2008 LEXUS IS 250 AWD. The IS is the smallest and most affordable Lexus. … which is rather cheap in what is supposed to be a sport luxury sedan. … manual mode, gearshifts are relatively quick. The all-wheel-drive system splits …

The IS is the smallest and most affordable Lexus. It is very similar in size to its main rivals, the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The IS is offered in four trim levels, 250 rear-wheel drive, 250 four-wheel drive, 350 rear-wheel drive and IS-F. The latter is new this year and powered by a 5.0-litre V8 outputting 416 horsepower. Interior and trunk Access to the front is easy. The seats are very comfortable but some people will find them a bit narrow at thigh level. The driver gets a very good driving position thanks to the tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Legroom is good, but the sunroof limits headroom for tall people. It’s worse on the right, because the passenger seat cannot be lowered as much as the driver’s. Difficult to access, the rear seat provides average comfort for two adults. Headroom and legroom are limited for tall individuals. The head restraints do not adjust high enough and crowd a tall person’s neck, doing nothing to improve comfort. Instead of a folding seatback, you have to make do with a centre armrest pass-through to transport long items. The small trunk is poorly served by a narrow opening. Interior and trunk The cabin is impeccably finished in quality materials. Road noise is intrusive. Total storage capacity is a bit limited. Gauges and controls are well displayed, except for the radio controls, which should be above the climate system’s. The mirror controls are not illuminated at night, which is rather cheap in what is supposed to be a sport luxury sedan. The climate control and seat ventilation systems function efficiently. The rain sensor is not very impressive. It functions like most others, sometimes not turning on the wipers when it should, and vice versa Engine and transmission The 2.5-litre V6 develops 204 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque. Since power and torque are modest, so are acceleration and pickup. The engine seems overwhelmed by the 1,656-kg weight of the IS 250 AWD. It runs on premium fuel
and meets Tier2/Bin5 emissions control standards. The six-speed automatic transmission is generally very smooth. We sometimes noted small hesitations at low speed. The transmission is well geared. In sport mode, the transmission shifts gears at higher engine rpm and holds them longer. In manual mode, gearshifts are relatively quick. The all-wheel-drive system splits torque 30/70 front to rear in normal driving. Torque can be distributed 50/50 if wheel slippage is detected. The system is efficient and discrete…

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