Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Mods please leave as is, it is part of the Quick Spin Series here on Car Chat. Thanks

2014 Lexus IS 250 AWD F Sport

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...photo-1266612/


"Ooh, this looks fun!" my otherwise car-ignorant friend said as we walked up to the 2014 Lexus IS 250 F Sport. And yeah, it does look fun. In fact, despite my initial strong negative reaction to the design, I've really warmed up to this new IS, especially with the flashier F Sport package found on this test car (unique front fascia, 18-inch dark alloy wheels and appropriate badging). Even though that rear end still looks a bit Droopy Dog to me (stop frowning, Lexus), the IS is sharp, though I'm not entirely sure that such a bold design will age well.

"Looks can be deceiving," I told my friend, and we hit the road... slowly. You see, despite looking like a fresh, modern sport sedan, the IS 250 still uses what is, quite frankly, a dog of an engine. And that, combined with dynamics that are just so-so at best, makes for a sedan that's all show and no go. Say hello to Jennifer Slowpez.

Driving Notes

• Lexus employs a 2.5-liter V6 here in the IS 250, good for 204 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. That means this all-wheel-drive version will sprint to 60 miles per hour in a leisurely 8.3 seconds.
• To put that in perspective, the BMW 320i xDrive, which uses a 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-four good for 180 hp and 184 lb-ft of twist, will run to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds – 1.2 seconds quicker than the Lexus you see here. And while the IS 250 AWD only returns fuel economy numbers of 20/27 miles per gallon (city/highway), the all-wheel-drive Bimmer is rated at 23/35 mpg.
• Lexus is reportedly working on a small turbo-four engine, and it can't come soon enough, especially if the IS 250 wants to remain competitive in its segment. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi all offer modern, turbocharged engines here, and driving the Is 250 only shows how sorely this lump of a V6 needs to be swapped out.
• When Senior Editor Seyth Miersma drove the more powerful IS 350 earlier this year, it didn't exactly wow him with its driver feedback, but he was far from unimpressed. The same sort of thing can be said here with the IS 250 F Sport – it's a solid car to drive, just super slow. The steering is just okay – nicely weighted, sure, but lacking a lot of the feedback you'd expect from a top-tier small sport sedan. What's more, the IS is first and foremost a Lexus, meaning the ride quality focuses on being more supple than sporty. And while the IS may be a relatively decent steer, it doesn't quite pull off the sport/luxury thing as nicely as the aforementioned BMW 3 Series or a Cadillac ATS.
• Other parts of the IS 250 driving experience are also pretty milquetoast. The 2.5-liter V6 comes on with a sound that's more woosh than roar, especially at higher revs (which is where you need to play, considering the fact that the 204 hp and 185 lb-ft aren't delivered until 6,400 and 4,800 rpm, respectively). To its credit, brake feel is solid and linear.
• Lexus fits its IS 250 with a six-speed automatic transmission, with steering-mounted paddle shifters that are best left alone. This gearbox is fine, and will hold gears up into the high end of the rev range (especially in Sport mode), but shifts aren't exactly quick. A more modern eight-speed unit (as on the IS 350) would be great here. One thing at a time.
• Getting back to its appearance, that modern, edgy exterior design carries over to the interior, to what is easily my favorite Lexus cockpit in recent memory. The mix of red leather seats and black leather upholstery on the doors and dash does a lot to convey that "sport" message, as do the aluminum accents, high-tech-looking steering wheel, and the reconfigurable gauge cluster. Even the angled center stack is sort of cool, with its easy-to-use controls, though once again, Lexus' computer mouse-like controller for the infotainment system is sort of finicky to use. A proper touchscreen system would be a win here, but it wouldn't allow Lexus to house the large display screen so deep in the dash.
• Interior refinement is, as you would expect, great – standard Lexus fare, really. The cabin remains quiet, even at highway speeds, and while some passengers complained about front seats that you sort of sink into, they're incredibly comfortable and supportive. There's a decent amount of room for rear seat passengers, though some taller adults did ding the Lexus for a lack of head- and toe-room, which is par for the class.
• Pricing for the IS 250 is competitive, but not exactly a bargain. This AWD model starts at $38,485, and loaded up with all the F Sport trimmings, my test car rang in at $44,140, including $895 for destination. The 320i xDrive starts at $34,750, and a fully loaded example will set you back $46,275. That represents a price premium of $2,135, and it's one I can easily see paying up for. If you don't need all the trimmings, the 320 xDrive seems like a better deal to me, with a more modern powertrain and a substantial increase in fuel economy. Of course, I'll need some back-to-back time with the IS 350 to see if we I say the same thing about preferring it over a 328i or 335i – I suspect that race may be a lot closer.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/11/08/2...ew-quick-spin/

cino

iTrader: (1)

