Cars are rated one (forget it) to four ('bout as good as it gets) James Deans

• Style: hardtop-convertible coupe
• Engine: 4.3-liter V8
• Transmission: five-speed automatic
• Drivetrain: rear-wheel drive
• Horsepower: 300 hp @ 5,600 rpm
• Torque: 325 ft-lbs. @ 3,400 rpm
• EPA mileage: 18 city/23 highway
• Weight: 3,840 lb.
• Base price: $58,455
• Price as tested: $61,840

What would happen if you sent a bunch of car designers to the south of France, to hang out on the Riviera observing the filthy rich, soaking up the ambiance, spending corporate money on all things fine and fancy?

Oooooo .. tough assignment, huh?

Unlike others around them there, the designers weren't on permanent vacation. They were there on business. Lexus business. They were there to determine what defines luxury.

And after they had studied long and hard, they would return to the Lexus fold and sculpt a new sports coupe incorporating all they had learned under the sun, at the edge of the Crayola-colored sea surf, lying on the sand among the thong-bottomed but topless women of the Riviera.

Lexus doesn't say how many of its designers defected, never to return to the Land of the Rising Sun, but enough did come back to give the world the 2002 Lexus SC430.

Quite clearly, we can see what the designers discerned.

Their creation is topless and looks like an upside-down, beached boat.

That's the outside. (To see a QuickTime panorama, click here.)

Inside, it looks like the bridge of a Martha Stewart Edition Riva.

There's saddle leather that would be more at home riding atop a Triple Crown threat, paired with burled walnut or birds-eye maple wood, and touches of brushed metal. There's a nifty navigation system, with a screen that can tilt to eliminate reflections. And there is the best production stereo system ever put in a vehicle, a Mark Levinson nine-speaker, 240-watt sound system nearly the equal of home systems costing up to $100,000.

It's ... different. Not as wild as the Audi TT, but in keeping with the "sufficiently radical" Lexus slogan.

Whatever, it is incredibly comfortable, imminently functional and should fit the rich and famous like a custom-made Hong Kong suit.

There's no hiding in this car, however, should Daddy Big Bucks be a bit shy about public displays. The Lexus SC430 turns heads wherever it goes, stands out like a Riviera vixen topless on a New Jersey shore on Memorial Day weekend. Mostly, comments during test week were of the thumbs-up variety. There was one, though, that might send the Lexus designers back to the fine wine and handwrapped cigars for further inspiration.

"Looks like a Karmann-Ghia," one man said of the top-up SC430. You know, I can see that.

And I can hear the screams in Japan right now....

A convertible can equal the crash worthiness of a closed car in most accident situations.

Certainly that should be the case with this Lexus for front, rear or side impacts.

But there is one accident scenario that always gives pause to convertible owners -- the rollover.

Now, rollovers are infrequent. But when they do occur, death rates soar. Particularly for those in convertibles. So how does a car maker create as much rollover safety as possible in a vehicle designed to be topless?

Some don't bother, like Chevrolet with the Corvette. You "takes your chances" -- and real-world death rates reflect the disturbing results. Some car makers add little rollover hoops behind the seats, as Audi did with the TT. These at least keep heads from striking the ground while upside-down. Mercedes-Benz has the most elaborate solution -- as usual - with hidden rollbars that pop up 3-millionths of a second after detecting the beginning of a rollover.

There is, however, one solution superior to all of the above: a hardtop.

As of now, there are two makers offering hardtop convertibles: Mercedes-Benz and Lexus (not counting snap-on hardtops available for some sports cars, like the Mazda Miata).

See, without the hardtop, heads of those in the car can strike elevated objects during the upside-down phase of the rollover. Where I test, there are sawed-off tree stumps about one foot high lining many miles of the interstate, nature's tombstones from the tragedy of forest fire. Roll through them in a convertible --- and I'll read about your death in the next day's newspaper.

Roll in a hardtop and you at least have a fighting chance of seeing your loved ones again.

It's the difference between jousting with armor or in a sweat suit.

The Lexus hardtop operation is a carbon copy of the one in the Mercedes-Benz models. Lexus tried to make the drop/raise time quicker, but made no real improvements to what M-B did years ago (and Ford did in 1957, with the Skyliner model).

There is a safety tradeoff here, however. I imagined how sexy this Lexus would be with rollbar teardrops behind the two front seats (think 1962 T-Bird with the optional fiberglass rear seat cover). Can't do them with a hardtop convertible. So -- top down -- this SC430 is every bit as dangerous in a rollover as a Corvette.

Top up, it's as safe or safer than any other coupe.

