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The G35 Intro began with no manual and it was a great success from day one. Most N. American buyers of BMW 3 series drive automatics not manuals( in fact most BMW drivers are not enthusiasts but status seekers).
If the performance/handling specs of the IS were superior and sold at a lower price than the BMW 330, the IS would have been quite a success--whether it had manual or not!
I myself would never consider buying a car unless it is manual(but my choice is not a popular choice even among BMW buyers)
for the repetition about the G35 Intro, I did not realize I wrote basically the same thing as you did before.
It appears that performance enthusiasts in the future will not be as fixated on shifting their gears manually as they do now.The BMW's SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) transmission appears to be what the future will look like for driving enthusiasts. For the readers who do not know, the SMG is a manual tranny with a clutch whose gears can shift themselves automatically. The M5 SMG can automatically shift its seven gears far more effectively than most humans beings can , which enhances its performance.
As nutty as this sounds but I think I would prefer a standard manual vs. SMG even if that would mean a sacrifice in performance. I like being an active driver with the foot on the clutch while I change gears. Passive High performance does not excite me!
Maybe a Toyota version of SMG would make the IS a success in terms of sales volume(although such an IS would not excite me personally)
There is hope for the IS. Toyota has the ability to re-invent the IS so that it can compete with the BMW 3 series. Remember how the Audi 80/90 transoformed into an A4 that was quite competitive to the BMW 3 series during the 90s.
And the major transformation of the G20 into a G35 that really boosted Infiniti's attempt to trespass on BMW territory.
The biggest thing that I see has hurt the IS300 is the un-Lexuslike interior, and the lack of features as compared to the 3-series. They have really let the competition do a fly-by. No curtain airbags for the rear passengers, no VSC available on manual equipped cars, lack of a real center armrest.
Also, some other little things hurt it also, even though it says it produces 215bhp, it sure is alot slower than a similarly sized, weighted, and powered BMW 3-series. On top of that the gas mileage sucks compared to the competition.
What I meant was in terms of the sales volume standpoint.
Talking about performance/handling, the IS300 does hold its ground against the BMW 325 but certainly not the 330.(although the 330's competitiveness is somewhat diminished by its premium price versus the IS)
vs. CDN$45k for BMW330. Converted to US$ this differnce is only about 5k US$.
For 5K US$ diference, I would choose a Bimmer.
Spring 2005 - New GS
Fall 2005 - New IS
Spring 2006 - New ES
Fall 2006 - New LS
The new cars will have sportier driving experiences and bolder styling.
Through the first eight months of this year, Lexus car sales are up 10.6% (to 91,417). The LS is up 51.9% and the ES is up 19.5%. Lexus expects a big boost in sales with the redesigns of the GS and IS.
BMW car sales, meanwhile, are down 7.5% (to 126,885) and Mercedes are up 1% (to 122,379).
By "car sales" I guess you're just meaning sedans and coupes? Because otherwise, Lexus is ahead of Mercedes and possibly BMW.
According to the 2003 TRD catalog, you could get TRD superchargers for all of the following:
a. Cars: Corolla, Matrix, Camry, Solara.
b. Minivans: Sienna
c. SUVs: 4Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser
d. Trucks: Tundra
Not for every model year. The Sienna shows availability just for MY1998-2000 V6 (1MZFE) AT. But is sad nothing for IS.
http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?s=8c3e4c081b6cf500- 498bacdb4036044c&threadid=134046
Well, we can always pray it's a PhotoShop Phantasy...
He mentions what I reported here last month after talking with a Lexus official at the Taste of Luxury driving event: The next IS will offer both a 2.5 V6 and a 3.5 V6 (with the 3.5 making over 300 hp).
So first we're going to have a V6 that will be lower in power than the ES330, Camry, Solara, etc., but on top of that it'll be close to a 100hp difference between the two engines with the 3.5 being on top of the V8 in power? This really makes no sense.
I'm sure some people don't buy the IS300 nowadays because of the engine specs. Why would Lexus want to do this all over again? Even the Accord, Sonata, and Altima will have significantly more power, and the IS is probably getting bigger and heavier over the current one.
If Lexus really wants to radically change their designs they should raid BMW and hire Bangle and his designers. In fact may be not, BMW would be the key benefactor of such an action.
Using the 2.5 V6 is actually a step DOWN in power compared to the current IS300. With all these cars (including BMW) moving up in power why on earth would they choose to go in the opposite direction?
