Car in review: Lexus IS 250 C convertible - Understated elegance and uncompromising reliability in motion

The arrival of the Lexus RC Convertible is imminent. We take one final look at the desirable Lexus IS 250 C convertible before it gets replaced.

It was designed with the sleek lines of the Lexus IS 250 but came with two doors less. It had the sensible practicalities of a four seater but at the touch of a button, became a long distance open top cruiser. It surpassed the prestige of rival German marques, but had none of their chronic idiosyncratic problems. It was, for lack of a better word, a motoring conundrum that saw few buyers but commanded legions of followers bordering on obsession. 

This is the Lexus IS 250 C. It was introduced in 2009, just as the Lexus SC 430 was due to make its swan song in 2010. For five years after the departure of the Lexus SC 430, the Lexus IS 250 C still holds the honour of being the only convertible in the entire Lexus line-up. 

That will all come to pass in due time, so before the Lexus IS 250 C is replaced next year, today I investigate what makes it so desirable.

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Lexus December Christmas Specials: Starring penguins!!!

WARNING: This ad will tug at your heartstrings

Why? Because there's a penguin.

Lexus US came up with this advert where a father explains to his child how the new Lexus car came to the family drive way. Children love stories, and what better time to explore the imaginative side of storytelling than Christmas time! It's a great tool to inform buyers that Lexus is currently having promotions for December.

Hope you like the video!

Cheers!

All Lexus

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Lexus wins six Auto Express Driver Power Awards 2015

Lexus dominated the Auto Express Driver Power 2015 survey, receiving six awards including Best Manufacturer and Best Car gongs. The awards won were:

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What's the best Lexus I can get for RM90,000?

First-time buyer seeks entry-level Lexus

Two days ago, All Lexus received an email from a young reader asking for advice. 

Dear All Lexus,

I am a 27 year old junior professional currently looking to upgrade my car. I just got a small raise and am willing to pay about RM90,000 for my next set of wheels. I know I can get a new VW Polo or Honda Jazz but I've always liked Lexus because I've heard they are easy to maintain and I'm thinking of trying out a Lexus for the first time. For this budget is it:

(a) Possible to get started on a Lexus (considering it will be a second-hand model at this price)? - If so, which model would you recommend?

(b) Will repair bills be high?

(c) How good/bad is the fuel consumption?

Thanks,

Lexus Newbie   

Dear Lexus Newbie,

Firstly, congratulations on getting a small raise. You've made the right choice to consider a second-hand Lexus over a brand new Japanese car or a mass-produced German car. Admittedly, this is a restrictive budget but you'll be surprised how much you can get at this price bracket. To answer your questions:

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A big shout out to my readers

Thank you guys, you rock!

A big shout out to my readers. This blog is still new but already there's been so much support from readers all over the world! You have come to this blog from the US, Malaysia, Brazil, Ukraine, Singapore, Cambodia, Saudi and Azerbaijan. I never expected it to go this far but thank you, everyone! You guys are my inspiration and source of strength and I promise you, I will continue to do my best to be your trusted source of all Lexus news. Please keep coming to this site for more Lexus news and if you have suggestions of what you'd like to know about, do let me know in the comments below. Love you all and thank you so much!

Cheers!

All Lexus

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What owners say about their Lexus IS250 (Infographics)

What owners say about their Lexus IS250 (Infographics)

This is a fun one. I've compiled a list of statistical facts about ownership experiences of the Lexus IS250... but you don't want it in long-winded, dreary, wordy form, do you? Instead, I thought the information could be better presented as an infographic. 

Don't pictures make it easier to understand the whole... (erm... struggling for a synonym here)... picture? 

Enjoy

All Lexus

(Credits to carsurvey.org for the statistics) 

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What I loved most about the IS250 - Voice Command

What I loved most about the IS250

For a junior-executive car, the tech-laden 2005-2012 IS250 had levels of equipment that even rivals one class up (like the BMW 5 series or Mercedes E class of its time) could not match. 

One of the things I loved about the IS250 was just how much the voice command could control. See that button with the human and a speech tones appearing out of his mouth? Oooh I loved that button so much!

Press that button, and the Lexus voice system will prompt you: "After the beep, please say a command."

Let's ignore her gorgeous voice for now, yeah? :-) 

At this point, the question doesn't become what can you control, but what can't you control? Lol.

DVD - check

Tuner - check

Navigation - of course

Switch on the aircon - now this I had't seen before! Like, wow! I could switch on the aircon just by using my voice? Hallelujah!

Raise or lower temperature - that too! "Lower temperature" or "raise temperature" moves the thermostat up or down by 2 degrees Celcius. That's just so cool.

And when you're done with that and just want a bit of silence in the car (something the IS delivers in spades by the way), you can turn off the entire sound system:

Switch off or on sound system - "Audio off" or "Audio on"

How could anyone not love what the Lexus does for you! Did I leave anything out from the list of voice commands?

Cheers! 

All Lexus

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