The Sacramento Bee's view

One thing you do not get in the 2002 Lexus SC 430 is privacy.

The all-new, low-to-the-ground, sweetly styled hardtop convertible drew stares and crowds everywhere I drove it in the Sacramento region.

And when I triggered the hardtop-lowering button on the dash, all hopes of privacy vanished. At that point, my test car drew something like a cult following.

It’s not every day that you see a hardtop roof neatly fold into the trunk of a sports car and then crisply snap back into place again with the push of a button. Opening (or closing) the top can be done in about 25 seconds, and there are no special locks or handles to mess with to make sure the hardtop is anchored.

The new droptop has sexy styling, 300 horsepower, Lexus engineering, 18-inch performance tires, five-star hotel comfort, interior luxury/convenience features that pop out of the dashboard like something you would see in the Batmobile, a hardtop roof to play with …

You get the picture. This is a fun car.

Lexus officials said fun was what they had in mind when they started putting the SC 430 two-door convertible together. The only downer is that this road toy starts at a lofty $58,455. A $440 rear spoiler, $400 run-flat tires, $295 delivery charge and $2,000 navigational system (with compass) boosted the tested model’s bottom line to $61,590.

No one ever said the price of fun was cheap — especially if the word “Lexus” is attached to the bodywork.

But for those can make the plunge, the SC 430 has a lot to make you feel good about your investment.

Although the base price is hefty, the list of standard features is pleasantly loaded. Safety features are particularly numerous: side-impact air bags, front seat belt pretensioners with force limiters, vehicle skid control, traction control, electronic brake distribution, a tire pressure warning system, energy diffusing crumple zones, a theft-deterrent system that includes an engine immobilizer and even a first aid kit.

That ought to make one feel secure, even after glimpsing the speedometer that maxes out at 180 mph. A couple prods of the 4.3-liter, 32-valve, V-8 engine suggested that the car was probably capable of touching that 180.

In truth, the off-the-line performance of the car was not overwhelming, but the performance at speed was impressive. With an 18-wheel tractor-trailer cutting across my bow at 70 mph, a quick hit on the accelerator put the rig 100 yards behind me in the time it takes to sneeze.

The engine ranks among the quietest I’ve ever experienced in a sporty performance car. I thought the soft tones were a tribute to the perfect seal of the closed hardtop, but the engine sounded just as quiet when I was outside the car.

Another bonus for those who crave quiet: There is virtually no wind buffeting when the top is retracted. Even a top-down blast on the freeway enables one to emerge from the vehicle with hairstyle in tact.

The car’s ride was certainly sports-like, but this first-generation Lexus model stepped sideways a touch when it hit highway bumps and had some sway on high-speed corners. The SC 430 did not knock down roadway bumps the way a Mercedes-Benz CLK320 did — and the CLK320 convertible starts at about $10,000 less than the Lexus SC 430.

Other complaints are comparatively minor.

Putting two rear seats in the SC 430 amounted to an afterthought. Even with two reasonable-size people in the front seats, there is virtually no room to accommodate rear-seat passengers.

Want to carry some luggage with you? If you don’t need a spare tire, the trunk/cargo area gives you exactly 9.4 cubic feet to work with (translation: think briefcase).

The in-dash navigational system screen looks really cool emerging from behind a butter-colored wood covering, but after an hour of touching the screen to issue commands, the display starts to resemble a TV smeared with el y. If you’re dealing on this car, press the salesperson to throw in a free wipe cloth.

Beyond that, the SC 430 is the physical representation of fun in the sun — even if it is difficult to have a private moment with the car.

2002 Lexus SC 430
Engine: 4.3-liter V-8 with 300 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 325 pounds/foot torque at 3,400 rpm
EPA fuel economy: 18 miles per gallon city; 23 mpg highway
Transmission: Electronic five-speed automatic with overdrive and manual shift option
Interior volume: 75 cubic feet
Trunk volume: 8.8 cubic feet (with spare tire)
Fuel tank: 19.8 gallons
Length: 177.8 inches
Wheelbase: 103.1 inches