By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Just my 2 cents! Love my IS -- doesn't have the sporty steering of the G35 but it hunkers down nicely on a tight corner!
Now it looks like options will be limited to 3 other hardtop convertibles coming out within the next year. Volvo - 218 hp; priced at about 40k. VW - 250 hp option and priced likely between 35-40k and Pontiac G6 - 240 hp option and priced likely between 25-30k. Any word on these vehicles or other hardtop convertibles.
So if this replaces the SC, you're saying we can't get a plebian version with a 250 engine? Then again with all the weight of the hardtop and mechanicals, a 250 hardtop would be doing 10 second 0-60 runs...
To tell you the truth i've been doing some serious car hunting, but word(or a glimpse) of the convertible/coupe is what I'm dying to see before I make my descision here.
How much did all of this cost you? How much for the rims? How much for the tires? Are these strictly snow tires or are they all season radials?
Thanks
2.5 L 0-60 in 7.9 seconds? Blah.
1. Lexus IS350
2. Acura TL
3. Infiniti G35
4. BMW 3 series
5. Chrysler 300C Hemi
6. Audi A4
7. Lexus ES330
8. Lincoln Zephyr
9. Cadillac CTS
What is with the relatively inconsistent times? Could it simply be a break-in issue?
One said $1000 off existing stock of IS250s. Another said $1500 off.
Anyone else seeing movement off MSRP?
I also wish I knew if the 250 with the sports package (or for that matter the base model) will ever ship.
Over this last week my father replaced his SUV and ended up deciding to go with the RX330. Since I'm totally into cars I of course went along with him and help him along with making his choose and the final deal.
During this process though I took the chance to ask the sales guy about the IS and take him up on an offer to try them out. I was really happy to get a chance, I had figured it would be awhile before I would get a chance to drive them. He's what I think about them..
IS250: I drove the manual. In a word I basically I think it sucked. Down on power, the manual is horrible. (Which I don't understand because my IS300 still has the best shifter I have ever used) The car seemed small and cramped; that backseat is a joke on a four-door. The steering seemed REALLY light and hollow. I walked away knowing I had made the right decision.
IS350: I actually had to come back the next day to try the IS350. I guess it was out with someone else for the night. What do I have to say about the 350? Night and Day. I'm so in love with it! The power is amazing. The steering (this one had the sport package; does that make a difference?) was much tighter and more firm. The auto blew me away. It's not that normal auto shifting where you click and wait. You click and it shifts and shifts hard. Very nice, reminds me of the DSG I tried in an A3. Not as good but the closest I've tried. All the small complaints I had about the car (small backseat etc.) had honestly started to fade away and I was like, 'I could live with them to have this car'. I'm in a 3 year lease right now on my 330i and I'm very happy with it but I can now tell anyone looking at these cars they need to try both. Both rock! and if anything I might now even give the edge to the IS350. Maybe in a few years I will be back with Lexus..
I'd been telling them I want to wait for a package with the HID so who knows, maybe they were trying to entice me to bite on one of the cars in their current inventory.
Stevens Creek said $1000 off existing IS 250s and Putnam said $1500. They might say something different about the IS 350 and especially when they get the cars with more options like luxury package and Nav or Mark Levinson.
With the C6, if all the tire pressure sensors (TPS) fail to report to the tire pressure monitor (TPM), nothing happens until you drive 70 miles without turning off the ignition. At 70 miles a warning appears on the driver information center warning you about a TPM failure. You can then push reset to clear the message and drive another 70 miles. Every 70 miles of continous driving the TPM failure message reappears.
The C6 TPS continue to report pressure even when stationary but much less frequently. Once the wheels rotate at about 20MPH the sensors start reporting several times a minute. The 20MPH trigger is there to conserve the TPS batteries.
Dave in VA
In fact, no fold down seats in Acura TL either. There is an extra option for $475 you can add to BMW 3 series to get fold down seats. I agree, this is very useful if you want to throw a bike or something in the back.
Dave in VA
The G35 has this on the coupe but not the sedan. :confuse:
So as the sidewall height decreases, so does the amount of flex in the sidewall, which results generally in two things: 1) a noticeable increase in steering response and accuracy, and 2) a decrease in what we call ride comfort. Small pavement irregularities will be more evident because the sidewall can't flex as much to absorb the impacts.
For me, I would much prefer the steering response from a reasonably low (in current terms) profile tire, as well as the incidental cosmetic appeal, to the softer ride characteristics of a taller sidewall. Personally, I'd take it a step further and specify the harder suspension tuning of the Sport Pkg. Soft steering frustrates me no end! :mad:
Ooops: so 17" wheels should yield a smoother ride, but at a cost. Hope that helps.
If not...enjoy!!! I like it!!!
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5986&categoryId=22
If production looks anything like this then all my concerns about the heavy slabbed sides will be answered. Now if Only Lexus can keep this car under 50K and throw in a manual gearbox!!
