Coupes should be firm flagships and style vanguards: the best of a brand. Where does that leave Lexus, a marque best known for… reliability? With the Lexus SC430. The folding-roofed Lexus coupe is the second oldest model in Lexus' portfolio of pomp. For a company [relentlessly] pursuing perfection, that would make the SC430 the most imperfect car Lexus sells.
The Japanese luxury 2+0 self-consciously straddles the line between boring and weird. In fact, the super Toyota coupe's proportions are positively playtpussian; the front overhang is ridiculously long, the hood absurdly short, and the rear deck excessively deep. Everywhere you look, something's not quite right. The BMW Z8 is weeping in its shallow grave.
The SC430's disproportionately humongous head lamps complete overpower the car's front end (a la Escalade). The squat greenhouse is as peculiar as the Chrysler 300's is powerful. The 18” wheels look dopey; lacking shape, or delicacy, or style. Strange then, that Lexus' kooky coupe soldiers on, even though its competitors have sharpened their creases, Bangled their butts and added Billy the Big Mouth Bass grills.
Stepping inside the SC430's cabin is like lowering yourself into a bathtub. The seating position is a throwback to bygone era, when rakish drivers knew low meant go; a time before owners of $100k SUV's looked down on diminutive coupes. Shame the roof is too low for you to look back up at them.
Once you've descended into the belly of the bulbous beast, you're immersed in a tragically unmemorable interior. All the traditional luxury elements are there: lustrous wood, buttery cow-hide and toe-friendly wool carpets. But it's luxurious interruptus.
The SC430's textured aluminum panels would be better suited to tabletops in the Getty museum café. The buttons' action seems carefully designed to fool blind people into thinking they're in a Toyota (even if they are). And the cowled gauges are garish and out of place.
As you'd expect from a car launched at the turn of the century, the gadget count is low. Sat nav and Bluetoothery are about as gee-whiz as it gets. Still, in the world of Lexus, less is motorized. Push a button and a wooden door covers or uncovers the SC430's unsightly stereo head unit. The navigation screen also resides behind some electro-hydraulic furniture. It's just as well; the GPS device is as easy to understand as a vintage Porsche shop manual. In Javanese.
Fire up the SC430's V8 and… Hello? Testing. Is this thing on? The coupe tips-in like an ocean liner swinging away from a pier; the six-speed automatic swaps cogs early, often and gracefully, maintaining both seamless progress and the powerplant's vow of silence. Give the SC430's sides a swift kick– 'cause, well, soft leather can only entertain for so long– and you'll instantly understand why Lexus' 290-horsepower two-door is so 110 horsepower ago.
Yes, the 3840-pound two-door accelerates from standstill to sixty miles per hour in an entirely respectable 5.9 seconds. But it could be the least exciting 5.9 seconds of your life (at least since you learned how to eat soup). For one thing, the SC430's go-pedal travel is both excessive and inconsistent; an inadvertent recreation of Mercedes early-70's luxobarges. For another, the car’s dynamics aren’t.
The SC430's speed-sensitive, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering somehow manages to get it exactly wrong. The system's too heavy when you'd expect it to be low-effort, and numb and vague when you expect it to sharpen-up. The double wishbone suspension also inverts expectations. It crashes at low speeds and floats when hustled. What's more, visibility is atrocious from inside the pillbox.
All of this lamentable engineering is merely an evil accoutrement to uncertain footing and piss-poor grip. Switch off the traction control and cane the SC430 through a corner– as completely improbable and totally inadvisable as that sounds– and the coupe's nose plows towards the scenery like a pig scenting a truffle.
Even by the traditional Lexus metric (i.e. Vicodin-on-wheels), the SC430 doesn't cut the Grey Poupon. Its engine may be quieter than a Quaker meeting in a sound-proof booth, but there's plenty of wind and tire noise, top up or down. Taken as a whole, it's no more luxurious than a gussied-up Camry, and less luxurious than the fresher IS350.
The SC430 does nothing to dispel the idea that Lexus caters to the wives of stock brokers and dentists, and they no doubt will continue to fawn over it until it is euthanized. No one is asking the SC430 to be a sports car, though the coupe is a poster child for purists who claim that Lexi are fun Hoovers. The real tragedy here, perhaps the only tragedy, is that the SC430 isn’t even a killer killjoy. Buyers in search of a drop-top automotive QE2 are advised to shop elsewhere.
77 Comments on “Lexus SC430 Review...”
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Good review. This is one of those cars that was styled, rather than engineered, and it just looks wrong.
