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Comments
Let me also clear something up....
The IS300 did not start at $39,900 CAN, it started at $37,000. I know this because my IS300 was the base car.
If you like a big FWD cruiser, then go for it. Seems odd to compare a sport sedan to a car that's aimed at aging baby boomers. To each his own....
Before anyone says I'm making stuff up:
http://autos.msn.com/as/article.aspx?xml=Toyota&shw=autoshow2005
Average age has been 60-plus for the Avalon, and while the new model may lower the average age below 60, the age of the buyers isn’t a great concern, he said.
“We’re quite content with the mature age profile of the Avalon buyer,” Esmond said. “ . . . [Boomers are] an ever-evolving and dynamic consumer base that is constantly looking for products that are new and different.”
Mr. Harrybush, if that is your real name, what cars would you sugguest that are a mix between the Avalon and IS (and still remain reliable)? As far as I am concerned, the Avalon presents to me a combination of features that I like. The styling hits the spot for me. Either blizzard pearl or phantom grey pearl are what it really shines in.
As much as I like the new IS, I cannot forget that it is not a value buy compared to an Avalon...
It is something that will always stick in the back of my head. I don't like to piss money, but I love the rewards of hard work.
PS: I highly recommend an Avalon test-drive. It really pins you back to the seat of the car. It is agile for such a barge. Avalon Touring is one great buy.
No hard feelings, IS. :shades:
Realthor,
We are? Where about in Texas are you and where did you get that info?
He means the seats have AC.
Exterior design/styling is purely subjective.
You are quite right, Riez; that is very true.
I think the IS300 is tasteful and purposeful. I like it a lot. The "excitement" in the IS's design is in the interior. The chronometer dash cluster, the aluminum pedals, the ball shifter, etc.
...
A big reason the IS300 is forgotten is due to dealer and manufacturer neglect.
Consider the possibility that the interior that appealed to you didn't appeal to a broad market who might have judged it too gimmicky, too affected, and maybe even "too juvenile."
Consider the possibility that what crushed sales of the original IS was NOT dealer neglect, but rather the negative "subjective" reaction that many, many buyers in this segment had to the interior of the original IS.
Yes, the chronograph gauge cluster and ball shifter were an integral part of the original IS's identity, but they appealed to a very narrow slice of -- mostly very -- young buyers. In contrast, the clean, simple, and understated BMW, Audi, MB, Porsche, etc. interiors (esp. instrumentation) appeal to buyers from 18 to 80.
While I can certainly understand the unhappiness of current IS owners to see a design element that appealed to them stripped away in the new IS250/350, I think Lexus made a VERY smart decision to put a more "adult" interior into the new IS and broaden the age spectrum of likely buyers.
Also -- the dealer told me that Lexus did away with the Mark Levinson audio option to cut costs. Anyone else hear this too?
Can't I use a fake name? I sure would hate life in a whole new way if my real name was Harry Bush. :P
I wanted to take the car for a ride, but the dealer would not let me.
I've had a deposit on this car for about 2 months now, do you really think I just went to the dealer to look inside and smell the new car smell????
"Some folks you just cant reach"
As to the driving, it was nice. Good steering, seemed to have some feel and a bit of heft, but I'm also not sued to driving an AWD car. And, it was a short local drive, so I didn't really get to try it out. Ride and noise level seemed fine. And, to me, plenty of power.
I did get to punch it coming up an on ramp and ran it up to 60, and it got there pretty quick. For 95% of the driving public, the 250 has to have enough power, but to each his own.
Room, you ask? Not bad in the back seat. Certainly only for 2 people. For 2 kids, more than enough room. I sat behind myself. Toes were OK, actually had plenty of headroom. Little short of leg room (my knoees touched the front seat), but it was certainly livable for a short ride, and I am 6' tall (and "sit" taller with a long torso). So, my 14 YO son and 9 YO duaghter should be fine for the forseeable future.
Front seat was a little cozy, but OK once i was in place. Weird hump behind the gas pedal for the AWD. That would bug me.
Anyway, hopefully they git a manual in at some point for me to try.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Not when a manufacturer has a slew of new introductions the following year. I would be much more concerned moving forward from this year.
BTW you are entitled to you opinion as am I as am merc1. But as has been already pointed out, if one is not talking about the cars, it's a much safer bet to keep it to yourself. If you dispute his conclusions please feel free to post some information that will support your position or go contrary to his.
I drove an IS 350, and I came away feeling, like this is nice, but not quite there.
This is the basic difference. Quality is nice, but I was hoping for more?????
That is the problem, and oh yeah, I just test drove the BMW 330i before the IS 350.
If I didn’t test drive the BMW, I would have been more pleased with the Lexus.
Lexus is great reliability, great quality, but in my humble opinion, well it’s no BMW.
Again, nothing at all wrong with the IS 350, just not quite the driver’s car I had hoped for.
That said, I also test-drove the 2006 Infiniti G35X, with all wheel drive.
This for me I think is the one. Great engine, back seats are much roomier than Lexus,
And mid 30’s with AWD. Out handles the IS, and is on par with BMW.
And cheaper than both.
I am taking my time, cause these three cars are all excellent choices. I might test drive them again next week, and see what happens.
