2011 Lexus IS 250 First Impressions Review
By contributing editor David ColmanPros:
- Revised airflow nets 0.28 cD and helps improve fuel economy
- LED daytime running lights
- Wheel and tire upgrade package transforms handling from ho-hum to almost exciting
- Mo’ money for “F Sport” performance goodies
- Rear seat space only comfortable for munchkins and smurfs
The answer is yes, and here are some of the reasons why it pays to buy this Lexus. To augment comfort and wear, a full leather interior is included as standard equipment on the IS. To silence unwanted noise, sheets of asphalt line the roof and floor pan. To energize your driving, a 6-speed, manual transmission puts this 2.5 liter, 204hp sedan on the same map as BMW’s 3 Series. To update the roadside presence of the IS, Lexus has fitted the 2011 version with projector bulb headlamps and LED brake, tail and license plate lights.
Stylists have so successfully revamped airflow around the sedan that its coefficient of drag now stands at a remarkably low 0.28. All these subtle touches may not become immediately apparent to you on first glance, but in the aggregate, they move the basic IS a couple of rungs higher on the luxo-ladder than before. If the previous version opened the portal to luxury living, the latest version whisks you through that door and plants you in the foyer. It’s not an LS460 by any means, but it’s a lot closer to prime cut Lexus than it used to be.
Standard wheel size fitment on the IS 250 is a 17 inch diameter, 10-spoke alloy carrying 225/45/17 front, and 245/45/17 rear, all-season rubber. If you want to bump the IS into BMW handling territory, be sure and opt for the bargain $830 set of “Liquid Graphite Finish” alloy wheels which transform the handling of the IS from prosaic to outstanding. These handsome wheels measure 8” x 18” front, and a hefty 8.5” x 18” rear. They carry 225/40/18 front and 255/40/18 rear Bridgestone RE 400 all-season tires, with shorter sidewalls than the 17 inch stock offerings. The upgraded wheels and tires are quicker to react to steering input, more stable in corners, and impart a welcome sporting demeanor to the IS 250.
Even better news awaits Lexus sports sedan pilots this coming year. Lexus will be offering a complete line of hi-performance goodies borrowed from the company’s ultra-quick IS-F street racer. The “F Sport Package” upgrades suspension and steering of the IS 250 to IS-F specification, and also includes the 18 inch wheel and tire upgrade. Additionally, the package brings you front and rear spoilers, F-spec heated sports seats, plus F-spec ID on the steering wheel, door sills and shift knob. Price for the F Sport Package is $2,440.
Until now, the base model IS 250 has offered a way for luxury acolytes to test the spa water without ordering the full treatment. Now that Lexus has decided to go after BMW by offering a bevy of sports options, the incentive to buy entry-level luxury has taken on new significance at Lexus.
Trapped Accelerator Pedals Come to Haunt Toyota and Lexus Again, 2.12 Million Vehicles Recalled in the USA
The Toyota Group may be off the hook over suspicions of unwanted sudden acceleration caused by software-driven throttles after the findings of the NHTSA-NASA study, but the Japanese automaker is once again making headlines over trapped accelerator pedals. Today, Toyota announced that it will conduct a voluntary safety recall of approximately 2.12 million vehicles in the United States to address accelerator pedals that could become entrapped in floor mats or jammed in carpeting.
More specifically, Toyota is recalling approximately 20,000 Lexus GS 300 and GS 350 All-Wheel Drive vehicles from the 2006-2007 model years to modify the shape of the plastic pad embedded in the driver’s side floor carpet. According to the company, if the floor carpet is not properly replaced in the correct position after a service operation, it is possible that the plastic pad embedded into the floor carpet may jam against the accelerator pedal and keep it from returning to the idle position.
Lexus said owners of the involved GS 300 and GS 350 AWD vehicles will receive a notification by mail in early March 2011.
The Japanese automaker is also recalling approximately 372,000 Lexus RX 330, RX 350, and RX 400h vehicles from the 2004 through 2006 and early 2007, plus another 397,000 Toyota Highlander and Highlander HV SUVs from the 2004-2006MY to replace the driver’s side floor carpet cover and its two retention clips. Toyota said if the cover is not installed correctly, it may lean toward the accelerator pedal and jam it in a partially depressed position.
