Thoughts about the AWD
Lexus Champion
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,906
Likes: 5
From: NJ
Haha SUV here accelerate faster than Ferrari's, those single women I see in their SUV must have a lot of money to pay for gas.
Another thing to keep in mind that almost 99.9999% of the AWD owners use their car as daily drivers, while majority of the 350 does too but not to that high of a ratio. From there you can see the differences between the people who buy awd250 vs 350; what they look for in a car and what they do with their cars.
Another thing to keep in mind that almost 99.9999% of the AWD owners use their car as daily drivers, while majority of the 350 does too but not to that high of a ratio. From there you can see the differences between the people who buy awd250 vs 350; what they look for in a car and what they do with their cars.
It is a lot heavier than the rwd and isnt the fastest, but it was what I wanted and i love it.
A 350 awd would get me thinking, but due to gas prices I would still keep my 250awd.
seems like everyone in the city now drive like grandma to save gas
I hate getting behind a suv or pickup most of the time at lights because they accelerate so slow and most have 300+ hp
A 350 awd would get me thinking, but due to gas prices I would still keep my 250awd.
seems like everyone in the city now drive like grandma to save gas
I hate getting behind a suv or pickup most of the time at lights because they accelerate so slow and most have 300+ hp
AWD
20 city 26 Highway
350
18 City 25 Highway
Haha SUV here accelerate faster than Ferrari's, those single women I see in their SUV must have a lot of money to pay for gas.
Another thing to keep in mind that almost 99.9999% of the AWD owners use their car as daily drivers, while majority of the 350 does too but not to that high of a ratio. From there you can see the differences between the people who buy awd250 vs 350; what they look for in a car and what they do with their cars.
Another thing to keep in mind that almost 99.9999% of the AWD owners use their car as daily drivers, while majority of the 350 does too but not to that high of a ratio. From there you can see the differences between the people who buy awd250 vs 350; what they look for in a car and what they do with their cars.
Last edited by Joeb427; Jun 6, 2008 at 05:56 AM.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,957
Likes: 501
From: Maryland
Yeah the IS250 AWD is so slow which is why I considered a G35X also. But it is my daily driver and I like the exterior, interior and AWD for bad weather especially if my wife drives it. My old IS300 was terrible in bad weather so that is why I bought the AWD. I don't really need the extra power of the 350 and to be honest, that car is slow too (compared to the IS-F now).
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 613
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
I can understand the OP'r impressions but it kind of an Apples to Oranges comparison.
The OP’r has a manual transmission IS250 vs. an automatic IS250 with AWD. It is like a double whammy. The driving characteristics between these two cars have got to be night and day. I have not driven the manual but this is just common sense. The AWD has some gearing changes etc… to make the performance similar but it is not 100% transparent.
You have a bunch of extra weight in the front of the car that tends to make it over steer. The list goes on…..
IMO any of the IS250’s can only be considered to have a little “pep” compared to normal cars. None are truly fast as of yet but I can see where the manual would have a lot more of the “fun-to-drive” factor in the summer. However my AWD is fun for all four seasons.
Regards,
The OP’r has a manual transmission IS250 vs. an automatic IS250 with AWD. It is like a double whammy. The driving characteristics between these two cars have got to be night and day. I have not driven the manual but this is just common sense. The AWD has some gearing changes etc… to make the performance similar but it is not 100% transparent.
You have a bunch of extra weight in the front of the car that tends to make it over steer. The list goes on…..
IMO any of the IS250’s can only be considered to have a little “pep” compared to normal cars. None are truly fast as of yet but I can see where the manual would have a lot more of the “fun-to-drive” factor in the summer. However my AWD is fun for all four seasons.
Regards,
Driver
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: PA
If the OP thinks this is bad coming from his RWD 6MT IS250.......take a look at my sig. My AWD is a DOG compared to my GTO....obviously. Both of those cars were daily drivers. I drove the G35 through 3 NY winters and the GTO through 1. After totalling the GTO, I just thought it was about time I grew up a little. I'll own another LSx car again, but until then, my AWD will keep me out of trouble. I'll never have to worry about it, never dump money into it, and when the snow comes around, no changing rims and tires, no dropping tire pressure with my fingers turning blue, and no riding the clutch like crazy to keep the tires from breaking loose. It may not evoke much emotion, but really, the car (living in the snow belt) just makes damned good sense.
It doesn't hurt that I'm getting a killer deal on it either, thanks to my family's long (we've-had-at-least-one-Lexus-in-the-house-since-the-ES250-which-my-mother-bought-new) standing relationship with Lexus and our dealer.
It doesn't hurt that I'm getting a killer deal on it either, thanks to my family's long (we've-had-at-least-one-Lexus-in-the-house-since-the-ES250-which-my-mother-bought-new) standing relationship with Lexus and our dealer.
Man, did you get old all of a sudden!
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
From: Bay Area, CA
Haha.. thanks for all the feedback, guys! 
