If you’re buying a hard-top convertible, it’s not for its utility. Ultimately, your decision will come down to minor details like how quickly the top retracts, does the top cut into the trunk space and can anyone sit in that cramped backseat? Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder fills you in on these issues in his video, but he also notes a couple of key numbers that help the 2010 Lexus IS 250C stand out against the competition.
2010|Lexus|IS 250C
Recently, two attractive high-end convertibles ended up in the Cars.com office back-to-back, allowing Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder the opportunity to pit them against each other. The 2010 Lexus IS 250C and 2009 Infiniti G37 are both hard-top convertibles with hefty price tags, but what sets them apart? As Wiesenfelder discovers, the answer could be trunk space and trim-level features.
2010|Lexus|IS 250C
2009|Infiniti|G37
The 2010 Prius, which has only been on sale for a relatively short time, is not included in the recall at this time because there have been no specific complaints filed with either Toyota or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the floormats, Hanson said. However, when the recall is finalized, which could be as early as next week, the 2010 Prius may be included, he said. Other models haven’t been included based solely on the lack of complaints. A number of factors including pedal placement and keyless ignition in addition to the floormats may have contributed to the complaints against the recalled cars.
So, what is it about these floormats that’s causing the problem?The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued a wide-ranging announcement late today that Toyota will recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The recall stems from faulty floormats that can become stuck under the accelerator pedal causing unexpected acceleration. The defect is suspected to be the cause of one recent fatal accident.
The recall includes the following models:
NHTSA suggests all owners remove the driver-side floormat from these cars immediately and not replace them with anything. Toyota has released a warning for owners including steps to take in case of an accelerator issue. We've posted the notice below.
In the midst of early losses by tennis stars Andy Roddick and Venus Williams, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin of Georgia has shocked the tennis world by advancing to the quarterfinals of this year’s U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Wait a minute… we’re not a sports blog. We’re here to cover cars.
Lexus has designed another sports-themed car, much like it did with the golf-ball-dimpled LS 460 L at the U.S. Open of golf earlier this year. This IS 350, however, was covered in the yellow felt-like material of a tennis ball. Just how did I stumble upon this car? This past weekend I took a trip to New York City, and as part of my weekend expedition, I made a stop by the U.S Open. Once inside the gates, I noticed a bright yellow Lexus IS 350. This was no ordinary paint job. The car was completely covered in tennis-ball material. As a line of people waited to take a photo with the car, I stepped up and snapped a few photos of my own.
What’s next on Lexus’ list of sports-themed cars? A basketball-leather-covered RX 350 or a ES 350 wrapped in the rubber material of a hockey puck? We’ll be sure to keep our eyes open for these in the future. For now, check out more photos below.
The 2010 Lexus IS C convertible is rolling into dealerships now, and we hope to bring you a full review as early as July, but I got to tool around in a few pre-production models, so here are some early impressions of the brand's first entry-level convertible, which is based on its IS compact sedan.
Car fans who saw the film "Three Kings," set in the first Gulf War, may remember yelling at the screen as soldiers played by Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube argued over whether Lexus had a convertible. (It didn’t in 1991, when the film was set, and it still didn't when the movie came out in 1999.) It was 10 years after that war — and, coincidentally, just months before the U.S. stormed the Gulf again — that Lexus introduced its SC 430 convertible as an early 2002 model. Replacing the tragically underrated SC coupe, the convertible's claim to fame was being one of the first retractable hardtops of the modern era — that and being priced above $60,000. Like the second Gulf war, the original SC 430 and its high price remain today ($66,805 for the 2009 model), but Lexus says a redesign is finally in the works. In the meantime, the retractable-hardtop IS 250C with a 2.5-liter V-6 opens its doors for a palatable $38,490. An IS 350C adds a 3.5-liter V-6 and stickers at $43,940.
Lexus released pricing information for the 2010 RX 450h, a hybrid SUV, as well as the 2010 IS 250C and 350C retractable-hardtop convertibles.
The RX 450h will retail for a base MSRP of $41,660 for the front-wheel-drive model and $43,250 for an all-wheel-drive RX 450h. There’s also a destination fee of $875. This compares favorably with the outgoing RX 400h, which had a starting MSRP between $42,080 and $43,480.
The IS 250C will start at $38,490 with a manual transmission, while the pricier IS 350C will start at $43,940. Again, these prices do not include a destination charge of $875.
The IS goes on sale in late May, while the RX 450h will go on sale later in the summer.
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!