UncleSpud

Oftentimes, I'm not sure that CR reviewers know which pedals to use when they review cars, but it's impossible to ignore the fact the IS250 is slow.The IS 350 can be smoked by a five year old WRX with a boxer 4-banger, which makes the case for the IS250 considerably less compelling. A 320i, with its de-tuned 328i motor, will beat the IS250 to 60 by more than a second.

Say what you like about the 250's build quality and handling abilities (or Lexus sales projections for that matter), the car is not competitive when it comes to power or bang-for-buck. Think about the fate of the Infiniti G25--a good car with an anemic engine. I recognize that there are many good reasons to buy a 3IS, but the Toyota V6's aren't among them.

Obscene14

I agree the 250 is on the slow side but it's not that slow that you can't hustle it through traffic. If you can't then you really need to get the all important driver mod not a 350.

How does the 250 lack bang for the buck? My last lease car was a 2010 G37. The 3.7 chugged like a diesel and the cvt constantly hunted for gears and banged hard if it downshifted two gears. The cabins interior noise was on the loud side and the rear link suspension was noisy. I think I get more bang for my buck with the Lexus. Oh yea it slower than the G37 but who am I actually racing. I have no problems getting around lolly gagging Corollas and taking spots that I want.

JDR76

But this is the point that CR also misses. Many people don't care about the power.

Many people just want the Lexus experience, in a solid, comfortable, reliable sedan with a nice ride. In this, the IS250 delivers, as can be seen in the sales. Judging it as not competitive because other cars have more power is, in my opinion, silly. Power is just one aspect of a car. Pick any other. Why does it have to be power? It's like saying the 3 series isn't competitive because the IS has a bigger trunk.

It's all about choices. The IS gives you a choice. If you want more power, choose the 350.

It's like my parents, who opted to get the 4 cylinder RAV4 over the V6, simply because "the 4 cylinder has enough power and we just don't need the V6". Wouldn't have been my choice, but they bought it, and loved it.

IS350S2K

I find it funny in the comments people calling it an "expensive Toyota" like it's a negative or something.

bucanero

LOL! I love it! Very well said!

UncleSpud

I owned a 2012 G37S 6MT. It's news to me that Infiniti used a CVT in their automatics. I believe they had a 7-speed traditional automatic (lock up torque converter), but mine was a 6-spd manual. That car would have given my IS350 a run for the money (328HP vs 306HP and the weights of the cars were close). My gripe with the G37 was that it sounded like a blender when you wound it up--very unrefined. The sport model also had a rock-hard suspension. I agree that Lexus builds a better car. But given the choice b/t the G37 and a 3IS 250 for the same cost, I wouldn't want to sacrifice over 100HP. Btw, I'm in my 60's, and I don't track and/or race my ride. And yes, even though I love my IS350 F-Sport rwd, I think it's underpowered. Toyota/Lexus could have hit one out of the ballpark with a stronger motor in the 350, but they opted to play it safe instead.

corradoMR2

Could not agree more. I could have afforded an extra 100$ a month on a 350, but I was content with my '08 250 back then and even more content today with my '14 250. They can trash the power and make that a focus of the evaluation, it's their prerogative but I bet more people will appreciate the smooth power delivery of the 250 over its entry-level 4-cyl competitors.

With this same reasoning, they'd trash what has been slated as the finest super car in the world (LFA) because it's slow in acceleration and top speed compared to its rivals.

McBrain

I think the IS250 has a little bit of an identity crisis. The IS is supposed to be "Intelligent Sport" - a compact sports sedan. I have not driven one, but when I saw the 0-60 of 7.6s I knew it was not a car I'd consider - that is not "sports". An equivalent Audi A4 (2.0 I4) is a whole second faster as is the equivalent BMW - and that is a bit slow. Maybe Lexus should turbo-charge the IS250, but its not their style to do so.

I think they're selling because they cost less than the 350 and you still get the amenities.

For the poster who mentioned that an old WRX is better than a 350. Nope. My last ride was an STI with stage-2. Stock that car could do 0-60 in 4.6 (1 second faster than my 350), *but* it required an AWD clutch dump launch. What I'm enjoying about the 350 (in sport+ mode) is that it has better pickup at speed which is much more enjoyable than hard launches. In the STI, I sometimes would show up to the office smelling of clutch. It gets tiring after a while. The IS350 has the same 0-60 as the standard WRX, and the WRX does require the sickening launch to get there.

