IS250, wish there was 250HP

I have never been persuaded by any sedan to want to own one as I am big on coupes. That all changed when a 2nd generation Lexus IS came out. I have a lot of good things to say about the car but I also have some mixed feelings.

Many things about a car are important to me but I put a big emphasis on great exterior and interior look, something that IS has other sports sedan beat. To put it simply, I would have been still stuck with another coupe were it not for IS.

2008 IS250 came with a standard 3.5 liter V6 204 hp which is well below what other competitors are offering (e.g. TL, 3 series, G), ranging from 230 to excess of 300 hp. While IS is not slow at all and accelerates in a reasonable, capable manner, it is far from being fast to tag it as sports car when it comes to speediness. IS does 0 to 60 miles in 7.9 second which is reasonable, but it is still 1 second longer than the base BMW 328i with automatic transmission that sprints in 6.9 second. If Lexus wants to be above and shoulder or just to compete against the 3 series, they clearly need to up the horse power. The upside to having not so strong engine though is fuel efficiency, 21 to 29 mpg. 2007 IS250 high way mpg was 32 but 08 IS mpg decreased to 29 as 2008 EPA standard is much stricter than the previous one. There is no many major change between 07 and 08, only thing worth mentioning is the silver graphite color rims.

As mentioned before, I have mixed feelings about this car and it is how this car drives. It is smooth and I guess it is sporty for a sedan but as a former coupe driver, IS is not yet winning me over in sporty driving department. Road and engine noises are hushed and driver is seated comfortably in a lush 10-way powered seat. But it does not feel as fun or sporty as my last car, Integra and that is something I hate to admit since I really want to like this car. This is probably the case only if you had driven just coupes before and even then, you might find it to like the way IS drives. But this is really a just personal preference issue.

With abundant gizmo features, from hands-free cell blue tooth system, a must have system as tickets will be handed out drivers on cell phone in near future in states such as California, to rear view camera, adaptive HID head lights, voice activated GPS, 13-speaker system, keyless entry and start, this car has it all and is one of only a handful cars in its class to have all these features. But unfortunately at a price since most of them are not standard. I should mention that 195 watt 13 speaker system and keyless entry and start are standard features. If you can pony up over 1000 more, in addition to purchasing base navigation system, Mark Levinson (ML) sound system 14-speaker system with 300 watts can be had. ML system plays DVD movies unlike base DVD Navigation system from what I understand but the screen’s life SHOULD NOT be wasted on watching movies as it is the main display head unit for so many important things such as climate control, blue tooth, backup camera, car maintenance system, etc… So personally ML system is not worth having at 1000 plus price.

One gripe I have with navigation system is that it is not very user friendly and it does not say the name of street like my old portable GPS Nuvi does. In addition, IS GPS accuracy, according to their GPS instructional CD, is good for about 100 feet which is miserable compared to some of the better, portable GPS out there that can narrow down to about 10 feet accuracy.

Interior is one of the highest points of IS with its luxury, supple smooth leather feel and great looking cabin. It feels as though it is an inside of a mid luxury car instead of entry luxury. With premium package, you get a wood package that feels just right. Too much surrounding by wood inside a car, like 3 series, makes a car feel more too old school than modern sporty. One of the best features I like is the 6 speed shifters, regular shift and paddle shift, both of which are standard on IS250 all wheel drive and IS350. I also find it nice to have a two extra driving features equipped on my IS250 auto. They are going up hill/down hill mode and ice/snow slippery mode. Even though my car is not all wheel drive, it is good to know that the car came with option I can choose to change so that it is safer under slipper condition or going down hill and uphill.

Overall, I would recommend IS250 if one does not mind a little underpowered engine and IS350 if you prefer something faster. IS250 will get a bad rep from some but to many, it is a sensible choice that strikes a balance between luxury, sports and efficiency.

Update: I once took a trip and drove about 170 miles same day and the car got almost 30 mpg on freeway with little traffic. That's very impressive. Overall life of MPG is reading 23 something right now with 50/50 city and freeway driving. Not great but acceptable. I've always used midgrade level gas with high gas prices in the Bay Area. The car takes it just fine. Lexus director even told me that regular will do just fine followed by "off the record".