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Road Test: 2010 Lexus IS 350 C car review, it's about time
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Figure this: The Lexus LS luxury sedan has been around for 20 years. There are college freshmen who have never known a world without the Lexus flagship luxury sedan. They haven’t known a world without Lexus’ entry-level sedan, the Lexus IS series, either. And although there was a brief foray into a sport wagon version of the IS sedan, the same college freshmen have never seen a coupe or convertible version of the Lexus IS. That’s about to change with the Lexus IS250 C and the larger-engined Lexus IS350 C.
Lexus had abdicated the entry-level coupe and convertible and coupe market to its competitors (although it has had the more expensive SC430 retractable hardtop since 2001), and in doing so gave up 25 percent of entry-level luxury cars sold. That’s really an opportunity Lexus couldn’t ignore. With the 2010 Lexus IS250 C and IS350 C, Lexus plugs that gap, at least if one is willing to consider a retractable hardtop convertible as a coupe and a convertible, and done it with two different engines, all in hopes of luring customers away from—they won’t put it in print but you know it’s true—BMW. And of course any other near-luxury coupe or convertible within range.
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We think the two-two-two cars in one is a bit of a stretch but we’re willing to consider the claim on its face and we’ll admit that the IS350 C makes a pretty good coupe. One has to remember that a coupe can also be called a “2+2,” which is accurate if you realize that all 2’s are not created equal, particularly the 2 for the back seat. It’s as snug as Japanese subway at rush hour though you’re less likely to be groped—unless you taken the wrong, or perhaps right companion.The front seats are to first cabin to what the back seats are to back of the plane. No drinks before takeoff but the seats are comfy and supportive and generally speaking, the front seats are a great place to be with the top raised on a cold or otherwise inclimate day.
Not that one has much excuse for the top to be up otherwise. It’s down in twenty seconds, all by electric motors rather than the usual electric/hydraulic systems. The all-aluminum top is sophisticated as well, with a brake-control system to soften its approach at either end of its travel. On models with the optional park assist system, the top won’t go up or down if there’s something in the way.
The top fully disappears when it’s lowered, as a good retractable top should. Unfortunately, trunk room mostly disappears when the top is lowered, going from 10.8 cu ft to a mere 2.36 cu ft. Touring with the top down? Take a duffle and throw it in the back seat when driving al fresco. Or just travel very light.
See more photos in the photo gallery below!
Rather than pop-up rollbars used on competitor models, the IS C models have fixed hoops, but to improve rearward vision for the driver the rear headrests can be flipped down remotely.
Thoughtful touches: The doors, almost a foot longer than the sedan’s front doors, have three stop detents on the way to open for easier ding-free use in various parking situations. The passenger seat has seatback releases on both sides of the seatback, the inner one so the driver can gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly, we suppose) flip the seatback for rear passenger entry.
As much as we’ll concede that most Lexus IS C models will be driven with the top up most of the time, we did most of our driving in our test IS 350C with the top down, which is of course its reason for being. And also a way of testing one of the more frequent problem with sedans made into convertibles, the dreaded cowl shake. Cowl shake is that vibration of the steering wheel caused by flexing of the body. It’s mostly a convertible phenomenon because in a closed car, the roof lends rigidity that’s lost with a topless car.
The 2010 Lexus IS 350 C, however, isn’t a chopped top sedan but rather was built from the bottom up. That means not the usual reinforced unit-body frame but a new unit-body frame altogether, built with more strength built into its floor and with higher and more robust side sills. Being purpose built, it can be stronger and lighter than a reinforced frame could be. So despite driving on some notoriously rough roads, our test Lexus IS 350 C didn’t shake. For a convertible, this is one tough cookie.
