Lexus IS250C 2010 Review

stylish great interior excellent fit-out and equipment

Needs more power for serious performance Doors too high and heavy Opening roof chews up boot space

At last, Lexus have come to the party with the new IS 250C – a folding hard top variant of the mid-size sedan. Pricing starts at $76,900 for the Prestige and tops out at $94,900 for the Sports Luxury.

Exterior

Lexus have done an excellent job converting the original design to incorporate the folding hard top. The chunkier rear end is the only obvious difference. But only the bonnet, headlights, door handles and door mirrors are carried over from the sedan. An extra 160kg of foldable roof and floor bracing have been added to weigh the car in at 1730kg. And that’s just the base model. Tack on another 20kg for the top version.

Interior and equipment

The interior is what we have come to expect from a luxurious Lexus. Supportive leather seats, quality six-stacker stereo, intuitive dash and steering controls, and push button start. There’s a raft of standard features … fully adjustable electric seats, cruise control, trip computer, parking sensors and headlight controls.

Safety is a focus with a comprehensive airbag package, anti-lock brakes with brakeforce distribution, traction and stability controls and adaptive suspension.

Engine

The Lexus IS 250C is powered by a 2.5 litre DOHC V6 that puts out 153kW at 6400 rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. It has a combined fuel economy figure of 9.3L/100km. An automatic transmission with manual mode gets power to the wheels.

Driving – Karla Pincott

I’ll come straight out and admit I don’t like convertibles. And there are many reasons for that, the main one being that for decades a convertible body has often been a compromised afterthought – it either ended up being too jittery with ‘scuttle shake’, or too heavy to move around nimbly.

But that’s admittedly old school thinking. Over the past few years with better use of lighter materials and high-tensile steels, droptops have improved. And the Lexus IS 250C is one that benefits from the recent technology. We were surprised at how well it behaved with the roof down. And while the metal top and the extra strengthening and equipment have added about 130kg over the sedan, it doesn’t lumber around.

And the little creature is just so damned easy to live with. It’s a breeze to park, has enough snap to tango through urban traffic without getting flustered, and is not a bad cruiser for longer stretches outside the city. And it looks good too. It needs a bit more engine before it could really appeal to performance fans, however. The 2.5-litre V6 is more than enough for a chic sprint, but those who want to muscle around will want more.

Likewise, in full auto mode the transmission keeps shifting up for economy when we’d rather stay in the current gear for performance. But it’s smooth and well-behaved over most roads so far, with the exception being a run of badly patchworked bitumen on the way south that sent judders through the cabin. Our other issue with the droptop is that with the roof open, the boot space shrinks to barely enough for a couple of overnight bags.

And our only other reason for disliking the IS 250C has little to do with engineering. We’re not the type that is ever well-groomed enough to enjoy the kind of public display a convertible offers – attracts, even. No, give us a full roof, and add darkened glass behind which we can cower in all our unkempt frightfulness, I say.

Driving – Jonah Wigley

With extra weight, acceleration is compromised. We found ourselves hesitating during overtakes and merges. Poor visibility, particularly out the back quarter of the car – due to the higher waistline on the convertible – was another factor that caused us to balk at times. Once at speed, however, the convertible was smooth and quiet – except for a little mirror woosh – and the throttle response at higher revs was a lot better than from off the line.

The suspension set-up is great, so potholes and ruts were chewed and spat out. With the top down we could hold a conversation without having to shout, even while being treated to the satisfying syrupy growl of the tensed engine. The IS 250C poured in and out of corners at all speeds effortlessly – best using the paddle-shifters – but there were periods of noticeable body-roll. This is more a cruiser than a hyper sports car.

We took issue with the height – and weight - of the doors. They were a good six inches above a comfortable elbow-rest level which was just plain annoying. And they were too damn heavy. And don’t try to put the top down at traffic lights. Lexus claims it takes less time than its competitors, but you will be caught short.

Verdict

75/100

Lexus IS 250C

Price: from $79,900 to $99,900
Engine: 2.5-litre V6
Power: 153kW/6400revs
Torque: 252Nm/4800revs
Transmission: six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Performance: top speed 210km/h, 0-100km/h 9.0s
Economy: 9.3L/100km
Emissions: 219grams/km