2009 UPDATE: 2009 Lexus IS 250 facelift launched in Malaysia, now available in 2 variants!
UMW Toyota’s luxury division Lexus Malaysia will be launching it’s fourth model today, the Lexus IS250. The IS250 will go against the BMW 325i and the Mercedes Benz C230 (or whatever it’s equivalent is in Malaysia for the W204), and is expected to account for a third of Lexus Malaysia’s projected sales of 300 units in 2008.
In overseas markets, the Lexus IS250 uses the 4GR-FSE, something that some of you might already be familiar with as it is the same engine in the 2.5 litre version of Naza’s Toyota Mark X. The 2.5 litre V6 engine makes 205 horsepower at 6,400rpm and up to 265Nm of torque at 4,800rpm, rather impressive torque figures for a 2.5 litre engine as usually you only get 100Nm of torque per litre of displacement for a normally aspirated engine. This might not be the exact state of tune that we’ll get in our Malaysian market, so more details will be posted here once Lexus Malaysia’s website is updated.
Expected price is about RM300k, which puts it somewhere at a premium over the normal 325i, but slightly cheaper than the 325i M Sport. Exact price to be posted here later.
UPDATE: Here’s the official deal on the car: RM313,166.20 on the road inclusive of insurance gets you a Lexus IS250 with a 2.5 litre V6 4GR-FSE engine complete with D4 direct injection producing 205 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 252Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm. This is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with sequential shifting and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Equipment includes HID headlamps, vehicle stability control, adaptive front-lighting, rain-sensing wipers, anti-glare rear view and wing mirrors, and of course the Lexus trademark here in Malaysia – an awesome Mark Levinson sound system with 14 speakers.
More photos and four videos of the Lexus IS250 after the jump.
Subaru’s new turbodiesel boxer was displayed at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show, so let’s have a look at some specifications. The new engine is the world’s first horizontally-opposed diesel, or boxer engine as it’s more commonly referred to.
This amusing advertisement has Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in a little spot of rivalry, both being two of the youngest people in F1 at 26 and 22 respectively. Both drive for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team. Of course, at the end they meet big brother. The song playing in the background is “I can do anything you can do better”, originally performed by Annie Oakley and Frank Butler. Hat tip thanks to Damien O.Y. Watch the video after the jump.
