CTC Review: 2007 Lexus IS250 RWD

[CD_Editor]

Picture Gallery:  2007 Lexus IS250 RWD Day 1: Click Image to Enlarge When I think of Lexus, I think of two things:  luxury and reliability.  Lexus has gained the reputation of being the most reliable luxury vehicle manufacturer over the past decade, as they have delivered time and time again with vehicles that seemingly last forever.  But what about the luxury side of the equation?   More ...

[airbalancer]

Cloths are fine if the are heated, power and memory
It will interesting to read the rest of your review
It would be go if you could get a 323I or 328 next week

[Mitlov]

I would actually prefer cloth seats, if they were a nice cloth, but at this price point I do expect power adjustment.

[Bullet Blue]

Those 18 inch wheels look great. Looking forward to your impressions James.

[Julie]

I would actually prefer cloth seats, if they were a nice cloth, but at this price point I do expect power adjustment.

Those cloth seats felt pretty upscale to me.... I would have taken them over the TSX's leather, no problem.

EDIT: Personally, I felt the "base" IS's interior was even more upscale than that of the TSX.

[Mitlov]

Those cloth seats felt pretty upscale to me.... I would have taken them over the TSX's leather, no problem.

EDIT: Personally, I felt the "base" IS's interior was even more upscale than that of the TSX.

Hey, as long as you have experience with both, care to compare driving impressions between the two?  Handling, engine character, etc?  I've driven the TSX (and had a memorable drive with it) so it's a good frame of reference for me.

[Giant Dwarf]

Cool... just the other night I 'built my own' IS250 online and that's the exact car I would've chosen (base model with X1 pkg). 

A high quality, long-lasting, luxury sport sedan with all the safety amenities, reasonable fuel efficiency, decent sizing (passenger and cargo) and none of the superfluous mass-adders (like power seats, sunroof, etc.).  Simply a good, solid, quiet, comfortable and reasonably fun car.... and with the proper drive wheels and transmission. 

[wing]

Those cloth seats felt pretty upscale to me.... I would have taken them over the TSX's leather, no problem.

EDIT: Personally, I felt the "base" IS's interior was even more upscale than that of the TSX.

I can help here Mitlov, the IS250 feels much more solid, the steering has more feel and the engine feels more powerful and smoother (mainly due to torque).

Hey, as long as you have experience with both, care to compare driving impressions between the two?  Handling, engine character, etc?  I've driven the TSX (and had a memorable drive with it) so it's a good frame of reference for me.

[jww]

I am a big fan of both the 250 and the 350. I think if it were my money, I'd probably go with the 250 AWD which packs ample power for the size of the car, and has the extra stick-to-the-road-in-iffy-situations capabilities (read winter and wet).

Less than 40K for a Lexus is good news - even if it is a base model.

[safristi]

All yer BASE models appeals to ME....................the baser the better...Wing did ya get a "doodad" thesaurus fer yer birthday??? <poke>....."interior covered in cow".....shouldn't it BE MOOSE!!!

[Giant Dwarf]

AWD still can't be had with a stick-shift, correct? 

[UmroAyyar]

AWD still can't be had with a stick-shift, correct? 

Correct, you get paddle shifters though. 

[Marvin McConoughey]

Engines matter to me.  I want to know if the Lexus 2.5 V6 engine is as a) smooth and b) quiet as the small BMW inline six cylinder engine.

[ghost]

Cloth is great! Our 01 330ci was specially ordered wth cloth seats. The salesperson went  then  and after asking us again went  for being so unique. The wait was 2 months. But if we opted for pleather or leather there have a few on the lot. Cloth seats FTW!

[Mitlov]

I can help here Mitlov, the IS250 feels much more solid, the steering has more feel and the engine feels more powerful and smoother (mainly due to torque).

Thanks!  That's very helpful.  If you don't mind continuing a bit more with the comparison, which felt more agile, and if you drove manuals of both, which had a nicer transmission?

[Julie]

Those cloth seats felt pretty upscale to me.... I would have taken them over the TSX's leather, no problem.

EDIT: Personally, I felt the "base" IS's interior was even more upscale than that of the TSX.

I can help here Mitlov, the IS250 feels much more solid, the steering has more feel and the engine feels more powerful and smoother (mainly due to torque).

Hey, as long as you have experience with both, care to compare driving impressions between the two?  Handling, engine character, etc?  I've driven the TSX (and had a memorable drive with it) so it's a good frame of reference for me.

I actually felt "less feel" driving the Lexus, which is what put the TSX on top for me.    I felt the Lexus had a little less feel but a softer ride, and the TSX vice versa. But James is the expert here... so I can't help but wonder, am I imaging things? 

I didn't push the Lexus, so could not appreciate the engine's power.

[Skeezix]

I drive a 2003 IS 300 with a 5 speed manual, and am considering getting a 250 6M with the X Package but hadn't driven one, and plus they do not offer the TORSEN limited slip differential anymore. Do you know how the 250 compare with the 300? Does the 250 6M feel as powerful as the old 300? What about brakeing and handeling? Do you think the Limted Slip is a 'must have' item on this type of car?Any and all infomation would be helpful! Glad to finally see a test on the 250 6M. Seems like the 350 has all the spotlights on it! Keep up the good work!

[wing]

Julie, I do have the sports suspension in my model.  I find the TSX steering VERY light.  I'll try to cover off things in tomorrow's driving portion of the blog.

[Julie]

Julie, I do have the sports suspension in my model.  I find the TSX steering VERY light.  I'll try to cover off things in tomorrow's driving portion of the blog.

Interesting. Do you mean light at high speeds? I do find that it feels a little over-heavy at low speeds and too light at high speeds. But it's also way better than what I was used to, which could explain why I don't notice it as much.

I suspect, as I gain in driving experience, I will be able to pick up more of the things you describe, so looking forward to your thoughts! 

[nm]

Wing, I've driven a couple of TSXs, and an IS250AWD.  The Lexus's steering was waaay lighter than the TSX's (as Julie had already mentioned), with typical lightness and lack of feel of a Toyota.  The TSX's steering is the best and heaviest I've felt in a FWD vehicle, so if you get the chance, please take a TSX out (dealership) and have a refresher before comparing the two!  I'd just hate for ppl to discredit you if you did compare the two incorrectly.

thanks! looking forward to the rest of your review!