sacul

Hello all,

I am currently looking for an AWD entry-level luxury sedan and have narrowed my search down to the following vehicles:

Lexus IS 250 AWD
BMW 325xi
Mercedes-Benz C280 4Matic

How does the lexus compare to these other models?

Thanks in advance for your input, it is appreciated.

Luke

yellowssm

Audi Quattro > all Lexus, BMW, & Mercedes AWD systems

foofighter

the newest gen Torsen will also be more sporty as the torque bias will favor the rear.

LexusSara

Audi are terrible and so is the company.

I had an 06 and in the shop 85% of the time, Audi's policies are to ignore the customer and he will go away..

yeah, go away was right, never again. The quattro is good, but all that goes with it sucks

Dr C

I traded my BMW 325xi for my IS250AWD. The main reason was that my BMW was running out of warranty and I did not want to have to start paying the bills (3 headlight regulators, front brakes, back brakes). But, my 250AWD is much peppier that the 325. Also, the 325xi really did not handle that well. I suspect that that was due to the higher clearance.

What did I prefer about the BMW? cruise control, headlights and the factory phone.

We also have an Audi S4 --- much, much faster than either the BMW or the 250 AWD. But, when cornering fast, because the front end is heavy, it feels like it is blowing (understeering).

Build quality? The Lexus.

Service? The Lexus

ff_

85%?

foofighter

that sounds about right...it's either trouble-free or in the shop all the time w/ Audi's

sacul

Thanks for the info guys, I am leaning towards the Lexus for now, but I have yet to test drive any of them.

Hopefully I can schedule them all for the same day.

Thanks again.

Pete C

I have an IS250 AWD. I've had it since 1/4/06 and it has about 6500 miles on it. I love it! I can't offer you much by way of comparison, but I have no complaints. I would recommend it.

jack278

Go check out the Subaru Legacy 2.5GT Spec B

IS250-AWD

I've had the IS 250-AWD since November and it has been a nice car.

I traded in a Jaguar X-type which was also all wheel drive and really liked that car also.

I might have preferred the IS 350 for all that power but after 4 years with the Jaguar all wheel drive, the confident feeling you get in snow and rain is hard to give up. (I live in NE)

The longer I live with the Is the more I like it. My IS is a non nav car and I am fine with that. I really like the radio, especially its ability to play MP3's. I have 6 CD's loaded giving me more than 900 songs available.

The more you look into the features of the Lexus the more value it has.

Browse this forum and you will get to see many of the features availabe.

al503

No real advice but rather a question:

Why AWD in Cali?

Here are what I consider the benefits of AWD:
1. better traction/acceleration in the rain and snow

Here are what I consider the downsides to AWD:
1. additional weight
2. additional driveline inefficiency/friction
3. fewer MPG
4. worse braking, acceleration and handling.
5. more expensive

For someone in the snow-belt, AWD might be a good option for that reason alone. However, since you're in Cali, it doesn't seem as though you would need the benefits of AWD.