AutoWeek has posted a editor driver log of the 2010 Lexus IS 250C, and while they gave the convertible marks for its smoothness and features, when it came to styling and and other aspects, they were not as forgiving—first off, senior editor Bob Gritzinger noted the design challenges faced by all hardtop convertibles, and concluded the following:
To be fair, the car looks sharp from the front three-quarter angle, and—like all good convertibles—is fine with the top down. It also is fitted with some damn nice equipment—the super-powerful and clean sound of the Mark Levinson audio system is worth the money, along with the strong navigation system and the adaptive headlights which both do a great job of helping guide and light the way forward.
If your tastes run to luxury and you’re willing to forego serious power to get everything for less than $50,000, the IS 250C is a good option.
Then editor Wes Raynal posted the following critique, parts quoted below, and made a certain disputable observation about the vehicle’s origins:
Automakers haven’t gotten the styling right on these hardtop convertibles. I do hope they keep trying but meanwhile, they should keep them behind closed doors until they get it right. Hell, even Lexus thinks the car looks crappy, which is why all the press photos are taken from down low, in the front.
The gussied-up Toyota is not so hot on the road either. Top up, it feels claustrophobic; top down, the chassis is too floppy even on relatively smooth pavement. […]
The good news? Well, it’s about $6,000 less than a 3-series, so it’s got that going for it, and nobody kisses customer butt like a Lexus dealer, so there’s that as well.
But overall, I’ll pass.
Similar sentiments regarding the styling and drive from a third editor aside, Wes Raynal’s “gussied-up Toyota” remark bears some scrutiny—what Toyota model is he referring to here?
Toyota has no rear-wheel drive convertible, or current rear-wheel drive coupe for the matter either. In fact, of the IS, ES, GS, LS, and SC car lines, only the ES shares a platform with a global Toyota model, and could be criticized as such. The IS 250C is a dedicated Lexus model in its own right, but while everyone is entitled to their opinion, one is not entitled to their own facts. Would they call an Audi A5 is a ‘tarted-up’ Volkswagen?
[Source: AutoWeek]
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