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View Full Version : My short review on the Lexus SC430


Xer0
06-30-2007, 08:17 PM
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/02/13/154984.1-lg.jpg
(Not the actualy car i drove, that one was a black on black example)

My cousin's friend went out of town and lent him his car for the five days that he was gone. Knowing im a car nut in the making, he came over and let me get a 20 minute test drive, here is what i though;

Lets get something out of the way first, this car is ugly. From all the stupid curves to those ugly rims, it isn’t something that you can just stare at like the Mercedes SL that it tries to compete against. Thankfully, the interior is a great place to be, everything is easy to get to and navigate, although I wish the seats were more comfortable, they provided enough support. But enough about the way the car looks, how is it to drive?

Simply put, boring. There is no feedback through the wheel, its unbelievably numb. Trying to take a turn at anything over 15-20 miles an hour and you will get massive amounts of under steer so bad that it will seem as if the car is still going straight. The engine, although smooth and powerful, didn’t feel particularly fast and it was barely audible. Thankfully though, the brakes did instill some confidence as they held on like champs, and the tires provided adequate grip. Also, watching the hard top go up and down was great fun.

At the end of the day, this is a boring car that is made specifically for people who don’t appreciate driver involvement at all and would prefer to fall asleep behind the wheel. Give me my Civic over this any day of the week, unless I have a date.

nesman
07-02-2007, 03:03 AM
Doesn't look too exciting either, I'm not much of a fan on convertibles.

goku2057
07-02-2007, 05:02 PM
Civic FTW.

That is an old people's Lexus. old people today want style and comfort. Not performance.

Kronz
07-02-2007, 06:08 PM
From what you've written, the car sounds overwhelmingly... underwhelming (?).

Xer0
07-02-2007, 08:04 PM
It is underwhelming. I had read about how no one really liked this car, so i was curious to see how right they were. Usually publications will really beat on a car if it doesnt drive like a BMW, but this car was just terrible.

PSXBatou
07-02-2007, 11:02 PM
My biggest issue with Lexus is how cheap their interiors look and feel. Before i bought my BMW last year i took a look at Lexus and was instantly turned off by the interiors. They (Japanese "Luxury" cars) all feel like you are driving an overpriced Accord/Civic, you can't copy German performance and luxury imo and thats what I think they are trying to achieve, albeit quite poorly.

masonite
07-03-2007, 03:29 AM
performance convertible - talk about an oxymoron. To be fair its not just Lexus, BMW and Merc convertibles are the same (with the exception perhaps of the SLK, which, although heavy, was specifically designed to be a convertible, and is small enough to pull it off).

did the windscreen flex around turns or over bumps?

Xer0
07-03-2007, 04:34 AM
performance convertible - talk about an oxymoron. To be fair its not just Lexus, BMW and Merc convertibles are the same (with the exception perhaps of the SLK, which, although heavy, was specifically designed to be a convertible, and is small enough to pull it off).

did the windscreen flex around turns or over bumps?

And you can add the new SLR to that, it just looks like pure sex
http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/autoblog/hirezpics/SLRR_1280.jpg

As for the screen, i didnt notice anything with it, why is there some defect on it?

cpiasminc
07-03-2007, 08:30 AM
Simply put, boring. There is no feedback through the wheel, its unbelievably numb.
Sounds like a Lexus... They pretty much go out of their way to ensure that this is always the case with pretty much every vehicle. i.e., it should have more resemblance to the feel of a horizontal elevator than something actually moving on an asphalt surface.

Trying to take a turn at anything over 15-20 miles an hour and you will get massive amounts of under steer so bad that it will seem as if the car is still going straight.
Hmmm... more of the same. Feeling like a horizontal elevator often means trying to get a turn to feel more like the car is pulling you -- hence tuning the suspension to give it as much of a "front-wheel-drive" feel as possible. That's just so unsuitable 300 hp. If only they'd tune more suspensions the way they do for the IS.

The engine, although smooth and powerful, didn’t feel particularly fast and it was barely audible.
Again, typical Lexus.

masonite
07-03-2007, 01:48 PM
No, theres no defect, but a good indicator of structural rigidity (which convertibles lack) is in the amount of windscreen flex. if you can see it flex, thats not good...

can't say im surprised about the engine though, isn't it used in the sedans as well? quietness is a virtue for big luxury sedans, in the eyes of lexus.