2010 Lexus IS Convertible: First Drive

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.

2010 Lexus HS 250h: First Drive

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h — the company's first stand-alone hybrid — won't hit dealerships until September, but my first drive of some pre-production models left me confident it will be a solid hit.

When you break it down, the two most important facets of any hybrid are its mileage and its price. The HS 250h is EPA rated at 35/34 mpg city/highway, with a combined rating of 35 mpg. Though the price won't be set until closer to the on-sale date, estimates put it in the mid-$30,000 range. Compared with the 2010 Toyota Prius' 51 mpg and the midsize Ford Fusion Hybrid's 41 mpg ratings (both in city driving), 35 mpg doesn't seem too impressive, but in the world of luxury cars, it's unbeatable — especially because it calls for regular gas, not premium.

Toyota Venza and Lexus RX Are Top Safety Picks

The all-new 2009 Toyota Venza and redesigned 2010 Lexus RX received Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To earn Top Safety Pick status, vehicles must rank Good — the institute’s top crash rating — in front, side and rear impacts. They also must be equipped with electronic stability control.

The two models join 20 other Top Safety Picks in the midsize SUV category. Cars.com’s David Thomas recently reviewed the new Venza and thought it was an attractive buy for small families. Mike Hanley took on the updated Lexus, which is one of the company’s most popular models.

2010 Lexus RX 450h review (Cars.com) 
2009 Toyota Venza video (Cars.com)

U.S. Open Bound: Golf-Ball-Dimpled Lexus LS 460 L

At first look, this custom Lexus LS 460 L looks like it just has a corny paint job to tie it to the U.S. Open. Lexus is the official sponsor of this year's event and asked an entrepreneur to design the car based on a gimmicky mailbox with a golf ball skin.

Yes, that means this covering is truly dimpled. The reason golf balls are dimpled is to make them cut through the air more easily. Theoretically, such a design should also make a car more aerodynamic, but because this is an additional covering over a slick design that probably spent months in a wind tunnel, it's unlikely it will help this particular car.

Now, if Lexus started doing this to the sheet metal…

Dimpled Lexus LS 460L to Debut at U.S. Open (The Lexus Enthusiast via www.DanPerry.com)

Lexus Rates HS 250h at 35 MPG

According to Lexus, when the HS 250h goes on sale late this summer, the vehicle will manage 35 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

That fuel economy would easily make the HS 250h the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle on the market, beating vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (23/32 mpg), BMW 335d (23/36) and Lexus’s own RX 450h (32/28).

The HS 250h does trail non-luxury hybrid vehicles, however, most notably the Ford Fusion Hybrid (41/36 mpg), which is larger and more powerful than the Lexus hybrid.

The Lexus HS 250h will be the first dedicated luxury hybrid on the market, meaning there’s no gas-only version. The HS 250h has a tad less passenger and cargo room than the Toyota Corolla.

Toyota expects to sell about 25,000 HS 250hs annually. Lexus hasn’t released pricing information yet, though published reports have speculated a base price of $32,000.

Lexus' hybrid sedan can get 35 mpg (Detroit Free Press)

Cadillac Named Top Brand in National Survey

Cadillac ranked as the brand with the highest customer satisfaction among new-car owners in the 13th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards from consulting firm AutoPacific. This is Cadillac’s second straight year winning the top honor.

AutoPacific says it looks at 48 categories to “objectively measure” ownership experience (“ownership experience” seems like a highly subjective thing, but we’ll let that slide). Its survey included more than 25,000 owners or lessees of new, 2009 vehicles. The firm does not disclose which automakers it has as clients.

Cadillac, which has been rated in at least the top five overall brands in all 13 of the firm’s surveys, also won the Luxury Sport Utility segment, with the Cadillac Escalade. The Lexus LS won the award for highest satisfaction overall for a vehicle, while Hyundai took the Rising Star Honors for its 11-position jump in customer satisfaction.

Brands with multiple winners include Toyota with six, Ford with four, Hyundai with three, and Chrysler and GM with two each.

Cadillac Top Brand in Customer Satisfaction (The Detroit Bureau)

April a Tough Month for Toyota

The sales numbers for April are in, and Toyota took a beating compared to last April’s sales. Down 42.2%, Toyota had a worse April 2009 than Ford (-31.6%), GM (-33.7%), Nissan (-37.8) and Honda (-24%).   

What’s causing the decline? Besides the fact that not one model posted a sales increase, we found these four factors within the sales numbers:

The New Toyota Corolla
When a company introduces an all-new model, it usually helps spur sales. Buyers happily gobbled up the old Corolla right up until the new model was released. The new Corolla’s sales, however, are down 42.9% from last April. Honda’s Civic — which was last redesigned three years ago — saw sales decline only 23.2% in the same time period. When your second-highest-volume vehicle sees such a sharp sales drop, it’s hard for new niche vehicles like the Venza to pick up the slack.

Lexus Announces Pricing for 2010 RX 450h and 2010 IS Convertibles

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.

More Lexus RX News
More Lexus IS News

Buick, Jaguar Unseat Lexus Atop J.D. Power Reliability Study

J.D. Power and Associates’ annual reliability study was just released, and Buick and Jaguar are tied for the top spot, unseating Lexus. The rankings are for three-year-old vehicles, which are rated according to problems per 100 vehicles. J.D. Power mails out surveys to thousands of people, and this year’s field included 46,000 original owners of 2006-model-year vehicles. Four of the top 10 brands were domestic makes, including Mercury, Lincoln and Cadillac.

Buick and Jaguar tallied 122 problems per 100 vehicles, with Lexus close behind at 126. Toyota won five segment awards for best models, including the Toyota Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Camry Solara and Tundra, which was the most of any automaker. Lexus fielded four winners in the ES 330, GX 470, LS 430 and SC 430. While those scores are impressive, we’re not quite sure how Scion, another Toyota nameplate, ranked near the bottom of the list with 222 problems per 100 vehicles.

While the results may sound surprising on their face, Buick has been in the top 10 since the survey was relaunched in 2003. Jaguar also steadily improved in quality while under Ford ownership. Jaguar was sold last year to Indian carmaker Tata Motors. 

Keep reading for scores of each brand as well as each vehicle segment.

2010 Lexus RX 450h Rated at 32/28 MPG City/Highway

The Lexus RX is the brand’s best-selling and, in hybrid trim, most fuel-efficient model, and with a new hybrid RX debuting, those fuel-economy scores are set to increase.

The new RX 450h is rated at 32 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway for a 30 mpg combined rating with front-wheel drive. Opting for all-wheel drive costs 2 mpg in city driving, but the highway number doesn't change (30/28).

The RX 450h’s hybrid system offers a 20% improvement in fuel efficiency over the outgoing RX 400h, which was rated at 27/24 mpg city/highway with front-wheel drive. In addition, Lexus says the hybrid system has better acceleration and cold-weather operability, plus reduced vibrations and noise. The RX 450h's 295-hp powertrain is more powerful than both the RX 400h's and the non-hybrid powertrain found in the RX 350.

Looking at the bigger picture, the RX 450h has the second-best fuel-economy rating of any SUV, after the Ford Escape Hybrid and its Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute hybrid siblings, which are smaller, less powerful SUVs. Even the fuel economy on the all-wheel-drive model beats all other crossovers.

The Lexus also bests its stable mate, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. The Lexus RX 450h goes on sale later this spring. Pricing has not yet been announced.