Just look at all the improvements BMW is making to its 2.5L and 3.0L I6s for the upcoming next generation 325i and 330i. Believe HP for the 2.5L goes well over 200 HP, and nearly 260 HP for the 3.0L. Of course, they'll give up some torque down low to the larger engines (e.g., 3.5L Nissan).
Believe BMW's upcoming M5 V10 uses an engine about same size as preceding V8, but it cracks the "magic" 100HP/l standard. So same 5.0L of displacement now has 500 HP, up about 100 HP.
Personally, I think it would be a great strategy for Lexus to have a 2.5L V6 and price it around $27 to $28K starting and then have the bigger 3.0 to 3.5L V6 as the next step up with a base price of about $32K. It makes complete sense, since they would have a broader range of vehicles that can reach a broader range of potential buyers with the cheaper MSRP. Works great for BMW and Audi.
I see no reason why a 2.5L 6 today should produce less than 200bhp, and I would expect a IS250? to produce in the 200bhp range, which would be great for a base price of about $27-28K.
The GS300 weighs about 3650lbs and gets 18/25MPG
and accelerates from 0-60 in the mid to high 7s.
The IS300 with the same engine and transmission but with 10less bhp but also with much less weight(3285lbs) actually gets worse EPA MPG numbers at 18/24 and is only a couple of tenths quicker to 60.
It's ridiculous. Somewhere they screwed up big time.
I believe the IS300 has to shift into 3rd before hitting 60 mph. That is always a time killer. You need to gear it so it can go 60 mph in 2nd gear. This issue afflicts the VW Golf R32. Tons of power and AWD, but poor gearing.
The lack of a deep overdrive kills the IS300's highway fuel economy. It is geared so you don't need to downshift out of 5th in order to pass. Instead of a 0.85 (or thereabouts), she really needs a 0.70-.75 top gear.
Check out the latest issue of Sport Compact Car. They compare the showcar IS430 to a base IS300. In same issue they discuss how Toyota's TC uses the same crummy tires as the IS300.
One example: Believe you can get Michelin Pilot Sports in the Hyundai Tiburon. Too bad you can't get 'em for the IS300!
I've seen Lexus' come with GY Invicta GA's, Dunlop D40 A2's, SP Sport 4000s, GY Integrity's, and Michelin MXV4's, and the GS430 with 17's comes with crappy Bridgestone RE030's(which were a old tire even back in 1998 when the GS400 came out).
They need to step up to the plate in the future and put some real rubber on their cars, especially the performance oriented cars like the GS and IS like Michelin Pilot Sports.
These rumors don't make too much sense anyway, since the top IS V6 engine will almost certainly be the base engine for the GS. Lexus seems committed to the 245HP six for the GS. So the same engine in the IS wouldn't surprise me at all. A more powerful engine would be.
I'd just be happy with a stick at launch, LOL!
DrFill
And the 545i has more torque than the M3.
BMW's high winding V6 might not have as much torque as the 545, but the S4 and C55 use more powerful 8s than the step up midsize car's 8s.
GS300 220/220
Japan 226/220
Celica 180/130
Japan 187/130
Crown 3.0 252/227
Crown 2.5 211/188
US estimate for GS300 3.0 245/228
The US estimate looks to be very accurate of what we can expect. So now look at the 2.5. This is obviously a step down over the current IS300. The big thing is what do they plan to start the 2.5 version price at? If they can start an automatic version at 27k then that works, but will it be that cheap? I'll be happy to take the 2.5 if the price reflects it. If a 2.5 with automatic, sunroof, and leather runs over 30 grand then what kind of pricing are we looking at for the upper 3.0/3.5 version?
Look for the 2.5 to have 211/188 with probably a slight decrease in horsepower. This on possibly a bigger, heavier car than the current IS300 at possibly the same price then it looks like overall performance for the buck is going down.
You kill your credibility when you make such a glaring mistake. BMW is known for its wonderful I6s (that is in-line). BMW does not make or use V6s. Marques like MB and Jaguar (foolishly) moved away from their I6s to V6s.
Can't say I really care too much about all the speculation. We'll really know when it is officially announced by Lexus.
"The all new IS350 will have a 3.5 litre v-6 that will have over 300hp. It will also be available in a 2.5 liter as well. It also will be available in awd."
How do you know this?
I'm getting use to the idea of the 2.5 being the base engine. As long as the car isn't over 3300 pounds and the engine makes most of the torque down low (which it's suppose to) then it should be ok for someone like me. Now if it comes in at 28k or below it ought to be worth looking at.