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This could be it - the "new" SAE ratings look to hit hp by maybe 5-7% - I haven't studied them. That would make an old 220 be a new 205-209 - pretty close to the 204 Lexus has officially released.
If it's a re-ratings issue, would that mean that the new 204 performs like an old 220? I would think that it did, and then I would be a happy man, with checkbook in hand.
Also, did anyone put a deposit down in the NYC area? I'd be interested to find out the dealer and the experience.
Thanks,
jC
I wanted to let you guys know that I've been let down by the '06 IS and Lexus.
1) I want my high HP engine with a manual.
2) Have you seen the colors on the new IS? Are any really that exciting or sporty? I'd say no.
3) We will (or at least some of us; more on that in a minute) have to wait until a test drive for sure but so far the word is the manual on the IS250 anything but class leading.
4) Surprisingly, the service I've got from my local dealership has been anything but top notch. They damaged my front right rim recently and then didn't tell me. But to be fair, have since fixed it.
I want my cake and to eat it too. I can already tell the new IS won't let me. At the very least, not out of the gate.
My lease is up in September and I've ordered a 330i MANUAL. After driving one, it was the way for me to go.
I hope the new IS is what you guys want it to be but for me it isn't. Can't please 100% of the people, 100% of the time!
~alpha
074 Blueish Pearl Crystal Shine (Glacier Frost Mica)
1G0 Dark Grey Mica (Smoky Granite)
1G1 Silver Mica Metallic (Tungsten Pearl)
202 Black (Black Onyx)
3R1 Red Mica Crystal Shine (Matador Red)
4P7 Beige Metallic (Mystic Gold)
6U3 Medium Green Mica Metallic (Desert Sage Metallic)
8P8 Dark Blue Mica (Blue Onyx)
8R6 Light Blue Metallic (Breakwater Blue)
Interior:
These are some pix I found.
overall though i feel the 330i with the manual was a great choice, and considering lexus doesnt offer one with 350 its tough to compare the two when there are different transmissions, i just feel soem of your arguments as to not looking into the is a bit more are more excuses to keep makign you think that you made the better choice (which you may well have but only time will tell)
we're not "arguing" here - each person is just giving his or her opinion. As is3ooguy said, you just can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Let's just leave it at that.
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Cheers
Does that mean they're not ventilated?
Link to Autoweek 2006 IS photo gallery:
http://www.autoweek.com/files/specials/galleries/lexusis/pages/01.htm
More pictures from DubSpeed Racing:
http://www.dubspeedracing.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=746
My personal demeanor in a car dealership revolves around the idea that the relationship should be based on mutual respect. I have never been treated with anything but politeness and respect by anybody on an upscale lot - Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Lexus. I ALWAYS return the favor.
The point I was making, and apparently TOO pointedly for you, is that even with all that politeness and respect, there is an edge underneath that makes it very clear that the customer is NOT the focus of every transaction. If that were true, I could without hesitation order any car with a standard refundable deposit and expect delivery within a reasonable time, say 60-90 days. Instead, on at least three occasions, even with a good profit margin built into the price, I've been told by one BMW guy and two Lexus dealers that they just didn't want to be bothered. Now, of course, the actual wording was couched in terms that were designed not to offend, but the last time this happened [at one of the local BMW dealers] it was hard not to be offended. I kept my temper, and may yet do business there, but it reminded me of similar conversations I had with two Lexus dealers when the current gen IS was first released. I wanted the car a certain way, Toyota Corporate through their advertising said I should be able to have it that way, and the dealers were clearly VERY reluctant to do that. In effect, they POLITELY made it clear that the deposit would be much higher [double or triple] and that it would be non-refundable, and they still didn't know if they could do it.
Thanks for the advice, but having purchased 50+ new cars in the past 40+ years, I think I'm pretty good at judging what works. Confrontation is never the way to go. What I was doing is using this forum to make a point, and vent a little in the process.
To wrap up the point, when the current [W203] MB C-class was first announced, I was impressed enough with what I saw and read to order one the way I wanted it 5 months in advance of the first cars being shipped. And it was anything but what the dealers call "standard" - no sunroof, no extras except metallic paint - no extra sound, seating surfaces, wings, butlers, nothing. The required deposit? Zero. No $ on the table. By the time the car had arrived, I had to cancel because already the evidence was in from Germany that the early cars were having significant problems - more than I wanted to handle. No problem, says my guy, just be sure to give us the business if you change your mind. 18 months later I got our current car [a late production '02 C240] from them on what was a pretty darned thin deal, and they gave me great service as well before we moved to our current home in Vancouver WA. I never stop recommending them to people in MBCA who ask.
That's the way it's supposed to work.
I also might not have expressed myself clearly enough with the 'sporty color' thing. Here's a better shot...
I'm still *kinda* young at 29. I want a sporty looking car. For reference my favorite colors on the current IS were the bright red and solar yellow (as unpopular as that might be) I like something that stands out and IMHO looks sporty. The colors above are nice yes but don't enhance the sporty nature of the car that's already baked in (again IMHO only, to each there own)
Finally, I ordered an electric red 330i because it made the car stand out, look sporty to my eyes. I don't see any of those colors doing the same thing for the new IS. Maybe the red a bit but it still doesn't pull it off for me. How about you guys, any of those colors above scream gotta have that paint job to you?