Lexus should dump this puppy in favor of an IS hardtop convertible ASAP.
Now that the SC’s party trick roof is common place, it’s lost is Wow factor. Unless god awful rims wow you, that is.
“Positively Platypussian”
And I’ll bet that the emphasis is not on the “Platy”…
“and the coupe’s nose plows towards the scenery like a pig scenting a truffle.”
HAH!
Thanks for the thoroughly entertaining thrashing of a piece of automotive pomposisty. It’s good to see that TTAC’s disdain for poor automotive execution CAN cross the pond!
(BTW… is there any Solara DNA in this car?)
Great review! This is as close as I have come today to laughing out loud! Goes to show that behind an unproportioned and uninspired (or outright ugly) design there’s also crappy engineering!
Maybe all isn’t lost for Detroit yet!
Someone has to make Chris Bangle look good.
Worse yet, the SC430 car-without-a-mission sales simply trounced those of the aging-but-still-terrific NSX in every year they competed. Doesn’t say much for ‘enthusiast’ impact on the market…
Although I don’t find the looks of the car as objectionable as Justin does, I do agree on a couple of fronts. The cars outward visibility is on par with that of a WW2 pillbox. And the wheels! Actually the ones on the tester are an improvement. I don’t know about the US market, but one option in Canada was a set of chrome rims straight out of Pimp My Ride.
The price is ridiculous. Here a new one will set you back over 100k (on par with a Z06!). I’ll take the latter, thanks.
I am glad someone finally said it. Lexus' are BLAND. Expensive appliances. A Camry by any other name…
excellent review… this is one of the ugliest cars in the universe, driven by bored, pampared housewives of mid to upper level execs…on their way to the hair dressers and then the olive garden for lunch!
and they always try to look so cool when in them – especially with the tops down, always on the cell phone, trying to look important – its so ‘the king has no clothes” – always brings a smile to my face! Its the height of tasteless pomposity.
Never liked the thing. Even today almost all these steel folding roof cars are ugly, but this and the peugeot 206CC are quite possibly the worst examples. Even with the top down they look terrible. And at least the Peug is cheap…
Apart from the usual Toyota blandness and proportions what really annoys me are those two “backseats”. They fitted headrests on them, too. Why!?!
I’m not a big fan of Mercedes, but I can’t see anybody buying this over the SL which was launched at about the same time.
All these criticisms thrown at the poor car, and you missed my #1 problem with it: the seats provide absolutely no lateral support. They are comfortable, though.
Sadly, that’s all I remember from the only time I’ve driven this car, at a Lexus event a couple of years ago. A Mercedes SL is much more entertaining.
My stepmother bought one of these despite the protest of the rest of her family. She cooed all over the wood and leather… the pushbutton drop top. She even harrased a Z3 owner about the manual top at a stoplight during the test drive.
The punch line was when she called her son and daughter just moments before signing on it, frantic. “I thought I was buying a Lexus, but all the documents say Toyota on them!!!!”
Now she refuses to commute with it because its “too nice a car” for that kind of duty, so instead she uses my Dad’s S2000.
We don’t like her that much.
… oh, I forgot the worst part : the license plate says, “SXY LXY”.
I always thought the SC430 needed a bit more love from Lexus. A nip and tuck, a tightening of line and pushing out the wheels would have done wonders for its looks. The interior is a bit too bland, but it is a Lexus so what are you going to do?
Although I am not a big fan of Mercedes, I do think the SL is, by far, the superior car in this class. This car makes me long for the days of the Supra based SC, a far superior car in every way. If they had put a hard-top convertible on that and just updated it along the way, it would be a better car even though it would be on a platform twice as old.
Every time I see one of these, it’s either “Fawn Mist” like the one in this picture or maybe black–and I wonder who the drive is trying to impress? And being Las Vegas, it usually has the biggest possible chrome “bling-y” wheels which really make it look nice.
Nicly said.
I was such a fan of the original SC300/400 when they first came out… more’s the pity.
Bought one new in 2001. Now at nearly 60,000 miles. The original run flat tires were an abomination. Back seats good only for luggage. Otherwise a superlative freeway cruiser, adequate performer and utterly reliable. Lots of trunk space with the top down. Simply not designed for enthusiasts.
Ha, very entertaining article. Much to agree on with this. Although I will admit that it was on my shopping list at one point, but that’s because I couldn’t afford the far superior SL. The wheels of the first several years were the worst wheels I’ve seen on any modern car, they looked like they belonged on a 1992 Chevy Beretta.
