IS250 2.5 V6 SE-L auto

Blinkered car journos?

Having spent the last 12 years driving various FWD turbo hot hatches, I fancied something old school: a RWD 4-door, with a longitudinal multi-cylinder N/A petrol engine.
Tried some 3-series and C-classes, but they generally felt tired and baggy, even FSH 1-owners with less than 60k miles, and all ‘needed work’ - not all of which was minor.
Then I tried some IS250s. In general, all seemed infinitely better screwed together compared to contemporary C-class and 3-series, and still felt reasonably fresh, even cars over 14 yrs old with 120k+ miles.
Nicest surprise is the IS250’s handling. Compared to 3s and Cs, its bodyshell seems inherently stiffer, its centre-of-gravity lower, it’s less prone to understeer and the front-end feels more ‘pointy’.
And despite a supple and well damped ride, it stays remarkably flat when cornering briskly.
I also like its suspension format: double wishbones at the front with a multi-link rear, which is the same as Aston and R-R, et al.
MPG in London isn’t great, low 20s, but 40mpg+ (7L / 100km) on motorways when cruising at 80ish - at which speed it feels planted and serene - is pretty good for a 2.5-litre V6.
Binding brakes have been the only problem, which is easily solved by a well-made slider pin kit (c. £20 per axle) from Ebay, and re-greasing the pins annually.
Speaking of brakes, at first they feel merely adequate but when you do need an emergency stop, they suddenly come to life with a reassuring sense of, ‘Where did that come from?’
Some extra rear legroom would be nice, as would an extra 30bhp and a similar amount of torque, and I wish the (silky smooth) autobox was keener to kick down. Although the last mentioned can be partially addressed by selecting the Sport engine map via the button next to the steering column.
In SE-L trim the kit list is endless, it even includes localised windscreen heating to unstick the wipers when temps are sub-zero. And the Mark Levinson system is well worth seeking out.
I think this one might be a keeper.

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