Lexus IS 350 and IS 250

timbo3

Yup, I'm sure the base prices will go up by that amount. People complained about no HIDs, now they have something else to complain about I'm sure.

dmk720

Yes.Luxury package will be standard.Starting Jan 1.I asked for 250 AWD no assist 33000$They said 33700 with assist.Now ,knowing than the new deliveres will be 2000$ more. I`m thinking about asking for 33500 w/assist.Do not panic there is a lot of pre-Jan cars on the lots plus new ES is coming and TL was always good.

pgmgate

Can anyone tell me if there are plans to offer all wheel drive on the IS 350 or will it be limited to just the 250.

llc

Just brought a IS 250 AWD, what a great car. I do have one thing that is annoying me :mad: . I was wondering if anyone has figured out how to turn off the voice that comes on after you press the voice button. It says “Please speak after the Beep” or something like this. But otherwise, This car is awesome.

bodble2

Hey, guys, don't mean to be pushy, but as I asked a bit earlier, I am curious as to what happens if you walk away from the car with the fob in your pocket and the engine running. Does the engine shut down when the fob is out of range? I'm just curious if this could potentially be a design flaw with keyless ignition systems, especially the type where you can keep the fob in your pocket all the time. With regular key, this would never be a problem since you need to pull the key out to lock the car. Should be an easy question for anyone here who owns an IS. Thanks in advance.

diablo1

llc: There is a way to disable the voice prompt. I think it's accessible with the Menu button on the nav. Read the manual or search clublexus.com for more info.

bodble: As far as I know, if you leave the engine on when you exit the car, it will just keep running. IMHO you'd have to be pretty daft to do this, and not notice that your nav, gauges, buttons, etc. are all still lit... Not to mention the car will beep at you incessantly. And, most people are used to reaching around the steering wheel to remove the key, so it's pretty natural to just reach up there and press the button before you get out of the car.

That said, yes, it is possible to leave your car running, without the key being in the passenger compartment.

bodble2

"you'd have to be pretty daft to do this"

Yes, I have been accused of that!

But seriously, if you're in a hurry, the wife's bitching at you, and parking in an outdoors, noisy environment where you can't hear the beeps and other warning tones, it can happen!

mdchachi

Try going to Menu, Settings then turn "Voice Recognition Guidance" to Off.

timbo3

In that case, having a key or keyless system isn't going to help you either way.

diablo1

I wasn't trying to call you daft specifically... I'm just saying, it would be a pretty hard thing to do. And, I don't see how pressing a button to turn off the car is any harder than taking out a key. If you are gonna forget one, you're probably gonna forget the other. In fact, I usually lock my car with the key fob, and I'm pretty sure that if you tried to do that from outside the car with the car still running, it would let you know it's not happy.

bodble2

Well, I have pulled off some pretty absent-minded bonehead moves! Not to belabour the point (since it appears I'm the only one with this concern), but I think a regular key & fob system has a built-in safeguard in that you have to turn off the engine before you can remove the key. Oh well, like I said, maybe it's just me. Perhaps an increased daily dosage of caffeine...

boltfan

I just bought an is 250 and i love the car, however i do have one complaint, actually two. The first is with the trunk, do you have to have the key fob to open it? if i am with my wife and she is carring the fob i cant open the trunk. The other problem is the front brakes create a ton of brake dust kind of reminds me of my g35 coupe i traded in for this car. Otherwise i love the car.

boltfan

i bought the is250 and the main reason is because i hate getting gas all the time, the power isnt there but it makes up for that with its quiet ride and terrific gas mileage. on the freeway i avg 30 mpg which is outstanding for a car of this class.

bodble2

"i hate getting gas all the time,"

Me too! I blame it on my wife's cooking! :P

Anyway, seriously now, for the IS250 AWD, Lexus needs to increase power by 10%, and decrease the price by 10% (base price is not unreasonable, but too bad no one can, or would want to, buy a base car).

diablo1

There are three ways to open the trunk: the button to the left of the steering wheel inside the car, the button on the key fob, and the button on the trunk itself. The button on the trunk (above the license plate) will not work if the key fob is not detected near the trunk. It is the same mechanism as the locks on the doors - you can't unlock them using the one-touch feature if the key fob is not detected. If your wife has the fob and is not near the trunk, you could ask her to press the button on the fob, or you could go into the car to press that button.

As for brake dust - it is worst when you first get the car. After maybe 1,000 miles or so it will not be as bad. But there will always be some - it's the price we pay for high-performance brakes.

timbo3

there are two more ways to open the trunk. (4) using the key, and (5) pulling the handle inside the trunk

bodble2

It seems the easy solution is for each person to carry his/her own fob.

diablo1

True. I should have said, there are 3 normal ways to do it, one way to do it if your key fob battery is dead, and one way to do it if someone has locked you in the trunk.

brydymond

I guess I am "daft"...I have left the car running and gone into a store...I honestly don't know if I forgot, didn't press the whole way or what. It beeps and squaks at you when you leave and try to lock by the way.

bodble2

Yes, I've been vindicated!! :P See, my concern wasn't just a product of my sleep-deprivation induced paranoia! It can happen in real life!

andyroo

Hi, I lost my car key (no need to ridicule, it's already been done....) and I was just wondering if there was anything I could do, like a method to find it (a long shot, but worth asking) and how much an extra key is, although I have the spare, I'd like another spare....If you guys could help me out that'll be great, thanks in advance.

diablo1

Well, I've never done that, but I *have* left my sunroof open... Oops! Fortunately nothing happened...

If you've lost your key, I can't think of any good way to find it. It does emit an RF signal, so maybe if you had some detector for that or something... But there are tons of RF signals in the air all over the spectrum, so even that would be a long shot.

