A muscular entry in the luxury sport sedan market, the 2013 Lexus IS250 offers a sophisticated design and all of the excellent standard features one would expect of a car in its class. Marred perhaps a bit by its lackluster performance, the IS250 is certainly practical for everyday use and gets decent fuel economy to boot. Offering a host of great options and exclusive packages, the IS250 is a highly customizable vehicle inside and out. While not achieving the staggering speeds or high performance that many of its major competitors do, it does offer all the elegance, comforts, and conveniences one would expect from a luxury sedan. The IS250 also offers a competitive edge with its ride comfort and elegant design.
New For 2013
The manual transmission has been dropped. The F Sport Package is now available on the convertible. The HD Radio features iTunes tagging, and Bluetooth now downloads your phonebook. There are also a couple of new colors.
Exterior
Offering a sophisticated, sporty design, the 2013 Lexus IS250 features a high rear deck and wide track that create a leaning stance. The front tires are also one size smaller than the rear ones, which elaborate on its appearance of a tiger ready to pounce. Bearing a characteristically muscular appearance, the IS250 offers a competitive design in the luxury sedan market. Elegant body contours and a duck-tail trunk lid also help to accentuate its overall pleasing style, as well as its stainless steel exhaust pipes and aerodynamic taillights. Standard exterior features for the IS250 include 17-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires, fog lights, heated mirrors, and a power sunroof with remote operation. The F Sport Package features dark-finish 18-inch wheels, grille inserts, and a front and rear spoiler. Front and rear parking sensors are available as an option. The IS250 is available in a choice of nine body colors, including Matador Red Mica, Fire Agate Pearl, and Nebula Gray Pearl.
Interior & Cargo
Equipped to seat up to five passengers, the 2013 Lexus IS250 features electroluminescent controls instruments on the dashboard and black metallic trim throughout the cabin. Fine leather and handsome wood accents also accentuate the sporty, well-designed cabin. Controls are well-placed and easy to operate. Seats are comfortable and roomy up front, while the rear seat is a bit confining for average-size adults. Seats include leather upholstery, as well as eight-way power adjustments for the driver and front passenger. Both front bucket seats are also height adjustable and the driver’s seat includes power adjustable lumbar support. About average for a car of its class, the IS250 offers 13 cubic feet of space in the trunk. An optional navigation system includes voice-recognition software, and Lexus’ Enform service, which offers several excellent functions to help find addresses, restaurants, and more. Standard interior features include cruise control, full power accessories, and transmission, audio, and cruise controls are conveniently located on the steering wheel. Entertainment includes an AM/FM in-dash six-CD changer with MP3 playback, 13 total speakers with one subwoofer, and a three month starting subscription to Sirius XM satellite radio. Bluetooth wireless connectivity for hands-free calls and Safety Connect telecommunications service are also included as standard items.
Safety
The 2013 Lexus IS250 includes all the basic safety features one would expect, such as four-wheel, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control, dual front side-mounted airbags, and front and rear head airbags. The IS250 also includes some advanced features which are harder to find on the market, including intuitive parking assist, a post-collision safety system, and Safety Connect. Safety Connect offers a host of great features, including stolen vehicle tracking, automatic collision notification, and emergency assistance. The IS250, outfitted with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires, came to a stop from 60 mph in 113 feet, which is quite good. It received the highest rating of ?Good? for its frontal impact and side impact protection from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Driving Experience
The most notable performance feature of the 2013 Lexus IS250 is its high cornering limits, which is even further enhanced with the optional F Sport Package. Acceleration is adequate for a vehicle of its size, by no means is it as sporty as one might expect. Steering is unresponsive, with little communication between the driver and the road, and its noticeable body roll also mars its performance a bit. Ideal for daily commutes or trips to the grocery store, the IS250 offers a quiet and comfortable ride for its passengers despite its generally lackluster performance. Equipped with a 2.5-liter, six-cylinder engine, it produces 204 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque. The only available transmission is a six-speed automatic, though the vehicle can be outfitted with either a rear-wheel drive system or an all-wheel drive one. The rear-wheel drive accomplishes zero to 60 mph in a sluggish 7.9 seconds, and the all-wheel drive system does it in a worse 8.3 seconds, while its major rivals accomplish this feat in around two less seconds. Estimated fuel economy for the rear-wheel drive is 21/30 mpg city/highway and 24 mpg combined, while the all-wheel drive gets 21/27 mpg city/highway and 23 mpg combined.
Key Competitors For The 2013 Lexus IS250
- Audi A4/S4/A5
- BMW 3-Series
- Infiniti G
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class