EPA-estimated ratings:
24 city/32 highway (IS 250 RWD A/T)
20 city/29 highway (IS 250 RWD M/T)
22 city/28 highway (IS 250 AWD)
21 city/28 highway (IS 350)
How come the mileage is substantially lower for M/T? This is quite remarkable.
Also... how come A/T 250 is lighter than M/T 250?
3,527 lb (IS 350)
3,435 lb (IS 250 RWD A/T)
3,455 lb (IS 250 RWD M/T)
3,651 lb (IS 250 AWD)
Houston, TX. Westside Lexus.
Its because of the gearing, which means the 6st gear revs the engine too high which causes lousy gas mileage.
Also, it looks like the AWD has a mandatory selection of "intuitive parking assist" (a waste of $500 to me) for my region. Ugh. Tim
btw, you can configure a car now at lexus.com
Not as bad as I expected. I certainly don't need the park assist, but the seat climate controls are pretty darned slick, and the perfed leather is nice, so it might be a "what the heck" deal.
besides, I doubt there will be an units showing up without those options on it.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Any one know why?
"Perfect moments don't require the right set
of conditions. Just the right vehicle. In the
all-new Lexus IS, power, agility and speed
converge to create a dynamic exerience
you can exercise at will. Featuring push-button
start with SmartAccess,double-wishbone suspension
and a host of technological systems to acieve optimum
performance. Plus there's available all-wheel drive and an
available 306 horsepower V6. Pursue the moment. Call
1-800-26LEXUS or visit ISmoments.ca today."
With the IS 350 not being the core model, why give it all the air-time? Maybe, if the specs (and we all know that specs matter... why else write the 306 HP?) were more impressive for the IS 250 (and it were a 300) with 245 HP (like the GS 300, which is the same engine as the 250, except with more displacement) they, Lexus, would write about it more. Lexus seems to tout the performance part, but I find that (aside from maybe in the twisties) the IS 250 does, in fact, lack the performance that most people look at (Hp, which translates into an overall faster, more performing car). Meh, maybe they are just testing the waters with the 250 engine and in mid-cycle refresh they will drop that 3.0L engine in there. That would be sweet.
Apparently sony imagestation.com does not want to work right now. I'll post the picture of the advertisement sometime later today then.
Where's the "sport package" and why do I have to take bluetooth if I get a NAV? I don't need no stinkin' bluetooth.
Jerks.
A la carte please, like the man said.
OTOH, Cashmere and white seem to mesh nicely...
Thank you, and for the original compliment also.
M
If you don't see a config that you like, you can try a nearby state (in case you are near a border region), travel further, or talk to the dealer about ordering a package different than what is being allocated, then wait 2-3 months +/` to get it.
Also, over time they will change the packages being built. This is just what they decided to make for the initial runs.
There is something to be said for the love it or leave it Acura model.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Anybody else get a sport pkg option in their region?
You cannot get HID or AFS on the awd model?
Loaded is 39K
and all this for 600/mo
Unless lexus really makes this christmas a december to remember, you'll be seeing me in the A4 3.2 quattro :mad:
You have two options. Nav or Nav with wheel locks for Naples
and for Napeville you have Nav or Nav with Premium package. how strange. You can't get the premium package in florida? Can someone please explain?
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:mad:
the awd is cheaper in detroit than it is here in NY and it some with more stuff
what kind of crap is that?
Me and my damm garage
why couldnt the g35 fit and then I'd be done with it
Well, first I'll do an extended test-drive of course; and compare it against the competition but all-in-all, I like what I've seen (and driven) so far.
All the issue from posts 4976-79, plus the one I had (must take "intuitive parking") could be reflections of this problem, as stock varies by how Lexus decided to send the inventory.
Or, it might be something completely different!! (Like, Lexus is run by idiots.) I'm thinking it is the first answer, and hoping it isn't the second.
Edit:
I just visited the Lexus site. There's not an option for an IS350 with the sport package. And the sport package is not part of the IS350. So a 38k IS350 has premium and other stuff I have no interest in. Perhaps this is just the San Diego allocation.
I'll go drive one tomorrow. It's loooking more and more likely I'll end up with a 330i (leather, sport, xenon, moon, 18s, comfort access) for 35.5k via Euro Delivery. Damn Lexus for not even trying...
Oh ya. The salesman explained that in December you could order the lexus with only the specific options you wanted. Don't know if this is true or not but it might be a good incentive to wait. If that is really possible!
Thanks again for the info
When is Edwards.com going to recognize that there is a 2006 IS250/350 on the market???
No sport pkg. A pal in Joizey says he shows a sport pkg for the 350 only, NA for the 250.
And no wagon of course.
Birdseye maple. I have no words low enough...
However, I find it hard to believe that Lexus thinks 100% of customers want "intuitive parking assist". Thus, this could be just another (arguably less painful to a buyer - at least they get something for it) way to maximize their profit while demand is high, without adding dealer markup. I predict dealer cost on some of these options will be low, or the return to the dealer will be augmented by Lexus in some way.
Hey, it's a business. If this is the time they can take advantage of the hype, they should. When it dies down, they won't have the chance. If we don't like it, we can always wait. That's up to us. Tim
Birdseye maple. I have no words low enough...
Rofl. Man, the e90 people were whining that comfort access wasn't available. At least they could order a car with the parts they wanted.
This is one weird rollout.
Amen.
Audi intros the TT Shooting Brake in Tokyo next week. I wonder...
:shades: