We take an in-depth look at the hits and misses of Lexus' IS250C convertible.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Look at moiye!
Nothing gets bystanders gawking more than transforming a car from coupe to convertible and back again.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Transform!
Going from coupe to convertible or vice versa takes 21 seconds of quiet brilliance.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Mass, part I
The IS250C weighs some 170kg more than its sedan counterpart.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Quick, light up
The IS250 sedan misses out on al fresco motoring, as well as LED tail-lights.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Mass, part II
The weight gain is thanks to the electric motors required to retract the roof, as well as various structural reinforcements to make up for the lack of a roof.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Mass, part III
The extra mass means the engine needs to be worked quite a lot harder, to the detriment of fuel economy.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Mass, part IV
The IS250C handles sweetly, but the extra weight can be felt in tighter corners.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Sole survivor
With the recent demise of the SC430, the IS250C is Lexus' sole convertible option.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Winging it
The wing mirrors feature LED indicators.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
On with the show
Projector headlamps are standard across the range, but only the top-of-the-range Sports Luxury model has xenon bulbs.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Sweet 17
The entry-level Prestige comes fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels, higher specified models get 18-inch ones.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Drive it
Unlike convertibles from Mercedes, BMW and Audi, there's only one drivetrain choice: a 2.5-litre V6 sending power to the rear wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
The place to be
The interior design is largely lifted from the sedan.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Field of view
We had no issues looking through the windscreen, but drivers taller than our 165cm may find themselves looking under, at and around the thick windscreen pillars.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Out back
Rear passengers rely on the generosity of those up front for leg room.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Sit upright
Passengers at the back sit almost upright. Shoulder room is restricted as the passenger cell arcs tightly around.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Headrests, part I
Now you see them...
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Headrests, part II
...now they no longer block the driver's view aft. A simple latch between the two rear seats brings the headrests crashing down.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Thop thop
To stop the rear seat belts flapping about, they can be secured in place by magnetic fasteners.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Plushie
The plush white leather evoked thoughts of multimillion-dollar mansions with water views.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Butt sir, part I
With the roof up, the boot will swallow 550 litres worth of stuff.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Butt sir, part II
Before the roof can be folded down, the driver must manually set the luggage divider in place. That way the roof won't crush your precious belongings.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Butt sir, part III
Roof down boot capacity shrinks to just over 200 litres.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Butt sir, part IV
The double-hinged boot is heavy.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Spare me
A space-saver spare tyre lives under the boot floor.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Clash of the fonts
The "classy" serif fonts clash with the old-school LCD clock.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Hold it
Lift or press the centre button to close or open the roof; your finger must be kept there for the entire duration of the process. The button on the left activates a heating element for the windscreen wipers.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Stop it
The standard rear-parking sensors will call a halt to proceedings if a car or person gets too close to the double-hinged boot.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Hey you
The car won't stop you from driving away with the roof job half done, but it'll lodge a formal protest.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Parking mentor
The reversing camera is accompanied by front- and rear-parking sensors.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Cruise on by
Cruise control is easy to operate via this wand, but the singular dashboard light only tells you when the system is on, not whether you've set a cruising speed.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Strong, silent type
The only engine choice is an eerily silent, incredibly smooth 2.5-litre V6 with 153kW of power and 252Nm of torque.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Partial control
The gear lever will only let you set a maximum gear for the automatic transmission (fourth gear in this instance).
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Your flappiness
The standard flappy paddles are a good way of shifting down in a hurry.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Seat heaters
Your neck may be cold, but your bum can certainly stay warm.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Tilt and shout
The front seats electrically tilt and slide forward so rear passengers can enter and alight the car.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Optitron prime
The IS250C's instrument cluster features Lexus' bright and clear "optitron" lighting.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Info please
The LCD display between the speedo and tacho can display important warning messages, average speed, fuel consumption info, estimated distance to empty and the current gear.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
The future's orange
Both the speedo and tacho can be configured to glow a shade of orange if a threshold road or engine speed is breached.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Climate change, part I
Without any knobs, the standard dual-zone climate control system is difficult to operate by touch alone.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Climate change, part II
Matters aren't helped by the fact that you need to dive into the touchscreen menus to adjust fan speed or where the air's coming from.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Upgrade
Lexus has fitted an upgraded version of the touchscreen interface to the latest batch of IS250Cs. The look is very reminiscent of the one used in the company's Remote Touch-equipped cars.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Navigation, part I
Despite the upgrade there's still no 3D perspective.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Navigation, part II
Lane guidance isn't available, but the system does give you a close view of the upcoming turn.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Music options, part I
A six-disc CD changer resides in the dashboard.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Music options, part II
Joy of joys, the IS250C comes equipped with an auxiliary jack and an iPod-compatible USB port.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Wheely?
Steering wheel audio controls are easy to use, but there's no mute button.
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(Credit: Derek Fung/CNET Australia)
Talk it up
Bluetooth hands-free works well with the roof up, but voice commands are limited to five phone book voice tags.
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