Lexus IS 350 and IS 250

glenn386

I think he is asking for a web site showing how the nav operates to determine IF he wants to buy it.

ricksterq

can anyone direct me to the web site that provides instructions on how to use the Nav.system?

link to lexus features/specs

If you go to this link (lexus website) and click on the navigation system link in the list of features, you'll get a popup that has a link to the lexus Nav system tutorial. I have the IS250 and I'm very impressed with the Nav system.

oldman26

Thanks, that is exactly what I wanted! Still would like to know size of screen but I do appreciate link to system tutorial. I think it helps a lot to have basic information before the salesman provides instructions

noamr

HI, I have several questions that hopefully some of you experienced IS 350'ers can help me with. I was interested in the IS b/c I thought it was a beautiful sport sedan. I test drove the 250 and 350, and hands down the 350 was so much more fun; you can really feel the horsepower difference. I couldnt go back to 250 after feeling the 350!

My questions are these: I wanted to splurge and get the Levinson system, but much like i have seen in other posts, ABSOLOUTELY NO dealer has them in stock. Does ANYBODY know of anyone who was able to get their hands on one? If so, how was it? Is custom ordering the ONLY way to get one?

Second, I have never had a RWD car, and some people told me that it would be a death trap in the NYC snow (where I live). Is this true? How bad would it really be? I see plenty of people driving Infiniti G35 coupes around and they only come in RWD, are they dying? I am asking b/c I dont see myself changing tires every winter, and I want to know exactly how safe would I be driving around with the standard tires (whatever comes with it)?

Thank you everyone.

glenn386

i have no knowledge of how much snow you get in NYC, but where I live we get about 55inches per year. Rear wheel drive in minnesota (without a spare set of tires would) mean 3-4 day a year that I could absolutely not be able to drive the car,and about 10 more days per year where it would more difficult to drive.

All RWD are not the same, traction control helps, but nothing improves rwd handling in the snow more than a good set of winter tires.

You are not going to be wildly out of control on a couple of inches of show just because it's RWD, but you will have more of a problem getting started from a stop. The 350 will be harder to get going due to the greater horsepower/torque unless you are very gentle on the accelerations

some of the G35's you see may actually be G35X's, which are all wheel drive.

jbg78

Hey every one - does $40,500 sounds like a good deal to you for an IS350 with sport package and navigation?

ricksterq

Hey every one - does $40,500 sounds like a good deal to you for an IS350 with sport package and navigation?

You know, one thing I would recommend you do is take advantage of the edmunds pricing site. It's a very good tool for determing how good of a deal you think you're getting.

I looked up the 350 with ONLY sports package and nav and the invoice + dest. came out to 36,900. Now, I don't know if your price is an "out the door" price, but if it isn't, I wouldn't say it's that great of a deal. It looks like you're at around $1,700 off of MSRP and about $3,600 over invoice. I think there are huge regional differences, so it is kind of hard to say. You should mention what area you're from and maybe someone can give you a better idea as to the deal you're getting.

ricksterq

Had my car for a week now and was wondering a couple of things.

1. I live in Denver which is much higher than sea level. The salesperson told me that this high above sea level I don't need to put in the manufacturer recommended 91 octane. He says I could go with 87 if I want. We also have 85 octane, although I've never used that. So, can anybody shed some insight as to the validity of this statement and, if valid, provide some rationale as to why?

2. I've got the black interior and 2 kids and they're not getting along I'm wondering what approach everyone uses as to care of the interior/exterior of the car. What products to you use and do you do anything special for maintenance?

Thanks in advance.

ricksterq

Has anyone paired up a bluetooth phone with their car? If so, what brand and how well has it worked?

cdnpinhead

For item 1, for once, the car salesman was right. Premium fuel is made to prevent pre-ignition or detonation in high-compression engines. At 10:1 or 11:1 compression ratios, lower octane fuel will detonate (ping) AT SEA LEVEL because the pressure in the combustion chamber when the spark is introduced is 150-160 psig.

In Denver, where the atmospheric pressure is only about 80% of what it is at sea level, that combustion pressure becomes ~120-130 psig, which would be the equivalent of an engine with a compression ratio of 8 or 9 to one at sea level. Engines with an 8:1 compression ratio run fine on 87 octane at sea level, just as your engine will at 5000'. When you go to Winter Park (if you're cheap like me) or Aspen (if you're not), look at the gas pumps. The regular gas could well be 85 octane or lower & it works just fine.

Save the 20 cents/per gallon, but don't forget to go back to 89 or 91 octane when you head down to the lowlands.

Of course, you're only getting about 80% of the power you would at sea level too, so there is no free lunch. That's why turbos are so nice at altitude -- they spin faster as the altitude increases & tend to make the engine feel like it's always running at sea level.

digital_b

people who would otherwise have to buy american crap based on budget. thank god for the camry.

digital_b

no its not too short. unless you have a myopic viewpoint such as yours. not everyone wants an ipod or any other music player. whats the point of that when there is so much music you can download for free online without filesharing? and its not like burning mp3/wma cds is hard. well unless youre an aoler.

digital_b

and blank cds cost what? a buck? cmon.

ineedanewcar

Regarding kids in the back seat of an IS:

So far my solution has been: NO KIDS IN THE CAR. That's what my wife's Volvo wagon is for.

I mean, if my kids needs to go to the hospital and the wagon isn't available I'll call 911 so they can mess up the ambulance instead!

Well, eventually they'll be back there so I put seat-savers underneath the car seats.
This is just a plastic mat with a tiny rim around the edges to catch fluids.

And there will be a no food or drink, shoes- off policy as well. My 4 yr. old daughter's shoe prints are all over the back seat of the wagon.

I'd be interested in hearing what you've tried.

jclumpn

Hey- question for anyone who can help:

I am planning to purchase either a used Lexus IS-300 or a new IS-250 AWD soon. Live in Chicago, the windy and at times snowy city, and wondered how the old RWD models handle in snow/ slippery conditions vs the AWD now available. Anyone have experience with this, advice?

Thx much!

maxidrive

My Motorola Razr v3 w/ Cingular works real well in the IS. It's very easy to set up as well. My only complaint is for some reason every time I get in the car, I need to turn on the bluetooth link in the phone if I want to use it. This may be strictly a Motorola issue, though.

ricksterq

Maxidrive,

Not sure if it's motorola issue or not. Maybe a battery-saving issue? I'm looking at purchasing a bluetooth cell phone and I've got cingular. According to that lexus.letstalk website, there are only 3 potential phones from cingular that are supposed to work with the IS250. They are the razr V3, Sony Ericsson W600 and the Nokia 6230. Surely there must be other phones out there that can be paired with the car. Thanks for the comment on the motorola, though. That one is tops on the list right now.

ineedanewcar,

In my previous car (pathfinder), I put towels underneath each seat to catch any fallout. I've always had a no drink/food policy in every car I've owned. The kids have gotten in the backseat of my car quite a few times now. Dirt from their feet is a problem. I also have put down towels under their carseats. I'll probably get black towels so they can blend in with the interior. Unfortunately, I have no good answer right now for keeping the car in the best shape. Also, I've never owned a car with leather, so I was wondering if the typical armor all or something similar will work, or if this requires something special.

wco81

Too short to spend time burning CDs.

If you can buy a $40k car, how valuable is your time?

neko608

Oh please, nobody makes too much money to take 5 min and make a freakin CD on their computer. And we're talking about a 40K Lexus here, not a 370K Maybach.

matadorredlady

I just bought the IS 250 AWD. I live in the snowbelt of Cleveland, Ohio. I understand that the AWD is wonderful in the snow! I haven't experianced this first hand but I am almost 100% that it is great in the snow. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. BTW it is in Matador Red. It is a gorgous car. It drives so nice! My husband and I fight over who gets to drive it when we go anywhere. (Our Denali is feeling neglected these days!) Don't walk RUN out to buy one of these beautiful cars. :shades:

netwon

Hey... Someone who is in business for self... In Canada the car is about 62k, 72k (IS350 Prem) fully loaded with 48 mo finanace. So if you make lets say 120k/year here is the breakdown...

year income 120000
a week 2307.692308
a day 461.5384615 (8h day)
an hour 57.69230769
5 min 4.807692308
30 min 28.84615385

And lets face it it takes at least 30 minutes to find the music you want download, proof etc... so yes save 20 bucks (maybe) on a cd and take 30 minutes out of my day. Not a chance. Besides d/l MP3's average quality is poor and even with the stock stereo you can here the difference burnt vs bought.