I hope that clears the point up a bit.
Plus how does that Solar Yellow paint look in 3 or 4 year? Not so Solar anymore
Lexus is smart to tone down some of the color selections this time around. If you check out the GS color choices they are pretty nice, while still maintaining a good balance.
Maybe next year they'll offer some more vibrant choices. Maybe they're holding off for the coupe / convertable.
Unfortunately, what you can and cannot order is the decision of the factory and distributor, not the dealer. It's probably not that they don't want to be bothered, it's that a stripped ot IS 350 with a ML stereo and no nav, for example may not be available from the distributor, though the factory lists it as being available. All dealers want to take an order, but on a car that will actually appear, not an imaginary one. Taking a deposit is part of doing business, taking the car off the market so that it cant be sold to someone else who WILL leave some money, especially on a limited edition vehicle.
I know this is not the place for this discussion, Mods, sorry.
I'll take my IS 350 in black, please!
(e.g. (MPH quotes) "...looks hot." "The interior is class-leading..."
"...the IS350 is a blast." "...mix of technology and spirit, defining Japanese carmaking at its best."
Lakeside: I know how the business works, and I know about Toyota's habit of restricting option choices and packaging cars. And I know about the business justification for deposits. I was trying to illustrate how thinking outside the box wins you customers. Sigh. You're right, we'll leave this alone. I'm looking for the Lexus dealer willing to go the extra mile - I know there are others out there who will - I've bought cars from them.
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=384913: shows new horsepower rating for their Acuras and most hav lower numbers. I think it is nothing to worry about when u see the IS having less power.
An article on my.IS is raising the question. (link title) This seems good news because it points out this issue about horsepower. So far General Motors, Honda and Toyota have revised their official horsepower ratings so they may seem to have less horsepower when it is just the same. General Motors, Honda and Toyota new horsepower ratings are for 2006 models and they did not make the engines weaker but applied the new standards made by the SAE
Anyone done some comparisons between G35 and 06 IS?
My wife got a 2006 GS300 AWD and we went to the intro party back in March. It was very nice.
HP – theoretical / calculated value;
BHP – measured value.
That’s the reason why BMW330PP (235bhp) is faster than G35 from 0 to 60.
Canadian BMW website says: BMW330 power (SAE hp @ rpm) 255 @ 6600.
That's what the HP is listed for in the USA too.
I did a google and found most reviews are mentioning BMW 330i's 255 is SAE. http://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+sae+horsepower+2006+330i&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=- - 0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
Same with Audi's A3
http://www.google.com/search?q=audi+sae+horsepower+2006+a3&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0- - &start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
Seems the euro brands moved to SAE for early 2006 releases?
In the end it doesn't matter. We'll all see how 300 ponies feels when we play with an IS350.
BMW USA did/does not use “BHP” word not to confuse American market which get used to “HP”. Even for earlier BMW models (before 2005) – BMW HP (published by BMW USA) = BHP != American HP.
I have noticed it long time ago reading European auto reviews.
150mphclub, I agree with your statement. What car I have to own to get in high speed class?
Anyway, yes, the new SAE standards will be quoted hp numbers for everyone selling in the US for the '06 model year and onward.
Frankly, I have to confess I couldn't care less - either the car feels right when you drive it, with adequate power for merging and passing and everyday use, or it doesn't. The difference between 200 hp and 215 or fill-in-the-blank couldn't matter less to me.
I think bhp ratings is very similar to hp ratings. hp ratings are used in the North America and bhp is used in other countries like England. Its may just be a different way countries name the power of a car. Like some other countries use kW. Kga, u may be right but it is the same engine. The SAE horsepower rating is for the U.S. its a different concept of rating horsepower. All new horsepower ratings for 2006 models in the U.S. should expect a small decline in the rating, but it is the same engine as the 2005 model unless a redesign/refresh, so there is nothing to worry. This new system will not affect performance but gives consumers the net horsepower or what you really get in horsepower and not what is advertised, this helps with loop holes and helps us.
This new SAE system also revises the torque numbers which would be lower by at least 9 lb of torque.
We just have to wait for all car makers to use the new system to compare horsepower.
Yahoo.Auto still uses the old system.
Nobody is wrong because most are speculating because only a few things are official. I think it is good we are questioning things because we all learn.
No discussion about anything except HP for how many days? Amazing...
Maybe there should be a separate HP thread.
true! So many variables play into this. A 2500 lbs 06 miata only has 170 hp. A 3300+ lbs IS250 has less than 210 hp. Hmmm, I sure like the power to weight ratio on one of those. Of course tires, gearing, etc all play a role too.
http://www.autospies.com/article/index.asp?articleId=5112&categoryId=1
Cheers
Ivory leather is a must. These Winnipeg summers would kill me with black leather! Inside my car (parked in the sun) it was 42 degrees celcius today! HOT!
PS. where are the reviews?
Does anyone know if one can operate a voicemail system through the bluetooth in the car? For example accessing, deleting and forwarding messages from my voicemail at work?
I live in Miami and will have my seat ventalators on all of the time.