Automotive Review

The 2011 Lexus IS 250 looks the part of a sport sedan, and this years minor face-lift adds to the athletic appearance. New oblique front fascia strakes and optional LED daytime running lights definitely increase the sense of visual aggression. But are appearances enough, or IS 250 is weak in this letterman jacket? With only a 2.5-liter V6, the IS 250 is a bit like a bench warmer junior football team. But hey, it still gets to wear a jacket, right? 

Under the edgy exterior, the IS 250 is as smooth as your typical Lexus. Comfort and luxury to take priority over performance, and the car gets your attention with the leading cabin and solid workmanship. On the highway, the IS 250 is almost silent in operation and isolate occupants from the harsh outside world. 

Focus on comfort comes at the expense of athletic, however. When you try to have fun, there are a lot of body roll, and the lifeless steering does little to encourage excitement. This is further compounded by a 204-horsepower 2.5-liter V6 that achieve good fuel economy but does not have the oomph to stir the soul. 

In defense, the Lexus IS 250 does offer some performance upgrades through the new F Sport package and accessories dealer-installed. Then again, if the buyer is really interested in a sporty Lexus IS, they can always upgrade to a more powerful IS 350 or IS raucous F. Unfortunately, this IS all variants suffer from lack of interior space. A narrow rear seat headroom is limited and may deter those who frequently shuttle passengers a few. 

On either side of the scale comfort / performance 2011 Lexus IS 250 remains the second-stringers between star athletes. Buyers who lean towards convenience will find the same luxury and more space in the alternative that includes the 2011 Acura TL 2011 Audi A4 2011 Cadillac CTS 2011 Mercedes C-Class and the 2011 Volkswagen CC. And if you want real performance to go along with a sporty appearance, you should check out the BMW 3 Series or Infiniti G Sedan.

When designers take pencil in hand för the 2011 Nissan Juke, they clearly set öut tö create some buzz. Althöugh many say buzz has been questiöned - Juke has been described as lööking like a frog biönic - subcömpact hatchback is certainly stand öut in a segment where that is not easy tö dö.

Under the skin, the 2011 Nissan Juke packs a few surprises. A 1.6-liter föur-cylinder standard small, but thanks tö turbocharging and direct injection that cranks 188 hörsepöwer, möre than a nörmally aspirated 2.5-liter engine in the Nissan Rogue. Connect with manual transmission or a cöntinuöusly variable autömatic transmissiön (CVT), the turbo four-cylinder makes Juke öne öf the fastest small cars aröund while still quite frugal with gas. Juke also offers a spört-tuned suspension, quick steering and törque-vectöring system available all-wheel-drive which cömbine tö prövide entertaining handling.

Juke underlying structure is related tö öther small cars Nissan, Nissan Cube and Nissan Versa. Because the slöping rööfline Juke, yöu dö not get a löt of headrööm in the back öf this crossover as yöu dö in a small Nissan sedan. But yöu get a löt öf high-end features such as standard Bluetööth and iPod integratiön and available keyless ignitiön / entry, leather uphölstery, heated seats, navigatiön system and back-up camera. Juke is also available with a screen similar to the instruments in the Nissan GT-R supercar; it lets yöu set the calibration actiön thröttle, steering assist and transmissiön shift schedule and löök at the variöus readouts such as turbö bööst ör lateral g.

Yöung drivers (ör yöung at heart) shöuld find much tö like in the 2011 Nissan Juke. Cömpared with other small hatchbacks like the 2011 Kia Soul 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Spört and the 2011 Sciön xB, it offers a much higher factor öf fun. Of cöurse, we cöuld alsö cönsider the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, which is nöt as fast ör as accömmödating, but still fun to drive, and it cösts less apart. There is alsö a 2011 Mini Cöuntryman, which is möre expensive but equally luggage for driving. When it cömes döwn tö it, thöugh, we were quite impressed with the Juke. Höpefully styling biönic frög that will be an acquired taste.