Lexus has been on a roll lately IMO. First, the sexy GS, followed up by the muscular IS, and the elegant LS. Then there was gorgeous duo of LF-A concepts, and now...well there's this. They took a great looking sedan, and managed to butcher it into an awkward coupe-convertible. It'll go on sale in Europe in Summer '09, and the US shortly after. I can't help but think this is a lost opportunity, they had a really good looking sedan to start with, and could only manage this...

Source: Autoblog

Not bad. But boooooring.

I can do it, too.

it looks really awkward.....

It doesn't strike me as any more awkward than the G37 'vert...both pretty nice looking, though I'd never buy either.

The back end is way too huge, it's all out of proportion and dwarfs the rear wheel arch.

oh man, this is bad.

I'm a big fan of the IS sedan's styling (not the IS-F, mind you), and I agree with Moe. They completely and utterly butchered it. Epic fail.

It'll probably sell wonderfully to sorority girls, though.

Yep. Seems to be quite the market these days. And yes, the IS-F looks horrifyingly riced and artificial.

I do think though, that it looks a lot better than that other abortion of car that Lexus has, the SC450(I think).

^SC430, but yeah.

From a looks perspective only, I really like the SC430. Very elegant in my opinion. The IS-F just looks like something someone patched together with bargain-rack stuff from Pep Boys, and the elongated nose ruins the basic lines of the IS.

So the same demographic who bought the sedan then.

The IS sedan is a CPA car, not a sorority girl car, in my experience...

We're mostly a G37/BMW crowd, but there are a few IS' to be found here and there amongst the profession.

Signed,

Your Local Accountant Representative

Maybe the IS350 is but IS250 is a chiks car.

For the record, I didn't mean "CPA car" in a pejorative sense at all. I mean, I'm a fuckin' insurance defense attorney, you think I'd be casting aspersions at certified public accountants?



The IS250 comes with a very nice manual, very smooth and precise and perfectly positioned in the cabin (the only manual I've ever used where I can comfortably rest my elbow on the center console while shifting). Admittedly, the clutch is a bit of a toggle switch, but otherwise the 6MT is great. The IS350 comes with a slushbox only. I know which one I'd rather have.

I hope your answer is "Neither".

http://forums.dieselstation.com/index.php?showtopic=24364

A used IS250 6MT is one serious contender for my next car. With a performance exhaust, suspension tweaks, and an F-Sport clutch, it could make me very happy, and Toyota maintenance costs could be a nice change from VW ownership.

EDIT: And I love the timelessness of the lines, in a decade when it seems like everybody is over-styling their sport sedans:

I think it's actually one of the better hardtop convertibles on the market. Way better than the SC430, reasonably preferable to the 3-series Convertible, and at least on par with the C70 and the Eos. Though obviously the Miata PRHT and the SLK are in a different league.

Sorority girls nation-wide will now have another option besides the BMW 1 and VW Eos.

CPA's cannot have their feelings hurt because we don't have feelings

- Your Local Accountant Representative

And who do you work for? I've got a buddy who's a claims adjuster down here - fucking interesting work he does, gets most of the oil/gas worker's comp. injuries...

That thing is horrid... but will sell like hot cakes.

I like the F. I think it carries the appropriate visual aggression, without being me-too German. It looks very Japanese, and thus I think it has its own identity. Something, which much too often, the Japanese forget.



I love the SC430, I actually think it's beautiful, and has aged well.




Not really. SL, SLK, C70, Eos, XLR, MX5 PRHT, Ferrari California...I know you don't like them but I think the 3-series and SC430 are infinitely better looking than this monstrosity. It looks like the designers at Lexus designed it on their lunchbreak.



Oh yeah...especially here. They fucking love Lexus.

Some people just cannot be saved.