Cool cruising in a luxury convertible is just about perfect at this time of the year, particularly if, like us, you are on the Gold Coast and can make the best of the cafe, beach and hinterland scenes.

And cool cruising is even better if you are in one of the newly released Lexus convertibles, the IS250C. The weather wafts by, the quality and refinement of the materials and the way they have been crafted into the interior is breathtaking, the Mark Levinson stereo sound brilliant, and the white-pearl paint on the car we were reviewing simply cried out for the sun to highlight it.

Indeed, my partner Julie suggested early in the road test that we should ‘forget’ to return the Lexus at the end of our allocated week...

Like most in this class these days, Lexus has taken the folding hardtop route with its new convertible. The first thing that impressed us when we attended the launch of the vehicle back in August this year, was the rear-end styling of the IS250C. Fitting a long folding roof into the back of a four-seat convertible isn't easy, yet the Japanese stylists at Lexus have done an excellent job, resulting in a sporting look at the rear that could easily be mistaken for that of a fixed-head coupe when the roof is up.

Just launched for the 2010 season, the latest Lexus convertible is taking on the might of the European marques in a market segment that has exploded over the last decade. A market that never seems satiated no matter how many new models are introduced, or at which particular niche they are aimed.

There's almost space for four full-sized adults in the Lexus IS250C. The two individual back seats are narrower than in the sedan as they have been moved inwards to clear the folding mechanism for the roof, however, they are wide enough for adults of above average girth.

The IS250C’s front seats support well and are nice and comfy. They can be powered forward easily to make for relatively easy entry and egress to the rear compartment. It's necessary for a tall driver to move their seat forward to make decent room behind them, but this can be done without it being an unpleasant compromise.

The boot is huge when the roof is up. Indeed, with a capacity of 585 litres it's in the family-six sedan class. That's the good news, the bad news is that the luggage area of the Lexus folding hardtop is in the sparse side when the top is powered down. Though a volume of 205 litres sounds OK, the shape of the space means it can't cope with an aircraft cabin bag of average size. But it can accept a set of nine-inch golf clubs.

If there's one area in which the European designers excel it's in handling dynamics and general on-road behaviour. Toyota, the parent company of Lexus, makes no secret of the fact that it wants all Lexus models to be more European than Japanese. More satisfying to drive, more smile-inducing in the right conditions.

So it comes as no surprise that the strongest feature of the Lexus IS convertible is its chassis balance. The V6 engine is set well back in the underbonnet area and sends its power to the rear wheels. Thus it provides more driving pleasure than a car with its engine ahead of the front wheels and with the gearbox and differential adding mass over the front axle.

The result of the Lexus layout is a machine that feels excellent on the road. Corner it hard and it simply hangs on with a safe, balanced feel that keen drivers will just love.

However, there's a downside to the open-top version of the Lexus IS250. The Convertible IS250 has piled on 150 kg compared with the sedan, mainly in underbody strengthening, though the roof mechanism itself plays a part. So the 2.5-litre V6 engine is working hard to make the best use of its 153 kW of power and 252 Nm of torque.

On level ground it's not too bad, but when you point this pretty Japanese convertible at a hill it really feels that added mass. You have to work at the automatic transmission to get the car up and moving. Thankfully, this isn't too hard, as the six-speed has a sequential mode that can be used through large paddles behind the steering wheel.

Fuel consumption can suffer if you do try to push it hard in hilly country. But the car we reviewed still managed figures in the 11 to 12 litres per hundred kilometres range. Driven in easier conditions, particularly on motorways, it had no trouble getting petrol usage under nine litres per hundred. Typical commuting should generally see it in the low 10s.

Naturally, the added weight of the convertible compared with the sedan also affects the handling feel, but the aforementioned balance still shines through and the Lexus convertible feels much better than some of the slightly downmarket machines that use front drive.

Cleverly for a convertible with such a cabin there's little body movement or scuttle shake unless the road surface is harsh. Even then the car quickly smooths out its body movements. This is a positive upside to the weight gain suffered by putting all that extra strength under the car.

Lexus has made its name from day one for the high level of its noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) suppression. Power up the top of the IS250 convertible and it feels almost as quiet and refined as does its sedan brother. This is astonishingly hard to achieve and the Lexus engineers must be commended for the hard work they have put into this facet of their convertible.

MODEL RANGE
IS250C Prestige 2.5-litre two-door convertible: $79,900
IS250C Sports 2.5-litre two-door convertible: $84,900
IS250C Sports Luxury 2.5-litre two-door convertible: $99,900
(Prices do not include government or dealer charges)

SPECIFICATIONS (Lexus IS250C 2.5-litre two-door convertible)

ENGINE
Engine Capacity: 2.500 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 12.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 83.0 x 77.0 mm
Maximum Power: 153 kW @ 6400 rpm
Maximum Torque: 252 Nm @ 4800 rpm

DRIVETRAIN
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.909:1

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4635 mm
Wheelbase: 2730 mm
Width: 1800 mm
Height: 1415 mm
Turning Circle: 10.2 metres
Kerb Mass: 1730-1750 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 65 litres
Towing Ability: Not supplied

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbone, upper A-arm, lower L-arms, coil springs, gas dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, coil springs, gas dampers, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc

PERFORMANCE
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.0 seconds

FUEL CONSUMPTION/EMISSION RATINGS:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/02): 9.3 L/100 km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6/10
Air Pollution Rating: 8.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Four years/100,000 km