2010 Lexus IS 350C Hardtop Convertible
by Jim Prueter -12/2009

New Lexus convertible raises the roof on style and luxury

Following in the footsteps of BMW, Volvo and Infiniti, Lexus has added a retractable hardtop convertible to its stable of vehicles.

With IS sedan underpinnings, the retractable is highly recognizable as a member of the IS family, yet every body panel including doors, fenders and trunk lid are new and unique. Only the hood is interchangeable with the sedan. Another key difference is that the sedan is offered in all-wheel-drive, the convertible isn’t.

The IS convertible is offered in two flavors: the IS 250C with a 204-horsepower 2.5-liter V-6 and the more powerful IS 350C with a 306-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6. The 250C is offered with a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The 350C is six-speed automatic only; both IS models are rear-wheel-drive.

While BMW buyers place driving dynamics high on their requirement list for vehicles, Lexus buyers place a higher value on feature content and smooth ride quality. The exception here, of course, came with the introduction of the high-performance IS-F with its 416-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8.

As expected with any Lexus product, the IS 350C comes well equipped with standard luxury features including 10-way power adjustable perforated leather driver and front passenger seats, dual-zone climate control, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, one-touch power windows and a whidded power-retractable aluminum-alloy convertible top that operates in just 20 seconds, about half the time as competitors’ models.

When lowering the top, the IS’s trunk lid lifts backward to accommodate the roof panels, requiring some room behind the vehicle as the trunk lid lifts and retracts, to avoid sheet-metal damage. Lexus does offer an optional clearance-sonar feature that alerts the driver if there isn’t enough room behind the vehicle and automatically discontinues the operation to avoid severe body damage. Top down, the trunk does have small but usable cargo space, even more with the top up.

The space required to store the folded top into the trunk results in a rear body style that left most observers with a love it or hate it opinion. It’s noticeably bulkier in the rear than sedan models, but otherwise quite attractive.

The interior offers seating for four… well, kind of. Front seats are incredibly comfortable and attractive with ample legroom for even this too-tall driver. The back seat is very tight and adults won’t fit well, if at all. Kids will fair much better. The interior, when compared with the BMW 3-Series, is decidedly more luxurious with richer materials.

We only drove the 350C model and a bunch of good things happened. Ride and handling were quite comfortable, and the 306-horsepower engine delivered excellent performance. With the top up, wind noise was virtually non-existent. There was virtually no cowl shake with the top down, something other manufacturers can’t claim with their convertibles.

To me, the IS 350C was a blast to drive with few complaints noted. But don’t expect it to deliver the same kind of sportiness as BMW 3-Series, which is still the at the top of the class in the retractable field.

Prices start at $38,940 for the smaller engine IS 250C and about $5000 more for the 306 horsepower 350C. Lexus hopes to sell 12,000 convertibles a year in the U.S. with about 75 percent of those being the smaller engine, which should be enough power for most Lexus buyers.