DsJackson

I think it's all to easy to recommend the 350. I mean who doesn't want more hp. But saying the 250 is slow... well it's no comparison to the 350 but realistically the gap between the two is all fun factor. The 250 always has enough power on tap to drive and pass as needed.

Yeah yeah "well this one time I was getting on the freeway (bla) truck here (bla) shor t onramp & truck there (bla) extra hp saved my life!" I'm sure we can all figure out how to enter a freeway with 204 hp The is250 is more nimble handling when I test drove.

Anyways, like they all said just compare the two yourself and decide. I actually drive a 250 rwd in NYC in the winter (lightly) and I survived. Your situation may be different. Having said all that, it sure would be sweet to have a 350 as well! If you can't decide & all else being equal, the is350 is a better value at the same price.

anthrax144

You need to rotate your tires every year anyhow on an AWD so really it's no additional effort. Discount Tire or Les Schwab will swap them for free if you buy from them or just buy a set of winter rims. As far as gas mileage, an AWD 250 will get basically the same as a RWD 350 due to extra weight and drive-train loss. Get yourself a good set of winter tires (Blizzaks) and you'll be perfectly fine with a 350. You can compensate for the lack of AWD in a 350, you can't compensate for the lack of power in a 250.

mong

iTrader: (4)

350 with snow tires and you should be good.

NimaM

iTrader: (1)

I live in Seattle area and the only reason I went for my IS250 AWD at the time was the little snow we get in the winter and I never had any issues getting stuck in light snow. In my opinion, the car has very good handling in snow and icy roads. If I was in the market now, I would get the IS350 AWD just because of the fun factor.

HALLELUJAH

I live in north east nj and with the snow from last year there was no doubt that i needed awd for winter 2011-12. My 250 has enough power for me. Not as much as its competitors but thats okay with me. If i wanted a really fast car i probably would have opted for a BMW 335i or even so a 335xi. my 250 is a dd and fuel economy was also important to me. One day id like to have a ISF but for now the 250 was the choice for me.

jt92126

350...more power is always good

Sango

iTrader: (10)

I had the IS250 AWD but didn't really feel that the AWD was needed. That car is sold and I switched over to tthe IS250 RWD. The RWD of the 250 is a bit faster and have more of the sporty feeling plus getting better fuel economy. Of course if you want the HP, 350 is the way to go.

If going the RWD route, the thing to consider is possibly upgrading the car so it can have a true locking differential - comes in handy for the snow. Also you don't need the instant up to 3 MPG hit for using AWD under normal driving conditions.

whitebeast

iTrader: (5)

Look like lot of us here will take IS350 of top of IS250 AWD

silk509

so heres an update i have driven the is250 awd and an acura tl type s, i love the power of the tl but it didn't have the smoothness as the 250, the steering wheel felt heavier too.

i havent got a chance to drive the 350i yet so that will be my next thing to test drive,


and calvin2376 would a 350i with great snow tire be good or just as great as a 250i with all season??

elvisNGO

I think it just depends on your weather conditions where you're from. Personally for me, I live in Toronto where winters are pretty harsh. With every car that me or my family has owned, we switch out winter tires (it's the law here). I'd say all RWD cars here struggle severely in the winter.

I went from driving a Corolla to my is250 AWD, so I can't complain with about the ~200hp.

But other than for utility, why would anyone want an AWD over a gain of 100hp?

YoNadz

I wanted a 250....till I drove a 350.

Justin2JZ

Common sense.....go w/ the 350.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I don't know what years you're looking at, but I'll assume something akin to the '07 Acura TL Type-S. The IS250 AWD and the TL aren't comparable at all - the TL has 86 more HP and is FWD. The TL is much more comparable to the IS350 in terms of power and performance. I personally dislike FWD for a performance car - putting 300 HP through the wheels you steer doesn't make for as rewarding a driving experience as RWD, in my opinion.

I highly recommend finding a dealer with both an IS350 and an IS250 AWD (even if they're not each matching exactly what you'd like), so you can drive them back-to-back if you're this torn.

As far as your last question, I don't think there's a "right" answer to that, because everyone's needs and experiences are different. I'd start with these threads:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...nter-snow.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...wd-vs-awd.html

I don't have winter wheels/tires because I don't live in an area that gets much snow. I can tell you though that from what I've read online, tires make a far bigger difference in snow-driving effectiveness than drivetrain. One is not necessarily "better" than the other, as snow tires and AWD have different areas of benefit. From a relevant article:

AWD is better for getting you out of a stuck situation (like having your parking spot plowed in), and general handling – but in terms of keeping you out of an accident, Snow Tires are where its at. An AWD car can slide just as well as a RWD at speed, its the tires that help avoid that as much as possible.

So as far as winter performance, your best bet would be an AWD with winter tires. Your worst bet would be a RWD car with non-winter tires. In between those two extremes, there's "AWD car with non-snow tires" and there's "RWD car with snow tires". As far as which of those latter two is better than the other, it depends on what you want. Like the quote says above, AWD will be better about getting you out of stuck situations, but snow tires will serve you better while driving by keeping you on the road.

Others can chime in, but here's my feeling: unless you live somewhere that gets serious snow an inordinate proportion of the year, you're going to be driving in non-snow conditions for most of the time. In these conditions, a RWD IS350 will be a far better performer and will be much more fun. During the times you may find yourself in snow, throwing snow tires on your RWD IS350 will get you much of if not as much or more than the benefit of having AWD. Keep in mind that for 100% of the time, AWD adds weight to the car, which increases braking distance, saps performance, and reduces fuel efficiency. If you get snow 10% of the year, it'd be hard to justify driving around for 90% of the year with an extra unnecessary couple hundred pounds.

I'd go with the IS350.

ohface

350 hands down!

yoegster

That's a tough decision. It really depends on what you have to do when it snows. If you have to take the IS, the AWD will get you where you need to go. That said, there is a BIG difference in performance between a 250 and 350. While it is "just" engine size, it is a big difference. If you will need to drive the IS in the snow - I think you will need to go with the 250, unless of course, you can make a 350 AWD work.