Are you looking for a luxury sedan? How about a sporty, luxury sedan? How about a sporty, luxury sedan that won’t require you to break the bank to purchase? Welcome, then, to the Lexus IS 250, the affordable luxury sedan that combines fun, comfort, and the Lexus name all in one sleek package.
Settling nicely around the $30,000 price neighborhood, the IS250 lacks some of the power of its brash sister the IS 350 but actually offers more options and as always never lacks for comfort and refinement, qualities synonymous with this Japanese import. If purchasing the standard rear-wheel model, one has the option of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. If it is the automatic you want then you also have the option of all-wheel drive.
The 2.5 liter V6 engine produces 204 horses and that fact has speed enthusiasts grumbling a bit, but the ride it produces is reliable, incredibly quiet, and never lacking in comfort. It really isn’t fair to compare the IS 250 with the IS 350 for they simply are two different automobiles. One is intended to introduce a new owner to an affordable Lexus sedan; the other is intended to pump adrenalin and forge a love affair between driver, car, and the road. And yet comparisons were and are inevitably made.
So in all fairness it is only right that we tell you what the IS 250 has that the IS 350 is lacking, namely more room and more refined luxury. The standard package has a leather-lined interior, comfortable seating, and more high-tech features than any of its competitors. The stability and traction control system in this automobile is second to none, most notably the 2006 model.
Does the IS 250 match up well with the BMW 3 Series in performance? Certainly not, but it can more than hold its own against the Audi A4 or the Infiniti G35 when tackling a mountain road on a sunny day.
The worst that can be said about the Lexus IS 250 is that it lacks a certain amount of pizzazz on the open road. Think in terms of dating a super model only to find out she doesn’t really play a great game of Rugby. Do you stop dating her, in which case all of your friends will consider you a candidate for serious psychotherapy, or do you appreciate her for who she is?
The IS 250 should be appreciated for what she is, a luxury sedan with serious bloodlines from the Lexus family at a truly affordable price. She really is worth taking home to meet your mother!