Official New 2006 Is Topic

[The Mole]

Paint chips more easily because it is made from enviromentally friendly materials.

Cars used to resist chipping in the 'olden days' because it was caellulose based.

Nohing to do with Lexus, jus the paint that governments force manufacturers to use.

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Paint chips already is a bad sign for Lexus. Things like this will stop people buying them. Look round your local works car park and compare similar age cars .............. I have a number of times ............ and I know which one chips more :( It may be the paint but others have to follow the same rules, may be the shape but they have changed that.

[sipajen]

**POST REMOVED**

[koshime]

I am going to opt for the wax alot of thin layers option...whilst driving sensibly.. even then.. cant stop teh chippies form falling. i leave like a 10-15 ft gap behind a car in front, but people overtaking on teh motorway just looove to pull infront of the car, once they over take..effectively..rendering....the distance given....as any margin of safety...:(

Maybe I need to stick an electrical field proximity system...so peeps can just cut in too close when overtaking...

[koshime]

so effectively..where can we get good old paint....bodyshops...i guess in the future, a good old cellulose repaint may work wonders!

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

so effectively..where can we get good old paint....bodyshops...i guess in the future, a good old cellulose repaint may work wonders!

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Halfords sell some good DIY stone chip and scratch restorers. The best one is the "lipstick" type made by Turtlewax. It's not paint, but more like thick "wax" so you can't mess up the paint AND you can buff it away if you want to. It does not set, but seems to last for ages. I have used it successfully on my wifes Clover Green (Dark Pearlescent bottle green) Honda Jazz.

They sell it in all sorts of colours and I would recommend it.

The "Chipsaway" chap will cost £ now, then £ again in 2 weeks, then £ again in 2 weeks, then £ again.....

[its_a_doozy]

Hi Guys, :D

:D Just wanted to say I picked up my new IS250 SE (manual with Multimedia, in Cadoxton Slate, grey leather interior), yesterday afternoon. :D

Can't stop smiling. Girlfriend says she feels like a fraud driving around in such luxury. :P

I used to love my old IS200 Sport but this car is worlds apart. It blows the old model away, which is saying something, as the old IS is still a very desirable vehicle.

I will be taking some pics soon to add to the great collection on here. Definately need to read the manual though, it would be a shame not to maximise on all the cars features. Got losts trying to find IKEA in Warrington last night.....Hadn't sussed out the SatNav properly, D'oh !

From the little I have played with the car, the SatNav won't let the passenger search for destinations while the car moves. I found this annoying, although I know it is a safety feature....can it be hacked, or reconfigured to treat the owners as responsible adults? We have 24hr drinking now, surely we can be trusted with our own SatNavs!! :P

Also took my sister and 3 children to the airport last week, promised to collect them today (now in new car). The old IS only managed to get 3 large wheely suit cases in the boot, and the small case had to go in the passenger footwell with small child sat with legs crossed. A big squeeze.

So this morning at 6am it was test/compare the new IS trunk space. Well you will be happy to know that after several attempts and getting the angles right I managed to squeeze all the cases in the boot, and the passengers could travel in pure luxury, watching some DVDs at the lights

Well done to Lexus for improving the boot space, and no more hinges digging into your storage space, or damaging the shopping.

[colesy]

Sorry to jump in on some else's thread, but could anyone tell me how the reversing works in nightime or pitch darkness please?

Cheers

[The Mole]

Sorry to jump in on some else's thread, but could anyone tell me how the reversing works in nightime or pitch darkness please?

Cheers

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A combination of reversing lights and or street lighting along with a very sensitive camera gives a most useable, if slightly grainy picture.

[colesy]

The Mole,

Thanks Very much.

[saracen]

There is a group test between Lexus IS250 SE, BMW 325i, Mercedes C230 and Volvo 2.5T in the January edition of Test Drive Magazine. Makes for good reading.

BMW came first with Lexus second, Mercedes third and Volvo last. The BMW was described as having the better drive but the Lexus was a better all round car, which for me personally makes it the better car. The Lexus was let down by poor rear leg room and poor boot size. A comment that has been made by a number of reviewers.

There was also a reader review where four readers took it for a test drive. Out of the four drivers three of them said they really like the Lexus, the one that didn't wasn't happy that he couldn't disable the anti-skid control, although he admitted that in everyday driving you probably wouldn't want to! Interestingly two readers were BMW drivers and on the basis of the test drive they would switch to Lexus.