That 2.5L needs to go. It can be the worst engine Lexus ever introduced.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Well if you look at it in a negative fashion yes. It's actually brilliant in the sense that it displaces close to I4 competiors of 200hp nature yet it is refined because it has two extra cylinders. In a Lexus you want smooth not buzzy. And it matched the TSX 2.4 I4 in fuel ecnomy too at 21/30. It's not meant to go fast, thats what the 350 and F are for. It's really just a nice relaxed refined ride. Now that the competiton however has begun manufacturing 2.0L Turbos that exceed fuel economy and power while being sligtly more refined than a NA I4 the 2.5L V6 is becoming defunct. But that's to say it didn't do its job while we had it, because it certainly did

Fizzboy7

This is really getting old. Publications keep testing the AWD model with the 2.5 engine. That's the worst combination to be had! Most 2.5's are RWD and handling and acceleration noticably improve with the lighter weight. If Lexus is going to keep this older engine around, it needs to supply test fleets with RWD models. Otherwise, they deserve the bad press for not thinking ahead.

spwolf

all they focus on is press gas pedal and thats about it... so for them, it is slow car.. it would be for me too. People who are buying it though, most likely care nothing about slow or fast, thats why they are buying it despite 350 not being that more expensive anymore.

SteVTEC

It's not just slow, but not particularly efficient either. Very bad combination to have. Who is Lexus competing with? The Germans, or Acura and Buick? Yes it certainly did serve its purpose when new, but it's literally a boat anchor these days. BTW most IS models in my area are AWD.

SteVTEC

I just wanted to add that i'm shocked that Lexus didn't even bother to up this to a 3GR-FSE 3.0L with 240hp or so. They had this engine "Federalized" in the last generation GS300 which was available for a year or two. Considering that Lexus got punked by BMW when the E90 "325i" turned out to really be a 3.0L with a lot more power than the 215hp/185tq ratings suggested, I just can't believe that Lexus never responded to this. But anyways sales are sales, plenty of people do buy the IS250, and I guess straight line acceleration is FAR down on their lists of priorities. Still, it's a liability. If they had brought back the IS300 it'd have been far more competitive and might have even been more efficient also (more torque = can pull taller gears and keep the RPMs lower on average).

84Cressida

It was a huge mistake carrying over the IS250. I wish they'd just offer a cheaper IS350. Somehow Infiniti manages to sell loads of G37s without a smaller engine, and they nuked theirs after a year.

spwolf

difference in price between 250 and 350 already isnt big... it would be even less between 300 and 350.

they probably selected it because of smaller price and better efficiency.

In any case, turbo is coming soon enough.. I wonder if then some people will complain how they preferred silky smooth V6 to the turbo?

I tried GS250 and it really sucked big time... i guess it is similar to this AWD in speed, and it just felt like the car was in quick mud or tied down by the rope. So for me, it would be either IS350 or nothing.

ISF350

... BTW, why toyo/lexus try to keep these 2 IS 's engines and drag it for 8 years while BMW & MB have make a variety of engines w/ turbo efficiency almost every 3, 4 years. There must be a group of retarded cost saver leaders.

SteVTEC

The 2006 Lexus GS300 in the US was specified at 245hp and 230 lb-ft of torque which is plenty. 0-60 in less than 7 seconds with the AWD version, and the RWD was even faster. Nobody would be complaining about the performance if Lexus had kept this engine in the lineup here. And with 230 lb-ft of torque vs 185, it would most certainly be more efficient from being able to pull taller gears and holding the RPMs lower in the normal and econ modes.

I think what Lexus was most afraid of with an "IS300" is not BMW beating their pants off on base model performance, but rather that people would be satisfied enough with a base IS300 that they'd have trouble up-selling people to the IS350. There's theoretically zero cost difference between these engines aside from injection systems, with the 250 being cheaper due to just direct injection.

pman6

I see it

spwolf

yeah, as I said, 300 and 350 probably cost very similar to make - so they would have to raise the price of their base model.Also, if we look at mpg thread in 3IS forums, 2.5l does get a lot better mpg.

Of course, if you ask US, they should have made IS350 base engine and thats it. It is great engine, win win for us :-).

But also, at least in US you have a choice. You can upgrade to IS350 if you want speed... we in Europe dont have 350 as a choice at all.

SteVTEC

If there's no cost difference between 250, 300, and 350 engines, then why would they need to raise the base price if they made the base engine the 300?

spwolf

no, i said there is probably not a lot of difference between 300 and 350... 250 should be cheaper, not only it is smaller, it also doesnt have D4S.

And they reduced the cost of 350 upgrade, it is for instance $4k for F-Sport model but you get AVS and 8AT for that as well.

Making 300 base model would probably increase the price by 2k at least and why force people to get 300? If they cared about speed, they would pick 350 anyway.