New 2020 Lexus LC Convertible on sale now
Starting price of £90,775 for new Lexus LC Convertible
The new Lexus LC Convertible is now available to order in the UK. Prices start from £90,775 for the base-model and climb to £96,625 for the flagship Sport Pack variant. First deliveries are expected to arrive during autumn this year.
The LC Convertible is the first open-topped model Lexus has offered since production of the IS 300C ended in 2015. However, this new model will face harsher competition than its predecessor, acting as a rival for the latest BMW 8 Series Convertible.
Standard equipment for the entry-level LC Convertible includes 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, puddle lights, an electric soft-top and privacy glass. The car’s mirrors are heated, auto-dimming, auto-folding and feature a reverse-tilt function for parallel parking assistance.
Inside buyers get a pair of heated, cooled and electrically adjustable leather seats, a heated sports steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, aluminium pedals and a rear wind deflector. There’s also the same eight-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.3-inch infotainment system as the LC Coupe, which supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The range-topping LC Convertible Sport+ Pack builds on this specification with 21-inch alloy wheels, semi-aniline leather seat upholstery with integrated neck-heaters, carbon fibre scuff plates and a Torsen limited-slip differential.
Buyers can choose from 21-inch forged alloy wheels (£2,100), special metallic paint (£500), a colour head-up display (£1,250) and a premium 17-speaker Mark Levinson stereo system (£1,000).
To keep the LC 500 Convertible’s structural rigidity comparable to the hardtop variant’s, Lexus has fitted strengthening beams to the car’s chassis, with a new die-cast aluminium rear strut brace and a range of underbody strengthening beams made from magnesium and aluminium.
Buyers also get Lexus’s far-reaching Safety System+ – which the company says will help reduce the risk of an accident. Features included a pre-collision system, dynamic radar guided cruise control, lane-keeping assist and a traffic sign recognition system. There’s even an automatic high-beam function, which prevents the LC’s headlights from dazzling oncoming road users.
New 2020 Lexus LC Convertible: engine and drivetrain
Just one engine will be available – Lexus’s naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 petrol unit. It has an output of 457bhp and 530Nm of torque, which delivers a claimed 0–62mph time five seconds flat and a top speed of 168mph.
Like the LC Coupe, power is sent to the rear wheels via a 10-speed automatic gearbox – and the chassis is propped up by adaptive dampers and multi-link suspension. Buyers also get a sophisticated traction control unit and a beefy braking system, with six-piston calipers up front and four-piston calipers at the rear.
To keep the LC 500 Convertible’s structural rigidity comparable to the hardtop variant’s, Lexus has fitted a range of strengthening beams to the car’s chassis, with a new die-cast aluminium rear strut brace and a range of underbody strengthening beams made from magnesium and aluminium.
Lexus’s far-reaching Safety System+ also features, which the company says will help reduce the risk of an accident. It includes a pre-collision system, dynamic radar guided cruise control, lane-keeping assist and traffic sign recognition. There’s an automatic high-beam function, too, which prevents the LC’s headlights from dazzling oncoming road users.
As for fuel economy, the LC 500 Convertible returns a claimed 24.1mpg on the combined cycle. Emissions figures stand at a claimed 275g/km of CO2.
New 2020 Lexus LC Convertible: design and practicality
The LC Convertible has ditched the coupe’s “floating” roofline in favour of an abruptly sloping fabric roof and a long, flat rear deck. Its 2+2 seating layout remains the same as the LC Coupe’s, although boot and rear seat space (neither of which are generous on the hard top) have been compromised further by the roof mechanism and its storage compartment.
Boot space has dropped from 197 litres in the LC 500 Coupe, to just 149 litres in the LC 500 Convertible. However, Lexus says that the Convertible’s fabric roof can be opened in just 15 seconds. It can be operated at speeds of up to 31mph and, to keep wind buffeting to a minimum, there’s a transparent wind deflector behind the rear seats.
Due to packaging constraints caused by the folding roof mechanism, the hardtop’s 3.5-litre V6 hybrid powertrain also won’t be available on the LC Convertible. The space occupied by the roof leaves no room to spare for the battery pack, without reducing the car’s boot capacity to an unusable level.
What does the Lexus LC 500 Convertible have to beat? Read our run-down of the best convertibles on sale now…
