Lexus IS250

One of my first stop for car shopping! Test drive the IS250... Totally up to my expectation. Class leading in almost every aspect. Probably only the C-class left an equally good experience.

I tested the IS250 in F Sport guise, and although the endowed body kit makes the car look more aggressive and sporty compared to the normal variant, somehow I still think I prefer the look of its predecessor over this new version. It's attention grabbing, but somehow looks a bit awkward.

Inside though, is where the magic unfolds. The build quality is nothing short of what you expect from Lexus, and the cabin is different from anything else out there, in a good way. The highlight would be the futuristic tachometer, which can slide around to reveal other menus.

Powered by a 2.5l NA engine, the handling is sharp and accurate while accompanied by a throaty roar when you rev the engine. While the car is not exactly slow, it does lack the torque of its turbocharged German counterparts which would have provided an even better driving experience. However, what it does well is merging both comfort and a sporty ride.

I was genuinely surprised by the 3rd generation IS250! I found it to be a better drive than the 328i. The steering is more precise and better weighted. I didn't notice the brakes so that's a good thing. Driving position is perfect and the seats are much better than the flat ones in the BMW. The styling you will either love or hate. I like it especially with the F Sport bodykit. At least it doesn't look as bland as the 3 series. The paintwork is much better than the 3 series. Lexus paintwork has always been fantastic. The interior is interesting and stylish. But I wish they would put in more aluminum trim instead of plastic on e centre console. What really blew me away was the ride and handling. My goodness, it rides and handles better than the 328i or the 335i. The 328i surprised me with its handling but not in a good way. It felt soft and unsure of itself, and the steering was vague! It felt like there is too much rubber in the suspension. The IS250 on the hand was a real gem! The only letdowns were the engine (smooth, great sounding but unresponsive and feeling like it had 170 bhp instead of 208) and the 6 speed automatic gearbox (slow not even that smooth). Can't wait for the new 2.0 straight four turbo engine from Lexus. I believe it will be smooth and refined, and if they can get it to match the 328i for power and torque, Lexus has a CLEAR winner.

coming from an audi a4 (2012 model), i am completely blown away by how the Lexus IS looks, handles and absorbs everything on the road.

as a touring car. there arent many that is more refined and balanced than this IS.

the a4 is shit in terms of handling when compared to this. in terms of serene environment when driving long distance, the IS is king. i tested the 328i, its noisy as hell on North South highway, thats why i bought the a4. its a much quieter car then there's the IS.

the handling is sublime, even my hardcore Beemer fan friend acknowledges it.

everything has its downside. for me the its the engine. with BMW and Mercs going turbo, this engine is still NA. being NA its really thirsty, also, its sprint time wont hurt the turbo guys.

however, on a day to day basis this car is perfect.

It took me a while to realize what's wrong with the dull drive that many were complaining about. Just change the mode setting you fools! In normal or eco mode, it's essentially a Toyota. A quiet, albeit luxurious people mover which does the job and saves you some money, as if that helps. However, thanks to the new Super ECT transmission, Sport mode changes the game completely!

Perhaps it was my fault for expecting everything CVT or ECT related to feel dull and unengaging. Thankfully the engineers at Toyota tweaked the boring transmission and called it "Super ECT". This really flies when engaged in Sport mode. There's a "fake" shifting feedback that feels similar to a Skoda DSG though. Shifting smoothness is comparable.

In terms of composture, there is slight oversteer with the VSC off. Handling is still nimble and doesn't feel bogged down like a Tank on wheels. Compared to the BMW 328i which loses itself completely with VSC off, the IS250 behaves like a normal car without all the electronic help. Just in case you fried the electronics (which did happen in my old 320), i tried this. Normally you would never have that situation, unless you are an old man working for Top Gear.

Now compared to the BMW 328i, this dry sumped Lexus is guaranteed to be more durable which gives me a peace of mind given I wouldn't be changing car anytime soon after purchase. Unless we are comparing the M series to the F Sport, in which case the German clearly wins, the standard IS250 is sophisticated and more valuable. You'll still arrive at work feeling good than being pissed off with how much less you have each month maintaining a BMW.

The price is definitely a turn-off. Too bad, the car has nothing to do with it thanks to the new schemes. However this is much more worth it on the long run compared to a continental premium junk.

I personally cannot live with the new "Corolla" - aka BMW. Ever since COE prices shot up, BMWs are everywhere and I don't want to pay this much for a low end BMW. I'd rather have this Canele Macaroon than go for the overhyped Laudree one.

Technology is not there yet. Yes, plenty of gadgets and features on this car enough to sway you over, but under the hood they have been using this engine for the past decade or so. High on fuel consumption, low returns on driving pleasure due to lack of torque for city driving.

A free hour in the afternoon with the wife during the June holidays ended in a test drive of the F-sport version of the new IS250. Always nice to test a new model and I have never actually tested the IS before. And not be tempted because it's not time for me to buy a new ride either.

The new model is packed with fresh and fancy gadgets, such as the sliding tachometer display and touch-sensitive climate control among others. The wife raved about the really nice cooled seats. Didn't have much time to explore the rest of the gadgets, but it might take quite a while to master them all!

The drive was a reasonably good one. Handling and steering was impressive together with the body control and excellent suspension. Was surprised to see how the skinny the tyres were at the end of the test-drive, considering how the suspension soaked up all the bumps well. All these seem to nearly match the class leader, the BMW 3 series, making it a good alternative to the 3-series for Lexus fans and those who still prefer the reliability of Japanese-made cars. Of course, it will appeal to the gadget lovers as well.

Unfortunately, the one area it loses out to the German makes is the engine. The 2.5-liter V6 sounds pretty good, but low-end grunt is lacking the torque needed to exploit the excellent chassis, unless you're in Sport mode all day. Even a 1.6-liter turbo these days provides more torque and urgent acceleration than this one. Please, Lexus. Give us a turbocharged engine someday. A hybrid one, too, isn't good enough for a car this sweet in most other areas. The other gripe is probably lack of space in the middle for a 5th passenger, making it rather pointless to create that seat. Make it a console, then.

If I had to choose, I might give the hybrid a test-drive as well. At least it gives smooth and effortless acceleration from standstill instead of waiting for the revs to reach 3000+ for some meaningful shove to appear. I've had a Toyota hybrid for 2 years previously so I can recommend that version to drivers who are less of the boy-racer type. Pity it's only a 4-cylinder hybrid similar to the Camry hybrid engine.