Boston.com's view

This could be written like a wine column. Bold and mellifluous with no jarring aftertaste. Smooth, subtle, and gliding with just a hint of insouciance. But of course, it’s a car column, and all of the above applies not to a surprising young Ripple or well-aged Stag’s Leap, but instead to the Lexus SC 430, a fine entry in the luxury/sports car market.

In fact, if you are looking for cushioning, pricey luxury but don’t want to give up the power, elan, and subtle quickness of a sports car, then the SC 430 may be the best buy in an expensive market. At a base price of around $58,000, it is, respectively, $15,000 and $25,000 cheaper than the cars I consider its most direct competitors, the Jaguar XK8 and the Mercedes SL.

Stylistically, as seems to happen with Japanese cars, the SC 430 can be seen as derivative. Think Audi TT puffed up, with a hint of Mercedes grille-work. Its fenders sweep and bulge at the same time, and its humped/chopped rear deck is crowned with a pinched V. Add squinting head- and taillights, disc-like 18-inch wheels (biggest ever on a Lexus), and low-profile tires, and it looks elegant and aggressive at the same time. And it truly is both.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s a convertible? A hardtop convertible. A convertible whose automatically controlled top (up or down in just over 20 seconds) seals so tightly when up that a high-speed drive is nearly soundless? A top that tucks away into the trunk beneath a solid cover and, when down, gives the SC 430 perhaps its best lines?

Inside, luxury is everywhere. Buttery leather covers the seats and door panels and part of the steering wheel. Bird’s-eye maple glistens from the dash, center console, steering wheel, and door panels. The front bucket seats – heated, 10-way power – hold you firmly in corners yet feel soft and encompassing in straight ahead cruising. The rear seats? Let’s just say if you’re taking your children to baseball, it better be for a T-ball game, because anyone older than about 6 will not fit back there. Better to use the space (a shelf dressed up to look like seats, really) for luggage or groceries or, top down, golf clubs. None of the latter will fit in the trunk in any abundance. The legroom up front is cavernous, though tall folks will likely have to drop the seats to their lowest to avoid head meeting ceiling.

The SC 430 is powered by a 4.3-liter, 32-valve, V-8 engine (found also in the GS 430 and LS 430) that produces 300 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque. Power is fed to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic that can be shifted manually through a sawtooth sequence of settings. The automatic shifted up smoothly and seamlessly, even with the gas stomped, and manual downshifts were, again, smooth and flowing. I wasn’t wild about the notch-to-notch shift pattern and think a click-up, click-down shifter would work better in this car.

Power and suspension are a challenge in what is, in effect, a very heavy (almost two tons) two-seater. The suspension is front and rear double wishbone with gas shocks and coil springs. It handles all that power and torque in a softish way, closer to the Mercedes SL than to the Jaguar XK8. It is rock solid, if a bit heavy in the corners, with little body roll. On the highway, cruising at clipper speed, the SC 430 is at its best. This is a car that envelops driver and passenger, and both would emerge from a 300-mile drive as relaxed as if they’d spent the time in a nice easy chair at home.

Being a luxury car in sports car skin, the SC 430 comes with all the bells and whistles: navigation system, ABS, stability control, and killer sound system that adjusts itself for top-up or top-down modulation.

Particularly noticeable (besides how quickly you can make the rear end kick out if you turn off the stability control) is the car’s Electronic Brakeforce Distribution system. Briefly, it is a system that monitors use of the brake p ls and “reads” what the driver is trying to do. For instance, I tapped the brakes lightly coming down a steep hill at a good clip. The car sensed that I really meant to slow down, so even after I took my foot off the brake, there was a sense of further braking going on.

The SC 430 is not guttural like a Porsche, or stiff and prancing like the Jag. What it does accomplish is allow its owner to travel in luxurious comfort with the knowing glint of a sporty driver still flashing in the eyes.