Lexus IS 350 and IS 250

chris65amg

True. The 3 Series is getting a bit expensive, and the weak dollar will only compund the price. The fact is that the IS250 *may* be a very compelling ride. I know that 200hp looks like squat, but the 325i had 185 until this year. If Lexus drops the ball after making me wait half a year to buy their car, I will be very upset. However, I am optimistic that they won't.

Kirstie_H

in my message:
kirstie_h, "The Next Lexus IS!" #2744, 7 Jun 2005 9:07 am

ALL posts that aren't about the upcoming Lexus IS have been removed. Please use the search tools at the left to find appropriate discussions for other models.

jchan2

When is it supposed to hit dealer lots?

davidd3

That's exactly what I want to know. From previous posts it seems as though the launch date might have moved up from Oct. 1 to some time in August. I hope so. Sooner the better for me, as I am coming off-lease in mid-Sept.

jrock65

The magazine actually said in the 5 second "level", which means anywhere from 5.0 to 5.9.

----

Things are really gonna interesting come this fall, where every magazine and their offspring will scramble to pit the A4 3.2, 330i, C350, G35, IS350, and TL against each other.

Kinda like this spring when all the mags tested the 50k sedans, and the M generally came out on top.

All very nice cars...

lexusguy

Nothing new for the TL since launch, so it may be facing last place. The rest of the class is just too good.

biker4

Or you'll have the volume cars A4 2.0, 325, IS250, TSX, C280, S40 in a comparo.

jchan2

I remember reading somewhere (I think it was www.vtec.net) and they said that the TL was supposed to get a MMC for 2006, along with the Accord.

oac

According to news here in Japan, the IS starts selling here in July. Maybe this will suggest that the NA version may start earlier than October (like August as speculated on CL). BTW, the Japanese version of the IS350 spots a 320HP rating ! Go figure.....

Oh, the coupe version - IS350C - is scheduled to debut in October 2006. Stay tuned...

Hope this helps.

anythngbutgm

They should go with a different designation for the coupe IMO. having the C on the tail of ISxxx breaks up an otherwise concise model nomenclature... They should go with something like CSxxx.

So the new IS is due in Sept. - Oct. I take it? Saw my first GS yesterday, GS300 AWD, its a looker. If the new IS bears the same impressive stance/form it'll be quite a hit IMO. Love the muscular body lines of the GS, very aggressive. :shades:

jrock65

Is that an official rating for the J version? The Japanese Lexus site only says 300+ hp.

prado

Not sure if anything above is official. Only official info is what you can read (in Japanese) at www.lexus.jp
Looks like launch for all 3 vehicles is 30-Aug. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I was hoping they'd redesign the SC like GS & IS but they didn't.

lexusguy

The IS350C makes sense to me. Using something like CS350 would imply that it is a completely different model than the IS. I also dont see how a "C" tag is somehow any worse than an "H" tag.

cybersol

Maybe it is just me, but I think IC350 fits in with the naming of the rest of the lineup better than either IS350C or CS350. Sedans then have S second letters, Coupes C, and SUVs X.

Enjoy, cybersol

oac

Is that an official rating for the J version? The Japanese Lexus site only says 300+ hp.

I am reading from two car mags here in Japan - CARTOP and Best Car, quoting these numbers. not from official Lexus.jp

newcarman

Pardon me for interrupting but do you have any concrete information on about when the new IS 2006 will be available in the dealers??

October 1st?? or maybe August??

Thanks

is3ooguy

Not sure what the official launch day in the USA is but here in Canada it's October 1st. I was talking with my local dealership and they say the will be expecting them to start arriving late Sept. with a launch party being held on the 1st.
Maybe people south of the border will get lucky and see it sooner...

wayde

from my salesman at Lexus of Wayzata (near Minneapolis, MN). Said October 1st. He also said that they will mainly be getting the IS250's in AWD since this is MN. He also said (if true, GREAT) that the IS250 AWD, "loaded" (no nav) would be 34K. WOW!! Better price than I thought it would be.
I think Lexus needs to start releasing more information ASAP!

jchan2

IS250 AWD, "loaded" (no nav) would be 34K

That's a good price.

drfill

(Not like salesman haven't been wrong before)

Than we can extrapolate that the base AWD is around $30k, and the non-AWD maybe less.

