Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013) At A Glance
Incredibly refined. Barely any top-down turbulence. Metal-folding roof retracts smoothly. Effortless performance.
Thirsty and expensive to run. Soft handling means it's no sports car. Lacks the feelgood factor you'd expect of a convertible.
When I first read the price of the Lexus IS250C, I have to confess my jaw dropped a bit. I was expecting an entry level of £28,000 to £30,000. So £34,550 came as a bit of a shock. And that doesn't even include satnav. For the Navigator version you are asked to hand over a cool £36,750.
Lexus justifies this with a list of standard equipment as long as your arm (see below). Enough to pull the price of its closest competitor, the BMW 325i coupe convertible, way south of £40,000. So it's actually quite brave of Lexus to quote an all-in price rather then tempt buyers with a low list price, then keep adding to it to put you into the specification you really want.
Lexus IS250C 2009 Road Test and Video
What do owners think of the Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)? Check out our
Owners' Reviews from people who live with the car day in, day out.
Real MPG average for a Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
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Reviews for Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)'s top 3 rivals
Ask Honest John
Should I buy a Lexus IS 250C to accompany my Mercedes-Benz SLK and Chrysler 300C?
"I have three cars: a 2008 Chrysler 300C estate with a Webasto electric roof, unique stitched Nappa heated leather, fantastic Classic FM and Radio 3 Boston audio upgrade and Parrot, tinted glass, 57,000 miles, FSH, no faults, value £8500k. It's a whispering Mafia staff car with a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine averaging 31mpg and 5-speed automatic transmission, assembled by Steyr of Austria with fake wood interior, Bentley grille and which is ultra-relaxing to drive. I love it.
My second car is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK280 with 77,000 miles, indispensable air-scarf, valuable and ultra-safe Xenons, in obsidian black with heated cream leather and DAB radio. I can buy one of the last of Lexus IS250C's, the Advance with the special engine, one of the last made with full UK and European postcode satnav and 22,000 miles, at £23,000 privately against Lexus £27,500 for precisely that car. It's a nice margin as they'll buy at £22,000, except the widow will NOT sell her recently late husband's very loved car to them. I can have all three or a combination of any one or two. I do 9000 miles a year and have been driving for 50 years. My instinct is to buy the Lexus and keep all three."
I like the IS250C because of its refinement. You don't need the air-scarf because the clever design means no buffeting. We don't have any information about an engine upgrade for the last of the Advance models. Power and torque of the 2.5 V6 engine are exactly the same for the new IS 250 as they were for the old model, at 205PS and 252Nm. It's not as quick as an SLK280, but it is much smoother and more refined. So if you're going to dump anything, dump the SLK. Keep the 300C.
How can I improve the ride quality of my Lexus IS250?
"I have purchased a secondhand Lexus IS250. It’s very nice, except the ride is very rough. It has alloy wheels fitted with 255/40 ZR18 99Y tyres. How can I improve the ride?"
The problem is the wheels and tyre size. You can go down to 17-inch wheels with deeper profile tyres for this model and, for the new IS, Lexus is offering 16-inch wheels with even deeper profile tyres. These may fit the old model, but I am not certain that they will.
"I have an Audi A3 Cab 2.0L auto - efficient but dull. I dream of an SL level of car while just under 70 years old, but for the best engines we are looking at 2012+ and that costs mega-bucks with surprising depreciation.
Next yearss A3 Cabriolet looks a sensible buy but be mid-year before good discounted ex-demos are available. Saw a comment by you regarding the Lexus IS 250C being better than Bentley and your test report.
I like the left-field, non-obvious choice but worry regarding fuel consumption and road tax. Same money could buy me nearly a new Lexus or Audi.
Heart says Lexus brain says Audi. Your impartial view is..?"
As expressed. You can now get the Lexus IS250C for less than £25k.
Can I fit 15-inch wheels to my Lexus IS250 for a comfortable ride?
"I had the good fortune to be able to take your advice and buy a Lexus IS250, petrol, automatic and I'm not disappointed. The ride is very comfortable on 17-inch wheels but would it be 'transformed' on 16-inch or even 15-inch wheels, and if so what tyres would you recommend for a quiet comfortable ride?"
You can't go to 15s on this, but you can go to 16s. I reckon 205/55 R16 Toyo J48s or Michelin Primacy 3s. The new Lexus IS is offered on 16s and the IS300 hybrid gets under 100g/km on them.
More Questions
Inside of the Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
The Japanese design and engineering team, lead by Keiichi Yonada seems to have thought of everything. For example, with the top up the cavernous trunk can take up to 583 litre of luggage. And with the top down, instead of leaving a letterbox through which to post a slim briefcase, they have left a broad 235 litre expanse right at the rear of the compartment, still capable of taking two golf bags laid across.
Instead of rear seats suitable only for legless dwarfs, 5' 9" of me could happily sit behind myself.A huge difficulty in creating a four-seater convertible is preventing top down turbulence. Most manufacturers, including Audi, BMW and Peugeot, counter this with windbreak arrangements that fit over the back seats and prevent anyone from sitting there. But that wasn't good enough for Keiichi Yonada's team. Instead they have used a windtunnel to refine the shape of the screen and body, so the airflow passes smoothly over the top. As a consequence, very little external noise feeds into the car and there is no buffeting at all, even for rear seat passengers.
As well as that the engineers organised the aircon so you can be cooled while the sun is on your face. The SE-L version even has built in seat coolers. Conversely, if you choose to drop the top in mid winter, seat warmers that extend all the way up your back to keep you nice and snug even if it's below zero outside.
Car seat chooser
Child seats that fit a Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
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Driving Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 29–36 mpg
Where the Lexus scores highest is in refinement. From the seamless 6-speed automatic transmission that cushions gearchanges beautifully, whether left to its own devices or summoned by the steering wheel paddles, to the astonishing lack of wind noise and buffeting with the top down, this is a seriously smooth convertible.
Even on 18" wheels with 225/40 and 255/40 tyres front and rear, the ride quality was fine. Steering feedback was good, handling surefooted. The rigid body has extra strengthening underneath so none of the dreaded scuttle shake.
And, the car has a pleasant, relaxed nature, making it the perfect open-topped cruiser. It's smooth, sweet and undemanding, yet powerful enough when you need it to be. Driving normally on normal roads, you simply leave it in auto. Ascending or descending the Col de Vence, you use the paddles. But even if you don't, that excellent transmission makes sensible decisions, rarely dropping a cog half way round a bend or getting flustered on an uphill hairpin.
It isn't an economy car. Combined economy is a mere 30mpg. But neither is it a car that encourages you to rag it, so I suspect that many owners will at least equal and probably better that combined figure.
And economy is still not bad for a car that makes you feel so good.
The Lexus IS250C is a true all year round car. It's exceptionally refined. It's a genuine four-seater. And it has an enormous boot. It's a summer car that doesn't need a winter car as back-up.
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