Living up to the Lexus brand

2007 Lexus IS 250 AWD Sedan

THE BASICS
Base price/as tested: $34,285/$38,947
Fuel economy: 24.5 miles per gallon in Globe testing
Annual fuel cost: $1,560 (at $2.94 per gallon, regular, 13,000 miles per year)

THE EARLY LINE

The IS 250 is a performance-oriented small luxury sedan as opposed to its Lexus sibling, the IS 350, which is slightly larger and all about comfort and luxury.

THE SPECIFICS

Drivetrain: 2.5-liter V-6, six-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
Seating: 5
Horsepower: 204
Torque: 185 lb.-ft.
Length: 180.1 inches
Wheelbase: 107.5 inches
Height: 56.7 inches
Width: 70.9 inches
Curb weight: 3,651 poounds

THE SKINNY

Nice touch: The rear camera, part of the pricey ($2,550) navigation system, has an amazingly sharp picture.
Annoyance: The top of the otherwise stylish instrument panel. The non reflective flat black material is of good quality but reminded us of the replacement covers we bought in the 1970s and 1980s to cover cracked vinyl dashboards.
Watch for: Tweaking of the IS 250.

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Today's test car, the 2007 Lexus IS 250 all-wheel-drive sedan, is the performance model Lexus has sent to market to battle the likes of the BMW 3 Series.

But it's largely wishful thinking. It's just not in the Lexus DNA to wrest away BMW's position -- self-proclaimed and market-proven -- as "the ultimate driving machine."

In talking about the IS, Lexus Group vice president and general manager Bob Carter said it "delivers the expected Lexus dedication to quality, along with true luxury that enhances the driving experience rather than distracting from it."

Quality and luxury are exactly what the Lexus brand signifies to most consumers. But the company can only go so far when it comes to high performance. And in this case, improved performance comes at the expense of comfort and luxury .

That's not to say the IS doesn't handle just fine overall. It also looks terrific and it has the expected Lexus amenities. But it's too small, especially in the back seat, which works better as a space to store a jacket, laptop, and briefcase. To be fair, the lack of space in back is a characteristic the IS 250 shares with most cars in the compact-sedan segment.

There's plenty of power (204 horsepower) in the 2.5-liter V-6 that feeds its 185 lb.-ft. of torque to all four drive wheels. We'd have loved to try it mated with the available six-speed manual transmission, even though the six-speed automatic (with paddle shifters) we drove is the more common version. Nice, but hardly the 300 horsepower twin-turbo six you can get in the new BMW 3 Series.

On the road there was plenty of predictability and stability in the ride, but, at heart, it's on the luxury side. The IS 250 handled our local stretch of potholed torture in Newburyport with ease, thanks to a double-wishbone front suspension damped by hydraulically filled bushings. A curb weight of 3,651 pounds makes this a hefty vehicle for its size. The all-wheel-drive system accounts for a couple of hundred pounds , but so does the extra sound-deadening glass and insulation around the cabin. It's just part of Lexus building a Lexus.

And, despite the stainless steel dual exhaust, there's no distinctive tone -- after all, there are certain things a Lexus just doesn't do. Instead, Lexus surrounds passengers with luxury, safety, and conveniences, virtually all of them intuitive.

The company's interior designers have come up with a wonderful combination of electro-luminescent gauges. Start the car at night and watch a light show with only the white needles illuminated on a black background and swinging around until they settle in place. Only then does the rest of the gauge light up. Start driving and you realize that adaptive headlights (they swing to illuminate curves) have come a long way, too.

The navigation system has a built-in rear camera that provides a sharp picture. Add the pre collision system (not on our tester) and you have adaptive cruise control that helps "mind the gap" in front of you, pre tensions seat belts, and activates the brake-assist function.

You can describe the Lexus IS 250 by paraphrasing a certain football coach who is fond of saying, "It is what it is." In this case, "it" is pretty good.

Shop it against:

AUDI A4 A wagon is available, as is the performance S-line. You'll get all-wheel drive, but also the less-than-intuitive interior controls. Priced at about $44,000.

BMW 3 SERIES Still the ultimate driving machine. The 2007 twin turbos crank up the power. The downside: It's pricier than the Lexus at about $49,000 and reliability has been average.

SUBARU LEGACY GT LIMITED Load up this car with most of the available options and you've got an all-wheel-drive alternative to this group for less than $34,000.