Lexus IS250 SE-L

The manual transmission of our long-term Lexus is really beginning to grind – and not only with me. I mentioned the obstinate change in our first long-term update, but after another 5,143 miles behind the wheel, we’re all beginning to wish we could get rid of the stumpy gearlever.

Around town, the notchy action, combined with the engine’s tendency to hang on to revs, makes smooth progress nigh on impossible. This wouldn’t be so bad if urban gridlock wasn’t where the IS250 spends the majority of its time.

It’s a real shame, too, because the gearbox takes the gloss off what is an otherwise impressive car. Find your way out of the city and the Lexus’s credentials as a long-distance companion shine through. On motorway journeys – where the gearlever can finally be left well alone – the hushed cabin and smooth ride both make for superb refinement.

I’ve lost count of the number of times passengers have remarked on how impressed they’ve been with the IS250 at high speed, and the intuitive cruise control helps to reduce stress levels, too.

It doesn’t aid fuel consumption, though, and our return of 26.5mpg remains disappointing, especially when outright performance is so modest. We’ll continue to monitor the car’s thirst over the months ahead, but we had hoped for rather more from a model with such prodigious long-haul talents.

Nevertheless, at weekends colleagues are still fighting to get their hands on the Lexus fob – which takes the place of a conventional set of keys as the car has a keyless entry and start facility.

Twice it has been the vehicle of choice for members of staff who were off to attend weddings, so the lure of the Japanese brand is clearly strong. However, at odds with the findings of Auto Express’s annual Driver Power satisfaction survey, our model’s usually excellent reliability has been thrown into question by something as minor as the driver’s seatbelt, which has jammed on at least three occasions. So far, a strategic tug has been enough to free the retracted buckle, but not always immediately – which has rendered the car temporarily undriveable.

At least it means we can now put the firm’s famed dealer network to the test when we book the IS in for attention. It’s just unfortunate that we can’t ask for the notchy manual gearbox to be replaced with an automatic transmission, too – otherwise that would be top of the list.

Second opinion
It might seem fickle to dislike an entire car simply because of its gearbox, but after climbing behind the wheel of our longterm Lexus, I can honestly say that the transmission spoils what is otherwise a highly capable saloon. Driving smoothly is easier in my long-term Mitsubishi Evo!

Once up to motorway speeds, the four-door IS redeems itself with great cruising abilities, but opting for an auto is a must. Chris Thorp, dep. motoring editor