neova

I'm slightly dissappointed that Lexus decided to makd the IS250 less powerful than the outgoing IS300.

I think it would have made better sense to use the new 3.0 V6 engine (228hp) that is sold in the Middle East and Asia, and use that as the base IS. That would be viewed as progress from the previous model, and on top of that a more powerful IS350 compliments the lineup nicely.

With the IS300 228hp V6, it would allow Lexus to directly compete with the BMW 328i (230hp) and Audi A4 3.0 (220hp) at BMW 323i prices.

Right now, my biggest complaint is the lack of torque > 184-lb-ft is amlost 30 less than my old IS300. The difference is quite apparent. The new 3.0 V6 comes with a healthy 224 lb-ft, which would have been a nice improvement on the IS300

As M1sTa801 puts it, the fuel economy savings isn't really there if you have to floor the car to get it going everytime!

is4fsr

Enough power for me. Yes I want more but I think my 250 delivers the power I needed for my daily commute(work 11 mi one way) Both car are capable of going fast( both cars could reach 140mph but of course the 250 takes a few secs more). They look the same (body style) at high speed or even at rest. It just totally depends on your needs. You want power = 350. Look cool and classy with better mpg, and fast(not faster) =250. BTW I get 25.5 mpg overall spirited driving.
Don't you guys think people will appreciate our car more if they could catch us to enjoy the site our beautiful car. LOL

Gtidan

Really? For the record the IS250 is the largest engine sold in Europe. You know, the place where people cruise along at 140 on the autobahn. They seem to get along just fine with 'only' 204 HP.

Sure, if street racing from one stop light to another is your bag than more HP is better........otherwise both the IS350 and IS250 have speed limiters set around 140.........so what's the big deal?

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

that's the EPA estimates. if you ask all the 350 owners here, they will tell you they got 1X MPG........

Andoskyy

iTrader: (1)

Not this 350 owner. I get on average 21-22mpg on a tank mixed between highway and back roads. my commute is split almost 50/50. And pure highway @70 mph +/- 5mph, I can get 29-31. i'm on about my 10th tank of gas now, and i've never seen the average below 20mpg. I don't floor it after every stop, but I sure dont baby it.

what is a few mpg? a few hundred a year in gas money? its a $32-$40K car, you should be able to afford the gas. I think you're living above your means if you are crying about gas money. Of course, if you bought the 250 for AWD, then there is no argument.

sirkfc

Yeah, but your issue can be looked at the other way. The IS250 can do 0-60 in the same time despite 100 less HP and give you almost twice the mileage....

Tradeoffs to both. If you strictly wanted to do the weight comparison, compare your SUV to the 350. Same HP, lower weight = faster 0-60 and more mileage.

But you bought your SUV for other uses, so each car has its merits.

Burst32

Yea I got mine because of the winters here in OH. But in all honestly, If I could go back, I might of gone for the 350. I think I could of survived the winters with RWD. The road crews do a very good job. But whatever, I'll throw some mods in and wait for the lease to expire. But in NO WAY do any of those comments mean that I dislike my 250, because there isn't an ounce of me that does. It just would of been nice to have more power than the BMW 3 series and Audi's

fantom

Some 250 owners are sorry they didn't buy a 350, but I haven't noticed ANY 350 owners saying they should have bought a 250.

Sometimes you just gotta have some extra power, however "power is nothing without control".

Enjoy: http://mfile.akamai.com/22700/wmv/pi...lifilm_eng.asx

iobidder

I just wanted a reliable AWD car.

sirkfc

Sometimes I did wish I had the 250 because I really don't use all the power (but I do use all the gas)... But when I purchased, the difference was going to be less than $4K out the door, so I got the 350.

Also, I admit, there's hubris involved here too... More so with German cars, but when I see a 325i or C240 on the road, part of me wonders if they bought it because it was the cheapest premium car they could afford. They don't care that it's a pretty weak car. They just care that it's a BMW or MB... Right or wrong, I feel more confident being seen in a 350 or 335i instead of a 250 and 328i... Sad, huh? Marketing at its best...

Rasengan

exactly...there are other reasons to have purchased a 250 rather than a 350...price difference is probably one of the biggest concerns, AWD is another...gas mileage, however, is NOT one of them, especially if you're only talking about a few bucks per month on a $40,000 LEXUS...i love my 350, i haven't really used all the power often because i just got it and the roads are icy but i appreciate that it's there when i do need it

l1tech

If my IS250 did 0-60 in 8 seconds then I would have it looked at because something is wrong with it. Maybe I am lucky and have an unusually quick one but but mine will do 0-60 in 7.2 all day long..

Andoskyy

iTrader: (1)

its funny, I was thinking the EXACT same thing on my way to work this morning when a E-Class MB was toying with me. I wouldn't even play around with him, I just laughed to myself and thought, what's the matter? couldn't afford the good one? Its terrible, I probably sound like an elitist, and I fall right into marketing ploys, but I can't help it!!

I don't feel that way as much about the 250 unless its the RWD 250. If you consider yourself a car enthusiast, I don't see the reason to get the RWD 250 over the 350. The gas money is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

are there AWD markings on the 250? I've never noticed

ReLexin

the only reason i bought the 250 was because of the AWD. I do wish that it had more power though. O well at least it still looks cool.

RamshakleZ

Are you kidding me?? Ok, I must ask what is your definition of the "biggest" engine? Most HP? That is flat out wrong. Just take a look at the 3-series and you'll see how wrong that is. But, I'm assuming you meant something else when you say "bigger" ???????????

If any of you have been following my posts in other threads and this one, you'll know that I'm not a street racer. I really couldn't care less about 0-60 times generally speaking. I rarely ever floor my cars. So, I'm not talking about how fast I can get my car to go 140mph... I have NO desire to go that fast. I'm simply talking about plain old everyday driving. To be honest, it could be the torque that I need to be referring to more than the HP. Even when I was pulling slowly out of the driveway onto the feeder road at the dealership - the 250 just doesn't respond as quickly as the 350. When I tell the 350 to do something - it does it. That doesn't mean I'm flooring the car... just means I'm asking it to pull out from a driveway on to a road where people are going 40 mph... and do it w/o having people come up on my a$$.... I tried hard (had to floor) the 250 to get it to do that. The 350 did it with ease.

Yes, price is a huge factor as to why someone would get the 250 over the 350. But, personally, I've decided to wait a couple of more months so I could afford the 350 because even in just plain Jane everyday driving, I find the 250 "SERIOUSLY underpowered."