I'm sure the 250 is a good car, but I think its getting bad marks because its trying to be a sports sedan (with a not so low price-tag) but with what appears to be admittedly very poor acceleration numbers.

Obscene14

A quick google search proved that you are in fact correct. The Auto G37 is just a std 7 speed at.The dealer said a ecu flash would fix the problem but it just lessened the issue. I guess at my age (early 50's) I can justify driving a slow, quiet, and refined car vs a faster, louder, less refine vehicle. Plus I tend to speed everywhere I go and the 250 slows me down to where I blend in better with the rest of traffic.

hoosier1

Super smooth and highly refined small V6 or a noisy, vibrating four banger that sounds like a diesel with start/stop technology to improve gas mileage. When at a stop light, I want little vibration from the engine.

Due to CAFE requirements, we'll see more four bangers migrating to luxury cars. At one time, a V6 was a hard sell over having a V8. For now, I'm glad that Lexus has decided that refinement is still important.

UncleSpud

I'm not a fan of 4-bangers either. Even with balance shafts (which help) they aren't smooth. The '15 Mustang will even have a 4-cylinder option (with FI), which will compete with Ford's V6. Thing is, you don't have to lose cylinders and/or go turbo. My Mustang GT (5.0 420HP/390TQ) will get 25 mpg cruising @75MPH. The Ford 3.7 305HP V6 (which is faster to 60 than my twice as expensive IS350) is rated at 19/29mpg.

Not a Ford fanboy, but my point is that there's plenty of potential for fuel efficient sixes. The resurgence of the 4-bangers is a quick and dirty approach taken by carmakers to meet CAFE demands and higher gas prices. I'm glad Toyota/Lexus only offers sixes in our cars, but for God's sake, I wish they'd give their sixes some steroids.

Slust

I am currently driving IS 250 (non-F) as a loaner from Lexus while I wait for my car to come in. Anyone who says its a flop is completely biased, especially since sales are on the rise. If sales were tanking then it is fair to call it a flop.

I think McBrain is right though, it is suffering a bit of a identity crises. To be honest, I would have been happy with a 250 if they had upgraded the HP to 250-260ish. The 250 is still a fun car. Really the only thing it is missing is that extra zooom.


As much as I like UncleSpud's posts the nitpicker in me is strong today, sorry Spud. The base Mustang is not faster than the IS350. The Mustang is 5.8 - 6.0 and the IS350 is 5.5 - 5.6 ...and that is with the IS350 being 200lbs heavier. While not far from, the 350 also does not cost twice as much as a Stang, unless you are comparing a base Mustang to an F-Sport with options on it. I do agree that Lexus needs to give its IS lineup some steroids and overall I too prefer V6.

Though I personally don't think there is anything wrong with 4 bangers. If you want that sport feel than the WRX's boxer engine rocks. If you want something more refined the 328i offers a great engine as well. The 328i will nab 35mpg on the highway or around 43mpg if you put it in Eco Pro mode. No V6 I know of can compete with that. If you put the 328i engine in a IS250 F-Sport that would be a solid freaking car. I actually liked the 328i but the numb handling and over priced options were two HUGE turn offs. When I can buy an F-Sport 350 for the same price (or less) of a 328i with almost the same option packages than the BMW loses ALL appeal. I really liked the engine in the 328i. It was very smooth. You could feel when turbo kicked but it too was very smooth. In some ways it was too smooth. Since the handling was so numb the turbo kicking in was the only real feel so it being so smooth left me kinda bored. So 4 bangers can be really smooth and same with turbos.

I think moving the IS250 to a turbo charged 4 banger would be a good move. Just make sure it keeps its current handling and it will do fine. The smaller engine would lighten the load, but I would probably still lower the weight on the 250 if they make it a 4-banger ...even if that means making it smaller and sacrificing leg room in the back.

Ramon

I agree with that assessment of the 250. 3IS in general has fewer options than not only it's competitors but even the 2IS, and the engine is a carryover leaving it well behind the competition. Lexus recognizes it to which is why that engine is getting replaced next year.

Oxytocin

I think that's more of a marketing ploy. It's better to split that two upgrades than offer it together in the same year. Updated the design for 2014, upgrade the engine for 2015, upgrade options for 2016, facelift for 2017, more options in 2018... And repeat cycle.

eyeball

Is that how the evolution of the 2IS played out?