So, how do you really feel about the SC430?
Shaker:
No Solara DNA. Different platforms, engines, transmissions.
Tomb Z:
I think the seat heaters are just top of the line. Really. Even if “2 seat rear wheel drive convertible” doesn’t conjure images of driving in frosty winter.
The tragedy is that the original SC400 was a breakthrough design, certainly one of the most beautiful to come from a Japanese company. I remember when Lexus spun its PR tale about sending the designers of the SC430 to the Riviera to look at speedboats for the design of the new car. They clearly drank way too much wine, lost track of the time and hastily sketched something they hoped would work.
I have to go with J-Shoe and Will-Mont w.r.t. the original SC 300/400.
My friends and family have passed around a ‘92 SC 300 for several years now (best friend owned it, then my ex-wife, now my brother) and it’s still a *great* car. Classic time-tested styling, reliable and sporty.
In contrast, the SC 430 gets about 1 out of 3 right (reliable).
I think of the SC 430 as Lexus’ Aztek!…:-D…
I’m still amazed at how many people adore this machine. I thought it was only a trophy wives’ car, but then one of my friends (in his early 30s) bought one and put some 19″ dubs on it. Go figure.
Its no Mercedes SL, but the tasty leather, excellent dealer service, and badge on the grille are enough for most people.
Nice review.
I can’t help it, I do like the design of the SC430. Then again, I’m also a fan of Chris Bangle.
Anyone know when the SC430 is due for more Botox and a boob job?
Sajeev Mehta:
it IS a trophy wives car….
But it could be the least exciting 5.9 seconds of your life (at least since you learned how to eat soup).
Reading this line concurrently with eating soup/drinking not advised.
One of the most abominable cars I’ve ever seen on the road was a black-on-black SC430 with a set of 20″ black and red Iron-Cross spinners that go beyond pedantic descriptions of hideousness. The only word I can use is French; “abrutissant.” It roughly translates to “soul-crushing.”
The comment about the car being designed instead of engineered is right on. Based on the amount of space in between the front seats’ headrests and the rear seats’ headrests, how would a child even be able to fit in the back seat? I don’t think my head could rest comfortably on the rear headrest without my nose digging into the front headrest. What happened there?
I’m still amazed at how many people adore this machine. I thought it was only a trophy wives’ car, but then one of my friends (in his early 30s) bought one and put some 19″ dubs on it. Go figure.
Yet another reason to avoid this car (and the LS 430) – it’s become a favorite of celebrities, professional athletes, Hollywood types, politicians, and all the other worshipers of the religion of “Bling”….
I don’t know anyone who owns or even desires to own this car. It was just awful from day one. In a parking lot that’s a sea of BMWs, Mercedes, Cadillacs, Audis, Range Rovers and other Lexi, I don’t recall ever seeing one of these goofy things. At least Toyota finally restyled the wheels. They looked like clutch plates when the car was initially launched.
I think this is one of the few cars that everyone can agree on: it’s perfectly ugly.
Still, keep in mind that at 60Kish the car comes fully loaded, it even has navigation. A comparably equipped SL would cost a whole base 3 series more. Plus when it came out hardtop convertibles weren’t nearly as common as it they are today. Not that I would ever buy one, I’m just saying these were the selling points that have made it a pretty popular car (unfortunately.)
Yet another reason to avoid this car (and the LS 430) – it’s become a favorite of celebrities, professional athletes, Hollywood types, politicians, and all the other worshipers of the religion of “Bling”….
Every luxury or semi luxury automobile has already appeared in a rap video with 19inch dubs. Lexi, if anything, are the least “worshiped” by the religion of “Bling.”
But still, when hanging out at the Lexus dealership waiting for the ice cream bar to open (don’t ask), it’s the one car my 15 year old daughter wanted to sit in.
So, it apparently has the right stuff in the eyes of 15 year old girls.
The rest of us, not so much.
When I see one of these on the road it recalls dim 50s childhood memories of those cheap pressed tin friction toy cars (from Japan, back when that was a marker for poor quality) that got all of their color and detail from an overlay decal. And in each window, was a image of a cartoonish gaijin head (side or front view).
That's all one sees of the people in the SC430, their heads. Since the Japanese have a thing for retro, maybe someone there will resurect these toys. An SC 430 would be a delicious irony.
