The Lexus IS250 Sports Luxury is a car that comes with high expectations and certainly has a reputation to live up to. Its striking exterior, comfortable interior, ability to handle with ease and abundance of gadgets to make the ride more intriguing and effortless all combine to create an fantastic car for anyone to drive.
It has a bold and confident stance with striking curves, incorporating the Bi-Xenon headlights, and a choice of 11 colours mainly in the blue, white and black tones with a burgundy option too. The side mirrors not only provide excellent visibility, tilt when reversing and fold in when parked, but they also automatically dim when they sense excessive light to reduce glare and ease the strain on the driver. The IS250 is also equipped with Smart Keyless entry which enables you to unlock your car with the key still in your pocket as it will detect the code and unlock as you touch the door handle. Automatic rain sensing wipers that turn on when water is detected is yet another luxury that Lexus has combined in this model.
Once sitting inside, you notice just how comfortable and luxurious this car really is. While sitting in the drivers seat it is incredibly easy to find a comfortable driving position in the leather trimmed seat that is fully slide, recline, height, cushion tilt and lumbar adjustable, as with the passengers. The front seats are heated and cooled just to add that extra comfort. While it is a very comfortable driving position, a sunroof, whilst fun, restricts headroom and while the back seats are comfortable, it lacks leg room. Boot storage is rather large which will easily fit 2 large suitcases and smaller bags for a weekend away. Inside, the center console isn’t the largest one on the market but there are 6 cup/bottle holders, sizable glovebox and seat back pockets.
The steering wheel is incredibly comfortable and is tilt and reach adjustable which has audio and cruise control’s mounted and sports paddle shifters. All the information you need including outside temperature, range, average fuel consumption, average tank consumption, current fuel consumption, average speed and gear position are all clearly displayed on the dashboard. The center dash houses a touch screen navigation system with a very clear reversing camera and parking sensors. The air-conditioning is digitally climate controlled. The sound system is developed by audio technology specialist Mark Levinson and envelopes you with crisp sound from the 14 speakers that plays music from AM/FM radio, 6 disk CD changer and AUX and USB connectivity that is MP3 compatible. It also has Bluetooth connectivity.
Powering this IS250 Sports Luxury is an automatic with manual mode 2.5L V6 petrol engine that produces 153kW of power @ 6400 rpm and 252Nm of torque @ 4800 rpm. When driving the car, you notice that the chassis could do with a bit more power, otherwise the car is a breeze to drive, hugs corners and is very smooth. The combined fuel consumption is 9.1L/100 km however I found it to be a little more thirsty, possibly due to extra acceleration needed to gain more power when taking off.
All occupants safety is addressed with front, side, rear and curtain airbags with the front seats belts having pre-tensioners, force limiters and are height adjustable. Security is also covered with an engine immobiliser, smart key entry, central locking and an alarm with boot, bonnet and door monitoring.
Overall, this car is jam-packed with added luxuries that ensure you have a wonderful experience every time you drive the car and is built for driving with an ease. If you have a spare $76,300 (MLP), this car is certainly one to keep in mind.
Positives:
1. The added luxuries such as heated seats and glare resistant side mirrors
2. Smooth and comfortable ride
3. The build quality is impeccable
Negatives:
1. Feels rather underpowered
2. Rear seat room is limited
3. Slightly pricy