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C is for Comfort. Image by Paddy Comyn.

C is for Comfort
Lexus is adamant that its new IS 250C is not a rival for the likes of the BMW 3 Series Convertible and Audi A5 Cabriolet. We agree.

   



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| First Drive | Nice, France | Lexus IS 250C |

In this business of car reviewing, we - the reviewers - are notorious for assessing every car based on its road holding and how it handles. That's especially true when it comes to the premium marques. In our defence, the likes of BMW, Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes-Benz all make bold claims for dynamic brilliance in their cars - whether it's a family estate or a humdrum hatchback under scrutiny. Even Lexus is now in on the act with its IS F sports saloon. However, erase that car from your mind, as Lexus emphatically states that its new folding hardtop cousin, the IS 250C, is not designed for keen drivers.

In the Metal

Although the 250C is unmistakably from the IS school of design, it shares remarkably few body panels with the four-door saloon. That's obvious aft of the windscreen pillar, where there are just the two doors and a noticeably longer rear overhang. With the hardtop roof in place, it's not a particularly well resolved shape. In fairness, few of the four-seat cars that feature a folding hardtop manage to escape the dreaded big bum syndrome. So it is with the IS.

Wait 20 seconds for the top to fold out of sight and, depending on where you are standing, you might think that the 250C looks good. From dead on the rear it's quite muscular with twin exhausts and subtle curving of the wings. Move around to the side though and it's obvious that Lexus's designers struggled to hide the folded roof. The rise of the waistline is disguised somewhat by the sculpting of the centre section of the body, but on standing back to take it in we concluded that the result is an 'under-wheeled' appearance, despite the standard fitment of 18-inch alloys. As ever, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this beholder's eyes prefer the lines of both the BMW 3 Series Convertible and the Audi A5 Cabriolet.

It's a different story inside the IS. Lexus has endowed the 250C with a beautifully put together cockpit that reeks of quality. Every switch is well damped; virtually all surfaces are nice to touch and the leather-covered seats are damn comfortable. Even the rear occupants don't suffer unnecessarily, with acceptable levels of leg- and headroom for this species of car - albeit with restrictions in the shoulder area.

What you get for your Money

Although Irish buyers will be offered just a single model (at €61,400), Brits can choose between four different grades starting at £34,550 for the IS 250C SE-I and rising to a substantial £43,250 for the acronymic edition, the IS 250C SE-L ACC/PCS and Multimedia. That ACC/PCS bit stands for Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-crash Safety, which is only available on the SE-L models and isn't cheap. Given the extensive list of safety equipment standard across the range it's a little surprising that Lexus has skimped on the inclusion of this advanced system. All in all though you'd have to admit that the 250C is well equipped no matter how much you spend on it. It competes (on price in any case) directly with the BMW 325i Convertible and the 2.0-litre TFSI powered Audi A5 Cabriolet.

Driving it

While pricing might put the IS 250C on the same shortlist as the BMW and Audi, the way it drives will not. If you'd like your premium drop-top to give you the occasional thrill behind the wheel then the Lexus is not for you. Despite boasting a thoroughly modern 2.5-litre V6 with 205bhp at its disposal, the 250C is lumbered with a heavy body and it never feels quick. That impression is exacerbated by the standard six-speed automatic gearbox, which is deliciously smooth, but not interested in helping you up the pace, regardless of how you use the tactile gearchange paddles.

Instead, Lexus expects buyers of the IS 250C to barely acknowledge the whole concept of gears, instead wafting along whichever costa takes their fancy, the wind barely ruffling their immaculately coiffured hair and the excellent stereo the only soundtrack to their journey. In this context the IS 250C is brilliant. Refinement is what this Lexus is all about and if you could measure it, it would have millions of the stuff. Along with the lack of wind, road or engine noise, the suspension does an auspiciously good job of soaking up each and every bump and there's no shimmy through the body either.

Worth Noting

Surely we'd be forgiven for expecting more derivatives of the open-topped IS? After all, its petrol V6 is tailored for the US market and will sell in very small numbers in this part of the world. However, despite the presence of a manual gearbox and a diesel engine in the four-door saloon line-up, there are no plans whatsoever to offer either in the 'C' body style. The possibility of an IS F variant? Don't make me laugh, there's still a summary to write.

Summary

So long as you're not looking for scalpel-sharp dynamics and the occasional burst of adrenaline-inducing acceleration from your premium convertible, the new Lexus IS 250C is worth considering. It's a pity it isn't prettier, but that aside, here is a notably refined and high quality car that is far more comfortable to travel in than most vehicles of this type. That, and the Lexus badge on the nose, will be enough for some, but the lack of engine choice will ultimately restrict its appeal in this part of the world.

Shane O' Donoghue - 2 Jul 2009



  www.lexus.co.uk    - Lexus road tests
- Lexus news
- IS 250C images

2009 Lexus IS 250C specifications:
Price: From £34,550 on-the-road in the UK (€61,400 in Ireland).
0-62mph: 9.0 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Combined economy: 30.4mpg
Emissions: 219g/km
Kerb weight: 1730kg

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.



2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 

2009 Lexus IS 250C. Image by Paddy Comyn.
 






 

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