OK... Lexus has built a lot of winners... much to the dismay of those who worship the luxo cruisers and sport sedans the roll out of the Fatherland this car does everything you ask of it beyond making those who venture into the back seat comfortable. I've danced with Audis and BMWs and quickly grew tired of the myriad of electrical quirks and maladies that seem to come as standard equipment with German engineering. It's almost as though Lucas defected and went to work for the Germans. But I digress...

I bought my IS 350 on a lark... my wife saw a car she liked... Closer inspection revealed it to be the 250. Did a little quick research on the Web and with the folks at Car and Driver and it didn't take long to figure out that this car was the answer to my antiseptic and boring TLS... great car but no personality. We motored over to an out of town Lexus dealer to check out a 250, liked it and bought it... I snuck the extra 100 or so ponies in on her before she knew it. Well worth the extra bucks.

To those who would lament over the sluggish 250 I suspect they might be missing the point. I see the 250, especially the AWD version, as a car built to mimic the anemic Audi A4 with the 1.8... slow and sluggish to be sure... and a real buzz bomb at superlegal highway crusing... but the car would have been a joy to own in an region plagued by severe winter weather and lots of twisty turnie roads. If you your driving needs don't mandate that you have to pull the hole shot at a red light and start seeing the far side of 60 mph in a few ticks over five seconds the 250 ain't all that bad... especially where traction and handling outweigh your need to own a luxo pocket rocket.

Much of what you have already read about the 350 is dead on so I won't rehash it. My automotive world suggests that less is better so I opted out of mega buck NAV systems and tushie warmers in my seat. In return I wound up with one of the finest vehicles I have ever owned with enough standard features to keep my and the Mrs. happy for a bit under $40k. It accelerates, turns, and stops as advertised although, since it is still under my break in regiem, I haven't pushed it hard enough to allow big brother to intervene and feather the throttle or over ride one of my desires. In some respects I find that feature intrusive but then I don't plan on running any hot laps at Road Atlanta or Sebring. Nope... this will be my driver.. and by all accounts it promises to get me from point A to point B just about as fast as I want to get there and trust my Valentine to keep me out of the reach of the long arm of the law. If I want to scare myself I'll just drive my '87 Grand National.

I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone who loves craftsmanship, performance, and reliability. Fit and finish are superb, comfort level is high... the darned thing just feels and drives like a quality machine... I trust it will continue to deliver as much or more driving satisfaction and reliability than it's German counterparts.

I've driven them all in this class, even owned a few... this one is head and shoulders above the rest. And yeah, the dealer seems to go out of the way to ensure you are happy driving one of their cars. Want to spend $38 to $44k on a fun, great looking, and reliable ride... I'd give this car a serious look.