Our test Lexus IS had, as the nomenclature suggests, a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, the same as the IS 350 sedan, rated at 306 horsepower. The also available IS 250 C has the same 2.5-liter V-6 as its sedan equivalent. The big difference between the convertible and the sedan, however, is what the sedan blocks the sounds of the engine and exhaust. Too bad for sedan drivers, because the IS 350C gets its delightful thrust with a distinctive dose of turbine-like . Where its tough guy sibling, the Lexus IS-F, shakes up a Lexus family reunion, the IS 350C fits right in with neatly pressed slacks and a crisp shirt at the backyard barbeque.
Which makes it all the odder that Lexus would promote for the IS C models special high performance suspension parts and accessories from its F-Sport Performance Accessories catalog. Our test IS 350C was equipped with 19-inch forged alloy wheels ($2,196) and brake upgrades (front 6-piston caliper/14-inch disc for $3,025 and rear 4-caliper 13.6-inch for $2,550) for a grand total of $7,771, of which more than five grand is for brakes most useful for repeated high-speed stops. At a track day, nothing more useful than factory-supplied high-performance brakes, but the main purpose we see for them on an IS 350C convertible is to look good behind those dark gray wheels.Also available from F-Sport are performance Bilstein shocks, lowering springs, performance clutch, performance exhaust, performance intake, sway bar kits, quick shifter kit and that all-important carbon fiber engine cover.
It’s not that we don’t think the Lexus IS 350C is capable of handling the extra performance parts, it’s just that they seem out of character, like wearing spandex running shorts to the aforementioned barbeque. Although maybe that works in some neighborhoods.Prices for the Lexus IS C series begin with $39,660 for the IS 250C or $39,365 for the same with a six-speed manual transmission. Either can be spiced up with for the manual transmission car, an navigtation/audio/other stuff package for $7,545 for the latter and one of two luxury packages for the former. The IS 350C, available only with the 6-speed automatic transmission, starts at $43,940 and has a Luxury Package totaling $6,715.
Maybe those wheels and tires don’t look so bad after all.
It’s surprising that Lexus waited so long to jump into the market, though BMW recently arrived with the similarly-priced 1-Series convertibles and Infiniti with the G37 Convertible.
So perhaps Lexus hasn’t been as late to the party as it might seem
Illustrations: Top, Lexus IS 350 C; Lexus 3.5-liter V-6 engine; Lexus IS 350 C with top raised; Lexus IS 350 C. All photos except third from top (with converitlbe top raised) by Johh Matras, copyright John Matras Media LLC. Other photo courtesy Toyota.
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| Layout | Front engine, rear drive; unit body, steel |
| Engine | 3.5-liter/306-hp DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| Materials, block/head | aluminum/aluminum |
| Displacement, cc | 3456 |
| Compression ratio | 11.8:1 |
| Horsepower @ rpm | 306 @ 6400 |
| Torque, .lb ft @ rpm | 277 @ 4800 |
| Max. engine speed, rpm | 6600 |
| Fuel delivery | Direct injection plus secondary port injectors |
| Fuel requirement | Premium (91 octane) |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic w/ paddle shift |
| Suspension, front | Double A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| Suspension, rear | Multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar |
| Steering, type | Rack & pinion w/ electric power assist |
| Turning circle, ft | 33.5 |
| Brakes, type | 4-wheel disc w/ ABS, EBD and BA, stability control, hill-start assist |
| Disc dia., in., f / r | 14.0 / 13.6 |
| Wheels, size, f / r | 19 x 8 / 19 x 9 |
| Tires, size, f / r | 225/35ZR19 / 255/35ZR19 |
| Dimensions & capacities | |
| Length, in. | 182.5 |
| Width, in. | 70.9 |
| Height, in. | 55.9 |
| Wheelbase, in. | 107.5 |
| Cargo volume, top up / down, cu. ft. | 10.8 / 2.36 |
| Fuel tank, U.S. gal. | 17.2 |
| Performance | |
| 0-60 mph, sec., per mfr. | 5.8 |
| 0-1/4 mile, sec., per mfr | 14.1 |
| Top speed, mph, per mfr | 141 |
| Fuel econ., EPA mpg, city / hwy, (2008) | 18 / 25 |
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