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2010 Lexus IS 250C Features Review

August 29, 2009

FEATURES | 9 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Audio system volume adjustments are reprogrammed when the top is down
Motor Trend

Satellite radio and a USB interface for portable music players
Kelley Blue Book

There’s also a line of F-sport performance accessories
Car and Driver

Like any Lexus worth its price tag, the 2010 Lexus IS C lineup gets a full range of high-tech features, some standard and many optional. The Lexus IS C lineup is also priced very competitively, and when you consider the cost of a car like the Lexus IS 250C, you’ll realize it’s a true luxury bargain.

The inherent differences between a convertible like the 2010 Lexus IS C and the standard IS sedan lineup require several changes to the car’s features, and reviews read by TheCarConnection.com show that Lexus engineers have risen to the challenge. Motor Trend reports that one example is in the audio volume tuning, as the Lexus IS C’s “audio system volume adjustments are reprogrammed when the top is down, and the HVAC system knows to deliver more air.” The audio system similarly “alters the equalization for the top being up or down,” according to reviewers at Kelley Blue Book. Reviewers there add that, “in terms of entertainment, the [2010 Lexus] IS C features an eight-speaker audio system with six-disc CD changer, satellite radio and a USB interface for portable music players.” One new feature for the Lexus IS 250C and 350C convertibles is a revised heating system, which Autoblog says offers “increased ventilation for cooling, and the heating elements have been included in the seat shoulders – good stuff for when the top is down in chilly weather.”

In order to keep the base price for the entry-level Lexus IS 250C below the competition, Lexus has had to make many features optional instead of standard. Fortunately, Kelley Blue Book says that, for convenience, “many of the options offered for the Lexus IS C are bundled in the Luxury Package, which includes rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated front seats with memory, HID adaptive front lighting and semi-aniline leather trim.”

Although the IS C isn't offered with the powertrain or go-fast hardware of the blazingly quick Lexus IS F sedan, it's inspired “a line of F-Sport performance accessories” that Car and Driver says include “forged 19-inch wheels, a cold-air intake, a cat-back exhaust,” and a “short-throw shifter” for the Lexus IS 250C with the manual transmission. Last but not least, TheCarConnection.com’s research shows that a navigation system can be optioned onto the Lexus IS C lineup, and Autoblog reports that it “uses an auto-fill feature like predictive text,” and has a system that allows for “voice commands [to] be more informal (e.g. “Call Bob at home”).”

Conclusion

Plenty of high-tech factory options, plus a new line of dealer-installed performance accessories, mean you'll be able to get almost all the features you want on the 2010 Lexus IS C.

FEATURES | 9 out of 10Expert Quotes:Audio system volume adjustments are reprogrammed when the top is downMotor TrendSatellite radio and a USB interface for portable music playersKelley Blue BookThere’s also a line of F-sport performance accessoriesCar and Driver Like any Lexus worth its price tag, the 2010 Lexus IS C lineup gets a full range of high-tech features, some standard and many optional. The Lexus IS C lineup is also priced very competitively, and when you consider the cost of a car like the Lexus IS 250C, you’ll realize it’s a true luxury bargain. The inherent differences between a convertible like the 2010 Lexus IS C and the standard IS sedan lineup require several changes to the car’s features, and reviews read by TheCarConnection.com show that Lexus engineers have risen to the challenge. Motor Trend reports that one example is in the audio volume tuning, as the Lexus IS C’s “audio system volume adjustments are reprogrammed when the top is down, and the HVAC system knows to deliver more air.” The audio system similarly “alters the equalization for the top being up or down,” according to reviewers at Kelley Blue Book. Reviewers there add that, “in terms of entertainment, the [2010 Lexus] IS C features an eight-speaker audio system with six-disc CD changer, satellite radio and a USB interface for portable music players.” One new feature for the Lexus IS 250C and 350C convertibles is a revised heating system, which Autoblog says offers “increased ventilation for cooling, and the heating elements have been included in the seat shoulders – good stuff for when the top is down in chilly weather.” In order to keep the base price for the entry-level Lexus IS 250C below the competition, Lexus has had to make many features optional instead of standard. Fortunately, Kelley Blue Book says that, for convenience, “many of the options offered for the Lexus IS C are bundled in the Luxury Package, which includes rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated front seats with memory, HID adaptive front lighting and semi-aniline leather trim.” Although the IS C isn't offered with the powertrain or go-fast hardware of the blazingly quick Lexus IS F sedan, it's inspired “a line of F-Sport performance accessories” that Car and Driver says include “forged 19-inch wheels, a cold-air intake, a cat-back exhaust,” and a “short-throw shifter” for the Lexus IS 250C with the manual transmission. Last but not least, TheCarConnection.com’s research shows that a navigation system can be optioned onto the Lexus IS C lineup, and Autoblog reports that it “uses an auto-fill feature like predictive text,” and has a system that allows for “voice commands [to] be more informal (e.g. “Call Bob at home”).” ConclusionPlenty of high-tech factory options, plus a new line of dealer-installed performance accessories, mean you'll be able to get almost all the features you want on the 2010 Lexus IS C. 2010 LEXUS IS C STYLING | [6 out of 10] Car and Driver: “It looks to the untrained eyes like a sedan that has met a hacksaw” Motor Trend: “You’ll recognize the C as a member of the IS family, yet every body panel save the hood is new” ConsumerGuide: “Lexus’ usual large, legible gauges ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

The new IS C isn’t the softest and most comfort-oriented vehicle, but it isn’t the most performance-focused either. In this pack of luxury-brand convertibles, the IS C has more of a performance edge than the Volvo C70; the front-wheel-drive Volvo has great seats and a roomy trunk, however. The Mercedes-Benz CLK feels heavier and more grown-up than the IS C, and it’s offered in a powerful V-8 CLK550 model, but even the base CLK350 is a lot more expensive than the Lexus, and it comes with a soft-top setup that’s not quite as isolated from the elements as the IS C’s tight top. The IS C’s most direct rival is probably the BMW 3-Series Convertible. The 2010 Lexus IS 250C just doesn’t keep up with the 328i Convertible, but compared to the 335i Convertible, the Lexus IS 350C is a sportier, more compelling alternative, priced at thousands less and with more usable backseat space; like the IS C, the Volvo and BMW come with a retractable hardtop. Two new rivals to be introduced this year will also be hot alternatives for open-air motoring: the Audi A5 and G37 Convertible. Audi sticks with a traditional soft top for the A5, but its interior is absolutely stunning. Meanwhile, the next G37 Convertible promises performance near the front of the pack; it also will get a retractable hardtop, done in steel rather than the IS C’s lighter-weight aluminum.

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See the Lexus IS 250C in Other Years:

2010

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