Just my two cents,

Netwon

neko608

how about in between periods of a hockey game you're watchign on TV

mvc_jones

Your analysis assumes you take work out of your 8h day (sounds nice to be self-employed and work an 8h) and the cost to burn a disk.

Assuming you sleep 7h/day, that leaves 9h per day for all other activities at no cost. I assume one could squeeze in 5 min - 30 min to burn a CD for the car in all of this non-earning time if one wants to hold onto some hard currency...

wayde

I have the Nokia 6230 and it works perfectly. If I am on my cell prior to entering the car, once I start the car the call automatically transfers to the cars system! Very cool feature.

RE: AWD... in the midwest I would recommend the 250AWD over the 300... unless you get a set of dedicated snow tires for the 300. Also, I had looked at the 300 when it was out and I liked it... but it just didn't have enough 'luxury'... I think the 1st gen and 2nd gen are very different cars... just my .02 cents.

toydriver

Does anyone owning a IS250 AWD have complaints about it's transmission/shifting, hesitation with acceleration or harsh downshifting ??
Any complaints at all about the new IS ???

These are characteristic "bad habits" of my '03ES 300 (well documented symptoms of many 2002-'06 ES 300/330s), and I don't want to experience more of the same if I trade.

ineedanewcar

My only complaint is for some reason every time I get in the car, I need to turn on the bluetooth link in the phone if I want to use it

Maxidrive,

I'm having the same problem with my Verizon Motorola v3 Razr. I looked up the Razr manual, and there's an option to keep bluetooth on constantly (though it drains the battery big time). My bluetooth connection has been more consistent since I fixed this.

maxidrive

Got it, thanks Ineedanewcar!

glenn386

Thank you for the dollar per minute breakdown, I now realize that I can afford to go to the rest room ($2-$3) but I will no longer cook supper ($28.85-$43.28), Eat supper ($38.46), nor clean up after supper ($28.85). Supper would be a $96.16-$110.59 waste of my time. Further, sleeping 8 hours costs me $461.54!!!!!!! No way I am ever sleeping again, I simply can not afford it.

I took a ski trip to Big sky last month and it cost my family about $2000. I feel like such an idiot, I forgot to factor in your per minute analysis. The one week trip really cost me $11,691.92 (and I don't even want to think about how much it cost my wife, she makes twice what I do). If I had access to your per minute figures while planning the trip I would have realized that no Ski trip is worth that kind of money.

netwon

I think the point was missed, you are buying a beautiful car, and if you have the ML stereo (up in Canada the IS350 Luxury Pgk is $5650.00 and to get nav & ML bumps Lux Pgk up to $10000.00) so if one is going to spend $4350.00CDN on DVD/stereo upgrade the cost of a cd is rather moot, no?

Of course if we dicker over the cost of $12.00 CD, perhaps we should all simply go out an by a Toyota Corolla, no?

Lets get back to talking about the great car the IS is, not how to save $12.00.

Netwon

cdnpinhead

Well, I'm guessing that the point was that doing something one doesn't want to do should be charged out at the rate you get paid at work.

The key phrase here is "one doesn't want to do."

If you don't want to burn a CD, it's work. If you do, it's fun. Go figure.

I used to work on my cars a lot and still do, but less. If I can save $700 doing a job on my car (usually with help from a son) and it takes two hours, looks pretty good to me.

OTOH, if I have to spend six hours figuring out how to do something, the table tilts. In my case, $30-50/hour is what I'll put up with to do bad stuff.