DrFill

dwongswong

If the IS350 coupe/convertible comes out sometime around late spring/ early summer of 2006, I'll hold out until then to trade in my 2000 BMW 328CI. While I love the way my BMW drives, the quality issues that keep creeping up as the car gets older worry me. I don't plan on keeping the car past 100k miles. I hope the coupe/convertible version will look sportier than the sedan version. I don't want it to look identical to the sedan version with two doors to differentiate the two cars.

lexusguy

I wouldnt expect an identical coupe. If the car is anything like the LF-C concept, it should be a little more agreesive than the IS sedan, similar to the G35 coupe.

dewey

"While I love the way my BMW drives, the quality issues that keep creeping up as the car gets older worry me."

May I ask what quality issues you are concerned about? Driving a 99 BMW 323i, reading the latest reliability stats form CR and JD Power and knowing many fellow 3 series drivers ---I am completely oblivious about your concerns :confuse:

I know all cars have certain issues beyond 100k miles---but are you concerned about issues that are solely related to the 3 series?

dwongswong

During the warranty period, the lining on the inside of the roof came undone twice, the sliding sunshade under the moonroof came off track twice, and the right front speaker went out. After the warranty period, the sunshade came off track again, engine had to be repaired because of a problem with the VANOS system, and the control arm in the suspension system had to be replaced.

This was not the only BMW I had problems with. My first BMW was a 1994 525i. I had no problem with the car until the warranty period ran out. Between 60k-120k miles, I had to pay more than $10k in repairs, not including routine maintenance, to keep the car running. I thought my first BMW was maybe a fluke in poor quality, but the second one assured me that I won't buy another BMW even though I love the way they drive.

oac

Not to pick on you Dewey, but we gotta move beyond BMW issues on this forum and talk about the IS.

If an IS250 AWD loaded (sans Nav) can be had for $34K, then there is a chance the IS350 base can come in well under $40K. But, where would one go about finding a base IS350 with nothing except the wheels, the body and the engine ? I'll say an IS350, in the spec I'd like - Nav, leather, sport package, will probably top out at $42-ish + TTL. That will be an acceptable price for me, personally. Of course, this will assume that the car handles as advertised, and the engine is not too buzzy at high rpm.

dewey

Sounds like you had two crappy cars. If I had your experience I would make the same conclusion!

Ok now for the IS.........

lexusguy

$42K sounds reasonable. Its definitely going to cost more than the G35, but I dont think Lexus has the clout to challenge the C350 or 330i dollar for dollar just yet. Cadillac tried it, and its not working.

asaw

I wonder if the IS250 base model would below the current $39K Cdn for the auto IS300.

I'm looking forward to the IS250 w/ leather and sunroof and auto. If it can be had for $40K Cdn Lexus would have won one extra customer... perhaps more.

Lexus, if you are listening, to get more of the 3 series and G35 crowd to buy the IS, keep the prices competitive.

drfill

I think Lexus has the clout, but the IS doesn't.

DrFill

jchan2

I think Lexus has the clout, but the IS doesn't.

Agreed.

asaw

Just by looking at the IS you can't really tell how good it drives. However I've been in the wheels of the IS300 and it's a really good driving machine. Even better than the E90 325i IMHO.

The new IS "should" have clout, assuming it drives as well as the current model, or better. I love the looks of the new IS, both inside and out.

chris65amg

I think that Lexus definitely has the clout. IS, probably not. It's been a pretty good seller to the tuner crowd, and it handles better than the last gen 325i IMO. I think that the fact that people were comparing the IS300 to the BMW330 (same sized engine) left people coming up short with the IS. It was a good car, just not quite a 330i.

lexusguy

Agree, I think one of the biggest problems the IS300 had was with a 3.0L I6 and 215hp, it should be competitive with the 330i, right? Wrong. The IS250 and IS350 fixes pretty much every problem the original had. What remains to be seen is if it can preserve the things it actually got right, ie, the handling.

jchan2

didn't look too upscale...

But the IS250/IS350 fixed that...

lexusguy

Thats what I was talking about. The IS300 was intended to get younger buyers to look at the brand, but they went a little too young. Most of the IS300's market couldnt afford a $33K car. Even the 2003 G35's interior had more class than the IS300.

drfill

But power-to-weight ratio (250) and drivetrain (350) makes this uphill climb a trip to Everest! Without a Sherpa!

