Lexus IS Review (2005 to date)

Quick Summary

As used compact executive cars go, the Lexus IS makes probably the most bulletproof buy. Check for obvious signs of neglect but otherwise, this one gets a five star recommendation.

Overall:

Models Covered: (4dr saloon 2.2-litre diesel, 2.5-litre petrol [base, SE, SE-L, Sport])

EXECUTIVE CLUB UPGRADE

The Lexus IS range had long been viewed as a very talented, if slightly derivative, underperformer. With the second generation car, it achieved an identity all of its own and along with that came genuine reasons to buy it other than not liking or being able to afford a BMW 3 Series. With outstanding build quality and peerless dealer backup, the MK2 IS might just be the most stress-free used executive car around right now.
Used Lexus IS for sale

History of the IS

If anything, Lexus downplayed quite how far the second generation IS model had come at its launch, relying instead on the car's sharp styling to get it noticed. The previous generation model was a looker in its own right but many of the design cues that looked so daring in 1999 looked a little dated some six years later. The second generation model was tauter but less ostentatious. It was also a smaller range, shorn at launch of the punchy three-litre petrol engine and the SportWagon estates. What was offered rectified a glaring gap in the old line up – a diesel engine.Cars arrived in UK dealers in December 2005 and received warm reviews from press and public alike.
Used Lexus IS for sale

Lexus IS Road Test

The petrol engine offered from launch in the IS was a beefy 2.5-litre V6 which combines a stoichiometric direct injection system with dual VVT-i valve timing. This means that torque and power are spread widely across the rev range. You'll get 202bhp out of this engine and a torque figure of 184lb/ft at 3,800rpm. Mated to either a six-speed manual box or a six-speed auto that features paddle shift control, this engine is more powerful than direct equivalents from any of its rivals.Even more impressive is the 2.2-litre common rail diesel engine. Some carped that the IS needed a six cylinder diesel but with 175bhp on tap, the dissenters should pipe down. No less than 295lb/ft of torque is served up from as little as 2,000rpm, making this engine more muscular than the V8 unit which powers a Ferrari 360 Modena. It also features the only catalyst in the world that simultaneously reduces nitrous oxide and particulate matter simultaneously, making this one of the cleanest diesels ever produced.
Used Lexus IS for sale

Buying a Lexus IS

You're buying a nearly new Lexus and you want to know what to look for? Aside from the look of chagrin on your neighbour's face, not a whole lot. Build quality is very good and dealer backup second to none.
Used Lexus IS for sale

Lexus IS Typical Pricing

Not too many people opted for the base model car, twigging that the SE specification wasn't a great deal more expensive but featured a good deal more kit. Strive if you can for one of these SE models as a start point to Lexus IS ownership. You'll need £21,750 for a 55-plated 2.5-litre car with the better-equipped SE-L kicking off at a tad over £23,000. Go for the diesel engine and you'll pay a similar amount for the SE with a Sport model opening at £22,450. Insurance is very reasonable, reflecting the more mature owner profile of this range, the diesels being rated at Group 13 with the petrol-engined 2.5-litre cars falling into Group 14.
Used Lexus IS for sale

Lexus IS Parts

(approx. based on 2007 IS250 SE) Do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that if you've just purchased a MK2 Lexus IS, you've just bought into one of the reliable cars known to man. The bad news is that in the unlikely event that anything goes wrong with it, you're going to be paying some serious shekels for spares. An exhaust system on the IS250 less catalyst is around £900 and front brake pads are £80 a set. An alternator is £400, and a replacement starter motor £200.
Used Lexus IS for sale