The company stated that owners of the involved RX and Highlander vehicles will receive an interim notification by first class mail beginning in the near future, explaining how to inspect for this condition or that they may contact their local dealer to perform the inspection. "Owners will receive a second notification once the replacement covers are available," the company said.
In a separate action, Toyota added another 1.38 million vehicles to the company's November 2009 recall to fix floor mats that could shift out of position. The models added include:
• Approximately 603,000 2003 through 2009 4Runner
• Approximately 17,000 2008 through 2011 Lexus LX 570; and
• Approximately 761,000 2006 through 2010 RAV4
"Owners of the involved 4Runner, LX 570, and RAV4 vehicles will receive an interim notification by first class mail beginning in the near future, informing them of the condition. Owners will receive a second notification once the recall preparations are complete," said Toyota in a statement.
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BMW Bankruptcy Bust Up in the Bush: The Price of Luxury Car Loans Down Under
AU$18 million or about US$18.1 million at the current exchange rates. That’s how many Australian dollars some 226 plus Aussies owe BMW’s unimaginatively named financial arm "BMW Finance". The Bavarian automotive giant is now perusing bankruptcy proceedings against these persons in Australia’s Federal Magistrates’ Court in an effort to recoup the debt from hundreds of unpaid car loans.
It’s all rather depressing, really, especially in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. Take one man who bought an AU$80,000 Lexus on credit shortly before he lost his AU$110,000 job. Or the woman who signed her name on a car loan for her and her husband, only to have him leave her and get stuck with the debt. "They repossessed the car, but they still want [AU]$25,000. I don't know what to do,” said the 34 year-old.
That the woman earns just AU$36,000 a year is of no concern to BMW Finance. Peter Malone, a bankruptcy expert at CRS Warner Kuegel told the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper that creditors could, through a bankruptcy trustee, seize many of a debtor’s assets including their home, cash and shares.
Even if the car is repossessed or sold on, debtors still owe on the shortfall which can sometimes be big money. In Australia, one can be made bankrupt over as little as AU$5,000. Most of the claims the Herald Sun inspected fell into the AU$30,000 plus category, with one debtor owing a whopping AU$190,000.
It just goes to show that that old saying still stands up today, “They that dance must pay the fiddler.” Though in retrospect, why anyone would want to dance to a AU$190,000 tune is beyond my comprehension...
By Tristan Hankins
Source: Herald Sun
Lexus Releases New Photos of Geneva-Bound LFA Nürburgring Edition
After providing us with an initial batch of three photos of its LFA Nürburgring Edition, Lexus today unleashed more than a dozen new pictures of the more track-orientated version of its supercar. Built to celebrate the LFA's hat-trick of class wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours race, the limited edition will be shown in public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show on March 1.
The Nürburgring performance package is available on only 50 of the 500 LFA cars that will be built, with all of these versions to be crafted during 2012, the second full year of LFA production.
The LFA Nürburgring Edition sports a more powerful version of the front-mounted 4.8-liter V10 engine producing 562bhp (+10bhp), while changes to the six-speed sequential transmission drop shift times from 0.20 to 0.15 seconds.
Despite the power boost and faster gearbox, due to the increased drag from the aerodynamic enhancements that were made to augment downforce at high speed and include a larger front spoiler, fin-type side spoilers, a canard fin and a fixed rear wing, the Nürburgring Edition maintains the standard LFA's 3.7 second 0-100km/h (62 mph) sprint time and 325 km/h (202 mph) top speed.
Other revisions include a more hardcore suspension tuning and a 10mm reduction in the ride height plus exclusive mesh-type wheels fitted with dedicated high-grip tires.
Exterior color options for the limited edition model are restricted to matte black, black, white or orange, with interiors finished in black and red, black and purple and all-black. According to Lexus, cars delivered in Europe will feature a carbon fibre centre console and door trims, with carbon fibre sports seats finished in Alcantara.
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