Today at the Paris show Lexus revealed the IS250 Convertible. You know the drill for the segment: folding hardtop, two pretend rear seats, very high price. While I’m a fan of Lexus’s recent L-Finesse design styling (see: Lexus LS460), I think this is ugly and boring. It reminds me of the Ford Focus folding hardtop convertible, except that it’s twice the price and half as appealing. Seriously, I wasn’t expecting something with Italian design flair, or even French oddity. But couldn’t they have done better than this? It might be the least imaginative car to roll out of the Lexus design studio in years, and that’s like saying Sarah Palin is the most incompetent politician in America. The Lexus IS250 Convertible is coming to your local rich housewives’ parking lot early next year. Or a scintillating comparison test in which it comes in third place against the 328i convertible and upcoming Infiniti G37 convertible in, oh, say the March issue of Car and Driver. I’m twitching with excitement.
Looks like a warmed-over Volvo.
I don’t find the design horribly offensive, just kind of… Bland.
At least its better than the current SC430.
Wow, when I read the Headline I thought you were being dramatic. Somebody at Lexus felt they need another SC. I can’t believe they ruined a good looking car like the IS. Maybe without the roof the car will look better in the real world. That roof is awful though. It does not flow with the car at all.
didn’t read article…busy…however, disagree in that it looks pretty good to me.
Wow, Lexus has taken one of their better designs and just totally ruined it.
haha, ya this car is going to give the CLK a run for the official ride of the overtanned, leathery, trying-to-be-MILFy crowd.
+1 for the “looks like a Volvo” statement…
Not a big fan. Too much resemblance to the horrific SC.
It’s a Toyota G6!
Everyone gives the SC such a hardtime. I will agree I would not buy a new one but used one with a nice set of wheels, coilovers and maybe a body kit looks pretty sweet (check cardomain for proof). This car might look better with the same treatment. If only Lexus would go further during design this would not be an issue for the consumer. In my opinion it is not ugly just bland.
All those 4 seat hardtop convertibles are ugly. Too many cut lines in the roof, too long a tail.
ugh.
Why no 3.5L V6?
Oh man. I guess somebody is a fan of the Pontiac G6 convertible, and they work for Toyota’s design team.
Looks like the G8 and the Sebring Convertible got together and birthed this thing.
All those 4 seat hardtop convertibles are ugly. Too many cut lines in the roof, too long a tail.
I couldn’t agree more! Whether it’s the 3 series, EOS, G6, Volvo, Sebring or whatever, they are hideous. I must have missed the memo about my rag top being a source of embarassment…..
Pardon me, is that the new Solara?
The G6 looks better than this. From most angles, anyway. And as long as you don’t look inside.
it is ugly
Did Lexus rebadge a Cobalt for this thing?
*gasp*
You’d think they’d have at least made a coupe first. This hardtop doesn’t look as interesting as the sedan and when the top’s down it just looks….i dunno….featureless?
335i for my money.
Lexus determined that their weakness was style some years ago, and pledged to correct that. To, um, inject some personality. Granted, their initial acceptance was their lack of style, originally. Think Sub-Zero appliance in both quality and design. But they wanted their visual language to reach more.
But this…
They still don’t “get it.”
It seems most Japanese designers do cute-car Pokemon face pretty well. 13-year old boy doodle be-winged sports car decently. And car-as-appliance better than anyone.
But drop-dead sexy gorgeous coupe?
Not so much.
Beauty is subjective, guys. Perhaps a few of you are jealous that it’s out of your price range. Perhaps a few of you are Detroit apologists. I can’t afford it, but it is definitely a beautiful car.
The old Lexus SC400/300 were and are I think the best looking Lexii in the history of that brand. When they replaced it with the SC430 talk about a let-down. Then they let the SC430 ungracefully age for what now, a decade or so? Wow.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Toyota is a focused, competent juggernaut on everything but enthusiast-type rides. They do so much GM-type gimmickry in that segment like inventing new models, canning old ones, letting models age and rot on the vine – its the one thing Toyota is not very good at, even when they get a good product in the segment they mis-fire.
I would withhold judgment until I see pricing and other specs. It’s certainly not ugly.
Toyota’s stated IS strategy is to steal 3-series sales by offering more standard features, better interior, comparable power, choice of RWD and AWD, better reliability and resale value, at a $3,000-$7,000 lower price.
In many parts of Southern California there is no car you see more of on the road than the 3-series, making its already ugly design all the more ugly because you see 25 of them during a 10 mile commute.
I see a pretty wide cross section of people in IS models, which are also common in California, but to the extent you want to stereotype them they are not older women, but 18-30 year old females. The SC is the Lexus model you tend to see 45+ women in.
eberything from the door back looks like it doesnt go with the car. but anyway, they had the sc and they barley sold any of those. wat makes them think they will sell these?
The Infiniti G convertible looks EXACTLY like this and everyone said how good it looked. It seems like people are just so discrimitory against Lexus cars. :( Haters!
Justin,
You don’t think Car & Driver will include the Volvo? Why not — did they stop advertising?
So this is what Toyota did with all those Solaras nobody bought/wanted…
Yuck!
The side profile kinda reminds me of that two-door Stratus RT that Dodge used to sell.
Ugly? Justin, if you think this is ugly, you’d better shield your eyes before looking at a Nuvo.
Nothing special but better than the SC and along way from ugly. I geuss I’m getting used to the hardtop convert proportions.
Bunter
Not bad, not bad. But then I like four-seater convertibles. I want a convertible and need the four seats for the family.
Would replace my current four-seater convertible with that.
Looking at these two pictures I see car that appears to have about the same proportions as the current 3 series folding hardtop.
There is nothing wrong with this car. If you think any 3 series looks good or if you like the IS sedan, whats the problem?
You are all wrong.
This is the Toyota Camry Solara Convertible for the older or more moneyed crowd.
Yuk for more money. The fact that the BMW crowd won’t go near this is irrelevant. They are the same folks who try to end the lease on the M3 because it “rides hard”.
Gold Plated Camry Solara ragtop. Car designed to a marketing niche, not any driver’s target.
AGREED!
Better looking than the current bathtub SC430 they sell. Bring back the first gen coupe, that was a nice car.