Lexus is not just any automaker, and it doesn’t aim its cars at average consumers. It’s a midrange to high end luxury car builder targeting the working professional with ample disposable income.
So, Lexus doesn’t really offer the traditional entry level model. Nor does it want to as its buyers now what they’re buying and why they’re buying it.
The !S 250 F Sport is tuned for performance with a 2.5 liter V6 engine producing 204 horsepower.
A dial on the central control panel switches the car from fuel-saving Eco to Normal to the preferred Sport Mode. The latter tightens up the suspension and kicks up the acceleration — offering a taste of that F Sport power Lexus sprinkles throughout its line.
The interior offers all of the Lexus signatures, such as heated leather seats, AM/FM/CD/Satellite stereo, power everything and the expanded in-dash monitor screen (the largest in its class) tracking climate, entertainment, car condition, etc.
It’s the pile of all these features that sets the IS 250 F Sport apart from other cars in its price range. It’s fair to send kudos to Lexus for not holding back on the toys for a car near the bottom of its admittedly elevated line.
The driving experience is tight and smooth, as is the case with the entire F Sport line. I had the opportunity to drive all of the F Sport family under track conditions in Las Vegas and came away certain Lexus was using driving performance to evolve its cars to add driving fun to an already established aura of comfort.
Any driver of any range would be hard pressed to find a finer mix of materials, technology and class for under $35,000 that this IS 250 F Sport. It’s still not cheap, but we’ll call it “accessible.”
