The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is an excellent grand tourer, but it is up against some of the most desirable cars on the planet.

The Lexus LC 500 Convertible has always been one of the go-to models in the segment if you wanted luxury, performance, and a top-down driving experience. Ever since it came to the United States market back in 2018, this premium offering from Lexus never managed to let down one bit and the customers have been very happy with the overall driving experience and the unmatched Japanese reliability on offer. With the arrival of this 2022 iteration, Lexus has managed to fine-tune the car more, making it even better than the older model years.

Launched for a base MSRP of $102,225 and coming in a single trim configuration only, the 2022 Lexus LC 500 comes with the drop-dead gorgeous design we have always been a fan of. The interior is very luxurious, and it is filled with all the features you could think of. A glorious V8 resides under the hood, and the suspension and steering have seen some major rework to make it a bit sportier while still retaining its grand touring ability. Competing with the likes of Mercedes-Benz AMG E53 Cabriolet, Jaguar F-Type R Dynamic, and Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible.

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The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is easily one of the most gorgeous cars in the Lexus portfolio, ever. It is going to grab attention anywhere it goes and the main reason for that is due to the spot-on proportions and the arrow-head front-end design. The angular LED headlights with LED DRLs, corner air curtains, and the quintessential waterfall grille is onboard. The reasonable amount of chrome doesn't overpower the front end, and it helps the car to retain the classy design very well.

The hood is long and so is the overall length and wheelbase. The 21" wheels are hand polished and feel every bit as premium as what the sticker price suggests, and the oversized rotors with Brembo brake calipers round off the design. The profile also looks very sleek with minimal character lines and creases. However, there are functional air vents and flush-mounted handles. The rear end gets the beautiful LED taillights, an even wider 275-section tires, a simple diffuser, and a dual exhaust outlet.

The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is the only car in the segment that comes with a naturally aspirated motor, and we are thankful for that. The 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 motor produces 471 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque and comes mated to a 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The power is sent to the rear wheels only and the 0-60 mph sprint can be done in 4.4 seconds. The quarter-mile time of 12.8 seconds and the top speed of 168 mph is more than enough for a grand tourer.

Put your foot down and the fast-revving V8 motor makes sure that you get an immediate response, and it is continued all the way to the redline marked at 7,500 RPM. The low-end and mid-range is where this motor shines the most and driving through the fast highways and congested city streets is an easy affair. Step on the gas pedal from any speed and the LC 500 Convertible offers impressive acceleration to close the gap or overtake a car in front of you. The 10-speed automatic is super smooth and reasonably quick to react.

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The adaptive variable suspension system that comes with the LC 500 Convertible makes it a comfortable grand tourer. Like the outgoing model years, the suspension offers an almost magic-carpet-like ride quality when driving through the slow city streets. The bumps and potholes are filtered in perfectly and don't jostle the passengers.

Even the high-speed ride quality is superior to the stiffly sprung setup in the Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible and Mercedes-Benz AMG E53 Cabriolet.

If you are already stunned by the striking exterior and the unmatched performance, the luxurious cabin is going to take things to a whole new level. Everything you touch and feel is easily more premium than what the rivals have to offer. The dashboard and door cards look artistic with silver accents, soft leather with contrast stitching, and subtle lines and creases, making it nothing like anything that you have seen before.

The AC vents look quirky, especially the ones on the front passenger side, and the injection-molded plastic accent on the dashboard feels very premium and almost aluminum-like. The silver and chrome elements, beautiful black or toasted caramel leather interior and upholstery, and the solid feeling switchgear makes sure that you could ride in the LC 500 Convertible all day long. Many features which are optional extras with the rivals come as standard too.

The front row seats are very spacious for both the driver and passenger, and they offer excellent comfort. The leather seats also come with heating, ventilation, massaging, and cooling support, and they also turned out to be the widest and most accommodating seats in the segment. The top-notch side bolstering coupled with excellent under-thigh support are some of the other plus points.

Being a convertible, you could have the open-top traveling experience and the comfort never degrades like in some of the rivals. The wind doesn't turn out to be bothersome as the wind deflector does a wonderful job. The headroom, legroom, and shoulder room were comparable to the AMG E53 Cabriolet too. However, the rear seat space is almost non-existent and only kids would fit. The cargo space of 5.4 cu ft is a joke as well, and it cannot even accommodate three full-size airport bags.

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We have never been a huge fan of the 10.3" Enform infotainment system that came in the outgoing 2021 model, and unfortunately, the same infotainment has been passed on to this 2022 model. This is a non-touchscreen infotainment system, and you would need to control the system using a finicky trackpad present in the center console.

While using the trackpad to control the infotainment system, you would feel like this Lexus is a few years behind the impressive iDrive and MMI infotainments offered by the rivals. The display quality is just about average and there were occasional lags and stutters too. In terms of features, it comes standard with navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice recognition, and Bluetooth. The audio quality through the 12-speaker audio system with automatic sound leveling and digital signal processing was quite impressive as well.

The 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible doesn't miss out on many driver-assistance features, as most of them are offered as standard. The standard features include forward-collision warning, automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, and a driver-monitoring alert system.

In comparison, many of these features are optional extras in the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and the Mercedes-Benz AMG E53 Cabriolet. The solid build quality on offer due to the construction happening in steel and aluminum coupled with a long list of standard safety features is going to make it a very safe offering of the segment. However, it hasn't been crash-tested by the NHTSA and IIHS yet.

The first thing that you would notice when you glance over the side profile of the 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is the massive pizza-sized ventilated rotors which are also a two-piece setup, coupled with the wide Michelin Super Sport tires with wider section tires for the rear end. The LC 500 Convertible comes with 6-piston monoblock aluminum front calipers and the brake pads have a high friction coefficient.

All of these make sure that the LC 500 Convertible stops on a dime under hard braking. It doesn't feel twitchy, and the brake fade is much lower than what you would experience from the F-Type R Dynamic. The initial bite is very sharp and the braking progression is excellent. The 10-speed automatic does aggressive engine braking, and all of these contributed to a superb 70-0 mph time of 168 feet.

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Even though the fuel efficiency is going to be the last thing on your mind when you go for the 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible, it did manage to surpass our low expectations. This convertible high-performance grand tourer managed 15 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highway, equating to combined gas mileage of 18 MPG.

In comparison, the Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet offered a slightly higher combined gas mileage of 20 MPG. With the best in class 21.7-gallon fuel tank capacity, the LC 500 Convertible managed to extract the highest combined range of 412 miles.

Even with the updated suspension and steering when compared to the 2021 model, the 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is still not the most exciting model in the segment. The adaptive variable suspension offers multiple modes and even when put in the sport mode, the car doesn't feel as poised or direct as the Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible.

The features like rear-wheel steering, variable gear ratio steering, Torsen limited-slip differential, and speed-activated rear wing are present as standard. The convertible moniker also gets comprehensive underbody bracing with a rear suspension tower and v-brace. Even then, the 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible is not really meant for lighting the racetracks on fire, the heavy curb weight makes it slightly watered down while cornering, and the steering is not the most feedback-rich.