Gadgetory

these days Lexus is working a two-prong strategy keep its luxury oriented Mercedes alternative audience happy and go after a younger audience is looking for something more urban more sporty let's drive a key part of the strategy to 2015 is 252 check the deck this 15 is is the second year of a dramatic new redesign the swoopy sporty new styling is a carryover from 14 some improvements now we've got LED fog lights on the 15 Siri eyes free is supported you can do remote telematics via the inform app now not just infotainment apps and they've improved the rear camera with some better trajectory lines let's get inside now inside the is the first thing I like is this lay back console they've been doing lately everything is just so beautifully laid out ergonomically I give them great props on this really well-thought-out and very comfortable we've seen that head unit before I wish I was happier to see it not much has changed it's a little crunchy looking but it gets the basics done but pretty is not one of its attributes nor is widescreen voice commands very logical on this car from just about any screen you can issue a command for any other function please say a command navigation go to navigation please say a navigation address and as you can see you can enter addresses in one gulp I like that we have app support through Lexus enform a basket of apps as well as remote telematics my one big gripe is this controller now that's not a touchscreen you couldn't reach it anyway but you've got this sort of love side down puck that Lexus likes I just find it to be a festival of overshoots and undershoots I'd kill for a knob and a click right now or even a touchpad but this thing is like an upside-down Mouse and I hate it now up front is 250 is a baby v6 two and a half liters the numbers are kind of compact as well 204 horsepower 185 pound feet of torque those are not overwhelming by today's standards you're looking at this car getting up to sixty and seven point seven seconds respectable but no one's going to call that super fast your mpg is not bad 21 City but 30 highway you should get in the mid-20s reliably and your only drivetrain choice base is a 6-speed automatic rear wheel drive is your standard setup but you can also get all-wheel drive first thing I notice when the is250 is it's a little more hat than which is to say it's more suspension than it is powertrain the car looks like a barnburner on the outside but at least in 250 configuration those numbers don't lie it's just a little short on power especially by today's standards those cars on steroids the handling is really nice the cornering is fantastic and the ride quality in the Lexus is silky with a good everyday driver ships are a little sleepy though is about a heartbeat and a half even when I'm here in sport mode before I get a reaction to the paddle it's definitely a step behind the game driver assist is all optional on this car you can get passive blind spot and lane departure alerts also a pre collision option that just amplifies the brakes but doesn't stop for you and that's bundled with adaptive cruise control overall the is 250 is a really nice daily car it's not gonna be the one you take the autocross track though and get the best time but I love driving it the handling is outstanding powertrain is you know pricing is about 37 5 delivered Levenson audio and navigations another 3 grand that's gonna roll in a number of other desirable tech features luxury and tech package is how you get to lane departure warning that's about four thousand the pre collision technology is ala carte five hundred typically special order and you have to get 18-inch wheels to get the rest of this stuff all in about 46,000 loaded up see next time