[The Mole]

And the BMW wins again....... YAWN.

Bit like a TAG watch, millions spent on branding and advertising, loads of people want or own one, pay over the odds for them and don't care that the mechanism inside is actually mediocre at best.......

Still, nout queer as folk!

[Risky3301]

And the BMW wins again....... YAWN.

Bit like a TAG watch, millions spent on branding and advertising, loads of people want or own one, pay over the odds for them and don't care that the mechanism inside is actually mediocre at best.......

Still, nout queer as folk!

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Your a watch expert now, I take you don't own a TAG or never seen the inner workings of the a TAG.

[autobeach]

The Mole,

It may help if you were a bit more gracious re BMW's. Are you telling us just about every journalist in the Northern hemisphere is in the bankroll of Munich?

From where I'm sitting it looks like the new IS is a very close 2nd - that's a hell of a result considering this is the 1st gen Lexus built IS. Also, I'm pretty sure the Toyota/ Lexus corporation has more money to fling about than BMW.

You guys (Lexus) should be considering the fixes for the most common complaints;

(a) rear legroom (B) low speed ride © overweight car. You could also follow Audi's recent admission that UK cars need a seperate suspension set-up.

BMW's genius is how they utilise parts and engines across their range, have phased releases of new products whilst burning off old parts in niche models. An example is the old Z3 model - sold loads but used previous generation 3 series rear suspension/ axle set-up. Compare and contrast with Lexus, humming and hawing that it costs too much to release different engine variants - when backed by the richest and best car manufacturer in the world.

Anyway, how are sales going?

[The Mole]

No I'm not a watch expert, but a good customer of mine is.

His business is collecting, repairing and dealing in fine watches, and has done so for over 35 years.

BMW make superb 'drivers' cars, no question. My gripe is that most journalists weight their opinion and 'final score' far too heavily on how the car handles on the limit, or how easy it is to correct a slide etc, and don't look at the bigger picture of what the car is like overall.

Maybe I am looking at it too closely, but my background makes it impossible for me not to look at it as an engineered product overall, and that I'm affraid is where it destroys the competition.

Nobody has said it has the biggest back seat, or is fastest to 60 or whaterver, but as a quality product, it wins hands down.

From an engineering and quality point of view, I could bore you all to tears showing you details that unless they are pointed out to you, you'd never notice, and never fully appreciate how good it really is. I won't mention under the bonnet again, as even a blind man would see the difference, but to give you one other example, and trust me there are hundreds, next time you look at a lexus IS250, look at where the door handle meets the door. They use the absolute smallest, thinnest and most discreet neoprene seal that can barely be seen. Compare it to the one on the 3 series - a big floppy rubber seal, 10 times as thick and nowhere near as precise to make up the difference in engineering tollerences...

Now I totally understand that this will have no impact on your ownership of the car, in real terms it offers no advantage, but it just means that the car is better quality, has had more effort put into the detail, and so on.

Maybe I am in the minority, maybe people don't care about quality and precision, and that brand, image and opposite lock power slides are more important that quality and detail?

I give up. To those who see the difference - enjoy.

Maybe the careful selection of model and engine line up has helped make the TMC the wealthiest car company in the world? It certainly wasn't through building poor cars.

How are sales going? Best month in history. Can't get enough cars.

[saracen]

No I'm not a watch expert, but a good customer of mine is.

His business is collecting, repairing and dealing in fine watches, and has done so for over 35 years.

BMW make superb 'drivers' cars, no question. My gripe is that most journalists weight their opinion and 'final score' far too heavily on how the car handles on the limit, or how easy it is to correct a slide etc, and don't look at the bigger picture of what the car is like overall.

Maybe I am looking at it too closely, but my background makes it impossible for  me not to look at it as an engineered product overall, and that I'm affraid is where it destroys the competition.

Nobody has said it has the biggest back seat, or is fastest to 60 or whaterver, but as a quality product, it wins hands down.

From an engineering and quality point of view, I could bore you all to tears showing you details that unless they are pointed out to you, you'd never notice, and never fully appreciate how good it really is. I won't mention under the bonnet again, as even a blind man would see the difference, but to give you one other example, and trust me there are hundreds, next time you look at a lexus IS250, look at where the door handle meets the door. They use the absolute smallest, thinnest and most discreet neoprene seal that can barely be seen. Compare it to the one on the 3 series - a big floppy rubber seal, 10 times as thick and nowhere near as precise to make up the difference in engineering tollerences... 

