Car Reviews

Honest John Reviews Lexus

Lexus SC430 (2001 – 2009) Review

Lexus SC430 (2001 – 2009) At A Glance

2/5

+Effortlessly swift, luxurious and refined alternative to the Mercedes SL, complete with folding hard-top and first-class build quality.

-Rides poorly on runflat tyres. Rear seats are tiny. Curious front-end styling.

On average it achieves 105% of the official MPG figure

Reviews for Lexus SC430 (2001 – 2009)'s top 3 rivals

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
3/5
Looks good and make you look rich. 2006 models with increased power vastly better cars. 388hp 500SL plenty...
BMW 6 Series
3/5
An entertaining car along an open road. The M6 is a phenomenal drive.
Jaguar XK
4/5
Luxurious high performance. Sublime engines. Top-quality interior.

Lexus SC430 (2001 – 2009) models and specs

Dimensions
Length 4535 mm
Width 1825 mm
Height 1370 mm
Wheelbase 2620 mm
Miscellaneous
Kerb Weight 1740 kg
Boot Space 135 L
Warranty 3 years
Servicing 10000 miles
Costs
List Price £62,375
Insurance Groups -
Road Tax Bands -
Official MPG 24.8 mpg
Euro NCAP Safety Ratings
Adult -
Child -
Pedestrian -
Overall -
Open Car
Version List Price MPG 0-62
4.3 Litre Auto £62,375 - -

Model History

January 0001

Luxurious new two seater from Lexus to compete with the Mercedes SL. Has an SLK and new SL-like retractable hard-top that folds up or down in a matter of seconds. Two tiny child seats in the back.

Top speed from revised 278bhp LS430 engine is 150mph; 0 to 60 6.4 seconds. UK list price £50,850.

Harsh suspension and ultra low profile run-flat tyres were rapidly dropped after criticism and the car now rides, goes and handles very well indeed. A strong competitor to the SL. Best colour is solid red, as the picture.

Enhancements for 2006 model year Lexus SC 430 include six-speed close ratio automatic transmission with sequential manual range option, Improved fuel efficiency, emissions and acceleration, Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) for safer night-time driving, LED illumination introduced for rear lights, New 18-inch alloy wheel design. In combined cycle driving the SC 430 returns 24.8mpg, compared to 23.5 with the previous five-speed system, while CO2 ratings are reduced by 18g/km to 269g/km. Nought to 62mph is two tenths of a second swifter at 6.2 seconds.

What to watch out for

01-01-0001:

Don't buy an early one with runflat tyres.

TPMS valves prone to failure due to corrosion battery effect between metal valve caps and the valve stems, and cost £1,000 a set of four. This is easily prevented by fitting plastic instead of metal valve caps.

15-08-2011:

Mark Levinson power-amp in 2001/ 2002 Lexus SC430 prone to failure. There was a TSB, but further failures in a 10 year old are not covered. Costs £1,700 for a direct replacement.

24-10-2015:

The 4,292cc 3UZ-FE is a belt cam engine, so if the timing belts, tensioners and the waterpump have not already been replaced, it would be wise to get this job done by an experienced Lexus specialist.