2005 Lexus IS250 Reviews

Later, the Mercedes C-Class was also in Lexus’s sights as Mercedes quietly moved it from the boring sedan into the sporty sedan segment.All Lexus are immaculately finished inside and out in a tradition that has been with the marque since day one in 1989.The quality of materials and workmanship not only makes the car a delight to look at and sit in, but also makes for high level reliability.Interior space is good for a rear-drive car, but the little Lexus has less room than a front-wheel-drive of this size would have.Try the back seat for size if adults will be frequently using it.The quality of materials and workmanship makes the car a delight to look at with high level reliability.In its earlier iterations, it’s possibly best to regard it as being a two-plus-two rather than a four-seater for adults.Later models are better but still nothing special.That’s for the sedans, the IS hardtop convertibles, launched in July 2009, are very tight in the back seat, as is generally the way in this class.The first Lexus IS generation used straight-six engines, for smoothness; and rear-wheel drive for precise handling balance.Later it changed to V6 powerplants to free up space at the front.Power for the IS200 originally came from an engine with a capacity of just 2.0 litres, hence the ‘200’.While many praised the car others said it didn’t have enough grunt to match the chassis so a 3.0-litre IS300 was introduced in 2001.Splitting the difference is the IS 250, (yes, 2.5 litres) which replaced both the 200 and 300 with the introduction of the second generation IS Series in 2005.The third generation Lexus IS retained the 2.5-litre V6 in uprated format and added a 3.5-litre V6, to the lineup.Lexus decided to tackle the German marque’s high-performance divisions with a hot model called Lexus F.Things became interesting in the powerplant field with the introduction of a hybrid powertrain, the Lexus IS300h, in the gen-three car in July 2013.This time around the engine is a four-cylinder petrol 2.5-litre assisted by an electric motor.The ‘300’ indicates the hybrid provides the sort of performance normally requiring a 3.0-litre unit.After years of competing only against the mainstream models of BMW and Merc, Lexus decided to tackle the German marque’s high-performance divisions with a hot model called Lexus F in October 2008.With a 5.0-litre V8 engine and semi-race suspension, steering, brakes and serious aerodynamic enhancements it’s something right out of the ordinary from a Lexus point of view; deliberately so, the Japanese marque really wants to make a statement.Note that the Lexus F shouldn't be confused with the Lexus F Sport, which is a far tamer model, sold from 2010, with the same engine output standard IS 250 or IS 350 on which it is based, but with uprated suspension, steering and brakes, as well as a sportier look in body details.Spare parts and servicing are reasonably priced for a car in this class.Lexus dealers are fairly limited in number, particularly in rural areas, though that situation has changed in recent years as major country cities are now being serviced.Some senior Toyota technicians are trained in most aspects of the car. Toyota is, of course, the parent company of Lexus.Insurance is generally moderate in price for a car in this price and social class and we haven't noticed any worthwhile variation between the major companies in normal premiums.Look for damage to the bodywork and the interior trim and remember the car should be close to immaculate in all areas.If not it may have been mistreated by an uncaring owner.During your test drive check for anything out of the ordinary in the way the car drives, sounds and feels.Look over the complete vehicle, preferably with the owner’s handbook in front of you, these are complex cars.At the very least, test each of the functions on the stereo, climate-control, windows and door locking.Make sure the engine starts virtually instantaneously, idles so smoothly that you can barely feel it and doesn't hesitate when accelerated.The automatic transmission should operate almost imperceptibly and not hold onto any gears unnecessarily.A manual gearbox should be smooth and light not baulk on any changes, no matter how fast you make them.Unless you’re very confident in your technical ability it’s silly not to call for a professional inspection.Don’t rush into specific details of a car when checking it out - rather do an overall walk around to get a big-picture of its condition.

It's baby of the range, the IS250, is a gorgeous looking thing, cast in the current mould towards sedans that look like hatches.It gives the car a sportier, raked stance and more importantly some personality, which is no doubt part of the plan.With the release of the IS250, the range has been culled to just the one model with just the one engine, although it is available in three different trim levels.The engine is a 2.5-litre V6 as opposed to the previous 2.0 and 3.0-litre straight sixes that powered the IS200 and IS300.In other moves, the Camry-based, front- wheel drive ES300 has been axed.The changes signal a more aggressive marketing drive by the company and create some points of difference from the market leading BMW 3 Series.BMW is of course renowned for its straight sixes.As we have come to expect from Lexus build quality is first rate and the car comes jam packed with the latest technology.Lexus claims 13 world firsts in this department and reckons it's the best thing since sliced bread, in fact the best car to come out of Japan yet.Eight SRS airbags as standard equipment, including driver and front passengers knee airbags.Active safety features include Vehicle Swerve Control (VSC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Lexus Brake Assist (BA) on all grades, and Adaptive Front Headlamp System (AFS) on IS250 Sports and IS250 Sports Luxury models.For our money, however, the best bit of gear in the car is the high-end Mark Levinson 5.1 sound system on our sports luxury test car which is one of the best we've heard.It comes with a grand total of 14-speakers including a subwoofer and has built in MP3/ WMA compatibility.IS250's V6 delivers 153kW of power at 6400rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4800rpm and is hooked up to either a six-speed manual or six-speed, sequential auto.That's significantly more power than the 2.0-litre engine but not as much as the 3.0-litre straight six that it replaces.It's a high revving engine and doesn't start to perform until about 4500rpm and can easily be caught napping.Our test car was the six-speed manual and we found for best results it is necessary to stick with a lower gear than usual.We suspect the auto would doing a better job of smoothing out the gaps better.The car employs a keyless ignition system with a button provided for stopping and starting.The key can remain in your pocket if you prefer.Sports suspension as fitted lowers the ride by 13mm and is combined with 18 inch wheels with 225/40R18 front tyres and 255/40R18 rear tyres.The steering is also more direct in the sports model, with a different ratio.As a package however the IS250 is more of a tourer than red light special.Lexus claims the engine is more fuel- efficient than the two engines it replaces.Fuel economy is a claimed 9.1 litres per 100km for the auto and 9.8 litres per 100km for the manual.The Lexus IS250 is priced from $53,890 which puts it well under the luxury car tax threshold.The Sports model with options as tested retails for $74,000.