Lexus IS 350C: Garage or drive a convertible in winter? - Torque News

As snowpocalypse 2015 continues here in the Northeast, a spotless, fully fueled, ready to roll Lexus IS 350C mocks me from its berth. As any Lexus enthusiast knows the IS convertible has two things going for it that indicate it might just be a car that can handle winter. ” Lexus would not put that button there if the company thought the car couldn't handle a little precipitation. Indeed, the car does magically become much better at getting started in the snow. The second winter accessory that the Lexus IS convertible has is a hard-top roof. The Lexus IS C has a full roof liner, and the car is “Lexus quiet” when the top is up. Working against the IS 350C are its huge, wide, low profile tires and rear-wheel drive. Although I have all-season performance rubber on mine, the car is not exactly confidence inspiring in the snow. Also working against the Lexus is its specialness. When I traded my Miata and a fat stack of Benjamins for the Lexus convertible, part of the way I justified parting with a perfect convertible that had never been rained upon was the promise that the IS 350C might be a true 4-season car. Lexus will keep building the IS 250C and IS 350C convertibles into 2015. Lexus Convertible concept LF-C2 is the 2016 IS 350C. Source: www.torquenews.com