Certainly, Lexus has taken numerous steps to protect those inside its sports coupe. It has expected safety features, such as dual air bags and anti-lock brakes, but much more. There are front seat side air bags, seat belt pretensioners with force limiters, a dual-stage deployment system for the front passenger air bag, a sophisticated traction/braking system, a tire pressure warning system, crumple zones front and rear, and the best headlights I've yet found on a tested vehicle.

The high-intensity discharge headlights never seemed to bother oncoming drivers, but cut a line front and sides as sharp as a razor's edge. No fuzzing out. Razor-sharp and daylight clear. It was striking to compare the excellence of these headlights to those on two other test vehicles -- miserable failures by comparison.

Not so successful is the instrument cluster. While Lexus created one of the best displays -- a holographic model -- for its luxury sedans, this cluster drops back a century and becomes hard to read in daytime and nearly impossible for a driver wearing sunglasses.

Finally, copying yet another item from Mercedes-Benz, the SC430 has a first-aid kit as standard equipment.

Never came close to finding a handling limit on the SC430. Not once.

It corners flat at any sane speed and displays no understeer tendencies even when the curve tightens at the mid-point, as it does on some "test" curves used regularly. This is a very forgiving car.

It could probably corner even quicker with the standard tires, 245/40R18 models that are made of a super sticky, gummy rubber compound. But there are two problems with those standard tires: they may have a life well under 15,000 miles, and they demand a mini-spare in the already inadequate trunk.

So, like most SC430s that will be sold, our tester had optional run-flat tires for $400.

There is no need for a spare, Lexus says, when these tires are on the car. This mildly upsetting state of affairs represents a growing trend, perhaps initiated by Corvette. But what's a carmaker to do? Mini tires look silly and have speed limitations. Run-flats don't look silly and have speed limitations.

Kinda makes you wonder why we're still riding on balloons that can be deflated if punctured. Tire compounds and carcass structure have improved in a century of evolution, but the solid tires that ride like inflatables aren't out there.

Zero to 60: 5.9 seconds.

And that from a substantial coupe weighing in at a tad over 3,800 pounds.

For the SC430, Lexus tweaked the V8 engine used in the LS430 and GS430, producing 10 more horsepower. We're now talking 300 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque. Impressive numbers.

But this is no tire-burner and it's difficult to imagine a Lexus SC430 driver doing squirrelly performance tricks on the road. No. As with the Jaguar XK8 and Mercedes-Benz CLK, this is a car to enjoy, not to challenge the backward-baseball cap set.

You could probably take them, of course, if you don't value your life. Your top speed for the SC430 is governed at 156 miles an hour! Backward-baseball cap dude has strewn engine parts over a quarter-mile of highway at about 120 miles an hour.

Your quarter-mile time is 14.4.

All this power is deceptive, however. There's no "rush" here. Turbocharged cars that match these numbers often come with a distinctive kick as twin turbos kick in. A supercharged Ford Lightning rears high and slams you deep into the seat as it roars away. Nothing like that here. This power is smooth. Sixty or 70 comes awfully fast -- but you won't feel the rush.

The performance numbers look even better when paired with 23 miles per gallon fuel efficiency on the highway. Part of that comes from a 0.30 coefficient of drag from the sleek design and the $440 optional rear spoiler.

Also praiseworthy here is the intelligent five-speed automatic transmission. It should be "invisible" all of its life. But it does a terrific job of figuring out what a driver wants at any given moment, and delivering expected performance.

Strangely missing on this sport model are the up/down shift buttons on the steering wheel, found in previous SC models and on the new IS model. Sure, these won't be used much -- but they are a neat touch, and impress passengers riding with you the first time.

The brakes that are needed to match this performance are simply exemplary. In another Lexus, I had a rare chance to do instrument testing, for precise measurement of braking prowess. The Lexus scrubbed speed faster than an anti-lock system tested in a Detroit product. While stopping distances weren't dramatically different, the rate at which speed lowered was dramatically different.

This is critically important, since force in an accident lessens with impact speed. Your speed will be lower in a Lexus SC430 than in most vehicles executing a panic braking prior to impact. No small matter.

For the moment, let's move past the soft leather, the beautiful wood accents, the brushed metallic trim, and begin the comfort discussion with the two items in the center of the dash.

Never before at The Car Place has any discussion of comfort begun with a sound system.

But this one should.

As with the Lexus headlights, the Mark Levinson sound system in the SC430 sets a new standard for production sound systems. It's the best in the world.

It pumps 240 watts of power through nine carefully selected and placed speakers. It knows when the top is up or down on the SC430 and adjusts accordingly. The fidelity is like front row in Carnegie Hall. And the volume matches that produced by the backward-baseball cap rap enthusiast in the squatty SUV next to you at the stoplight. You can, in fact, shake him out of the driver's seat.