If it's fun, I'll do it for free.

keast

There've been close to a dozen inquiries from some of us who want to know about you lucky SOB's who own one of the RWD models and what you're winter handling experiences were like. Several respondents have offered what amounts to common knowledge, "get some good tires and slow down." Duh. I'm begining to wonder if anyone survived the experience. Somebody PLEASE step up and let us know how these babies performed last winter. Thanks

from_fl

I am one of lucky SOB who own a RWD. I loooove it. Sorry, we live down souch. No snow here. You can watch Initial-D anime DVDs to learn about winter handling. Hope this help. hehehe :P

from_fl

Right on! I love this car. I bought it because it make me happy. I had Civic, Accords, Camry..etc. They save gas/money but no passion.

wale_bate1

Nice to see at least some folks are actually driving the thing instead just obsessing over the stereo...
:sick:

jbg78

I'm in the NY/NJ area. MSRP on the car is $43069, so I'm getting about $2500 off - have you folks been able to get closer to invoice price?

gyf

Aloha,

Every thing is relative. In Hawaii due to the unique business arrangement the dealer is also the distributor.

So no other competing Lexus dealer in Hawaii...this translate to no discount from MSRP.

But we have great weather and no new for AWD due to snow.

Thanks.

digital_b

I have sprint and I just bought the samsung A900 and it works perfectly. doesnt show battery strength or antenna bars but so what? sprint works everywhere I go. and I do mean everywhere. its a good phone but bluetooth will kill your battery fast. I guess when I am on the road for extended time I will just use the car charger. this phone doesnt have good battery life and doesnt have an extended life battery option. these factors stop it from being perfect. but it is damn good.

wayde

I have no complaints regarding my IS250 AWD. No trans hesitation or anything else.

from_fl

Hi:
Can you toggle AUTO transmission between "D" and "S" mode while car is moving?

Thanks,

truckasaurus

Yes you can. All auto's that have a Sport mode let you change between S and D on the fly.

lop868

how do I watch movies while in drive?you mentioned a NAV hack?

randyw1

Push the Menu button, then the Volume soft button. Then touch the top left, botton left, and again the top left and bottom left.

This brings up the Service Menu. Touch and hold Override for 3 seconds. It should remain highlighted.

My March '06 (manufacture date) allows the over-ride mode, but will not show movies unless the parking brake is set and the gear shift is in park.

toydriver

from fl: Thanks for your input. Believe me, I know about car heaters since I live in the upper midwest.

I was looking for comments from those who own the AWD version, which is what I am thinking about purchasing.
I was curious what gas mileage people have been getting with Spring time temperatures compared to driving in winter weather. Are the "real" numbers mid-way between the 22-28 that Lexus claims, or are they closer to the 22 number.

timecurve

Hello fellow IS owners! I just got IS 250 RWD with MT, love the car, however, when I'm in the first gear and get it upto about say 15-20 mi/hr, when I depress the clutch (without switching to the second gear) and let the car roll, I can hear a sound like something is spinning (like gears keep spinning in transmission) for a second or two. It is not loud but distinct sound.
Can anyone with manual IS 250 confirm that you get this sound as well?

Thanks in advance!

laurasdada

Maybe asked and answered already, but is there any news/rumor of the convertible version of the IS?

wco81

Forget that. With $3-plus gas, get a hybrid out there mated with the IS250 engine for $35k or less and they will clean up.

Then again, with a non-existent back seat, maybe they can't afford to cut trunk space for the batteries.

krispykreme1

Supposedly in a few years, Lexus will come out with an IS500 coupe and convertible to compete with the BMW M3. The IS500 will use a 5.0 V8 that will also be shared with the revived Toyota Supra and LS600.

sorter

Next Summer.

chiefrocker

I just bought my IS 350 and it has approx 1500 miles on it. I notice that if I come to a quick stop that I can feel the transmission down shift into first gear and it seems a bit clunky. This only seems to happen when I am in a higher gear say 4th and come to a relatively quick stop. Any insight would be great - thanks.

keast

There've been close to a dozen inquiries from some of us who want to know about those of you who own one of the RWD models and what you're winter handling experiences were like. Several respondents have offered what amounts to common knowledge, "get some good tires and slow down." Duh. I'm still hoping that someone out there actually drove one last winter and would be kind enough to comment on winter tires, VDIM and snow, etc.

I live in Colrado and I'm looking for some peace of mind. :confuse: