2014 Lexus IS250

[Fire0nic3FX]

Got this Lexus IS250 for the next week or two.





Here some honest thoughts. In no way is this bias because I have my pros and cons with the Q50 too.

Pros:

Nice standard tech like blind spot warning and such
Aggressive rear end
Quiet ride
Suspension also feels great over bumps. Not too soft and not too stiff
My favorite feature on here is the HE radio thus far and the blind spot like I mentioned earlier.
Paddles are also standard at least on this one.


Cons:

UGLY front end. No matter how many times I try to like it those 2 separate lights on the front look like they should be 1 whole light and the grille is not so great looking. People look at this car but not in a good way. Front end looks like an after thought.

Cheap interior. I understand it's an entry level luxury car but the interior looks cheap. You'll notice things like the lower doors and dash like the glove box lid are hard plastic. I also notice the fitment of the glovebox and other panels have crooked gaps. The photos you see on the Internet make the interior look better until you start touching stuff and seeing it in person. They do a little bit of soft touch stitching across the instrument panel I think to get your eyes away from the fact that everything else is cheap plastic. The Q50 has much better interior quality. I really didn't expect this from Lexus. I'm really ocd about stuff like this.

Navigation screen could also be a bit bigger. The Germans already do wide screens and Infiniti doing dual screens and the IS still using small 7" led screens.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[davidcarson48]

Sticker price?

 

[GEE50FX]

How did you wangle the Lexus for a week or two Aaron?

 

[jdTrader]

From your shot Aaron the interior does look bad.

 

[Fire0nic3FX]

I'll check the sticker price tomorrow. They kept it in the glovebox lol.

Got this as a service loaner for a while. I think it only has a few miles on it.

If you look at my interior shot you'll notice my gripe about the navigation screen. Not only is it small but it's recessed way too far back into the dash. Makes it really hard to read and my eyesight is pretty decent. If you recess it that far into the dash at least make it bigger and more viewable.

The lexus app suite is definitely a lot nicer than the Q50. The system also has better response.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[StuLax18]

The new IS's are the business. Give me a 350 F-sport AWD any day.

 

[RIPnFX]

The new IS's are the business. Give me a 350 F-sport AWD any day.

+1 I would take the IS 350 F sport any day, love this car. My sister got one 2 weeks back and It was awesome. I went with her to test drive the IS and Q50 and the lexus 350 was the best all around. I agree the front looks kind of weird but the look has grown on me.

 

[Fire0nic3FX]

I agree it does drive nice. But the front end needs a lot of work unfortunately. The F sport model looks better though. My local dealer had a black f sport sitting on the lot.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[TurTLeG]

F sport looks too busy.

I drove first gen 250 awd. It was a v6 corolla to me. Never liked it. I wanted to like it but was gutless. It was the perfect girl car.



Sent from my SGH-I337

 

[Exotich]

It looks like an ugly monster from the predators movie. The rear is not ugly as the front, but it looks like Lexus had one person design the front, and the other designed the back. There is no cohesion and no flow between the front and rear at all!

---------- Post added at 04:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:55 AM ----------

BTW what happened to your FX this time FireOnic? Seems like you like to keep your dealer wealthy!

 

[Dracula]

front end looks like it has down syndrome then again its lexus

 

[pmanliu]

Nice review. I test the drove 3IS 350 F-Sport while my 2IS 250 was at the dealer for warranty work and loved it. Its a huge step up from the 2IS although there are still areas for improvement. The f-sport seats were extremely comfortable and the car had more than enough power. Trunk space looks like it has improved, and the 2nd row seats can fold back. Basically the 3IS corrected many of the issues the 2IS had but shouldn't have in the first place.

The recessed navi IMO is actually awesome because it helps with reducing glare from the sun. In the 2IS, the navi is barely recessed and while driving in daylight, makes it impossible to see.

My only dislike is that the engine is the same as the 2IS. The tranny has been upgraded and its a huge plus, but the 2IS 250/350 engines are not the most reliable. The 250 has basically a lifetime recall on it where they will rebuild/replace your engine with new pistons, etc. because of misfiring issues that occur at 70,000 miles+. Unless they changed the design of the internals on the 3IS, then it will most likely have the same problem.

I was really tempted after the test drive but the sticker price drove me away. All in all, a well loaded f-sport 350 came out to low $50k. I wouldn't pay that much for an IS and would rather get a CPO Audi S4 or something for the same price.

It was the perfect girl car.

:disapointed:

 

[StuLax18]

I'm fine with the looks, as long as I'm not driving behind a mirror I don't have to see it lol. Apologies to everyone else on the road, kinda like what Panamera drivers should do. "Sorry I'm driving this horrid looking car and making you view it"

 

[smijus]

It a cool looking car, but I can't stand the way the brake lights fall down the side of the car.

 

[Exotich]

I'm fine with the looks, as long as I'm not driving behind a mirror I don't have to see it lol. Apologies to everyone else on the road, kinda like what Panamera drivers should do. "Sorry I'm driving this horrid looking car and making you view it"

So you rather be seen in a horrid looking car, Stu? People that wouldn't normally take pictures of this car, will do so now to remember the driver who was driving that ugly car. :rotfl:

 

[StuLax18]

So you rather be seen in a horrid looking car, Stu? People that wouldn't normally take pictures of this car, will do so now to remember the driver who was driving that ugly car. :rotfl:

Fine by me. They can think whatever they want, I mostly care about how it drives. There are way worse cars to be in anyway.

 

[shadow191]

I personally think they look pretty nice. It's very aggressive, but at least you know it's a Lexus. The new Q50 looks like a cross between a Mazda/Lexus. Every time I see the front end, I think Mazda then I realize it's the Q50. I had an early model '06 350, picked it up right after they came out. Only car I ever bought on impulse because at the time it looked like nothing else and it had much more power than anything in it's class (335's weren't out yet). Tried a 250 and it was econo car slow, then tried the 350 and was sold. I do wish that they upped the power some for the new model; what was powerful 8 years ago is pretty average now. I personally thought the build quality was really nice, better than the FX. Better quality leather and steering wheel was really nice. And I much preferred the touch screen nav, much more intuitive. Downsides were that it was really small, nobody could sit in the back. And the trunk space was non existent. Got totaled in '09 which is why I have the FX now, but still kind of miss it. Wasn't very practical though, so the FX is a better car these days.