Lexus SC test drive since 2005
Lux class in Japanese
Lexus convertible coupe can impress luxuryWell, for what, tell me the mercy, of me, an ordinary journalist, called a bandit? An elderly man with a portrait of Lenin in a buttonhole and a red banner in his hands burned with anger and said a few more stupid and insulting words. Just because he, you see, was in a hurry to some kind of communist party, and then I had to go around the luxurious Lexus SC 430, which I parked at the beginning of Tverskaya, where it was allowed to put cars, by the way,. So I became the object of class hatred. And the future owner must be ready for envy, since there are so far many people who perceive the ruble in someone else's pocket as a personal insult in the country. And this car is defiantly good and looks, perhaps, as much as it costs.
The first compartment in the range of cars under the Lexus brand was shown as a conceptual development at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show. In May last year, the car became serial and now appeared in Russia.
Despite the favor of automotive fashion of recent years to sharp faces, there are no sharp features in the exterior of SC 430. Everything was rounded and smoothed out, like a strong oncoming wind. Perhaps Japanese designers sought such an impression, giving the car in this way swiftness. A powerful front sight with a wide bumper and a massive grille of the radiator is ready to adequately find a stream of any density, and the large, original shape of the block-phara can seem to be pierced with the light of perfect darkness and fog. The car does not look lightweight, but solid and in profile. The roof line leaves no doubt about belonging to the class, but speaks not only about dynamism, but also about power. But the ass, despite the same fashion, does not look heavy, it absolutely harmonizes with the general appearance. Two huge chrome pipes go out on both sides of the bumper, but exactly so that there is no impression of a deliberate emphasizing the potential laid in the car. The rear lights and a small spoiler for the compartment, integrated into the trunk lid, also look quite unobtrusively. Huge 18-inch casting disks with rubber 245/40 completes the picture. In general, the appearance of the Cabiolet compartment inspires calmness and faith in the wide capabilities of the machine.
In the cabin is leather, wood (of course, natural) and aluminum. The chairs are convenient and equipped with a complete set of electrical adjustments with memory for two drivers. There are also two small seats behind, but it is hardly possible to sit in them with convenience, the legs are practically absent. It is clear that a hard metal roof is occupied by a lot of space, which is folding into the trunk. In the trunk itself, I managed to place a coffee with a camera, but it is hardly possible to fit something more overall there. And even then to say: SC 430 is not a car for large companies and picnics. His element of urban asphalt.
In front of the driver there are three separate octos dials, in which a tachometer, speedometer and control sensors are intelligent. The extreme right informs about the fuel level, engine temperature and operating mode of 5-speed automatic gearbox. The gearbox lever is moved not in a straight line, but according to the cunning gutter, very reminiscent of those that were once put on Mercedes-Benz cars. The central console, completely trimmed with aluminum, is given to the climatic installation, which allows you to set a different temperature for the driver and the front passenger and the audio system. Nearby was the roof button button. It develops quite quickly, without unnecessary noise. This mechanism can be activated only when the car is worth it. Alas, the bad April weather in Moscow did not give me the opportunity to enjoy the trip in the convertible and check if it would be windy in the cabin.
The audio system Mark Levinson with 8 speakers and a 6-wheel circus CD for 6 disks sounds just great. You can manage it with the help of steering wheel buttons. The bagel itself is small in size, made of leather and wood. In general, the standard equipment of the car includes everything that the heart wants, including all kinds of electronic systems that help the driver in difficult situations, simply there are no options.
End justifies the means
We can say that the Lexus SC 430 is able to fully justify the hopes assigned to a luxurious compartment coupe. Having launched the engine, I immediately paid attention to the complete silence in the cabin and the absence of the slightest vibration. Next to the tachometer, a red bulb immediately flashed, persistently offering to fasten the seat belt. Moreover, she will not stop annoying you until you are fastened. Exactly the same light bulb is located in front of the passenger, it is silent, while there is no one on the seat on the right.
I transfer the gearbox lever to the Drive position and smoothly drive away from the parking lot. To integrate into a dense morning stream of cars, I had to press the gas pedal more hard. The reaction is fast enough and confident: Lexus rapidly gained speed. And its appearance and the obvious cost allowed to take a place in the left row without any problems. Along the way, I noted the complete absence of jerks when switching gear and all the same incomparable silence in the cabin. Only at high speeds, a powerful 8-cylinder engine with a volume of 4.3 liters manifests itself as a bass growl, which will please the ears of an active ride lover. This atmospheric power unit provides a pickup at almost any speed.
The automatic transmission has three standard operating modes, Power and Snow. Each of them is able to change the nature of the car almost beyond recognition. In the power mode, the transmission is switched noticeably later, the electronics forces the engine to reach the peak of power in each gear, bringing the tachometer to the red zone every time. The winter mode allows you to move without much difficulty on slippery coating. By the way, in the morning on the second day of the test I froze strongly, so I managed to evaluate the ability of automatic transmission. It was worth activating the winter mode, and even on summer tires (April still!) I without any problems left the icy parking lot.
Lexus SC 430, as befits a car of this class, hides speed. About how quickly you are at the moment, you can judge either by the indications of the speedometer, or by a quick change of pictures outside the window. However, another thing is more important: you go at a speed of 100 km/h or 200 km/h, control over the machine is not lost for a moment. The point of course in the settings of pendants v. steering. The steering wheel with speed is heavier, and the pendants, although they will not annoy the driver and passenger with excessive shaking even on our roads, hold the car well on the highway, not allowing the body to roll too much in corners. It seems that a good compromise has been found between comfort and sports.
The brand brake stabilization system will also not disappoint from the insidiousness of the rear -wheel drive. By the way, I happened to use the systems hiding under the abbreviations EBD and BASS a couple of times. The first distributes the brake efforts between the wheels, throwing them to those that have the best adhesion to the road. On the site, covered in some places frozen puddles, it proven itself very well, while the car did not go to the skid (there is also ABS). The second is an electronic emergency braking system that helps to quickly stop the car even with a slight, but sharply pressing the pedal. After several attempts, I managed to try it. It works effectively. Actually, the brake pedal has an excellent feedback, which inspires confidence in any situation.
In conclusion, I note that Lexus, in my opinion, is suitable for a driver with any temperament. It is equally good for the urban stream, and for rapid driving around the highways or winding (but asphalt) roads.
Car for the elect
Lexus SC 430 car is expensive. The price is $ 94 900. At the same time, the client receives all possible options, including, in addition to the above, xenon light and a guarantee of 3 years or 100 thousand kilometers of mileage. Dealers believe that the machine will be in stable demand. This can be judged at least by the fact that the first SCs imported into Russia have already been sold. Moreover, in winter or early spring, when the operation of such a car is possible, but not too reasonable.
Lexus SC 430 not many competitors. The main, of course, Mercedes-Benz Cl. Here it is a matter of personal preferences.
... When this newspaper number is released, I hope it will be warm. So, there is a real time for a Cabiolet compartment. On it, of course, you can go to work and go home all year round, but, you see, to drive an open top on a weekend is pleasant. Just do not park on Tverskaya when there is a rally ...
Andrey Osipov
