2009 Lexus IS 250 facelift launched in Malaysia, now available in 2 variants!
After slightly more than a year of being the niche choice of C-segment luxury sedans buyers who want to buy into the whole Lexus experience at the cheapest price point possible, the Lexus IS 250 now receives a facelift, and now comes in 2 variants – standard and luxury.
Under the hood is a 2.5 liter V6 engine featuring D4 direct injection that puts out 205hp at 6,400rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4,800rpm, giving the car a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of 8.4 seconds and a top speed of 225km/h. The engine also has Dual VVT-i variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with enhanced lock-up clutch control in 5th and 6th gears for better fuel economy. The transmission also has an AT fluid warmer for better cold start performance.
The external changes are very subtle. The front grille receives a minor update with a restyling of the vertical bars as well as a different number of bars. The front lip of the bumper is also now integrated for a smoother experience. The front bumper has been extended by 10mm which gives the profile a sleeper look. Side mirrors now feature turn indicators, which were previously on the front fenders on the pre-facelift car. On the rear, the bumper now has a blacked out area to emulate the look of a diffuser. The brake lamp cluster has also had minor changes made to them.
Differences between the Lexus IS 250 and the Lexus IS 250 Luxury differ mainly in the equipment you get. The IS 250 Luxury has the option for a tilted moonroof. The IS 250 has a leather interior trim while the IS 250 Luxury gets 3 choices wood as well colour coded to the exterior colour, including Birdseye Maple which comes in either light brown or gray.
Other features that are only available on the IS 250 Luxury are electrically adjustable steering column, an electro-chromatic rearview mirror, a rain sensor for the wipers, illuminated scuff plates on the door sills, a rear window sunshade, semi-aniline leather, ventilated front seats, and a memory function for the front seat position. The 14-speaker Mark Levinson system with a 6-CD in-dash changer that is MP3/WMA capable is also only available on the IS 250 Luxury while the standard IS 250 gets a 13-speaker Lexus Premium system.
However I think the differentiation between the two models went abit too far as for such an expensive sedan, it’s sad to see the standard IS 250 getting regular headlamps while Xenon HID is only reserved for the IS 250 Luxury. The HID headlamps come with Adaptive Front Lighting, which adjusts the headlamp angle according to the roads for better illumination on winding roads.
Safety features include 4-wheel ABS, Brake Assist, EBD, airbags all-round including knee airbags and a multi-stage airbag for the driver, and VDIM which integrates brake, throttle, steering and transmission control into the stability control system.
The standard Lexus IS 250 goes for RM270,000 while the more premium Lexus IS 250 Luxury retails at RM305,000. Look after the jump for more images of the car.
January 12, 2009 @ 8:10 pm
This car is quite good looking as well….. Is there any test drive report for Lexus ISD 250………
January 12, 2009 @ 8:12 pm
VOLVO S80 is still better than this !!!!
January 12, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
still more expensive than 3er and c-class? no wonder its sales is still in the single digit region.
January 12, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
Lexus crazy price makes BMW value for money.
January 12, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
MisterBenjo said,
January 12, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
Lexus crazy price makes BMW value for money.
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exactly !!!!
January 12, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
price is “higher” than the 3 and c class as it is CBU and it is the 2.5L model. you need to compare with the 325 or C240 and not the 320 or C200. The 3 series is getting too common. C class is still OK but in years to come it will become a common sight. If you drive a Lexus you still have a measure of exclusivity
January 12, 2009 @ 9:15 pm
lexus is just a premium toyota. toyotas are as common as proton these days.
perodua nautica is rare…even rarer than ferrari( i see at least 1 ferrari a week on the road but only spotted 1 nautica in the past 6 months)…but does that make it more exclusive?
January 12, 2009 @ 9:23 pm
should be just having the “Luxury” variant, the other variant is useless….
but at the end of the day, i rather go for A4 or C-class….
January 12, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
Lexus IS250 , Merc C-Class , BMW 3 series, All-new Audi A4, VOLVO S80, Jaguar XF, Nissan Teana……. and so on….. All these cars are comparatively priced the same….. So, make your own rite choice !!!! As if for me, i’ll definitely go for Volvo S80….
January 12, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
s60t said,
January 12, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
price is “higher” than the 3 and c class as it is CBU and it is the 2.5L model. you need to compare with the 325 or C240 and not the 320 or C200. The 3 series is getting too common. C class is still OK but in years to come it will become a common sight. If you drive a Lexus you still have a measure of exclusivity
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Beemers N Benzes are common cos Japs equivalents are simply way too expensive n not worth it. Lexus exclusivity??? It just becomes forgotten.
January 12, 2009 @ 11:48 pm
pretty disapointed with the equipment also.
for 270k, i expect HID at least. can get conti cars liao leh at that price.
but this car looks pretty nice too.
January 13, 2009 @ 12:27 am
D4 with vvti? hmmm…. the outputs seems a bit low.
