2012 Lexus IS 250C Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Lexus IS 250C review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 IS 250C, and includes Lexus IS 250C safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 Lexus IS 250C is a rear-drive hardtop convertible with four-passenger seating and a 2.5-liter V6 engine. A more powerful IS 350C is also available. Among the car’s competitors are the BMW 328i Convertible, the Volvo C70 and the Volkswagen Eos.

If you’re a fan of the Lexus IS 250C and abhor change, the 2012 model should put a smile on your face. With the exception of a slight fuel economy improvement and the addition of Nebula Gray Pearl to the exterior color options, the 2012 IS 250C is identical to the 2011 version. One trim is offered, powered by a 2.5-liter V6 and available with a host of luxury and safety features.

Though it’s not the top dog in the IS convertible lineup – that designation belongs to the IS 350C – the 2012 Lexus IS 250C is certainly packed with its share of standard goodies. Highlights include 17-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, Bird’s-Eye Maple wood interior accents, dual-zone climate control, an eight-speaker sound system with a USB port and three months of complimentary satellite radio service, a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and Bluetooth connectivity. There’s also a universal garage door opener, a powered front passenger seat that slides forward for easier rear-seat access, and heated mirrors with integrated turn signals.

Items reserved for the options list include HID headlights with trendy LED daytime running lights, heated and cooled front bucket seats, intelligent cruise control and a pre-collision braking system, and a host of F Sport performance accessories available from Lexus dealers. A Luxury Package bundles some of these features with rain-sensing wipers, upgraded leather upholstery, memory settings for multiple drivers, and fancy illuminated scuff plates. Lexus also offers buyers a navigation system with real-time traffic and weather information, voice recognition technology, a rearview camera, and emergency response services. This unit can be purchased singularly or in combination with a 300-watt Mark Levinson surround sound system.

Lexus does offer a fairly potent version of this attractive hard top convertible, but it’s not the 250C. With ratings of 204 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, the IS 250C’s 2.5-liter V6 exists as one of the wimpier six-cylinder engines currently on the market, though credit is due for its direct-injection technology and EPA-estimated fuel economy measuring 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. That’s what you can expect when the car is fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission; opt for the six-speed manual and efficiency drops to 19 mpg around town and 28 mpg on the freeway.

Apparently, the Lexus IS 250C is capable of dropping more than its top. According to Consumer Reports, the convertible version of the IS has suffered from below-average reliability, whereas the sedan has earned Recommended status. A J.D. Power and Associates’ dependability rating had not been published for the 2012 model when this article was originally written, but last year J.D. Power expected the IS 250C to provide well above average dependability. We think the Consumer Reports rating reflects complaints about the convertible top, since the convertible is otherwise mechanically identical to the IS 250 Sedan. Buyers who do experience problems with their 2012 IS 250C will be covered by a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and a six-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has performed crash tests on the Lexus IS Convertible. However, Lexus has prepared the 2012 IS 250C for those tests and, more importantly, the dangers of everyday driving with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist systems, stability control, and front-side airbags with head protection. A reversing camera, emergency response telematics service, and adaptive cruise control with pre-collision technology is also available on the IS 250C.

More than just a sedan with the top chopped off, the 2012 Lexus IS 250C has been treated to a number of side and underbody braces as well as extra sound-deadening materials, all in an effort to make this convertible as quiet and stable as its four-door counterpart. The three-panel hard top, which is mostly aluminum, is estimated to fully retract in about 21 seconds, though be aware that its drops the IS 250C’s already tiny 10.8 cubic-foot trunk down to usable 2.4 cu-ft of usable space when the roof is stowed in the trunk. For comparison purposes, that’s less than half the size of a top-down Miata’s trunk with the top down.

The 2012 Lexus IS 250C benefits from the solid feel and quietness that are characteristic of convertibles with retractable hard tops, though the small V6 engine’s lackluster performance is a bit of an Achilles’ heel. That being said, if you’ve taken a liking to the IS Convertible but don’t want to pay another $5,000 for the more powerful IS 350C, the IS 250C promises to deliver the same level of style and refinement, albeit at a somewhat slower pace.

By Thom Blackett