What's The Deal With The Lexus 2.5 V6?

[mr kay]

I don't think the weight has a big part to play with it. In my previous SL, I was getting 10L per 100km and with the one I have now, I'm getting 11.5L per 100k

[Lexus Nerd]

Back to the original post:

Is there any defense which can be made for the 2.5 v6 or is it just a weak point in an otherwise great car?

The simple answer is that the 2.5L GS250 and RX250 are aimed at a market where equivalent luxury can be attained for a lower cost, even if it means sacrificing engine performance.

I know what you're thinking: What do you mean, lower cost? Are the pennies saved in fuel running costs really worth the drop in performance?

You are questioning the existence of a low-displacement engine on the basis of fuel economy. But past research has found that the market segment for good fuel economy *and* low purchase price has been surprisingly small. Take the Mazda 3, the most popular privately-purchased car in Australia. It has very good bang-for-buck, but its fuel economy is far from being the best in class. But its buyers aren't overly concerned with that.

At Lexus, the GS250 is aimed at those looking for a low initial purchase price. There are many countries that charge significantly higher taxes for larger-displacement vehicles, regardless of actual fuel enconomy test results. In those countries, low-displacement luxury cars are relatively common. As Australia sees an increasing number of migrants from those countries, and as the manufacturing costs of such engines drop with volume, cars such as the GS250 will find buyers here. As for those who are looking for good fuel economy, the GS450h is aimed at them - even though it comes at a significantly higher price. Historically, these two market segments don't necessarily comprise the same people, although it is changing - government policies on fuel efficiency have finally filtered down to consumer spending habits. That's why Toyota have announced new engines to be released soon, such as a turbo four.

There are some inaccuracies in your quoted fuel consumption figures, but I've left them till last since they are moot points when answering the question from a marketing standpoint:

- The current Aurion's ADR fuel consumption figure is 9.3 L/100 km (yes, it used to be 9.9), against the IS250's 9.1L/100 km and the GS250's 9.3 L/100 km.

- The Aurion, however, is nearly 100 kg lighter than the IS250 and 200 kg lighter than the GS250.

- In some countries, the current model IS250 is said to have improved fuel consumption, due to a change in the final drive ratio. It appears that Lexus Australia didn't bother re-testing the IS250 to improve its official figure from 9.1 L/100 km to probably around 8.6-8.8 L/100 km.

[fallenfather]

i get 8.2l in town constantly  i have 18 with 255 on the back and 225 on front i use 98 from gull the highest my fuel gets with hard driving is 9.4l and ive had it as low as 7.3 with being xtra gentle yes to is250 is bit sliw in the mid range but with the tight tweaks this could be fixed