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Comments
And you'll have the only Toyota for miles!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12287260/
kd.... I know that you wouldn't be on these threads for Lexus if you didn't find some things that you do like, right?
My friend recently got a 2006 330ci cab with M-Performance package in Imola Red. He lives in Vancouver so I haven't driven in it yet. Anyways, that is a very sexy, nice car! I don't hate BMWs or anything, but the truth is, I just don't think that the new styling is all that great. It looks better in person than in pictures, but still... the last generation had a more masculine look to it. I miss that part of BMWs.
No, not at all.... But for those that are going to post here about how the Lexus is far superior in their build quality and lack of problems, you'd better be prepared to accept it when problems like this come to light.
But we're here to talk about the differences in two vehicles. Posting that a particular post makes (insert your country of origin here) car lovers look bad is disingenuous at best.
Buying a Toyota/Lexus is no guarantee of bulletproof quality/reliability. Just better odds than most other marques...
Heck, I bought a first model year Chrysler (300M) which while not perfect, I perfectly enjoyed driving and owning!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I posted it in two forums: BMW 3-Series vs Lexus IS (since the recall was for the IS) and in Luxury Performance Sedans (since the recall was also for the GS). I thought both forums were applicable, but, however, those forums do not discuss the same types of cars.
As for as newsworthiness.... I think the fact that it was a big headline on the front page of msnbc.com and cnn.com means that it is probably a big deal.
Perhaps my sarcastic comment in my original post was just a jab back at all those posters who only trumpet how wonderfully perfect their Lexuses are.... nose-in-the-air comments about reliability get a little annoying, ya know? :P
However I feel your "Doh He He" and posting a recall reflects on this forum which is usually mature and helpful dialogue to many. Please reflect on this as I know your are a role model for someone. we all are.
Owner6
Comments, thoughts, opinions about the cars are what we are here for. Comments about each other aren't the things we want to get into.
Sooo, let's move along!
OK, a multiple of one forum...
"As for as newsworthiness.... I think the fact that it was a big headline on the front page of msnbc.com and cnn.com means that it is probably a big deal."
Britney Spears makes big headlines everywhere too. Does that make it a bid deal? You decide... :P
Again, anything outside the norm (and whatever the media decides to broadcast) can be seen as a big deal. The "norm" for Toyota/Honda and all their marques? Quality/reliability/value. So, a recall is a big deal. Again, the perception (yeah, perception) of domestics/Euros, quality/reliability/value, not so much lately. Although only you can assign a value on those traits, e.g. I found my 300M to only have OK quality, good reliability and good value. My TL, high quality/reliability/value.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
It's not a big deal if someone posts one link in two different discussions. I agree the accompanying comment was provocative, but it's not worth getting into a brouhaha over. In fact, it's usually far better not to take the bait... ya know?
Let's move on, okay?
Also...!
I just put down my $1000 deposit and ordered myself an IS!
I ordered a glacier frost mica with sterling leather IS 350 with moonroof package which includes Power Moonroof, P255/40R18 (Rear), Performance Summer Radials, P225/40R18 (Front), Woodgrain Trim, 18" Aluminum Alloy Wheels. I decided on the sterling after being in the black leather IS and finding that even with the ventilated seats, the black leather holds heat much more.
I requested to have it arrive on my birthday, which is the end of July.
I made this ever-so-rash decision after the salesperson offered to have me drive it alone around town and see how it felt. I was grinning ear-to-ear the whole time and yelping out of joy. Granted, it does not have the same feel as the sport package, but you gotta hold back somewhere, ya know. Otherwise, what is holding me back from getting the next package up, and then after that: the next package up!? Money!
Guys, I am so happy. Now, to count down the days until it gets here; then, the negotiations begin! Also, May will be the last month that orders will be placed for the 2006 models. When my car is arriving, I will have the lowest rates for leasing possible. After fetching the low lease rate, I will get my payments dropped. The timing couldn't be better. What do you all think? Sounds like a plan?
Sounds like you've got it all worked out. Congrats!
I just wanted to post in this forum my thoughts on the BMW and Lexus and why I ended up purchasing the Lexus.
I test drove both and my impressions are as follows...
The BMW truly is a great driving car. I did think it drove better than the Lexus. For some reason the ride seemed a bit more refined in terms of the suspension. I did notice with the 325xi that, even though it doesn't have a turbo engine, it felt like it suffered from the dreaded lag. I'd punch it and it seemed to take a while to spin up to speed. I kept thinking to myself, "I am pushing on the accelerator, right?" Once it did spin up, though, it was great. I probably would drive with that thing in manual shift mode all day long (drove the steptronic). It was definitely a fun ride. The Lexus, on the other hand was more responsive when I hit the accelerator, but in the end I thought the 325 was smoother overall.
