Is250 Sport

Wicksy · February 11, 2006

Picking up the Sport in Mesa Red on March 1 - I haven't seen the Sport model so am a bit worried about the ride quality seeing as most hacks complain about the ride on 17in rims I can only imagine that the bigger wheels on the Sport could be somewhat uncomfortable - anyone out there got/driven the Sport and can comment on this?

- also what do you think of the all Alcantra interior? - I've ordered Lipari Beige (again, unseen) does it look any good?

Thanks all. :duh:

roger · February 11, 2006

Picking up the Sport in Mesa Red on March 1 - I haven't seen the Sport model so am a bit worried about the ride quality seeing as most hacks complain about the ride on 17in rims I can only imagine that the bigger wheels on the Sport could be somewhat uncomfortable - anyone out there got/driven the Sport and can comment on this?
- also what do you think of the all Alcantra interior? - I've ordered Lipari Beige (again, unseen) does it look any good?

Thanks all. :duh:

I picked up my IS 250 Sport in early Jan and still smiling ear to ear. As for the ride ........ without a doubt it is hard. This wasnt helped by the fact that the tyres were inflated to 42 PSI, only realised a week ago after I found a petrol station with a working air machine! After a quick look at the manual, noting the recommended tyre pressure 35 PSI front 38 PSI rear, I adjusted the tyre pressures appropriately and the ride was much more comfortable ....... still hard though.

As for the seat, I have the black interior throughout, and they are fine! The feel is very soft to the touch yet gripping, so my posterior firmly sits in place when I tackle my local shakane( left turn onto the A13 :winky: ).

However I prefer the old half leather/suede sweets. The Alcantra seats dont seem to have that sporty look where as the old IS200 seat stuck a fine balance between fashion and functionality.

Oh yeah, almost forgot ......... one more problem to note, going into second gear is rather tight, having to often "double clutch" it to get it in. Going to to bring it into my dealer to have them check the clutch adjustment.

Good luck with your new sports ....... you will enjoy!!

Tango · February 11, 2006

Picking up the Sport in Mesa Red on March 1 - I haven't seen the Sport model so am a bit worried about the ride quality seeing as most hacks complain about the ride on 17in rims I can only imagine that the bigger wheels on the Sport could be somewhat uncomfortable - anyone out there got/driven the Sport and can comment on this?
- also what do you think of the all Alcantra interior? - I've ordered Lipari Beige (again, unseen) does it look any good?

Thanks all. :duh:

I have driven the IS350 with the 18" rims and to be honest didn't notice a lot of difference from my own IS250 running on 17". The car definitely looks better on the wider rims though. Fills out those fat arches just right.

I followed an SE on what looked like 16" rims yesterday.... :yack:

GARY DOWNUNDER · February 11, 2006

I to have a IS250 sport with 18'' and beige interior it is a very firm ride but not uncomfortable handles a lot better that my IS300 but i would still like leather any day. :D :D

hector-uk · February 12, 2006

I test drove the IS250 Sport and SE-L, and honestly couldn't really tell a great difference between the two. Yes the Sport the ride is a little harder but apart from that it was great !!!

I have to say aswell, the 18" wheels really look excellent.

Also i didn't really like the manual, i prefer the Auto.

Nights · February 18, 2006

I test drove the IS250 Sport and SE-L, and honestly couldn't really tell a great difference between the two. Yes the Sport the ride is a little harder but apart from that it was great !!!
I have to say aswell, the 18" wheels really look excellent.

Also i didn't really like the manual, i prefer the Auto.

The ride on the 18" wheels is firmish but still compliant, similar to the E46 3 series on 17+" rims. The advantage is has over the 16 and 17 wheels of the other Lexii is that it definitely has tighter body control which is something you can notice if you're hurrying along, the car just feels more planted with less float. This point was also picked up by the reviewers in Wheels magazine here in Australia. The lowered suspension/wheel combo does look really nice though, but if you're looking for something with a soft, cushioned ride, then you may be disappointed.

With regards to the interior, I personally really love the Alcantara but I miss the seat coolers (not sure why they couldn't be included). To me, it feels a lot nicer, and definitely grips a lot better when cornering (I hate sliding around). That being said though, the pale colours don't mix well with young children, as they can be prone to getting dirtied (not unliked pale leather colours).

hector-uk · February 19, 2006

i was wanting to go for the Sports model too, however there is no Auto option here with the Sport so i settled for the SE and added 18" wheels. Although it doesn't have the lowered suspension i guess it should still look pretty good??

Anyone have 18" wheels on their SE or SE-L or have any pics??

How much do they actually lower the suspension???

Tel · February 19, 2006

As I was quoted £2700 for 18" for my IS , would you mind saying how much you have paid in-lieu of your 17"?

Tel

hector-uk · February 19, 2006

Tel, £2700 seems rather steep. I was offered the 18" wheels for £1250

Scarlet Pimpernell · February 20, 2006

How much do they actually lower the suspension???

I'm not sure that they will reduce the height on their own. You probably need a Sport suspension/spring kit to get the full low down!!

The car will look more aggressive as the wheels will appear to fill the "holes" more, especially with the extra width. It'll look awesome.

The wheels are 18", which is one more obviously and hence will raise the height of the car by 1cm...

