Lexus is going all out this year to beef up its product line-up, obviously to gain a bigger slice of the vehicle sales pie and to prove its worth as a premium brand in its own right, not just as Toyota’s bigger, well-heeled brother.
I can understand why it needs to be seen as more than just another Toyota brand, but I don’t understand why the association is interpreted as negative because Toyota, while having a reputation for creating sometimes bland, but nonetheless functional vehicles, is respected worldwide for its vehicles’ reliability and lifespan. If anything, it should build on such a lofty reputation instead of trying to distance itself the way Lexus is trying to do.
The recently launched IS 250 makes a strong entry into the mid-sized luxury sedan market. I tested the IS 250 SE automatic and can say that it’s right up there with the big three Germans that dominate this segment.
It’s an attractive car that manages to look more exclusive than it actually is while maintaining an angular, muscular look up front. A few people who asked about the car thought it looked like something that might fall into the same bracket as the E-Class Mercedes-Benz when, in fact, it falls into the same segment as C-Class and 3-Series-type vehicles.
What makes the IS 250 slightly more desirable than the German cars is the high standard specification list. The German brands are becoming far too schnoep, charging their customers for the most basic of features, and this penny-pinching attitude may see them losing sales to a brand, such as Lexus, which recognises that people spending upwards of R250 000 on a car want to get their money’s worth.
Over and above the base specification, the SE has perforated, heated leather seats; park distance control, front and rear, with a rear-facing camera; an adaptive front-lighting system with headlight washers and automatic levelling; automatic windscreen wipers with a rain sensor; electric adjustment for the steering wheel; an electric rear blind; a 14-speaker Mark Levinson digital surround sound system; and a touch-screen navigation system with voice recognition.
To the Germans’ credit, their range of vehicles includes more engine options, whereas both the models in the IS 250 range are powered by the same 2,5-litre V6.
But there’s nothing slack about the IS 250’s power as it proved to be a very lively vehicle that got up to speed easily.
Safety is taken care of with ABS, brake assist, vehicle stability control, electronic brake force distribution and traction control.
All in all, it’s becoming increasingly clear why Lexus is the premium brand of choice in the United States — not that we place much worth on Americans’ choices because they did after all elect Dubya, but some of their automotive choices might be an indication that they’re not as daft as we’d like to believe they are.
Fact file
Model: Lexus IS 250 SE
Price: R342 100
Engine: 2,5-litre V6
Tech: 153kW, 252Nm
Top Speed: 225kph, 0-100kph in 8,4s
Tank: 65litres
Services: 20 000km