, though its limits are definitely lower than a true sports car’s. It’s too bad the convertible isn’t available with the coupe’s $6,400 Dynamic Handling package, as it adds things like performance brakes, variable-ratio steering, a limited-slip rear differential, a different rear damper and rear-wheel steering that actually make a difference in terms of sportiness.
Full of surprises
The LC is a car where you can really feel the difference between every drive mode, which is pretty rare these days. Twisting the knobs mounted on the sides of the gauge cluster shroud to move between drive modes prompts new graphics in the digital cluster, and the LC has the same awesome motorized gauge ring as some other Lexus performance products. In Normal, Comfort and Eco modes the LC is calm, comfortable and civilized; while I’m always able to hear a low burble from the V8, it’s muted under acceleration, and if I was blindfolded as a passenger I’d never guess I was in a car like this. Its steering is light and easy, its ride is smooth, its responses are muted. It’s perfectly suited to the grand touring mission.
Twist the knob into Sport S or Sport S+ modes, though, and everything comes alive, the active exhaust system opening up the baffles to let the engine truly roar. It barks, it burbles, it rumbles, it shouts. It makes me laugh, it makes my passengers laugh, it makes bystanders swivel their heads to see what’s making all that glorious noise. Lexus tuned the LC’s engine sound “down to the fraction of a millimeter,” making sure the sound is channeled through the cabin without the use of speakers or other enhancing tech, and it is just brimming with character. Powertrain aside, going into either of the Sport modes firms everything up in a noticeable way, and the LC reacts more sharply to driver inputs to the wheel and pedals, but it’s never too twitchy or harsh and still rides like a dream.
Easily the most surprising part of my time with the LC is the fuel economy. The EPA rates the LC convertible at 18 mpg combined, 15 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, pretty respectable figures for a big V8. Around town I find it admittedly tough to get great gas mileage — you can’t blame me for wanting to hear the engine as much as possible — but on the freeway I crest 30 mpg without even trying. Combine that efficiency with the ride quality and excellent seats and the LC is not at all taxing to drive over long distances, though its tiny trunk might impede your road trips.
In a class of one
My test car is a 2024 model year, but for 2025 the LC only really sees updates to the Bespoke Build customization program, and the price has been raised by about a grand. The 2025 LC 500 coupe starts at $100,425 including destination, while the LC 500 convertible will set you back $107,625. All in, a 2025 model year equivalent of my nearly loaded test car costs $117,710, with options like a $900 head-up display, $600 carbon-fiber door scuff plates, $650 dark chrome exterior trim and $1,220 13-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system (which sounds great).
There are few V8-powered convertibles left on sale to compete with the LC. The BMW M850i costs $118,175 and the cheapest V8-powered Mercedes-AMG SL is $145,800; both of those come standard with all-wheel drive, too. The latest Porsche 911 Carrera cabriolet starts at $135,395 before any options, and while its twin-turbo flat-6 is lovely, it’s no V8. I guess you could consider the C8 Corvette and Aston Martin Vantage as competitors, but while the mid-engine Chevy is cheaper it’s a lot uglier and less satisfying to live with, and the Aston is way more expensive. The LC is a singular experience in the market.
The best part about the LC’s updates? It should make used LCs even cheaper. You can already get early LC 500 coupes in the low-$50,000 range – I’ve even seen a few with list prices that start with a 4 – but the convertibles don’t seem to have dipped below the $70k mark yet. I would complain about the tech every day, but it wouldn’t stop me from going for one of the pre-facelift LCs on the used market. If you’ve got the funds to drop on a brand-new LC 500, though, you won’t be disappointed. The LC is a singular experience in the market, a car with real soul, and that’s hard to find these days. Now that it’s got a real infotainment system, it’s even better.
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik
Daniel Golson / Jalopnik