sportscar

Hi Friends,
I am interested in purchasing a 2014 IS250 AWD. What has been your experience so far with your new purchase? Do you love the car? Is it what you expected? Is it super luxurious? I was told I can get a better deal if I wait until December. Thoughts? Any advice?

enoren

I love mine and haven't been disappointed in the least. This is compared to an '09 IS. It's powerful enough for my needs, but you'll hear others try to convince you the 250 is garbage and you have to get the 350. Do what's best for you.

I wouldn't call it super luxurious, but it's still much better than the average car. I travel for work and drive dozens of random rental cars. I can't wait to get back home and in my own car. Anyone who would complain has too many first-world problems to complain about, in my opinion.

You can probably get a better deal in December, but deals can be found now if you don't want to wait. I had mine locked in by July 15th and took delivery on July 29th. It's an F-Sport, so you could say that this was a high demand car in a high demand period. I only paid $1,187 over invoice.

corradoMR2

Super luxurious, not really since this generation is all about being a true luxury sports sedan with the emphasis on sports. There's less wood in this gen versus the last, the styling is more muscular and sporty in particular the interior. However, the Lexus core luxury traits are still present: smooth engine and power delivery, excellent ride, noise, vibration, and harshness. And of course, number 1 in reliability bar none.

Coming from a CT and prior 2nd Gen IS, this newest IS is a better overall car. I am enjoying the sporty handling and drive-selector control which provides peppier throttle input and transmission keeps the gears longer. Fuel economy is what I had with the Gen 2 at about 10L/100km (~23 mpg) at 75% city stop-and-go driving. Ride is a touch firmer (though I have the F-Sport) but a fantastic compromise for getting class-leading superior handling. Seats are fantastic and make you feel cocooned in the cockpit. The gear selector looks and feels like a manual gear shifter and moving through the gate is like slicing through butter. Very nice quality feel. Interior room, trunk space, and overall visibility are excellent. The standard 8-speaker sound system is also an improvement with good bass and tones. The HVAC temp controls also work really well and the 7-in display is bright and not once was it washed out from the sun. Of course, the F-Sport LFA gauges are super cool, bright, and nicely displayed. Turn-signal and wiper stalks are new and although I like the function and solid feel of the turn-signal stalk, the wiper one makes it hard to know what setting you're in (intermittent vs normal vs fast)

There's a couple negatives that are minor like a lack of sunglasses holder and cup holders that are in the way. The AWD also has a hump in the console in the driver's side but beside it looking odd, it does not bother me. See https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...od-or-bad.html

So far very solid-built car for one month of ownership. Overall, I love my 250 AWD F-Sport and look forward to a driver-rewarding, trouble-free experience.

If I think of anything else, I'll post some more.

sportscar

Great replies so far, thank you. How is the AC and heating? I test drive a 2013 in the summer and winter and for some reason, I was very unimpressed with the AC and heating. Also, does anyone have the black leather interior? Is it really hot in the summertime?

corradoMR2

^^^ AC no issues - has easily kept up with 30C+ (90F) temps in my area. Winter, well we're not there yet but don't expect an issue. Have black Nuluxe and is ok regarding heat retention in summer - no better no worse than any other black non-cloth seating. I have no cooled seats and it has got mixed reviews on cooling capacity. You may want to search the forum on this topic see what others have stated.

enoren

So far this summer, the AC has been great. I assume both will be at least as good as the '09. I set it to Auto year round and only tick the temperature up or down occasionally.

Both my '09 and '14 have had black interiors. Of course it's hot on a summer day, but it cools off quickly. My wife isn't a big fan in her short shorts, so she misses the ventilated seats. I don't mind it and prefer dark interiors to light ones.

sportscar

Interesting.... Also, I noticed on the window sticker there is a tag that says these tires only last about 15k miles.... Is that accurate?

enoren

I don't know if it's fair to compare the '14 tires, but my '09 tires made it 40,000 miles. Those were also said to last only a short time... maybe 20k?

ISMAN250

We just traded in our 2010 Is250, which was a base car for a 2014 IS250 F sport fully loaded with everything. This car is yes, slow, but I dont speed very much at all so dont really need the power. The interior quality is like getting into another brand of car, it just seems more quality and everything looks way more upscale. The drive is MUCH better, I couldnt stand how our 2010 had insanely load road noise from the tires. THis car is almost absent in comparison and much smoother drive. If you dont need the power, the 250 is perfect as a daily driver cruiser. We obvioulsy made a big jump by going fully loaded fsport so maybe thats why its such a difference. I have sat in a few of the old body f sports though and it is not on the same level at all.

Skinnyfats

If you go with the F sport they remove some of the luxury features in favor of the sports sedan look and feel. Also if you go with an F sport it doesn't have real leather. Not sure if you are looking at the F sport or not. The IS one of Lexus's entry level cars into their brand so it isn't going to be super luxurious.

The AC works very well on the test drives I have been on it was near 100 degrees here in SE Texas and it got nice and cold. Can't say about the heat doesn't really get that cold around here to even need a heater much. Most don't consider 40's and 50's cold at least people not from around here.

l5JLlll

I own a IS250 base with no F-sport and I totally agree with you, could not said it better!