Performance specs:
IS 350 from Lexus.com
3.3LV6 306 HP, 277 lb-ft torque, 3527 lbs. curb wt
0-60mph = 5.3sec
C6 Corvette (2006 base model) from Edmunds.com
6L V8 400 HP, 400 lb-ft torque, 3179 lbs. curb wt
0-60mph = 5.2 sec
So, how can the IS 350 with 30% less hp and weighing 10% more have a nearly equal 0-60 time as the new Corvette.
I have driven the IS and it is very fast, but I still think the vette would smoke it.
Is Lexus exaggerating the 0-60 time, or is GM underestimating theirs?
PS: The engine is a 3.5 L.
PPS: A little bit of digging yeilded this:
(From C&D which we all know has slightly faster times. However, I do believe this makes the situation much clearer than before!)
"We mentioned faster. The C5’s standard 350-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 has been replaced by a 400-hp, 6.0-liter version. Mated with the improved (shorter shift throws) six-speed manual, it scoots the C6 to 60 in 4.3 seconds."
I do believe that Lexus needs to put the AWD system in the IS350. That would sell big time in the upper midwest to those of us who feel we still need some fun 9 mos out of the year and yet have to face commutes in winter snow. The IS250 AWD is just too slow, imo. (I've driven both)
Maybe we will see a AWD IS 350 for model year '08. Lexus historically will tinker with the mechanical upgrades in the third year of their usual 5-year model run.
DL
Given that I drive 20,000 freeway miles a year, I'm nervous that both the cost of four 18" tire (~$900 according to tirerack.com) and hassle of changing them as much as twice a year could add up.
And the brakes wear out faster too, cause they're "high friction", maybe pad changes every year. So expect to spend a lot on the upkeep. I wonder if it's like this for all cars in this class.
Lexus uses a "low-profile" high performance tire with V (17in.) or Y (18in.) speed ratings. These are high speed rated tires usually seen on sports cars and improve cornering and traction on dry pavement when speed and handling are the main concerns. Lexus wants the IS to compete with BMW for performance and one way (in addition to the 306hp engine) is to put "aggressive" tires on it.
Unfortunate trade off is poor tire wear.
I drive a Honda S2000 (performance roadster) in summer with V rated tires (255 50 R16) and don't expect to get more than 25K miles on them. My other car is ES300 with 215 60 R16. The ES has 35K on original tires and should get another 15K.
The IS has 225/45VR17 tires as standard and 225/40YR18 front and 255/40YR18 rear as options for rear drive models.
Those are even lower profile than on my roadster. As an additional concern for the 18 in wheels is that you can't rotate front to back and vice versa. Fewer tire rotations equates to shorter tire life.
My guess is that most owners of the "entry-level" Lexus will not expect as high of tire / brake maintenance expenses as they will be seeing. In the meantime, have fun going around those corners quickly !
The same warning was on the window sticker of the previous gen, of which I own the Sportcross (wagon) version. The SportCross has a staggered set up (wider rubber to the rear) just like this new gen, on 17" rims. OEM tires were Potenza E040s which are in the high performance summer tire class and that set was toast in 10K miles.
I'm currently running Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s on the car, and they are not only higher performance tires than the OEM, but also have evidenced a longer life. They are in the top level of the group in the dry, but outperform everything else in the wet. I got about 15K miles out of the last set, and I'm on set #2. I have a new rubber expenditure about once a year.
With any staggered set up, there is no tire rotation possible. Further, most performance tires have a set rotation direction that can't be reversed (many are also asymmetrical), so swapping right and left wouldn't be possible anyway, even without the staggered set, though a front/back swap could otherwise be done.
Now for the mitigating factors: I don't spend much time on freeways other than on business trips. My commute is a hilly canyon drive of about 20 minutes, and it's a huge part of why I bought the car in the first place. I have fun not only coming home from work, but getting there as well. I also drive that fairly uncrowded commute most days with some gusto, because lateral G's are what cars should be about!
If you spend the bulk of your driving time on freeways, and are extremely anal about checking pressure and alignment (as I am), you can expect somewhat longer life from your tires than I get. If you plan to enjoy the car in curves routinely (as befits a performance car, IMO), then you'll be shelling out $800-$1200 (your call) every 15000 miles or so for new rubber, and loving it!
BTW: Lexus charges roughly $140 for alignments, which you should have every time you change rubber. Waste of money. Turns out they subcontract locally (in most areas) to a place like Wheelworks who charges $60.
Do not, repeat do not skimp on rubber. You will regret it. And if you didn't regret it, you'd have bought the wrong car for all the wrong reasons!
Best brakes I've ever experienced, too...
ps: only the AWD 250 comes standard with a 17" non-staggered set (all-season tires too: the worst compromise ever created, IMO). The RWD 250 is a staggered set like the 350.
I expect it does, but just was curious. Thanks