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The story of the genesis of the IS hardtop convertible is akin to a simple love story: BMW 3 Series drop-top becomes a hardtop convertible in 2007, buyer hearts go pitter-patter until their wallets follow, sending Lexus to the drawing board for a competing Lexus hardtop convertible to start what it hopes will be a new love affair.

The addition of an IS convertible coupe (CC in Europe) seems especially notable for three reasons. First, Lexus doesn't have a regular coupe version of its compact sport sedan in its lineup, unlike rivals from BMW and Infiniti. Secondly, the $81,000 Lexus SC 430 hardtop convertible is not generally considered a sales success, even though its two-door, four-seat sporty luxury formula seems similar to the one offered for the IS C, if at a much lower starting price. And thirdly, the 2010 IS C went on sale in late June in Canada, within days of the launch of its closest rival, the Infiniti G37 Convertible, which also sports a powerful V-6 and folding metal roof wrapped up in a luxury-dipped two-door, four-seat summer treat.

The Lexus IS C is still a Lexus, however, so its flavour is decidedly more comfort- than performance-oriented than the Infiniti's, even if the IS is technically the sportiest model in the Lexus lineup, especially the 416-horsepower IS-F.

Special attention was paid to maintaining high levels of refinement and low levels of noise throughout. The roof features a speed-brake control that allows the top to power up or down in a class-leading 20 seconds, but slows the movements near the end to settle with a damped grace.

The folded metal roof and the rear window lock in place in the trunk, to ensure no rattles emerge. Extra asphalt sheets and sound-deadening panels have been added to ensure a quiet interior, at least until you pass that big rig on the highway with the roof down.

The IS sports a handsomely curved and rakish profile, but it may also look vaguely familiar if you've seen a Pontiac G6 convertible. Perhaps it's the similar design of the wheels, and the curved roofline, and even the shape of the headlamps. At the preview event, there was one IS C done up with the Lexus F-Sport line of larger 19-inch wheels and a suspension kit that nicely minimized the IS C's occasionally over-abundant gap from wheel to fender, making it meaner-looking and slightly less Pontiac-generic.

Inside, the IS C sports an interior dash layout directly lifted from the sedan, with the exception of the folding roof button to the left of the steering wheel, and a lever between the two rear seats that lowers the rear headrests for a better rear view, top up or down.

A six-speed automatic is available with either V-6 engine choice, both with shift paddles behind the steering wheel as well as a separate shift gate to tip the shifter up and down.

It is the rear-seat area that loses out in making room for the folding hard top. The previous bench seat for three has become two small, but at least realistic, buckets for smaller folk, and dwarfs those available in the smaller Lexus SC 430 drop top.

Cargo room is listed at a massive 553 litres with the top up (better than most mid-sized sedans) and a still-useful 205 litres with the top stowed.

In a hardtop convertible, the area stretching behind the front seats to the rear bumper is always a battle of priorities between rear-seat riders, cargo room, and the folded top, but Lexus seems to have hit upon one of the most passenger and travel-ready compromises in the business.

Unfortunately, the same praise can't be bestowed upon the folding hardtop itself. It operates quickly and smoothly, as one would expect in vehicle that costs about $60,000. But unlike the top in the much less pricey Volkswagen Eos, there's no "targa" mode that partially opens the top to allow the sunshine in without the inevitable windstorm of going fully topless. (A large part of the Eos roof is see-through, effectively becoming a panoramic sunroof.)

The "about" part of the 60-grand price depends on which drive train you'd like with your IS C. The base IS 250 comes with a six-speed manual transmission, and costs $52,100, whereas the six-speed auto version with the paddle shifters starts at $53,700. The top line IS 350 C comes in at $60,400 to start, which is just a few thousand higher than its Infiniti G37 Convertible arch rival.

This is not counting the pricey freight cost of $1,775; this is where the high cost of the yen is manifesting itself in many Japanese vehicles, as it can be hidden away from comparison shoppers in ads, but still tacked on to the bottom line by the dealer.

The base 2.5-litre V-6 makes 204 hp and 185 lb-ft of torque, and is clearly at the tail end of the power group for this class. The six-speed manual in the IS 250 C we sampled shifted smoothly and positively, but we longed for such control in the much more responsive IS 350, which is auto only.

The manual IS 250C gets pretty much identical fuel economy over all (9.8 litres/100 km combined city/highway average) with the 3.5-litre IS 350C and its autobox (9.9 L/100 KM), according to Lexus figures, while the IS 250 automatic bumps that average up to 8.4.

The thing about most convertibles is that when you don't have the top down, the hefty premium you've paid for extra sunshine doesn't really pay off. Think of all that natural light in normal cars; in most drop tops, it is blocked by the lack of a sunroof and the wider front and rear pillars. Now count up the hours most convertible drivers spend al fresco - it's a small percentage, sadly.

No question, nothing compares to enjoying a warm day with the top down and the tunes up, especially on a great road. But when you think about the short Canadian summers, it's amazing we buy any convertibles at all.

globeauto@globeandmail.com

2010 LEXUS IS 350

Type: Luxury sport coupe/hard-top convertible

Base price: $60,400

Engine: 3.5-litre V-6, DOHC

Horsepower/torque:

306 hp/ 277 lb-ft

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Drive: Rear-wheel-drive

Fuel economy (litres/100 km):

13.1 city/9.4 highway; premium recommended

Alternatives: BMW 3-Series Convertible, Infiniti G37 Convertible, Volkswagen Eos

Like

Large trunk for a hard top convertible

One-touch button on both front seats powers and folds the seats forward for easier rear access

Fast retractable hardtop, opening or closing in 20 seconds

Factory F-Sport parts available to help it look meaner, and covered under full new-car warranty if installed at dealer

Don't like

No half-open or sunroof option available with hardtop, as in much less costly VW Eos

No manual transmission available with the IS 350

Tight back seat room