But then the tyres are different, 225/40 and 255/45, where the 40/45 are (I believe) percentages of the tread width... and for the front this will mean 40% of 225/18 as opposed to 45% of 225/17... :duh: and likewise for the rears...? WIM may be able to confirm, but that's how I always viewed it.

You need an algorithm to work this out, but I reckon a gut feel is that they are likely to be similar both from a circumference and actual ride height of the car perspective? The differences will be minimal. And this is important from a MPH/Speedo etc perspective...

WIM may know more...

tyrrp · February 20, 2006

How much do they actually lower the suspension???

I'm not sure that they will reduce the height on their own. You probably need a Sport suspension/spring kit to get the full low down!!

The car will look more aggressive as the wheels will appear to fill the "holes" more, especially with the extra width. It'll look awesome.

The wheels are 18", which is one more obviously and hence will raise the height of the car by 1cm...

But then the tyres are different, 225/40 and 255/45, where the 40/45 are (I believe) percentages of the tread width... and for the front this will mean 40% of 225/18 as opposed to 45% of 225/17... :duh: and likewise for the rears...? WIM may be able to confirm, but that's how I always viewed it.

You need an algorithm to work this out, but I reckon a gut feel is that they are likely to be similar both from a circumference and actual ride height of the car perspective? The differences will be minimal. And this is important from a MPH/Speedo etc perspective...

WIM may know more...

Simple. Increase the wheel size, reduce the tire wall size. Circumference/Diameter must remain the same so as not to affect the speedo.

Shorter tire wall = less air between the tire and the wheel so less cushioning.

rap03 · February 21, 2006

Simply put Tyrrp and totally correct.

The Australian options have the Prestege (Base model) and the Sports Luxury with 17inch wheels and 55 profile tyres.

The Sports only comes with 18 inch and 45 profile tyres. Hence, no difference in actual distance covered for one rotation of the wheels.

There has been discussions at the dealers to offer the 18inch wheels as an after delivery optional extra, but then they/you would be stuck with the 17inch wheels. The factory are telling the Australian dealers that they can't offer them as a pre-build option and hence lesser price.

Maybe you guys over in the UK can get a better deal as the dealers would be buying more than the Australian dealers.

Ha55anx. In Australia, they do offer the Sports with either Manual or Auto gearbox. So try again for the auto if you want it. Again, the Prestege comes in both Manual and Auto, the Sports in both and the Sports Luxury only with Auto. The SL has the adaptive cruise and hence will only be on the Auto.

IS250 Sports lover. :D

GARY DOWNUNDER · February 21, 2006

Simply put Tyrrp and totally correct.
The Australian options have the Prestege (Base model) and the Sports Luxury with 17inch wheels and 55 profile tyres.

The Sports only comes with 18 inch and 45 profile tyres. Hence, no difference in actual distance covered for one rotation of the wheels.

There has been discussions at the dealers to offer the 18inch wheels as an after delivery optional extra, but then they/you would be stuck with the 17inch wheels. The factory are telling the Australian dealers that they can't offer them as a pre-build option and hence lesser price.

Maybe you guys over in the UK can get a better deal as the dealers would be buying more than the Australian dealers.

Ha55anx. In Australia, they do offer the Sports with either Manual or Auto gearbox. So try again for the auto if you want it. Again, the Prestege comes in both Manual and Auto, the Sports in both and the Sports Luxury only with Auto. The SL has the adaptive cruise and hence will only be on the Auto.

IS250 Sports lover. :D

rap03 you just made a little error on the profile of the 18''wheels their 40 profile tyres one guy paid almost $5000 for 18'' wheels for his luxury instead of 17''.

hector-uk · February 21, 2006

rap03 thanks for the Info, however unfortunately here in the UK i was told the Auto option will definitely NOT be an option for the Sport, strange i know but thats why i went for the SE.

TonyDownunder · February 21, 2006

rap03 thanks for the Info, however unfortunately here in the UK i was told the Auto option will definitely NOT be an option for the Sport, strange i know but thats why i went for the SE.

I don't know the %, but in Aus auto is far more common than manual by a big margin. It seems exactly the reverse in UK. I notice this each year on my annual visit to my sister in Worthing when I have to pay extra to hire an auto car. When I was learning to drive in the UK, an auto box was an expensive add-on, usually only on cars 2.0L and above and the fuel consumption was always higher on auto.

The auto technology has improved and costs and consumption are down and yet it is still not as widespread in the UK as some other places - anyone know why? If this is off-topic, perhaps an admin could move it to a separate thread - thanks.

rap03 · February 22, 2006

Thanks Gary.

Yep, they are 40 profile. The other thing about the Sports model and the wheels/tyres is that the Prestige (and top of the line Sports Luxury) come with 205x55s all round where the Sports comes with 225x40s on the front and 255x40s on the back, so a lot more rubber on the ground to help with that cornering and ride.

TonyDownunder · February 22, 2006

Thanks Gary.
Yep, they are 40 profile. The other thing about the Sports model and the wheels/tyres is that the Prestige (and top of the line Sports Luxury) come with 205x55s all round where the Sports comes with 225x40s on the front and 255x40s on the back, so a lot more rubber on the ground to help with that cornering and ride.

Hi rap03

Your info is not quite correct. The Sports Luxury has staggered Front: 225/45 R17 and Rear: 245/45 R17. Only the Prestige has the same front and rear on 50s.