Originally Posted by calvin2376

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.

Originally Posted by silk509

thanks for all your help calvin, i guess my final question would be like if my town had around 12-16 in of snow would the 350 handle it great. i think thats like a foot of snow that we usually get then snow here and there( 2 inch-6 inch) .

Originally Posted by my95tsi

I've owned both a is250 awd and a IS350. I can tell you that the difference in snow performance across both vehicles is so small it's insignificant. I do not have dedicted snow tires and I live in chicago where it's winter half the year. Personally I think the Lexus awd system is crap. I had an Evo before i had my IS250 awd and the snow performance in the Evo was 100x better, it was almost like an off road vehicle. Most of the time driving the IS250 awd it was hard to tell it actually had awd as it's rwd biased. VDIM still kicks in way to early on both vehicles making it nearly impossible to spin out or lose control. After owning my IS350 my only regret is that I actually wasted money on the IS250 awd and had to sell it for the 350. I should have just bougth the 350 first.

Originally Posted by rookieIS

i'd vote otherwise.. of course we would like to have the extra horses but the awd will serve you better in bad weather conditions.

one word - practical.

Originally Posted by Car and Driver

Four-wheel drive helps get cars going. When it comes time to brake or change direction on low-traction surfaces, the extra mass of the driveline becomes more of a detriment. Folks who live in hilly places that get snow may need the climbing capability of four-wheel drive. If it snows a lot in those hilly places, they should probably invest in winter tires, too...

Almost everyone else will most likely be better served by using winter tires. Acceleration takes longer, but in an emergency, the handling behavior and improved lateral grip of two-wheel drive and winter tires -- in the slippery stuff -- are the safer bets.

Originally Posted by Gaugster

I'm in Chicago and you should get snow tires.

Originally Posted by my95tsi

Umm why?? I've owned numerous rwd vehicles and never found a need for snow tires over all seasons and i've lived in Chicago my whole life. Then again I can drive....