Used 2010 Lexus IS 350 C Convertible

Like the career stats of Barry Bonds, this test-drive of the 2010 Lexus IS 350 C comes with a great big asterisk. You see, our test car was pumped full of performance-enhancing features from the Lexus F-Sport catalog, altering virtually every aspect that would affect one's driving impressions of this all-new hardtop convertible.

Indeed, this showcase proved the IS C has fun-to-drive potential when equipped with the right bits and pieces, but is ultimately unrepresentative of the car that will leave the dealer lot 99 percent of the time. As such, this review will focus more on those non-performance aspects the F-Sport accessories didn't affect.

As its name would suggest, the IS 350 C is based on Lexus' compact IS sedan and features a fully automated retractable hardtop. From the front bumper to the driver door, the C appears identical to the sleek, wedgelike sedan. From the driver door back, things get awkward, with a bulbous rear end that's more Chrysler Sebring than BMW 3 Series.

Not only is the styling less than elegant, but the roof design limits visibility more than most hardtop designs. On the upside, the trunk has been specifically designed to accommodate a set of golf clubs (though nothing else) when the roof is lowered, something not possible in any other solid-roofed rival.

F-Sport accessories aside, the 2010 Lexus IS 350 C is an impeccably built luxury convertible that'll make for classy warm-weather transportation. It boasts more refinement than the Infiniti G37 and Volvo C70 hardtop convertibles, while the stylish forthcoming ragtop variant of the Audi A5 only comes with a cloth roof. Yet there's little that sets this Lexus above BMW's more practical, more attractive and more capable 3 Series convertible. Indeed, with or without the asterisk, the IS 350 C isn't quite a hall of famer.