http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051011/latu048.html?.v=30

I dunno guys, but even if the IS250 6-speed manual RWD is lacking in power, for 29,990 it's in the same price range as a lot of well equipped mainstream 4-door sedans, and IMO it sure does present a convincing case.

The well equipped 35,000 dollar 6-speed automatic IS350 was clocked by Road and Track 0-60 in 5.1, 1/4-mile in 13.7 @ 104 mph, though Lexus' official stat is a more conservative 5.3 seconds... still the fastest in the segment.

 

What do you think about the looks? I like how the older IS looks.

 

Yup, the previous gen IS looked much better. The new IS looks really bland...really.

 

I agree, the 250 is just... well, not worth it at that price (this is, of course, from a performance perspective vs a G35. No brainer there.). If I were going to drop the $ on one of 'em, I'd suck it up, cough up the $5k, and go for the 350.

 

The old IS had a not so impressive interior IMO - not very Lexus-like at all. Styling was certainly less conservative than this model but also looked kinda ricey and tacky. Of course it's not completely Lexus' fault that it ended up looking ricey, considering that the ricer's favorite - Alteza lights were directly derived from the Toyota Alteza, which is essentially the Japanese version of the IS300.

The interior on this new model is flat-out stunning. I've seen it in real life and the fit, finish, feel, layout, and attention to detail (even little things like LEDs in the dome and reading lamps and puddle lamps) would pass EASILY in a car twice as expensive. I've never seen anything close to it under 40k until now.

 

Eh, I agree. Not near as exciting exterior wise as the previous IS. Not bad, but not my choice at all.

 

I don't understand why they claim "fastest in the segment"...the IS350 surely isn't as quick as an M3, or a CTS-V for that matter, and both cars would be considered "near luxury"...although yes I do realize they also cost considerably more.

 

I see what your're saying, but of course you also know the M3 and CTS-V cost 40-80% more and are in the performance luxury segment, not the entry level luxury segment.

 

True, but the 3-series and the CTS are entry level luxury cars....the M and V just represent the top of the line for the respective cars whereas the 350 is the "top of the line" Lexus entry. I suppose there are many ways to slice it. We know what a jaggernaut Toyota marketing is.

Still, I would agree for this price range you cannot find this much HP in the segment. Despite what Chrysler may want you and I to think, I don't really consider the Hemi 300 to be entry level "luxury". This is why Cadillac needs to turn up the wick on the 3.6.

 

I've seen a variety of numbers published. I was told that the model that tested the 14.5 was one of the earlier pre production models and had the undefeatable VDIM program carried over directly from the GS, which has a much more conservative traction system.

I'm sure the 13.7 is very ideal and may not be easily duplicated, but it's funny to see anyone who quotes the most ideal times imaginable for their car of choice (say for example LS1s run high 12s, low 13s) yet 3/4 of the magazine times I come across say mid-high 13s or even low 14s.... the other 1/4 range from 12.9 to 13.5 or so

You actually believe the 250/350 is overpriced but sincerely believe the 3-series makes more sense? The 3-series costs FAR more spec for spec than the IS. 300c is not even remotely comparable. Have you even driven one or are you just on the 'its cheap, 4 doors and has a lotta horsepower so it must be sporty' bandwagon? It drives like a boat. My old 99 GS (larger, older, less sporty car than this new IS by quite a bit) feels like a go cart compared to the 300c, and smoked one by several car lengths at the track, to boot (although it was only the Hemi, not the SRT, of course). The only comparable car there is the G35, which is nice, but the IS still presents more feature content for less money, better performance, more safety features, and a much higher quality interior.

 

Everything else aside, I find it hard to believe that this would be the norm. Was that before or after you modded the GS, and what did you have done?

 

Before. I had nothing done.

Now I have F&R chassis braces (subframe connectors, more or less), F&R strut tower braces, six-piece rear suspension brace kit, front and rear daizen adjustable sway bars (recently removed) and stainless steel brake lines. Before I removed the sway bars I would have put it up against a 540 in the twisties any day. Now I'm not so sure, but I am sure about the 300C. That thing could pass for a lincoln IMO.

Edit: oh you're talking about the one I took out at the track? That was only about 2 months ago. I had all my mods then, but as you might have noticed none of them add any power. Just handling (and a bit of weight).

 

Threxx, how's the reliability of your GS400 or those of other 99/00 models? I have come across a few that caught my eye.

Also, what is the milage you're getting with the V8?

 

Agreed. This will just bring down the price of the original IS, just stick a turbo on that I-6 and it will run with the new IS350...

The IS350 does have a nice engine but I don't like the styling

 

21.5 MPG city, 26 MPG highway is what I average. Could be better, but for a V8 sedan I can't complain.

Almost perfect reliability. I bought it when it had 30,000 miles on it, and it now has 80,000 miles on it. Not sure if anything might have gone wrong before I owned it but since I've owned it I've only had two thing go wrong on it. I know one of them was completely my fault and the other I suspect was my fault as well but not sure:

-Right rear sway bar end link bolt got stripped out, but it was due to me installing aftermarket sway bars and tightening the bolt too tight... ran over the edge of a small curb (at the edge of a driveway) and it stripped.

-The auto-up feature on the driver's side door for the passenger side window doesn't work. Meaning I have to hold the switch to get that window to go up: instead of just pushing it and letting it go up on its own. The passenger side switch for that window still auto-ups fine, and auto down still works fine on both (as well as auto up and down for all other windows and sunroof). This 'just happened' to start when I was using leatherique leather conditioner (a very thick/sticky formulation that you're supposed to apply liberally to leather and allow it to soak for 24 hours or so in heat)... I'm pretty sure when I was applying the conditioner to the leather insert on the driver's side door that I accidently let some conditioner drip down there.

Other than that, a couple of rattles that have annoyed me, but absolutely nothing that the average person would notice, especially if it weren't for how quiet the car is - I'm just a rattle freak.

Engines and transmissions in the 400s in general (GS/SC/LS all use almost exactly the same drivetrained just tuned slightly different) are damn near bullet-proof, as are the electronics. Biggest problem with the 98-00 400s is that some of them will stall (die) if you have the A/C and lights off and just filled up with gas at the station and are at idle. I mean like within 30 seconds of filling up, so you'll most likely still be in the station parking lot if you're still at idle. It can be embarassing, but I guess the fix is to either replace your evap canister (cheap) or just don't turn your climate control off if you're at a gas station.