The Lexus uncovered

It's such a shame having a convertible at this time of year. Traditionally, when the sun is shining all you want to do is put the roof down and cruise down the highway with the wind in your hair.

How frustrating then, that our summers involve temperatures even the best air conditioning can't cool and so we're confined to four months of covered driving.

Despite this, Emirates Business just had to try the new Lexus IS300C with its roof down, purely for research and not "look at me" purposes and we were pleasantly surprised at how good the a/c was. The 9am start and winds produced by 100kph speeds did help, but not enough to warrant a repeat experience.

Nevertheless, the IS300C is an excellent car and if there's a model out there that can withstand UAE temperatures with the roof down, then I'd like to see it.

It's such an easy car to drive, allowing full concentration on the road and enjoyment of the power at your disposal. The 3.0-litre powerplant emits 228hp to propel the car from 0-100kph in just over eight seconds, pretty slow for a sports car but not so slow it gets left behind at the lights. The way the speedo controls light up when you floor it looks good, but also gives the impression it is out of the comfort zone.

Further, sporty accents are found in the new combination tail-lamp clusters featuring LED lights alongside a new fog-lamp design in the revised lower front bumper while the cooled seats are a welcome addition.

It is hardly surprising the vehicle – of which there are two models available in this market, for Dh195,000 and Dh205,000 – has proved popular since it launched in June. Local distributor Al Futtaim is so surprised by the popularity of what it initially saw as a low-volume car that it has struggled to keep up with demand.

The convertible comes with all the features one would expect of the luxury Lexus range plus GPS with voice navigation and points of interest throughout the city. It is not the most up to date, though as we regularly found ourselves driving through sand.

Other standard features such as climate and audio are controlled via the central LED touchscreen, while a CD and DVD player is fitted below with the iPod auxiliary under the armrest. The Mark Levinson sound system, which throws out music through 12 speakers, provides clear music even with the roof down, adapting the bass instinctively to compensate for ambient noise.

Although the vehicle comes with six-speed automatic transmission as standard, paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel offer the option of manual driving in sport mode. It is, however, responsive enough in "drive" not to need them.

Gear changes are smooth in all modes as the IC300C effortlessly reaches cruising speed. A combined fuel consumption of 7.8 litres per 100km makes it reasonably economical and just higher than compact family cars.

An extension of the IS300 sports sedan launched in 2006, Lexus hopes this convertible coupé with hardtop will appeal to younger drivers. Inside, it certainly ticks a lot of boxes, from the single or two-tone leather seats to sporty chrome pedals.

The four-seat configuration – with rear central compartments – and tiny boot space, which is arranged in compartments to prevent anything getting squashed when the roof is folded, will no doubt put off families. There is, however, a selling point for golf fans in that it is the only car in its class to be able to accommodate a nine-inch wide golf bag with the hard top stowed and the luggage cover in place.

But the combination wood-and-leather trim is more old man than young and funky. Limited space in the rear mean passengers either have to be small, or risk having their feet and legs squashed if the driver is more than 1.7m tall.

But, as all good cars should be, the many positives of this car far outweigh the negatives. So much is electronically controlled that no manual labour is needed.

The front seats are all electronic, each with memory for three positions. They also pull forward to let passengers in with the help of the new one-touch automatic mechanism. The pièce de resistance, however, is the lightweight aluminium roof, which opens in 20 seconds – the fastest in the market for this type of three-part system – via a button to the left of the steering wheel.

The only problem when driving with the roof off is a distracting noise above the driver's head when travelling at speed and I was constantly checking if the windows were up.

Wheel-mounted controls for the radio and in-car phone also make driving easier. Coupled with the sophisticated cruise control and your feet become almost redundant. The speed of the car can be increased or decreased by 5km with the stick to the right of the steering wheel, while a button in the front allows the driver to alter the sensor distance. There are three levels, which make the car slow down whenever a vehicle pulls in front. They are pretty generous, though, so there is no reaching for the brake even when set to the smallest gap.

Designed to compete with the likes of the BMW 3-Series convertible, the Audi AS Cabriolet and Mercedes extended convertible range, the Lexus has done itself proud and the IS300C is sure to prove a popular car, especially if the guy who gave me a thumbs up while driving down Sheikh Zayed Road is anything to go by.


The Rivals

BMW 3-SERIES CONVERTIBLE

A compact design, which also features a three-part metal roof, makes the 3 Series effortlessly stunning. It's a great car to drive and highly desired.

MERCEDES CLK CABRIOLET

The fabric roof instantly makes the CLK different to others in its class. The back seat is difficult to access but is strong performance-wise.

AUDI A5 CABRIOLET

The A5 Cabriolet is larger than other cars in its class and thanks to Audi's solid engineering and stylish interiors, it will no doubt be as popular as its A4 predecessor.

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