I’ve always thought of this car as a tasteless Asian Audi TT rip off. I am suprised to read that the car is actually under par for a Lexus…
The story about the mother in the Lexus dealer freaking out about the Toyota paperwork was hilarious!!!
I seem to be the only commentator who actually owns an SC430 … in bright red, black seats. Let me emphasize that it does what it is supposed to do in grand style. Toyota doesn’t care a hoot that car bugs dislike it. Their customer base is elsewhere, to say the least. I have owned open Alfas, a Morgan, a prewar Bentley cabrio, etc., and my adjustment to this luxobarge has been painless and pleasurable. Ask the man who owns one.
Every time I see one of these (thankfully not often), I seriously want to ask the driver: “So, what other cars did you consider and reject in favor of this thing?”
I do like the interior though. However, I can’t help but wonder if the people who designed it knew what car they were working on. The outside is so weird, and the inside so conventional, it looks like two design teams who never met each other.
Thank you so much for putting into words the gut reaction I’ve had to this car since it came out. I was appalled when I first saw it at a car show – thought it was Hyundai Tiburon convertible at first.
Hideous and bulbous, I said at the time that buyers should avoid ordering it in silver. It would look like a foil-wrapped baked potato going down the road!
I sat in one of these at a Taste of Lexus event. I always thought the backs looked weird but it was there and why not sit in it (I couldn’t drive one, it was almost 4 and the line was really long). It was uncomfortable to get into and I was shocked that Lexus would bother trying to convince anyone that the rear seats were usable for anything but storage – unless you ferry around people with the physiques of Cabbage Patch kids. Later, I disappointed the hoonage dreams of some people testing one by driving the hybrid RX SUV(the world’s most luxurious golf cart?) at the course recommended 15 mph. Well, I was nervous about driving such a tall, ungainly vehicle which costs more than I make in a year and a half.)
The only thing I’ve seen that makes the lines look “not bad” is to put 20″ rims on the back wheels. It alters the profile just enough to make it look more aggressive and flow better.
A foil-wrapped baked potato?
A platypus?
Somehow, I don’t think that’s the effect they were aiming for!
My ride this week is the ES350. It’s put together very well, and the interior is nicely appointed, but it suffers terribly from torque steer.
Not my kind of car, but I can definitely see why Lexus is so successful with the boring & rich.
excellent review… this is one of the ugliest cars in the universe, driven by bored, pampared housewives of mid to upper level execs…on their way to the hair dressers and then the olive garden for lunch!
Jerseydevil,
You couldn’t be more wrong, no one with this car would be caught dead at the Olive Garden. More like the Cheesecake Factory.
Seriously though, I liked the design when it was unveiled, but the car really has no reason to exist anymore and hasn’t for a while. The only person I know who drives one is a thirty something doctor who clearly wanted a flashy car for the women.
Re: The vesitigal rear (non-)seats
This is item #16, 487 in Consumer Automotive Preferences That Make No Logical Sense.
For some reason, buyers of these cars *insist* that they
*must* have a back seat, no matter how useless it actually is.
I remember reading a review of the last-generation Jaguar XK convertible where the author complained to the factory rep about the useless rear seats.
The factory rep. replied that sales would drop 70% if it were a pure 2-seater.
Maybe it’s for lower insurance rates, maybe it’s so the buyers can rationalize “It can seat 4″ (no matter how preposterous that is in reality). But for some reason, the makers have to upholster the oversize rear package shelf.
you can’t get one with a manual transmission, so it holds absolutely no interest for me. but my sister got one for her birthday from her husband about four years ago and she likes hers. i’ve only ridden in it once [she's in michigan and i'm in california] but it seemed pleasant enough. certainly not as bad as people here have suggested.
i’m a graphic designer/art director by trade and i think it looks more appealing with its top up than it does with its down. and i will admit that i find its lines more favorable than those of its predecessor, which always left me with the vague impression of a much-too-large, somewhat bloated porsche 928 – but i’m only talking aesthetics.
Oh my, I agree 100% with Jerseydevil about a car! ;< )
Come on guys! What is it with this general consensus??
We are at TTAC, remember?
Where is the combat?
:-)
Boy, the car is that bad!
Excellent article! This is what the automotive press needs! Combat! The raw truth!
philipwitak:
you can’t get one with a manual transmission, so it holds absolutely no interest for me.
I hear what you’re saying, but I think we’d all agree that for some cars the ol slushbox is more appropriate. I mean, this thing would be scary with a stick. I see what Lexus was shooting for with the SC430, a kind of superlux boulevarder, but they totally blew it.
drifter:
Dictionary.com: Bias – a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question;
The articles were written by two different people (who have never met).