Cost to replace probably depends on the dealer. Call a few dealers in your area and get prices. You could also try Toyota dealers, who might give you a better price (if they can order the key).

mldj98

When you purchased you car there should have been a little square metal plate that was attached to one of your key fobs that has a number on it.....with that number any Lexus dealer should be able to get you another one.....but I am sure it's gonna cost ya.....
Wouldn't worry to much about someone finding it....if they do chances are they will not know what its for other than it will say lexus on it......but the fob doesn't say what model.......good luck...

ivan_99

My guess is it is pretty expensive. A few years ago when I owned an Audi the sales person mentioned that it would be approx $200. This was in 99 so it may have gone up or down since then.

I emphasized the importance of not loosing the keys to my wife…

bodble2

You can harp on it all you want, but, for some reason, wives don't give a hoot about anything automotive. I've picked up my wife's car key from the window sill, kitchen counter, on top of the TV, bathroom, coat pockets..... At least with keyless entry, I don't need to worry about her leaving it in the keyhole! :P

pat

Always risky to generalize ...

ivan_99

But...accurate in my case as well.

It’s always…can’t find my keys, do you know where they are? I always say…I put mine in the same spot so I can find them. Try the sofa cushions, master bath, patio…never in the same spot. :confuse:

Don’t get me started on the TV remote

mdchachi

you forgot one
(6) crowbar

diablo1

If you want to go that route...

(7) collision with semi truck
(8) shotgun
(9) dynamite
(10) nuclear weapon

rayada

How do you like the Sport Package (sport suspension? :confuse:

diablo1

I like it, but I never drove anything else, so I don't know exactly what the difference is... But overall I think it's a good mix of firm in corners, smooth on highways...

lbaily

I bought an IS350 in December. XM radio wasn't available. Have people been buying ISs with XM radio? If so, how much did the radio and installation cost? I'd like to get one installed when it becomes available.

is250awd

I was reading on another forum that the base stereo, not the Mark Levinson, was horrible. I've been waiting almost two months for my is250awd to come in and hope I didn't make a mistake opting to NOT upgrade the stereo. My thoughts were 13 speakers just about as good as 14 speakers. Please confirm i didn't make a poor choice.

is250awd

I'm waiting for Sirius to become available. Good thing is apparently it's an easy dealer install by just plugging in a chip somewhere in the stereo. XM and Sirius are supposed to be coming out within the next few weeks, or so my dealer told me.

Bad thing is, dealer also told me it would be $280-500 to install !!!!

tyorder1

I've had my 250awd since DEC 12th... Lux pack and nav. No ML. Don't need it. Amazing if not best stock sound system I've ever heard in a car. In fact I have a SC430 with ML and I think the IS stock sound system..which I think is powered via Pioneer is just as good. Remember ML is just a name. A name that has success in the the Home Theater world making high quality components that drive speakers... ML does not make the best speakers.

I love my IS250awd. PS its not a slow when you kick on the PWR button. Take it off Snow.....

stlcarguy

Has anyone actually heard of a dealer having the base IS250 with manual and no options on the lot? That's the one that's in my budget, but I sure haven't come across one yet. Thanks!

vcheng

is at Dorschel Lexus of Rochester New York.

stlcarguy

Thanks, atleast I know they do really exist. Just hope to see one in the St. Louis area. If i have to order when the time comes, so be it

is250awd

ok now I feel much better about sticking with the stock stereo. Thanks.

so now I have a stupid question. You say the awd is not as slow when you take it off snow, which basically just starts the car out in a lower gear, or so the dealer told me when I was looking at the 350 which had the snow option as well. But when you put it in pwr does it remain 4wd? Is the displacement 50/50?

Thanks for the input. The is250 awd w/NAV I ordered should come in next week, cant wait....

vcheng

gee35coupe

for a short while. It was around Christmas while I was having my LS serviced. That non-NAV dash is boring looking.

stlcarguy

I know how to get where I want to go, so I can't justify the Nav money just to make the dash prettier

gee35coupe

A used Corolla will get you where you need to go. And few upgrades will be much cheaper and make the car faster than an IS.

But Corollas are kinda boring though.

sorter

a LS can get you where to go also, with a NAV it is more boring than a Corolla.

The next LS, however, is a different story.

sosk

Hi. We just determined that the 250 (RWD, auto, with luxury package) meets all our needs without needing to go up the 350, when someone put a bug in our ears about looking at an '02-'03 SC 430. Does anyone have any experience with that car?

I'm thinking that perhaps an '06 IS is a better car than an older car with a lot of miles, but I just wanted to see what you guys have to say. Thanks!

bodble2

First of all, the SC is as ugly as the IS is stylish.

beaunedoc

I wouldn't put a large wager on it but I think I saw one at Lexus of Ann Arbor. It was black. beaunedoc

tyorder1

Well, I was under the impression that Lexus AWD is a real-wheel AWD bias system. What does this mean? Well it is always driving at 70% rear and 30% front. Unless, the car starts to slip and then it can move the power between the front and back. Now, I'm not sure if Lexus AWD is as advanced as Audi Quttro, but it is good. My past A4 was amazing in snow, the car wanted to be driven in a blizzard. The lexus... well its good in the snow, but its no Audi.

Hope you enjoy your Lexus. You will really enjoy the reliability, you'll never want to and/or see the need to buy the German Counterpart. Unless you like frequent visits to the dealership.

digital_b

the current LS is in no way boring. that is a stupid comment.

pat

Opinions are what they are. They are not stupid, they are not smart, they are not right, they are not wrong. They are what they are and you are as entitled to your (presumed) opinion that the current LS is not boring just as others are entitled to the opposite belief.

Let's not get into insults, please.