Everyone has their own opinion on the cars, and I want to say that I appreciate the good humor and willingness to explain/debate. I don't quite think it's apples-to-oranges, as Gaugster suggested; a Ferrari 360 Modena compared to a Dodge Durango would be that sort of comparison, but we're talking about different ISes.
This comparision is no different than IS250 versus IS350 and the point is clear: each car (IS250 RWD versus IS250M versus IS250 AWD versus IS350) has its own market and each owner has its own reasons for buying it. I noticed that most owners bought the AWD simply for the AWD. That's awesome and I'm really happy that Lexus has provided a product for your need because otherwise you'd have to either get an SUV (gas guzzling) or a Subaru (not as nice) or an Audi with quattro (expensive).
I got a manual for the fact that it's a manual. Yes, slow is relative and it's slower than the 350, but I like it. I feel like it's faster because my head and my hand are more coordinated than my head and a computer that decides when it wants to shift.
I just wanted to see whether IS250 AWD owners noticed the same things I did when I drove the car. Seems like it's not. There are too many factors involved; perhaps the 06 model that I drove wasn't well maintained when it was sold back to the dealership, maybe it has some weird problems that no one else has seen.
So thanks again guys for the support and discussion on CL. It's nice to know that despite all the gripes that people have here and there about Lexus that they have really thought things through and addresses each person's need. Now if only they could make an IS350 MT with selectable AWD and fuel efficient technology (selective cylinder activation?)....
Everyone has their own opinion on the cars, and I want to say that I appreciate the good humor and willingness to explain/debate. I don't quite think it's apples-to-oranges, as Gaugster suggested; a Ferrari 360 Modena compared to a Dodge Durango would be that sort of comparison, but we're talking about different ISes.
This comparision is no different than IS250 versus IS350 and the point is clear: each car (IS250 RWD versus IS250M versus IS250 AWD versus IS350) has its own market and each owner has its own reasons for buying it. I noticed that most owners bought the AWD simply for the AWD. That's awesome and I'm really happy that Lexus has provided a product for your need because otherwise you'd have to either get an SUV (gas guzzling) or a Subaru (not as nice) or an Audi with quattro (expensive).
I got a manual for the fact that it's a manual. Yes, slow is relative and it's slower than the 350, but I like it. I feel like it's faster because my head and my hand are more coordinated than my head and a computer that decides when it wants to shift.
I just wanted to see whether IS250 AWD owners noticed the same things I did when I drove the car. Seems like it's not. There are too many factors involved; perhaps the 06 model that I drove wasn't well maintained when it was sold back to the dealership, maybe it has some weird problems that no one else has seen.
So thanks again guys for the support and discussion on CL. It's nice to know that despite all the gripes that people have here and there about Lexus that they have really thought things through and addresses each person's need. Now if only they could make an IS350 MT with selectable AWD and fuel efficient technology (selective cylinder activation?)....
One more input, much like some previous. We got our IS AWD for the AWD. If the 350 had been availbe with AWD, it would have been parked in our garage. Our IS a daily driver, and has gotten us through two rather nasty winters here without issues. The next option we had was another RX, and since we already had one, the IS was just what we needed. So far, it's got enough power for my wife to manage to get busted for speeding about once every two months, and it's still unusual enough in our area that people ask what kind of Lexus it is (IS's are very rare here, and usually have Canadian plates). All in all, we would buy it again, great car, good mileage, fun to drive, and works great in ice and snow.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 6,101
Likes: 2
From: Candyland
As always, I love my AWD in the rough Chicago winters. This past year I confirmed that I made the right choice with our immense snowfall. Yes, it could use more horses and the transfer care bulge is annoying, but the car sticks to the road very well.
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: ny
i have the is250 awd, is def. slower than a lot of other cars, but hey the car weight in at 3500lbs and only have 204 hp? what the hell how you going to be fast right? but i do admit the smooth transmition does put me to sleep ..
Driver
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: PA
Yup. Ride's over. I just have to finish college and get up on my own two feet before I buy another fun car. I'd say "before-I-even-think...." but God knows I think about it every damned day. Until then, I'm probably going to buy out this lease and just hold on to this car for ages. The GFM AWD should look quite nice next to a Jetstream Blue C6 Z06 with a big heads and cam, a Tranzilla Jr. T-56/TR6060, adjustable inverted shocks, and a Caravaggio interior..... some day.
Rookie
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: PA
does lexus have any particular reason for not making an:
-IS 250 AWD Manual?
-IS 350 AWD?
-IS 350 Manual?
-IS 350 AWD Manual?
it's such a hard decision: power, AWD, or manual... why don't they just put them all into one car.
I ended up going with the 250 AWD, but if it were available I would have definitely gotten the 350 AWD.
-IS 250 AWD Manual?
-IS 350 AWD?
-IS 350 Manual?
-IS 350 AWD Manual?
it's such a hard decision: power, AWD, or manual... why don't they just put them all into one car.
I ended up going with the 250 AWD, but if it were available I would have definitely gotten the 350 AWD.