2008 Lexus IS 250 Luxury 2.5 petrol
Summary:
Could be best car, if not for the engine
Faults:
Transmission error at 5.000km. Erased by the dealer.
General Comments:
Very comfortable car. It handles perfectly and still feels very comfortable. It could a perfect car if it was not for the engine and the transmission.
The transmission is changing the gears very fast, but time after time it does it in different way than I would do it myself. In normal mode transmission you have to push the accelerator too much in order to get a bit more acceleration. In power mode I hate it when I do a bit more braking, and the transmission goes a few gears down and the revs go up to 3500, then in few second it starts changing back to higher gears with a pull for each gear... I think the standard mode of the transmission could be more responsive. As now I have always to drive in Power mode to get better response to pushing the pedal.
I like that the 6th gear is very long. It helps to have lower consumption. But still the consumption could be better.
Engine. It has 208 hp, but it feels more like 170, may be it's due to very big weight - it says it's 1650kg.. empty. I think the best engine for this car could be 3.5L, the one sold to USA. 2.5 - will be economical choice. Still the consumption is not so low...
So to summarize, I could say it is very nice car, but the consumption or performance could be better, especially if you compare it to rivals like BMW or AUDI.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 23rd August, 2009
8th Apr 2012, 10:09
Seems your problems would be solved with the 6 speed manual model. I personally like to decide myself what my transmission should be doing.
13th Apr 2013, 06:42
Oh the joy of manual transmission! Still driving my 11 year old Infiniti G20. Will consider this for a replacement.
27th May 2011, 07:21
Would like to update my experience after 85.000km in 3 years.
What's gone wrong:
1. Transmission went into error mode 2. A reset at the dealership solved the problem.
2. Front shock absorbers replaced under warranty, as started rattling in cold weather. But looks like that it did not solve the rattling. But now it's warm...
3. Central security system module was replaced under warranty, as at times the car did not lock or unlock.
4. Right full headlight was replaced after a dip into a road hole, as it was impossible to adjust the height correctly. Under warranty.
5. 2 front right xenon bulbs were replaced in 1 year's time under warranty.
6. Just after purchase, the glove box was rattling. Solved under warranty.
7. Now the driver's air flow hole by the window starts rattling a lot on some occasions (most probably when there is some temperature reached).
8. Was making/rechecking geometry of the wheels every 6 months, still had to change front winter and summer tyres earlier as there was very uneven wearing. Winter tyres still could be good for one more season (used for 2.5 seasons). Summer tyres changed just only after 1 season of use, should/could have lasted at least 2.5 seasons.