Now I totally understand that this will have no impact on your ownership of the car, in real terms it offers no advantage, but it just means that the car is better quality, has had more effort put into the detail, and so on.

Maybe I am in the minority, maybe people don't care about quality and precision, and that brand, image and opposite lock power slides are more important that quality and detail?

I give up. To those who see the difference - enjoy.

Maybe the careful selection of model and engine line up has helped make the TMC the wealthiest car company in the world? It certainly wasn't through building poor cars.

How are sales going?  Best month in history. Can't get enough cars.

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Mr Mole I wholeheatedly agree, it is more than how fast your car gets to 62mph or how it handles on a track, (my current car has never been on a track and I don't intend it to) or how well it does doughnuts. Ultimately it is about how the car makes you feel, it's what I refer to as the grin factor. How big your grin is every time you see the car. I also wish reviewers would tell you about how it handles in heavy traffic on a trip from Birmingham to Manchester or whether it will fit well in the average NCP car park bay, or whether you can fit a Mothercare double buggy in there. These are the things that matter in the real world because lets face it none of us care whether it has better door handle seals than a BMW or maybe I am wrong and you do.

Anyway I am putting my money where my mouth is and have bought my IS order forward, should have a car before the end of the year! Nice one.

[TonyDownunder]

Great contribution. I have had four test drives and hope to take delivery of an IS250 in April 2006. I wish there were more dealers in Melbourne so I could have a test drive every weekend. I wonder if I will be able to hold out until April or will try to arrange "just one more" test drive

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

This thread is becoming a real downer!

I ordered my IS220d/non SE/with MM on Saturday for March del., but having heard that the engine is a "dog", I ensured that I will get my deposit back if the car/engine do not live up to my expectations. Leicester Lexus agreed.

I test drove everything within the budget and class, and there is no question that the engine in the BMW 320d is a peach! However, it is the quality of the lexus brand that I am buying. Forget under the bonnet or the door handles...just look at the lack of lustre in the BMW paint - it's all "orange Peel", with no shine even in showroom lights, and the Merc was no better.

Also, I have found that the basic spec IS drives much better than the SE with it's ultra low profiles, and leather seating whilst more comfortable, is really not worth £3000 (in my humble opinion).

The interior/exterior fit and finish is poor on all except Audi and Lexus. Audi A4 is the closest in terms of quality...

Now I just pray that the 2.2d engine is OK....else I'll be forced to buy another Audi, and with a new A4 out in 18 months, I may just have to wait for the 2007 model to be launched...

I drove a manual IS250 SE and an auto IS250 (base), and for those that have not driven the auto, if you are still deciding, but it! For £1000 it's a phenomenal piece of engineering - smoothest this side of the new S Class!!

It is disappointing that Lexus do not see themselves "competing" with these other marques. It's a serious cust focus flaw...It was a seriously good opportunity to get the basics right in a new model that will be here for 6 or more years - a "new" diesel engine, 3 more inches of leg room in the back, a bigger boot and quieter ride, longer servicing intervals...

If these things had been sorted, this car would have trounced the lot of them...The thing is that outside of Japan/far east, Lexus really only make cars for the American market, we just happen to get them here as well...

So whilst we rave about the quality, Joe and Josy Public will be worrying about where to put the kids, the buggy etc, and by use of head over heart and function over form WILL probably buy a german car...

For me, I managed to convince the missus that Lexus was the best financial proposition, and whilst BMW were offering me a 320d Ex-Demo with every concievable gizmo (incl "Lemon" leather, TV function, e/Heated seats WITH MEMORY, Voice control etc etc etc etc) for £27.5k, I opted for the Lexus...so if that diesel is really naff, I'm in for it!

At least I'll get my deposit back....

"Dear lord, thou art...."

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Isn't the engine the same as the one in the Avensis? If so couldn't you drive that for an initial opinion. Just imagine you are in something a bit more luxurious.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Isn't the engine the same as the one in the Avensis? If so couldn't you drive that for an initial opinion. Just imagine you are in something a bit more luxurious.

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Steve, thanks - you are right and we did think about doing just that. We decided to wait for Leic Lexus to get their diesel IS in later in December rather than to drive the Avensis. We have been assured of one of the 1st testdrives.

The bottom line is that the Merc C220CDI is very agricultural, the Audi A4 (which we have now - 1.9PDI130) is an old design, but a good'n and the new 2.0TDI is noisier than the 1.9. The Beemer is fab...so as long as the Toyota derived engine sits averagely well and comparable to the VAG unit we will still buy...

I have driven 3 merc's - E220CDI, C220CDI and C270CDI and was very disappointed, yet no Motoring hack has ever commented on how rough and shameful that 2.2 Merc engine sounds...The 2.7 was not too bad, given it has 5 cylinders compared to the better balanced 4 pot on the 2.2!

The Lexus is well insulated for noise inside, and all Lexus dealers who have driven the IS220d back to back with the competetion in Monaco say the engine compares well to the BMW and new 2.0TDI VAG units (who says they're biased.... ).

So I'll trust them on this. I have been given the golden guarantee, which could mean one of two things...either they are are sure I'll love it, or they're sure I won't!

Either way, I'll post as soon as I have driven it.

PS - The Mole is right - apart from it's diesel engine, the BMW is the biggest imposter. It does not, in my view, ride that well when compared to the IS with 16" wheels. It handles well enough though.

Once you stick the SE wheels on the IS (i.e. 245/17 rear and 225/17 front), it becomes a little "hard" and fidgety at lower speeds, and does humm more for more of the time...6.5-7/10

The standard IS rides exceptionally (in my view), slight taught, but not harsh and forgiving, and corners very well 8.5-9/10.

[koshime]

you should give a call to paul butt at leics if you want to finalise the deal. Bought my lexi with him. I'm sure he'll give some great treatment as well

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

you should give a call to paul butt at leics if you want to finalise the deal. Bought my lexi with him. I'm sure he'll give some great treatment as well

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I've dealt with Christian (new kid), but John Browne dealt with most of it. They are a fantastic dealership!

I had dealt with John before when he worked elsewhere - they really know how to make you feel comfortable and valued.

I know they want the sale, but as a comparison, walk into the Leicester Audi garage, and count how many hours it takes to get someone to even notice you're there...I swear I was invisible last week when I walked in...

In the end we got the deal we wanted, or just about, and that golden guarantee clinched it!

[spwolfx]

Isn't the engine the same as the one in the Avensis? If so couldn't you drive that for an initial opinion. Just imagine you are in something a bit more luxurious.

←

Steve, thanks - you are right and we did think about doing just that. We decided to wait for Leic Lexus to get their diesel IS in later in December rather than to drive the Avensis. We have been assured of one of the 1st testdrives.

The bottom line is that the Merc C220CDI is very agricultural, the Audi A4 (which we have now - 1.9PDI130) is an old design, but a good'n and the new 2.0TDI is noisier than the 1.9. The Beemer is fab...so as long as the Toyota derived engine sits averagely well and comparable to the VAG unit we will still buy...

I have driven 3 merc's - E220CDI, C220CDI and C270CDI and was very disappointed, yet no Motoring hack has ever commented on how rough and shameful that 2.2 Merc engine sounds...The 2.7 was not too bad, given it has 5 cylinders compared to the better balanced 4 pot on the 2.2!

The Lexus is well insulated for noise inside, and all Lexus dealers who have driven the IS220d back to back with the competetion in Monaco say the engine compares well to the BMW and new 2.0TDI VAG units (who says they're biased.... ).

So I'll trust them on this. I have been given the golden guarantee, which could mean one of two things...either they are are sure I'll love it, or they're sure I won't!

Either way, I'll post as soon as I have driven it.

PS - The Mole is right - apart from it's diesel engine, the BMW is the biggest imposter. It does not, in my view, ride that well when compared to the IS with 16" wheels. It handles well enough though.

Once you stick the SE wheels on the IS (i.e. 245/17 rear and 225/17 front), it becomes a little "hard" and fidgety at lower speeds, and does humm more for more of the time...6.5-7/10

The standard IS rides exceptionally (in my view), slight taught, but not harsh and forgiving, and corners very well 8.5-9/10.

←

I wrote this earlier somewhere.

Avensis was tested vs all of the rivals (C class, 320tdi, new A4, etc), and it had the best engine - quietest, with most power. AMS (german mag) said Japanese diesel engines (Accord and Avensis) were clearly much better than German. Avensis while on the paper slightly slower than 320d, was much, much, faster in passing times than 320d.

Now, all these UK IS220d reviews poping out say IS220d is slow and loud.(most of them from bigger mags, smaller outfits say it is good engine). I find it hard to believe that IS220d has less sound absorbing material than Avensis and that they somehow managed to detune the engine to make it slower :-). It only weights a bit more, and RWD drive would help with traction.

Now, closer you read those reviews, more you wonder if they have ever been in the car. Sunday Times said IS interior was cheap and major letdown (what?). Some say ride is too harsh (ppl who drove BMW say BMW has harsher ride), etc, etc. One review said that IS220d was "much" slower than 320d (8.9 vs 8.7 sec 0-62, lol).

Seriously, until people test the car, I wont trust any of that.

Some people are scepctical about advertising motivating reviewers, but it is pretty much true. Not only that, but a lot of editors and reviewers see Lexus and Toyota as an outsider ruining the party and are very loyal to "their" favorite brands...

[pml9952]

Isn't the engine the same as the one in the Avensis? If so couldn't you drive that for an initial opinion. Just imagine you are in something a bit more luxurious.

←

Steve, thanks - you are right and we did think about doing just that. We decided to wait for Leic Lexus to get their diesel IS in later in December rather than to drive the Avensis. We have been assured of one of the 1st testdrives.

The bottom line is that the Merc C220CDI is very agricultural, the Audi A4 (which we have now - 1.9PDI130) is an old design, but a good'n and the new 2.0TDI is noisier than the 1.9. The Beemer is fab...so as long as the Toyota derived engine sits averagely well and comparable to the VAG unit we will still buy...

I have driven 3 merc's - E220CDI, C220CDI and C270CDI and was very disappointed, yet no Motoring hack has ever commented on how rough and shameful that 2.2 Merc engine sounds...The 2.7 was not too bad, given it has 5 cylinders compared to the better balanced 4 pot on the 2.2!

The Lexus is well insulated for noise inside, and all Lexus dealers who have driven the IS220d back to back with the competetion in Monaco say the engine compares well to the BMW and new 2.0TDI VAG units (who says they're biased.... ).

So I'll trust them on this. I have been given the golden guarantee, which could mean one of two things...either they are are sure I'll love it, or they're sure I won't!

Either way, I'll post as soon as I have driven it.

PS - The Mole is right - apart from it's diesel engine, the BMW is the biggest imposter. It does not, in my view, ride that well when compared to the IS with 16" wheels. It handles well enough though.

Once you stick the SE wheels on the IS (i.e. 245/17 rear and 225/17 front), it becomes a little "hard" and fidgety at lower speeds, and does humm more for more of the time...6.5-7/10

The standard IS rides exceptionally (in my view), slight taught, but not harsh and forgiving, and corners very well 8.5-9/10.

←

I wrote this earlier somewhere.

Avensis was tested vs all of the rivals (C class, 320tdi, new A4, etc), and it had the best engine - quietest, with most power. AMS (german mag) said Japanese diesel engines (Accord and Avensis) were clearly much better than German. Avensis while on the paper slightly slower than 320d, was much, much, faster in passing times than 320d.

Now, all these UK IS220d reviews poping out say IS220d is slow and loud.(most of them from bigger mags, smaller outfits say it is good engine). I find it hard to believe that IS220d has less sound absorbing material than Avensis and that they somehow managed to detune the engine to make it slower :-). It only weights a bit more, and RWD drive would help with traction.

Now, closer you read those reviews, more you wonder if they have ever been in the car. Sunday Times said IS interior was cheap and major letdown (what?). Some say ride is too harsh (ppl who drove BMW say BMW has harsher ride), etc, etc. One review said that IS220d was "much" slower than 320d (8.9 vs 8.7 sec 0-62, lol).

Seriously, until people test the car, I wont trust any of that.

Some people are scepctical about advertising motivating reviewers, but it is pretty much true. Not only that, but a lot of editors and reviewers see Lexus and Toyota as an outsider ruining the party and are very loyal to "their" favorite brands...

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[chris333]

I ordered my IS220d/non SE/with MM on Saturday for March del., but having heard that the engine is a "dog", I ensured that I will get my deposit back if the car/engine do not live up to my expectations. Leicester Lexus agreed.

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Has anybody got any photos of a base IS250 with 16in wheels. I too think that a non Se with MM is more attractive than an SE, but I would really like to see what the wheels look like.