juice14

great review. not very subjective at all

McDonough

I wish they would make the IS350C with the manual...

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

Excellent write up!! Makes me want to go take it for a test drive.

josephdoc

Thx.. this saves me a trip.

SoCal35

iTrader: (5)

I just read this Phil and I gotta say that was a great review. I wasn't very open minded about the coupe at first, but after seeing more pictures and after reading your review, I'm beginning to warm up to it .

llamaboiz

thx for taking the time for the review

for me:
would i give up my sedan for a C? no
if i never owned a sedan or C and was looking for a 2IS would i buy a C? no

why?

i dont like the look of the SC430's, the C has that same 'look'... one of those love/hate things.

Also this 'added safety' bit is done because its a C not because the sedan lacks 'safety'. That part can be read in a misleading way.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

People who buy convertibles want a convertible.

Consumers don't buy convertibles because they didn't have sedans or regular coupes available on the dealer lot. For someone to buy the IS-C, they will specifically be looking for the drop-top option.

You represent the majority: most CL members with 2IS will not be dropping their sedans for the convertible. But for the few who are interested in it, I think the IS-C does a pretty good job...

JasDmw

I'm looking for a C type car; have an RX that the wife hogs. We'd like the top down for rides around wine country here in Niagara (of ours not in the winter). Am having a tough time with the IS VS the Eos. The latter has been around a bit longer, has a sun roof for those top up days and FWD for winter use. And it's a several $ less. Wondering if anyone has done a comparo against the Eos and made a purchase of either??

Rain

Great writeup!! My girlfriend has been asking for weeks to trade in one of our cars for this.

KaiserSea1

Here is a bit of a different take. I compared the two with an inverse on the price. My 03 SC430 with very low miles, costing around 20 vs spending close to 50 for the IS350C.

Test Drive

As accurate as my Iphone is, my SC pulls to 60 in 5.9 sec, the IS hit it in 6.4 both top down. Without going into the IS not being broken in, it felt a bit faster than my SC, punching through the gears, where my SC was much more quiet, smooth, and less fun. Getting on to the interstate in my SC, the hard curve on the expressway had me holding on tight at 50MPH, the IS handled much better. The IS is tuned much more toward sport. Once on the interstate, the SC felt much more solid, and this is where the smoothness paid off. The IS bounced on road imperfections that my SC absorbs. I would find this tiresome in the daily commute. As a daily driver I would rather drive the SC, for a weekend car, the IS is much more fun.

Interior

The SC is about as good as it gets. If you do buy the ISC, go get some SC seats and switch them. The seats in the IS lacked the support, and the leather felt plastic like. My Eight year old GPS is not as sharp as the IS system, but since I have the new disk, functionality was pretty close. The Stereo in the IS, thank God did not have a tape deck, sound quality was about the same. The wood and leather of the SC trumped the IS by a wide margin. The IS is new, and even though my SC is low miles, New feels really good. Hard to explain, but the buttons and switches felt better in the IS. More of a click, where the SC controls are a bit sloppy. I think the hard plastic on the IS would bother me, I don't know how much more it would cost to throw some wood inside, and wrap the dash in leather, but I would miss the upscale feel of the materials in the SC.

Wind Noise

You can have a quiet conversation in the SC with the top down at 80MPH. Not so for the IS, the wind was blowing through me, rather than around me as in the SC.

Looks

I think the SC looks better, but to be honest, I easily confuse the cars. I walked over to a black SC to see how 2010 price compared with the IS, and was mistaken, it was an IS.

Warranty

I bought the Lexus used warranty which covers me five years and 60K platinum miles. Both cars would be repair cost free.

Conclusion

Given my car has 95% of the nuts and bolts of the 2010, and is still in near new condition, I am comparing a car that costs 20K more than an IS, at a price that is 30K less. You can see where this is going, I rather drive an SC. I do a lot of traffic, and I like the luxury. So for a price in the 20s I recommend an SC. If I was spending new dollars, it would be an IS without a second thought. A better driving car, with better tech, a bigger back seat, and a nice size trunk makes it impossible to justify 25K more for an SC. I would just have to stop touching the dash.