Thankfully, there are plenty of posers who will stampede the dealerships, as chipper as can be. First year will be good, but I think Year 2 will start a steady decline unless they fix these glaring, built-in flaws.

DrFill

biker4

That's why, like on the GS side, Lexus is keeping some things back. Adding an IS300 (with the engine out of the GS) and a stick to the IS350 will look like pure genius in the near future (when of course those should have been offered the first time around).

bluemonkey666

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiasts/Spy_Shots/Spy_Shots_06_Lexus_IS_460.S178.A8755- .html

Looks like it is all but certain that a V8 powered IS is coming. Other than that not much info on horsepower rating or what type of transmission will be used. Looks like a viable M3 competitor.

jrock65

Well, if there is some sort of high-performance IS, Lexus should use some different designation rather than simply IS460.

Something like IS-R.

dewey

I think Lexus has the clout, but the IS doesn't.

Let us clarify the above statement!

Lexus trucks have the clout, but its cars' dont!!!

Lexus cars are a dismal number 4 among luxury marques--please refer to the Edmunds article:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Columns/articleId=105957

The dismal truth about its cars are hidden by the success of its Camry based RX series.

wale_bate1

Why?

Too Integra for me. I suppose since they've made a habit of following Benz on many if not most things, they could designate IS 46, but that would imply a real performance package and not just cosmetics and a bigger engine.

OK, going back into lurk mode.

lexusguy

Its possible that it could be using the "GT" name Lexus was supposed to be putting on its AMG fighters. What I've read says the IS will not use the 4.6L, but a 5.0L V8 from the LS600h.

motownusa

Aren't you forgetting the ES and LS ? The truth is the GS and IS failed to meet expectations because of their conservative styling and lack of power ( relatively speaking) compare to the competition. But all that is changing with the 06 GS and IS. Lexus has realized that HP sales. The people who bought the ES and LS were not Horspower junkies like the people who would buy the GS and IS. I think Lexus will significantly increase their market share with the new GS and IS. The V8 is just icing on the cake. If I were running MB, BMW, or Audi I would be very worried.

alpha01

One huge thing to consider is that Lexus offers very few iterations of its sedans, compared to the likes of MB and BMW.

ex- There is ONE LS that does quite well in sales against at least SEVEN versions of the S-Class, IIRC.

~alpha

chris65amg

if the new IS would outsell the 3 series by the time all of the variants are released. I know that this may seem upsetting, but a lot of people are hesitant to buy a "new" BMW because they are now reputed to be of less than stellar quality. Meanwhile, Lexus is Lexus in terms of quality, real or perceived. Also, I have a hunch that the IS250 will start at less than the 325i. Just a hunch, so don't quote me on it. Also, a lot of people will like the paddle shifter, however gimmicky it may be. My wife loves those things. I personally believe it's because she has bad reflexes in her left foot.

kyfdx

I'll be surprised...

dewey

"upsetting, but a lot of people are hesitant to buy a "new" BMW because they are now reputed to be of less than stellar quality"

Quality based on JD Powers/CR surveys has never been better for BMW!

Historically BMW 3 series were never #!1 for reliability. Not being #1 has never had a negative impact on BMW 3series and they wont in the future. People who buy sports sedans are usually thrill seekers by natureand not "Worried Nellies" who look at reliability stats as a priority. These "Worried Nellies" usually end up buying Corollas, Hyundais or Lexus ES330s.

jrock65

Yeah, I'd be really surprised as well.

I'm thinking that the IS will sell about the same as the G after all the variants come out, about 60,000 units a year.

blueguydotcom

Historically BMW 3 series were never #!1 for reliability. Not being #1 has never had a negative impact on BMW 3series and they wont in the future. People who buy sports sedans are usually thrill seekers by natureand not "Worried Nellies" who look at reliability stats as a priority. These "Worried Nellies" usually end up buying Corollas, Hyundais or Lexus ES330s.

Exactly. Yeah, reliability would be nice but if comes down to tons of fun to drive/poor reliability or pretty fun to drive/perfect reliability, I'd choose the tons o' fun car first and every time. Life's too short to bother worrying about what might break down.

The IS has to match of beat the BMW feel and cost as much as an ED car for me to defect.

alpha01

a car that cant be driven because its at the dealership for repair.... not much fun at all.

~alpha