As far as exterior goes, that's a completely subjective thing, but I felt the Lexus and BMW were equal in that respect. As far as interior, if there's one thing Lexus has gotten right, it's interior cabin design. Every other car I drove was a distant second, in my mind. Of course, the nice thing about the BMW is that the rear seat space is larger AND they have fold-down rear seats. This should be the first thing Lexus addresses in future models. Not so much an issue with me, since I have 2 small kids, but if I were expecting adults to ride in the back of my Lexus constantly, I might have looked harder at the BMW.
So, in the end, it came down to the following things for me...
1. Do I want to deal with all the potential problems and costs associated with owning a BMW AFTER the free servicing is gone. Lexus' reputation for reliability precedes them. I do plan on owning this vehicle for a number of years. This was the biggest selling factor for me.
2. The BMW was a nice ride, but that interior was spartan compared to the Lexus. Also, it's not like Lexus just threw in a bunch of gadgets into the car just to say they were there. Everything seems to be well-placed and useful to the driver.
3. Finally, the BMW dealer could not find ANY vehicles in the western region equipped how I wanted it. That means I would've been sans car for 3 months while I'm waiting for the BMW to get in.
Just click on that link to get there. Hope this helps.
your birthday is one of the best presents you could ever dream of huh?? Too bad you have to pay for it
One thing though...I think the black interior is sexy and easy to keep as compared to others. Unless you live in dry regions like Arizona or Texas then I would not recommend it.
If you want longer life out of your tires, I believe you need to get smaller wheels/tires. If I'm not mistaken, the 350 comes with 17" rims and if you get the sports package it goes to 18". I don't think you're going to get 25 or 30K out of a set of 18" tires. That's not a lexus problem, that's a problem with larger performance tires in general.
Yeah, I was just commenting on how someone who might want longer life out their tires would get something with 17" or 18" wheels. If he pushes me any further, though, I might just have to ignore him :shades:
I am shopping for a new car for the fall and had been pretty much set on a 2007 BMW 330 (or 335i). However, there is a family problem. My cousins own a Lexus dealership (not in our area) and I will be breaking recent family tradition if I don't buy a Lexus from them. They will sell me anything at their true cost - a few percent below invoice. It's a very good deal - if you happen to actually want the car.
At their suggestion (i.e. insistance), I tried the new IS350 at a local dealership. However, I am disapointed that it does not come with a manual transmission at this time. This is pretty odd for a relatively small car that is heavily marketed as a "sports sedan". I am a management consultant and travel 100+ days a year in which I am subjected to driving Hertz's finest. When I come home, I want something that is fun to drive. The IS350 with an automatic just didn't do it for me. And I don't want to go down to an IS250 just to have the choice of a manual. Besides the lack of a manual, the handling/steering didn't feel quite as sharp. But I am coming out of lease on a Porsche Boxster S and am probably biased to the German feel vs. the Japanese feel. In all other respects, the IS350 seemed like a nice car.
I've been told by the dealer I visited that the IS350 will likely have a 6-speed manual either immediately or shortly after the 2007's are out. I can find no official information from Lexus on the subject. I haven't called my cousins with the question, because even if the answer is "yes", so far the BMW is still my preference and I don't want to further offend them.
Does anyone have any official source of information on the 2007 IS350? Thanks in advance.
A coupe will be out next Summer, and a convertable? Rummor has it at M3 class.
I took another test drive of the IS350 and have concluded it's not for me. In my opinion, it's more geared (literally and figuratively) to compete with the Mercedes C350 than the BMW 330i. And even the semi-stodgy Mercedes comes in a sport version with a manual 6-speed transmission.
Maybe I'm being too critical, but it seems that all of the Japanese cars are one or two stops short of my desired destination. The Lexus IS350 doesn't have a manual, the Acura TL 6-speed is front wheel drive, the G35 6-speeds (coupe and sedan) fall short on their interiors and overall refinement. Even on the German side, the Audi A4 Quattro is heavy feeling. Finding a smaller sport sedan with four doors that looks good, feels good and is fun to drive may not as easy as I thought. A business associate has an older M3 sedan that is closer to what I am looking for than almost all new cars.
Fortunately, I still have 5 months reamining on my Boxster lease and plenty of time to figure this out.
While I agree that styling is VERY subjective I must point out that the IS sacrifices rear interior for a sporty exterior (or attempts to)
I personally feel the IS should NOT be considered a sedan but a coupe.
