Most irksome, though, is the placement of the front-seat cupholders. They're located near the rear of the center console, right by your elbow. The only way to access your beverage is to bend your arm at the elbow and reach as far back as your shoulder will allow, which should be just enough to put your hand on the drink.

My other big complaint is a matter of expectations. While the leather is top-notch, some of the plastic feels pretty cheap for a $40,000 car. The build quality is solid, but the design means a number of exposed panel gaps that simply wouldn't exist in earlier Lexus models. A number of elements on the dash and center console seem to butt up against one another, as if they were pasted onto an underlying frame one at a time rather than fitted together. Lastly, I think it's inexcusable for a $40,000 luxury sedan to not have standard seat memory settings. It's 2014. This isn't new or expensive technology. If I can get it on a compact Kia, it ought to be standard on your luxury car.

More on our long-term 2014Lexus IS250:

Our Car
Service life	3 mo/4278 mi
Average fuel economy	21.5 mpg
CO2 emissions	0.90 lb/mi
EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ	21/30/24 mpg
Energy consumption	157 kW-hr/100mi
Unresolved problems	None
Maintenance cost	$0 (inspection)
Normal-wear cost	$0