January 13, 2009 @ 3:56 am
Test drove the IS250 before the facelift. Overall a good impression on the quality but it still has that “Japanese” feel if you know what mean, particularly the steering. It is just way too loose when the steering wheel is just off centre. And the power does not have the grunt low down like the A4 1.8T.
January 13, 2009 @ 8:59 am
well, a cbu wrx sti from motor image around 250k only. the extra 20k can mod ur car, accessories or ice. but may b some with consider sti 2 ah beng. but not every ah beng can fetch out 270k i guess.
January 13, 2009 @ 10:03 am
Good Day!
Some what related issue… IMHO.
Now that Asean-Japan AFTA has been in-placed since Dec 1, 08, wondering when our motor traders can wake up… hei, Malaysian deserve better specs autos that what we are getting now given the price that we are currently paying.
When can we see a 20-30% reduction in car prices?
Happy CNY to ALL.
January 13, 2009 @ 10:24 am
I do not see any chance for the car to reduce price in Bolehland. But you can continue to dream.
January 13, 2009 @ 10:29 am
surely…. overpriced.
January 13, 2009 @ 10:44 am
i rather own a more common but better car, than a rare and exclusive car which is not as good.
January 13, 2009 @ 6:40 pm
overpriced, an the bmw 3er, alfa 159, audi a4, merc c-klasse, saab 9-3 makes better, dynamically and financially purchases
January 13, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
Problem is badge. Lots of gadgets but badge. Badge means a lot especially in that price range
January 13, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
saw 1 at my ex-school there ..
quite good looking ..
but too expensive …
This IS 250 i found the price on Yahoo! Auto only cost you $32,025 or RM115 290, which in Malaysia you can only buy a Toyota Altis ..
Stupid Import tax !!
January 14, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
lambov12 said,
January 13, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
saw 1 at my ex-school there ..
quite good looking ..
but too expensive …
This IS 250 i found the price on Yahoo! Auto only cost you $32,025 or RM115 290, which in Malaysia you can only buy a Toyota Altis ..
Stupid Import tax !!
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stupid government
January 16, 2009 @ 11:29 pm
the c300 sport is priced at USD 32900 and BMW 328i(3.0L) is USD 33400 in the same site.if only we had such prices here.
February 16, 2009 @ 10:37 pm
already owned 2 merc. both died on the highway and had to be towed back. The first merc died on the highway 4 days after a major service in C&C no less. Second was a C class. Aircon problem after 2 months. Could not get it done from the local franchise holder even after an argument. He said the aircon was designed to come on only after 15 min. Huh? I only got it fixed in KL C&C. Brake lights have to be replaced every 3 months. again problem can’t be found. Twice refused to start and had to be towed to KL C&C. No more local franchise holder for me. Always had a toyota in my house and never gave problems. Decided to try Lexus for the toyota reliability. No problems and the service is VIP. Service centre is like a restaurant and business centre. BMs and Merc are fine if you don’t have to service and maintain them. Lexus anytime. the IS 250 is a better ride than the 3 series. Quiet and smooth. 3 series engine is rough.
April 25, 2009 @ 2:26 am
How crippling import tax in Malaysia! And the Lexus series won’t be assembled in Malaysia. So astonishingly high price would be inevitable, it is unreasonable story.
But I think engineering of the Lexus IS250 is respectable and refined. Its engine yielding 205hp(153kW),according to SAEnet/ECE ratings,feels quite sweet and sharp, albeit its low end torque is somewhat meager. And its fuel consumption of about 10km/l is more than average.
As a whole, the BMW 325i and the Mercedes C230 seems a little better than the Lexus IS250, for its established prestige and ergonomics. Nevertheless, the Lexus IS250 has its own character as well as high-standard in comfort, emission control, and refinement.
I have a Lexus IS350, larger engined sibling of the IS250, it is a “silky-bomb” with tremendous power and silence, but the IS250 has better balance than the IS350, to my opinion.
June 1, 2009 @ 1:36 am
Anything is better than the plebian BMW’s or Audi’s people drive my way.
Nice looking and different apart from being a very nice car to drive. Y’know round here they use BMW and Mercedes for taxis! Eurpoean styling means boring to us.
July 6, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
I think I’ll go for the IS 250, saw a few recently and kinda like it…
October 28, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
IS 250 standard version sealing USD 33,000++ in Europe country. Inside 2.5 liter v6 engine range, this is consider an affordable ride. Hay calculation RM270,000 divide 3.6 (Malaysia Ringgit to USD) = 75,000. I can buy 2 of this IS 250 standard with that price (RM270,000). Even the IS F (IS 350 F) is sealing only USD 57,760++. Imagine you have to pay the road tax + insurance, how much innocence money need to spend. Government suck!
December 18, 2009 @ 11:11 am
If u want powerful car, buy a sportcar.
January 31, 2010 @ 10:06 pm
Lates Model IS 250 where got MARK LEVINSON system for luxury.Its changed to Pioneer Premier system.