The rear wheel drive Lexus IS competes against cars like the Infiniti G Series and BMW 3 series among others. That’s pretty heady company.
The Lexus brings its own brand of style, luxury and feel to the table however and with the F Sport model, brings extra touches like 18” graphite wheels, a stiffer sport suspension, and a more aggressive front facia.
On the road the IS convertible provides a solid and quiet ride with the top down. The body structure exhibits very little shake and shutter often associated with a convertible. Thus is has the premium feel and poise you’d expect at this price.
The suspension is tight and stiff, offering excellent cornering feel and fun to drive characteristics around town as well as on curvy roads. Given its 3,872 lb curb weight, it still feels remarkably light on its feet.
The steering wheel mounted paddle shifters add some fun over using the console shifter, but are sometimes a bit slow in response time.
As expected, the interior is a great place to hang out. Lexus is known for their buttoned down interiors and this one doesn’t disappoint other than the touch screen and center stack controls for the HVAC system. Some controls like the fan speed are split between hard controls and menus which can be frustrating behind the wheel.
The hard top is also an area of let down. While its cool to watch and easy to use, it provides for some odd angles and lines in the body work. And in addition to performance sapping weight, it really takes up most of the trunk space.
The 3.5 liter V6 pumps out 306 horsepower. With both port and direct fuel injection, this engine also gets remarkable fuel economy. In our week with the IS we averaged 23.6 mpg combined.
For a more in depth review and photo galleries, see our review on Sciclonic.com
