When I first read the price of the Lexus IS250C, I have to confess my jaw dropped a bit. I was expecting an entry level of £28,000 to £30,000. So £34,550 came as a bit of a shock. And that doesn't even include satnav. For the Navigator version you are asked to hand over a cool £36,750.
Lexus justifies this with a list of standard equipment as long as your arm (see below). Enough to pull the price of its closest competitor, the BMW 325i coupe convertible, way south of £40,000. So it's actually quite brave of Lexus to quote an all-in price rather then tempt buyers with a low list price, then keep adding to it to put you into the specification you really want.
Real MPG average for a Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
104%
Real MPG
29–36 mpg
MPGs submitted
9
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Should I buy a Lexus IS 250C to accompany my Mercedes-Benz SLK and Chrysler 300C?
"I have three cars: a 2008 Chrysler 300C estate with a Webasto electric roof, unique stitched Nappa heated leather, fantastic Classic FM and Radio 3 Boston audio upgrade and Parrot, tinted glass, 57,000 miles, FSH, no faults, value £8500k. It's a whispering Mafia staff car with a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine averaging 31mpg and 5-speed automatic transmission, assembled by Steyr of Austria with fake wood interior, Bentley grille and which is ultra-relaxing to drive. I love it.
My second car is a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK280 with 77,000 miles, indispensable air-scarf, valuable and ultra-safe Xenons, in obsidian black with heated cream leather and DAB radio. I can buy one of the last of Lexus IS250C's, the Advance with the special engine, one of the last made with full UK and European postcode satnav and 22,000 miles, at £23,000 privately against Lexus £27,500 for precisely that car. It's a nice margin as they'll buy at £22,000, except the widow will NOT sell her recently late husband's very loved car to them. I can have all three or a combination of any one or two. I do 9000 miles a year and have been driving for 50 years. My instinct is to buy the Lexus and keep all three."
I like the IS250C because of its refinement. You don't need the air-scarf because the clever design means no buffeting. We don't have any information about an engine upgrade for the last of the Advance models. Power and torque of the 2.5 V6 engine are exactly the same for the new IS 250 as they were for the old model, at 205PS and 252Nm. It's not as quick as an SLK280, but it is much smoother and more refined. So if you're going to dump anything, dump the SLK. Keep the 300C.
Answered by Honest John
How can I improve the ride quality of my Lexus IS250?
"I have purchased a secondhand Lexus IS250. It’s very nice, except the ride is very rough. It has alloy wheels fitted with 255/40 ZR18 99Y tyres. How can I improve the ride?"
The problem is the wheels and tyre size. You can go down to 17-inch wheels with deeper profile tyres for this model and, for the new IS, Lexus is offering 16-inch wheels with even deeper profile tyres. These may fit the old model, but I am not certain that they will.
Answered by Honest John
Which luxury cabrio?
"I have an Audi A3 Cab 2.0L auto - efficient but dull. I dream of an SL level of car while just under 70 years old, but for the best engines we are looking at 2012+ and that costs mega-bucks with surprising depreciation.
Next yearss A3 Cabriolet looks a sensible buy but be mid-year before good discounted ex-demos are available. Saw a comment by you regarding the Lexus IS 250C being better than Bentley and your test report.
I like the left-field, non-obvious choice but worry regarding fuel consumption and road tax. Same money could buy me nearly a new Lexus or Audi.
Heart says Lexus brain says Audi. Your impartial view is..?"
As expressed. You can now get the Lexus IS250C for less than £25k.
Answered by Honest John
Can I fit 15-inch wheels to my Lexus IS250 for a comfortable ride?
"I had the good fortune to be able to take your advice and buy a Lexus IS250, petrol, automatic and I'm not disappointed. The ride is very comfortable on 17-inch wheels but would it be 'transformed' on 16-inch or even 15-inch wheels, and if so what tyres would you recommend for a quiet comfortable ride?"
You can't go to 15s on this, but you can go to 16s. I reckon 205/55 R16 Toyo J48s or Michelin Primacy 3s. The new Lexus IS is offered on 16s and the IS300 hybrid gets under 100g/km on them.
The Japanese design and engineering team, lead by Keiichi Yonada seems to have thought of everything. For example, with the top up the cavernous trunk can take up to 583 litre of luggage. And with the top down, instead of leaving a letterbox through which to post a slim briefcase, they have left a broad 235 litre expanse right at the rear of the compartment, still capable of taking two golf bags laid across.
Instead of rear seats suitable only for legless dwarfs, 5' 9" of me could happily sit behind myself.A huge difficulty in creating a four-seater convertible is preventing top down turbulence. Most manufacturers, including Audi, BMW and Peugeot, counter this with windbreak arrangements that fit over the back seats and prevent anyone from sitting there. But that wasn't good enough for Keiichi Yonada's team. Instead they have used a windtunnel to refine the shape of the screen and body, so the airflow passes smoothly over the top. As a consequence, very little external noise feeds into the car and there is no buffeting at all, even for rear seat passengers.
As well as that the engineers organised the aircon so you can be cooled while the sun is on your face. The SE-L version even has built in seat coolers. Conversely, if you choose to drop the top in mid winter, seat warmers that extend all the way up your back to keep you nice and snug even if it's below zero outside.
Car seat chooser
Child seats that fit a Lexus IS 250C (2009 – 2013)
Our unique Car Seat Chooser shows you which child car seats will fit this car and which seat positions that they will fit, so that you don't have to check every car seat manufacturer's website for compatibility.
