Lexus IS250
Thursday November 09, 2006
The Lexus IS250, the BMW 3-series, Mercedes-Benz C-class and Audi A4 challenger from Toyota's luxury division, could be the first creditable Japanese rival to this sector of the market. The Teutonic triumvirate have had a virtually impenetrable grip on this segment, but the Lexus IS250 could change all that.
First shown in 2005, the IS250 features a powerful 2.5 litre V6 engine, producing 208 PS at 6400 rpm and 252 Nm at 3800 rpm. Clothed in a conservative but attractive 4-door saloon body and mated to a 6-speed manual or automatic gearbox, the performance is excellent, with the automatic getting to the 100 km/h mark in 8.2 seconds. The standing quarter mile time is 15.9 seconds. A super slippery shape with a drag coefficient of only 0.27 helps it reach a maximum speed of 225 km/h.
The 4GR-FSE V6 engine is oversquare, with a bore and stroke of 83 mm and 77 mm respectively. A high compression ratio of 12:1, direct petrol injection, twin camshafts and 4 valve heads with Toyota's Dual VVT-i variable valve timing helps the engine achieve a healthy PS/litre of 83.2. More notably, the engine weighs just 180 kg.
Just about every model range available today has at least one diesel variant, and Lexus offers the IS220d in that role. A 4 cylinder, 2.2 litre common rail diesel engine is fitted, which produces 177 PS at 3600 rpm and 400 Nm at 2000 rpm. This model is good for a top speed of 208 km/h.
First shown in 2005, the IS250 features a powerful 2.5 litre V6 engine, producing 208 PS at 6400 rpm and 252 Nm at 3800 rpm. Clothed in a conservative but attractive 4-door saloon body and mated to a 6-speed manual or automatic gearbox, the performance is excellent, with the automatic getting to the 100 km/h mark in 8.2 seconds. The standing quarter mile time is 15.9 seconds. A super slippery shape with a drag coefficient of only 0.27 helps it reach a maximum speed of 225 km/h.
The 4GR-FSE V6 engine is oversquare, with a bore and stroke of 83 mm and 77 mm respectively. A high compression ratio of 12:1, direct petrol injection, twin camshafts and 4 valve heads with Toyota's Dual VVT-i variable valve timing helps the engine achieve a healthy PS/litre of 83.2. More notably, the engine weighs just 180 kg.
Just about every model range available today has at least one diesel variant, and Lexus offers the IS220d in that role. A 4 cylinder, 2.2 litre common rail diesel engine is fitted, which produces 177 PS at 3600 rpm and 400 Nm at 2000 rpm. This model is good for a top speed of 208 km/h.