Those people are major nuisances, however, and no Mark Levinson enthusiast should or likely would drop to that level of social-decency delinquency.

Suffice it to say that the volume can go so loud that the music can be heard a block away or more. It does this without a sacrifice of fidelity.

The second item on that dash, just above Mr. Levinson's achievement, is the best navigation system yet tested. Initially, it's hidden behind a wooden door. Crank up the car and, hello 007, the door lifts up and away, the screen appears and then tilts!

A driver can manually tilt it forward or backward to shade it and prevent glare and reflections.

There's more. In daylight, the 256-color screen has a white background and black or colored map displays and directions. At night (turn on the headlights), the screen switches to a black background with light displays.

The result is the best visibility possible, not achieved by fixed screens in other vehicles.

And the map system itself was flawless in use. (To see this startup sequence in action, click here for a short video clip.)

Our tester had the saddle-colored leather, a rather controversial choice of color. Some people may prefer black (but that does not work in Florida, where the sun can heat the black seats to torrid temperatures). I'll take the saddle, which does indeed resemble that used in an Audi TT, but without baseball glove stitching.

Whatever, the seats adjust in every direction, are supportive for spirited handling and are heated. The front ones, that is.

The two back seats are useless. Just useless. No foot room ever. No head room with top up. They represent the only MAJOR mistake made by Lexus designers. Lexus says it set the Jaguar XK8, not the Mercedes-Benz SLK, as it benchmark. That may explain this mistake (which some say is for lower insurance premiums given four-seat vehicles). Jaguar's XK has an equally useless pair of rear seats. The M-B doesn't pretend to be what it isn't. It's a two-seater. So are the Lexus SC430 and Jaguar XK8, despite the pretense of four seats.

With the top folding into the trunk, and with the standard tires demanding a mini-spare, there is no cargo space.

It's the same mistake Toyota made with the MR2.

Designers, print this out and put it over your drawing board: Cars need trunk space. People need trunk space.

Lexus should quickly get rid of the useless rear seats, increase the trunk space and add rollover bar protection. (But I bet they opt for the cheap solution, soon offering a hard tonneau cover for the rear seats, ala that '62 T-Bird setup. Presto, instant cargo space and your valuables are hidden.)

Of course, we can assume the SC430 buyer also has the wherewithal to own a Lexus RX300. That will be the family hauler. But which Lexus would you rather take on a weekend vacation drive through changing fall foliage in the mountains? Wouldn't you like to drop the top and cruise curving roads in this SC430 beauty? You bet. And you'll need some luggage for your overnights.

Forget it. No luggage space.

Almost everything else about this interior is magnificent. It does speak of luxury, from the quality of the leather to the wood-and-leather steering wheel made for Lexus by a Japanese firearms manufacturer. The steering wheel needs four spokes, however, to be perfect. It's also a size more befitting a truck. And the instruments are not sufficiently readable at a glance in bright sunlight conditions.

You'll find terrific touches everywhere you look, though. The cupholders, for instance, pop up in a hydraulic-lift fashion (again, a copy from Mercedes). The air conditioner knows if the top is up or down, and adjusts accordingly. You can open your garage door from a transceiver in the SC430. And all mirrors, inside and out, are photochromatic.

Finally, one of the neatest touches is an illuminated scuff plate. Say what? Scuff plate, that thingy at the base of the door jam. It's brushed metal, with "Lexus" scripted into it. At night, the "Lexus" lights up. Take that, Jaguar.

Despite the quibbles expressed here, the Lexus SC430 is a first-rate competitor for the Mercedes-Benz SLK and the Jaguar XK8 (those are the only two cars Lexus acknowledges as competitors, but you might as well toss in the Mercedes SL500, as well, at this price level).

Among this group, the SC430 stands out with its new design. But the same design some find appealing is a turnoff to others. Some comments during test week could be boiled down to, "It's ugly."

Surely, no one would ever say that about the competing Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz models.

So this styling is a risk for Lexus. The cost of the car assures that most buyers will be successful, probably mature. Their tastes most often run to traditional, not modern. This design is decidedly modern.

On its side is the sterling reputation of Lexus vehicles for error-free construction and vehicle reliability. The SC430 appeared rock solid. No build errors. No squeaks, no vibes, no large gaps between body pieces, no scrimping on paint, no flimsy plastic parts. Everything was rock solid. Proper door handles. Fuel filler on the correct, driver's side. Not many nigglies with this clean-sheet redesign of the SC model.

Hated to see it go.

And its replacement has really crappy headlights....

'nuff said.




Home, James