Where the Lexus scores highest is in refinement. From the seamless 6-speed automatic transmission that cushions gearchanges beautifully, whether left to its own devices or summoned by the steering wheel paddles, to the astonishing lack of wind noise and buffeting with the top down, this is a seriously smooth convertible.
Even on 18" wheels with 225/40 and 255/40 tyres front and rear, the ride quality was fine. Steering feedback was good, handling surefooted. The rigid body has extra strengthening underneath so none of the dreaded scuttle shake.
And, the car has a pleasant, relaxed nature, making it the perfect open-topped cruiser. It's smooth, sweet and undemanding, yet powerful enough when you need it to be. Driving normally on normal roads, you simply leave it in auto. Ascending or descending the Col de Vence, you use the paddles. But even if you don't, that excellent transmission makes sensible decisions, rarely dropping a cog half way round a bend or getting flustered on an uphill hairpin.
It isn't an economy car. Combined economy is a mere 30mpg. But neither is it a car that encourages you to rag it, so I suspect that many owners will at least equal and probably better that combined figure.
And economy is still not bad for a car that makes you feel so good.
The Lexus IS250C is a true all year round car. It's exceptionally refined. It's a genuine four-seater. And it has an enormous boot. It's a summer car that doesn't need a winter car as back-up.
11-4-2017: Positive report of Lexus IS250C: "Now owned my '09 IS250C SE-L for 22 months, an extremely pleasant touring car made better by adding the Lexus folding wind protector bought for £250 on eBay. I average 31.4 mpg in mostly long-distance driving and see 35 mpg on those long runs. The car's now up to a tiny 22k miles."
23-4-2019: Owner of Lexus IS250C quoted £746 for 2 years Lexus extended warranty cover (for cars up to 10 years old and up to 140k miles). Also includes 2 MoTs and 2 years breakdown cover for the Lexus, or any other car he might be driving or even be a passenger in, Home Start and Recovery, and European cover.
What to watch out for
11-4-2017: "The only fault (with my 2009 Lexus IS250C) is the out-of-alignment folding roof, probably due to shocks from our dreadful West Sussex B-roads - solved by removing a suspension-tower plastic cover in the boot, to avoid paint scratches. Lexus dealers quoted 8 hours work and £1k to reset the mechanism but could not guarantee the fault's re-appearance. I'm not impressed, for other reasons, by Lexus Hedge End and use a local independent garage."
28-7-2018: Report of red airbag warning light coming on in aLexus IS250C (passenger airbag recall had already been done). Investigation found that a sensor part for the airbag needed to be replaced. None available in UK. Dealer they sourced one in Europe.
Recalls
14-10-2014:Just-Auto.com report of worldwide recall of Lexus ISC, IS, GS and LS models to repair fuel delivery pipes that could leak and increase fire risk. Toyota Europe will recall about 36,000 Lexus IS, IS C, GS and LS cars for this repair.
Engineered to combine sporting elegance, top-down driving pleasure and uncompromised driving dynamics. Three-part lightweight folding aluminium roof opens in world-best 20 seconds. Ultra-compact roof design ensures large boot space and generous accommodation for rear seat passengers. One-touch fold and slide action on front seats allows easy access for rear passengers. Styled for minimum wind disturbance during top-down driving. Powered by 205bhp (208 DIN hp) chain cam VVT-I V6 petrol engine with six-speed automatic transmission. Enhanced torsional stiffness, with noise and vibration levels on a par with IS saloon. On sale in the UK summer 2009.
4,635mm long x 1,800mm wide x 1,415mm high.
IS250C (2,500cc) 24v V6 petrol 6-speed automatic: 152kW (205bhp) at 6,400 rpm; 252Nm (186 lb ft) torque at 4,800 rpm. Euro IV. 6-speed automatic: 0-60 8.7 seconds; top speed 130 mph; combined mpg: 30.4; CO2 emissions: 219 g/km (VED Band K 2009/10: £215pa; 2010/11: £245pa), Emissions Group Euro IV.
IS 250C SE-I automatic £34,550 IS 250C SE-I automatic Navigator £36,750 IS 250C SE-L automatic £39,540 IS 250C SE-L automatic with Multimedia Pack, PCS and ACC £43,250
Extremely well equipped SE-I Navigator likely to be most popular at £36,750.
August 2010
All IS powertrains meet Euro 5 emissions standards
Exterior styling changes including headlight and rear light designs, revised front grille design, new exterior colours and alloy wheel designs
LED daytime running lights added to high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights
Revised equipment specifications
On-the-road prices remain unchanged
Available to order from 26-8-2010
Power and torque are unchanged from the super-smooth V6 are unchanged at 205bhp and 252Nm, but combined cycle performance improved to 30.7mpg and a 6g/km reduction in CO 2 emissions to 213g/km.
IS 250C
prices
MODEL
OTR PRICE
VED BAND
IS 250C SE-I
£35,996
K
IS 250C SE-L
£40,941
K
January 2011
Final model was the IS250C Advance at £36,836. Taking the SE spec as a base, the Advance additionally had a hard disc drive sat nav, rear parking camera, heated seats, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.
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Incredibly refined. Barely any top-down turbulence. Metal-folding roof retracts smoothly. Effortless performance.
Thirsty and expensive to run. Soft handling means it's no sports car. Lacks the feelgood factor you'd expect of a convertible.
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