If you compare a 330, IS350 and a G35 COUPE
Rear Shoulder, Rear Head, Rear Hip, Rear Leg
330 55.1, 37.1, *, 34.6
350 52.7, 36.7, 53.7, 30.6
G35 52.7, 34.7, 48, 31.4
The all important rear leg room on the IS is below a G35 coupe, though it does have an additional 2” head room over the G35 Coupe.
Just seems that with a sacrifice of space you should gain something which I guess I don’t see.
BTW cars with more rear space
Mini (31.3)
Mazda 3 (36.3) – only Sedan in this list
Beetle (33.5)
Scion tC (33.6)
Civic Coupe (30.3) very close
Only coupe I can think of with less rear leg room is an Audi TT.
So what I guess I’m saying is the IS350 pretends to be a sedan when it really is a coupe.
The IS350 is 2” longer than the 330i with a 1” shorter wheel base; with the 330 about ½” wider (not sure of track measurement).
It’s not that I subscribe to the “bigger is better” philosophy (actually the opposite), it’s just that a vehicle with these limited accommodations should be a little lighter say 200-300 lbs.
Then again when did sport sedans start hitting 3500lbs anyway.
I suppose I’ll end my ramblings like the drunken guy in the corner mumbling to himself
I suppose I’ll end my ramblings like the drunken guy in the corner mumbling to himself
I'll drink to that as well. My 1995 Maxima SE - a very comfortable 5 passenger sedan, weighed in at 3,001 lbs. I know there have been a lot of advancements and weight adding do-dads put into cars since then. But, still, if you have trouble squeezing 4 reasonable size adults into a sedan that weighs 3,500 lbs, go back to the drawing board.
Don't even get me started on why the 350Z roadster weighs 700 lbs more than a Honda S2000 and some people will actually call the 350Z a sports car. Let's see how many Clydesdales are entered in the Kentucky Derby.
So you would make a buying decision based on the number of posts in the forums, even though the number of 325/330 out there is substantially more than the number of IS.
Well to each their own.
I doubt many people would argue with the fact that Lexus is a more reliable brand, but I find it "astounding" that you're trying to make your argument using that particular data.
Maybe Lexus owners not as much internet friendly as BMW owners? :P
Thanks in advance.
I was actually thinking of just getting a 250 since I might be cool with getting a couple extra mpg since I rarely go over 4000 rpms anyway. But then, in California you can't get the navigation on the 250! One possible reason for this strategy is they make the cars initially lacking on purpose, then later fix those issues and tempt current owners to trade up.
It seems really difficult to find a nice looking car that's fun to drive around 30-40K.
Here are my issues:
* IS250 - no navi in Cal.
* IS350 - no manual trans.
* 325i/330i - ugly rear end. basic interior.
* G35 - ugly headlamps.
* MB - not my style
* Audi - scared of Audi/VWs. ugly lights & grille.
But if I were forced to make a decision on what's available now, I'd probably get the 3 series (manual, navi, sports pkg). I don't really care about long-term reliability b/c I'm not going to drive it to 200K anyways.
Given that though, I would have to say I ride in the car, not outside of the car, so a so-called "ugly butt" wouldn't bother me in the least.
The Lexus interiors are not my thing. Good materials do make it a great interior. I want to drive my car, not sit in a busy living room in the front seat. What one calls boring I call not visually distracting - like most other interiors including Toyota/Lexus. For those who like to drive, the BMW dashboard uses high-quality materials with a great layout. That is what makes it a great interior. Stunning exteriors, high quality functional interiors and top-notch handling and performance. That's why BMWs are head turners.
I'll say upfront that I chose the 330i. One (of the many) reasons was the interior of the 330i vs the IS.
Do a knuckle "wrap" on any interior surface of the 330i and you'll see how high quality it really is. Do the same to some of the interior surfaces in the IS and you'll see how "tinny" some of those surfaces are.
BMW uses a lot more real (and better) wood than the IS, too. Shut the doors of the BMW compared to the IS (another test I use for build quality) and you'll get a very good indication of how the BMW is built. Inside while driving, the BMW reminds me of the solidity of a bank vault.
That doesn't even taking into consideration the supreme driving dynamics of the BWM, either.
Not saying the IS is a bad car. It's just that the japanses marks still are chasing BMW's tail when it comes to the definitive sports sedan.
Oh yeah, I find the BMW exterior stunning. The IS ain't bad, but it's pretty vanila by comparison.
All my opinion, of course.
I also compared the interior of both cars, and I think its a general consensus that the IS 350 interior is far superior. Read any review. Anyone who differs is in the minority here.