What should We know before buying a Lexus?

Lexus’s recent endeavors into sportier cars has meant that other manufacturers need to up their game in terms of construction, styling, and interior luxury. The modern LC 500 Convertible seems to do everything right and is equally fun to drive as it is civilized, while maintaining an overall a higher level luxury and quality that even options from Mercedes, BMW and Porsche can’t quite compete with.

While not perfect, the LC 500 Convertible does sufficient directly to be one of the better current GT Coupé sports cars on the marketplace. Here’s what you have to know before buying a Lexus LC 500 convertible.

You might love the handling of other luxury brands which may have an extended racing history. Lexus can rank there with them.

The IS model was created to be a high-performance machine. It’s been track tested and has 8-speed paddle shifters. That’s right, you can shift the same manner that F1 drivers do. In addition, it has a V6 engine that provides you 311 horsepower.

The styling of the new LC is as classy as ever from Lexus, improved even further with the roof down. Sleek and elegantly designed, the Lexus features plenty of smooth lines and a few sporty touches with vents cut in to the bodywork.

You may get the Lexus application and a Safety Connect subscription, you can lock and unlock your car, find your car, and start your vehicle all from your phone. That means it is absolutely easy to find your automobile in a packed parking lot.

Typical Lexus touches remain present, including the now-iconic large front grille and the aggressive-looking lights in advance and on the rear. With the roof down, it looks even better, and certainly adds to the racier nature of your vehicle when compared to some of the less sporty Lexus models.

There’s a lot of substance to complement the styling from a power aspect at the very least. Unlike the coupé, there’s no hybrid powertrain on the convertible option.

However, given the sort of car we’re dealing with, it shouldn’t be missed all that much. Instead, the LC Convertible is powered by a fairly hefty 457 hp 5.0-liter V8. The key reason why not to add a hybrid option, according to Lexus, was to reduce weight, given that the convertible is naturally just a little heavier already than the coupé variant.

As expected, the LC Convertible is a pleasure to operate a vehicle, and supplies competitive performance to match its styling. The large engine permits a 0-60 mph time of around 5 seconds and a top speed of 168 mph.

The available power also makes power sliding easy if the mood takes hold, but otherwise, the LC Convertible provides plenty of grip with light and precise steering, which can be further enhanced depending on what driving mode you’re in. Like a Lexus, it is also exceptionally comfortable and smooth enough to operate a vehicle at low speeds too, so that it is a fantastic grand tourer.

An important aspect to any vehicle, the level of practicality from the LC varies in areas, so that it is somewhat average. The good arises from the amount of space for front passenger and driver, with plenty of headroom and legroom.

This is further increased by the width of the car, as this gives a little more wiggle room upfron,t but could make your vehicle a little more difficult to park when compared to other convertibles and roadsters. Space for small items in the cabin is good, too, with plenty of cubbies dotted around the inside. Unfortunately, the rear seats can be found but bordering on unusable and the rear cargo space of 149 liters helps it be one of the worst in its class.

There are a number of added options you can pick to include with your LC Convertible to make it a little more spectacular.

The first is the Cold Area Package which adds only a heated tyre, the Touring Package which too carries a heated wheel and a neck heater in the seats and a high-quality Mark Levinson 13 speaker audio tracks system. The ultimate two trim options offer extras just like a color heads up display, 21-inch gloss black wheels and a Torsen limited slip differential.

As a comfortable and well-handling GT car, fuel efficiency is also key for longer those drives and road trips. The fuel efficiency is approximately average for an auto with such a sizable engine and of this particular type.

However, the comparable BMW 8 series roadster does give a diesel option that gets vastly better fuel consumption than the LC Convertible’s 24 or so mpg combined. In this instance, a hybrid option is sorely missed, considering that the LC 500h offers around 34.7 mpg combined.

As ever, the Lexus is a delicacy to be inside, and most competitors can’t compete with the level of luxury on display. The included sports seats provide a massive amount of comfort, and the entire level of materials used makes rival cars look more than inadequate.

Even when you get to higher cost cars, including the Aston Martin DB11, the Lexus stands its ground, making the British icon look somewhat basic in comparison. The Takumi craftsmanship is on display throughout, with nearly every surface covered in high-quality hand stitched leather or Alcántara.

Coinciding with the high-quality build and interior quality is the range of included tech. In terms of infotainment, Lexus provides a sizable entertainment screen, even though some users claim the controls are a little fiddly, rendering it somewhat difficult to navigate especially at speed. ​​​​​​​

Fortunately, given the awkward Lexus infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come packaged, letting you easily bypass their system. Nevertheless, the dash is well outlined and as for tech features you get electrically operated seats, active noise control, ventilated seating and climate control functionality.

The premium feel of the LC 500 is also improved somewhat with a good level of safety and assistance features. Reversing cameras, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, pre collision warning with pedestrian detection, and lane departure warning all come as standard.

Overall, given the great build quality, the safety of the LC 500 Convertible is top quality, with few cars in the same category offering more than what the Lexus does. Given the excess strengthening because of the lack of a solid roof, it should fare perfectly in the unfortunate event of a crash.