Lexus SC test drive since 2005

Remove the hat

How nice it is to rush in the summer in an open car along the coast! The sea air flutters his hair, the hot sun gives a tan ... The harsh reality in the form of a KamAZ stopped nearby quickly dispelled dreams. Yes, I'm really in a convertible, and the sun fries mercilessly, but I am not by the sea, but in a Moscow traffic jam. I try to get away from the member of the monster as soon as possible ...

In principle, in Moscow the Lexus SC430 is no longer uncommon, but those that are, either black or silver, which is why they are lost in the flow of cars. The same modesty color was not different. A bright red convertible attracted general attention - both neighbors in the stream and passers -by. Their faces were illuminated by a smile, and some, having failed to restrain their feelings, escorted me with an approving gesture - showed me a thumb -handed thumb. The car sewed dense transport masses like a fiery arrow, and as if shouting: look at me, admire, here I am! And there really is something to see. The elegant machine is low and wide, with soft outlines and, as it were, flowing into each other surfaces. A slightly tense curved side of the sidewall rises to the middle of the body and drops to the stern, giving Lexus the elegant swiftness (and causing the appearance of an ideal in the 80s in the memory of the car, which was developed in the point of view of the aerodynamics of the car, in the form of a banana very similar). No inappropriate aggression, no excess decor, everything is simple and tasteful, and SC430 looks equally spectacular both with a raised top and in an open version.

The interior is made in light cream colors, and in combination with the red body looks very beautiful and expensive. Of course, this is not as practical as black or gray skin, but SC430 is, first of all, a car for pleasure, and it is not worth evaluating it based on utility reasons.

The chairs, as it should be in a machine of this class, are equipped with all possible electrical regulations. It is not difficult to get as convenient as possible, but if this is done by a person even of medium height (in my case - 175 cm), the back of the front seat will almost come into the rear pillow. So, even a child should not be forgotten about the transportation of more than one passenger - even the child will not fit, the second row gets only the role of a soft shelf for things that did not fit in the trunk. Moreover, it does not differ impressive dimensions, and even if you put forward a curtain that cuts off the place under the folding roof, then only a small case can be placed in it. But after all, SC430 was created for two - there is a steering wheel in her hands, a girl nearby and the road leaving beyond the horizon. Baggage, rear passengers, and even more so children are extra.

The steering wheel, by the way, despite the wooden inserts so unloved by me, I liked it - the diameter, however, could be less, but the shape of the cross -section was perfectly selected. Closer to the central part of the steering wheel, the audio control buttons are located, it was not very convenient to use them, although perhaps this is a matter of habit.

The steering wheel switches borrowed from the GS430 model - like the instrument shield with wells. The scales, by the way, could be left white, especially since the letter S in the index means Sport. On the central console, designed in the high -tech style - for polished metal, is located a microclimate control unit with separate adjustment for the driver and passenger, as well as the air pollution sensor, which, upon reaching the threshold limit, automatically switches the climatic installation into the recirculation mode. In the same place, the Hi-End Audiosystem head device from Mark Levinson, well-known home audiophiles. The sound is really excellent, despite the limited space. A GPS navigation display was located right above the microclimate control unit - it is hidden under a wooden false panel. Unfortunately, the useful system will be in Russia out of work, since there is no detailed electronic map of the country yet. The most important button in the car is located on the central console - the head of the folding roof. I love to watch how mechanisms with complex kinematics work - it is akin to magic. Some 25 seconds - and there is no roof, and everything happens smoothly and absolutely silently. It remains only to remove the hat in front of the designers ... The central console smoothly passes into the tunnel on which the automatic transmission selector is located. Nearby is the DSC stabilization button.

On the go, I had to encounter some problems - the highly litters of the windshield are greatly blocked the review, in addition, the dimensions of the stern are poorly felt (the parking system would not hurt). To the second, you can get used to it over time, with the first it is more difficult - you have to actively turn your head, trying not to miss the car hidden in the dead zone. Otherwise, everything is in order. A powerful eight -cylinder motor is briskly, but not forgetting about comfort, accelerates the car, a little annoying the machine that reacts to the actions of the gas pedal is somewhat late, but with such a motor it is a small trouble.

The suspension provides a balance between sports and comfort with a small slope towards the latter - the Lexus brand obliges. Of course, the rolls in the turns for the sport-wrapping are big, but on the high-speed straight SC430, it seems as if it soars over the road, all the shocks and vibrations dissolve in the bowels of the suspension.

The sensation of the flight is enhanced by the complete lack of information of the steering wheel, so you involuntarily twitch it at speed, checking if the car is controlled at all. In addition, the steering wheel is not acute enough - from the stop to the stop three and a half turning, which is very interfering in steep turns - it is difficult to catch the ratio between the angles of rotation of the steering wheel and the wheels. Plus, there is a very large radius of the turn. In general, it is better not to meddle on narrow urban streets and mountain serpentines on SC430 (by the way, it is intended for sales primarily in North America with its endless high as an arrow).

But this is all a prose of everyday life. I press the magic button - goodbye, roof! Hello, a sense of complete freedom (or rather, almost complete - forget that the price of the car is under $ 90,000, it doesn’t work) and the joy of life - away from the stuffed slagged Moscow, to the sea, to the world of dreams!

Text: Alexander Nadens
 

A source: Motor magazine [No. 9/2002]