hey guys, so from earlier posts of mine some of you may know I am getting a IS250 AWD this spring. I was looking at other cars like the IS350 and infinti g37x but due to their horrible gas mileage I decided to stay away. Especially since i do 90 percent city driving in Chicago. The gas would simply kill me. I know you cant really compare the power of a 250 to the 350 or the g37 but im coming from a 95 civic dx stick shift (completely stock). So im guessing the 250 will still feel fast right. I mean obviuosly compared to the cars mentioned above it will feel slow but it isnt a really slow car in general is it. I mean it still is a v6 208HP. How does it compare to cars like a 2011-2014 honda accord that has a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine? Remember im not looking to race or anything but I also dont want the slowest car out on the road. Any opinion will be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

 

It definitely has some pep to it's step. You can't compare Honda motors with Toyota/Lexus because Honda's traditionally have no torque. The 4GR-FSE has 189 ft-lbs, I believe. Very nice torque band thanks to it's variable length intake runners.

 

I'll play devils advocate. I own an 06 is250 rwd with 39k miles on it (purchased a 4 years ago with 12k miles). My previous cars were a 97 turbo civic boosted 12 psi, 2002 celica gts, 2003 evo, 2005 wrx, and 06 350z. I am by no means a speed freak. I just like a little bump in the ride when I need to go uphill or a little acceleration from the start.

As for my personal experience. It's been the biggest mistake of my car purchases. To me the car is a snail. I dislike the way the transmission shifts. At times it feels as though it doesn't know whether to shift or just bring up the rpms (makes for an uncomfortable jerking). The brakes suck to me (needs the is350 brake upgrade). The power is just not there. From a start it just sucks. Before you make a purchase consider the is350. There is a lack of support for the is250 in performance mods. I've had periodical carbon buildup problems which lexus of hawaii refuses to even look at my car unless I have a check engine light on. Stupid how I get a recall for it and they won't do **** til it breaks.

I also dislike that every fricken rattle is amplified. Sometimes I'm like wtf is rattling now??? Just to find out it's some coins in the cup holder making that sound. The interior dash trim is so soft it gouges easily. The back seats don't fold down so when you need to transport large objects, it might not be an option.

The only 2 good things I have to say about the car is that the paint is nice. Doesn't chip like my wrx did from small rocks on the road. Also, the car has not given me any major problems. It's an 06 with 39k miles on it.

 

Test drive it.

 

this is my dilema , some people say its a snail and some say it "has some pep in its step". remember i am coming from a 95 stock civic. I did consider the is350 and g37x but there is no way i will be happy getting 12-15 mpg on a good day and 10-12mpg on a bad one , i drive only city in chicago.

 

It's like driving a 4 cylinder. But smoother. I had a accord too four cylinder. Same thing. Just smoother.

 

I'll give my $0.02... It's worth the money to upgrade. It's all a matter of personal preference. I drove a GS300 for nine years and was always sorry that I didn't have the V8. Sold it and bought a Mini Cooper S, wow what a difference in speed! I had the Mini for 12 months and some dumb a$$ rear ended me at 55mph while he was texting. Anyway, the three main contenders for a car were a boosted Mini Clubman S, a boosted 335i, or an IS. Stopped by Lexus of Dayton and drove an IS250 AWD while they were gassing up a new IS350 trade in. I got back after a 5 min drive of the IS250, no way! I don't want to put anyone down that has the IS250, but if you are even hinting about wanting the "fun factor" find an IS350! I just picked my IS350 up yesterday. The salesman cut me a great deal on the 350, I couldn't pass it up. I like the car, feel like home again in my GS, sans the sluggishness. A big thing to remember is with Lexus you can't mod it without a major overhaul to get any more power. The BMW got 100 hp extra from a $500 chip. You can't get that in the Lexus. I'll give a vote for the IS350.

 

Not sure where you are getting these mpg figures from. I do mostly city driving in my is350 and get 19-20 mpg.

 

if ur getting 19-20 doing city driving then your only lucky dude, i read every single post on mpg and some people dont even get that on the highway, just read some posts on here about that, if i could get 19-20mpg city i would def get a 350. Anyone else wanna throw their opinion at this?

 

one more important thing about the 350 is that the only years they made AWD for it is 2011 and up so that would cost me a min of $27k, AWD is important to me. i know i know get RWD and throw some winter tires on it, sorry wont due even if i wanted to, have no space for extra set of tires.

 

I think with just city driving, it will be perfect for you. Great gas mileage. It also is a very "quick" car, it will get up and go really fast, but it just doesn't have the overall muscle that would be needed to race in my opinion. It feels sometimes like im driving a bullet when i need to do quick turns and accelerations, however it feels relatively slow if I am needing to go fast for long stretches. For city driving, this is the car for you!

 

If I were you, as an IS 350 owner. I would definitely consider the CT 200h, since you're concerned about gas mileage.

 

i am concerned about mpg but not that concerned to gt a ct 200h lol .

 

Understandable, is it too much to ask for a ct 350h? =)

 

You can get that in city. I don't know what your talking about but I never get less than 20mpg and highway I can get 27-32mpg easy. If your looking for power 250 ain't it. If you want luxury then ok.