I must say I am surprised by your comment. After all, the two Lexus reviews used 1600 words to explain the formation of the authors’ opinions and to show their reasoning. On the other hand, you give us just one sentence to make your assertion. Remind me who is jumping to predetermined conclusions without justification?
I don’t find the syling of this car to be nearly as bad as most of you do. I do think it looks a bit like a bloated 928, crossed with a jellybean though. Its certainly not as predicatble as the uber ugly IS350 (wanted to like that car, I hate it…).
It doesn’t drive like an enthusiast-mobile, instead doing that stealthy, “what? I’m doing 80 already?” thing Lexus’ do so well.
Pretty popular here in seattle, Driven mostly by women, but maybe that was the point… it looks like a very fertile egg.
i realized that the world had changed irrevocably when I watched the movie “Three Kings” eight years ago. In it, two american-as-apple-pie GI’s carried on a running commentary over which dream car they wanted to buy, specifically arguing about which brand, Lexus or Infiniti, had a convertible in their lineup.
Just ten years earlier the object of a young man’s affection (in addition to his bride-to-be) was a thinly disguised knockoff of a Lamborghini Countach (the “Trovari”) in the movie “It Takes Two.”
Oh how the mighty have scaled back their dreams.
Toyota, you’re a heart breaker, dream maker, don’t you mess around with me.
This car is 6 years old, we all know what its about. Why are we holding it to the same standard of refinement, technology, and power of cars developed 4 months ago? It is time to be replaced, Lexus is aware, and im sure the new one will be better in every category. It must not be negatively effecting the bottom line since Toyota doesn’t appear to be rushing a replacement to market. Convertibles arent serious sports cars anyway, this is for those warm nights cruising down Ocean drive with the Mark Levinson crankin’ or for the short drive over to the country club for some mid morning golf. I own a lexus, and would this model, as-is be my top choice at 65k?—-no, but it still serves a purpose and is sold for a profit…automatically putting it ahead of about half the vehicles available in showrooms today.
from biturbo:
Come on guys! What is it with this general consensus??
We are at TTAC, remember?
Where is the combat?
:-)
Boy, the car is that bad!
I don’t think the consensus is that the car is ‘bad’, I think the consensus is that the car is boring! I infer that the driving experience is essentially ES 300 and the styling is….odd.
If the SC 430 sold for $30k, I bet we’d praise it as an uber-Solara, but at $65k+, I think we’re right to ask for more. Especially since the SC 300/400 predecessor did offer a mix of luxury and performance.
from webob:
Just ten years earlier the object of a young man’s affection (in addition to his bride-to-be) was a thinly disguised knockoff of a Lamborghini Countach (the “Trovari”) in the movie “It Takes Two.”
I love that movie! Every enthusiast should watch it at least once.
http://www.amazon.com/Takes-Two-George-Newbern/dp/6302923093/
For enthusiast this car doesnt offer anything. But for the target buyer arguments in this article are irrelevant and for them it sounds like confusing automotive-technical blabber. I have driven many soft and hard top convertibles (SL, 645i etc) and SC430 is by far the quietest of them all top down and the difference is especially huge when the top is up. Mark Levinson in SC430 is uncomparable with any other stereos in other convertibles. The ride is silky smooth and effortless, V8 has plenty of torque and is ultra quiet, 6-speed auto shifts seamlessly . None of the owners will toss this car around corners tires squeeling. This car is the ulitmate open air luxurious chill out lounge on wheels. When you are driving it the car leaves you a feeling that you have reached a total peace of mind (sounds corny, but this was the feeling I was left with). Lexus offers this kind of feeling also with other larger models.
When will car journalists understand that they cannot judge ALL cars by the same standard? Sharp handling, sporty roadfeel when cornering, firm suspension etc. If those were the standards by which everyone would choose their car, then the whole planet would be driving BMW’s. Seems that if car journalists could have their way this would be the situation :) I own a E36 M3 for weekend fun on our local twisty roads/tracks, so don’t get me wrong, my attitude isn’t against BMW’s, I’m just pissed that so called “automotive journalists” cannot see the broader picture.
This review clearly delineates between the pistonhead perspective and that of the SC430’s target market.
It also states that the SC430 does not succeed as a luxobarge. Having driven a large number of vehicles in that category, both foreign and domestic, I agree.