Is Is Really That Bad?

[mun35]

Hi

According to whatcar, the IS suffers from severe road noise and the ride is too stiff. Isn't Lexus supposed to be known for a comfortable, smooth ride?

http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/lexus/is-saloon/full-review/25522-2

M

[Valkirk]

Rubbish, test drove a 250 and that was very quiet and comfy - just wasn't fast enough for me so went for ISF. Now that has a stiff ride but it's still very quiet.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Utter tosh! Whatcar loves BMW and Mercedes so always slate the Jap cars especially Lexus!

[normski2]

Utter twaddle.

If it had very low profile tyres on it.. maybe.....but then that would go for any car.

Drove mine for 9 hours from Scotland to Bournemouth in one day.... never had such a lovely quiet and smooth ride!!

[jason61c]

As above, I driven most things recently as the Lexus was the best for refinement.

[ricostuart]

My F-Sport does have quite a bit of road noise (mainly due to crap roads) as it has thin profiles on. Ride is harder than normal due to the sport suspension. Thats the model that a few reviewers reviewed. Well worth it. The other models are softer but where is the fun in that? ;)

[mun35]

My F-Sport does have quite a bit of road noise (mainly due to crap roads) as it has thin profiles on. Ride is harder than normal due to the sport suspension. Thats the model that a few reviewers reviewed. Well worth it. The other models are softer but where is the fun in that? ;)

I think WhatCar reviewed at least both.

"

the steering doesn’t offer more feedback and that the pay-off for impressive control over rollercoaster roads is a stiff and unsettled feel around town and on the motorway - especially on the F-Sport models with their lower suspension."

[mun35]

Utter twaddle.

If it had very low profile tyres on it.. maybe.....but then that would go for any car.

Drove mine for 9 hours from Scotland to Bournemouth in one day.... never had such a lovely quiet and smooth ride!!

Right. Is yours an SE? How does it cope with bumps and rough roads at lower speeds?

[darkoracle]

There is a danger here that expectation does not meet the reality. I also have an IS250 and do find it a stiffer ride than my previous cars (E class). I, like many others I'm sure, expected to glide along in total silence during the test drive.

Many years ago I’d test driven a used LS400 and was really impressed, I really couldn’t tell if the engine was running or not and during the drive it was like floating on air (which it was).

The IS250 is not an LS400, nor does it have air suspension, so when making the comparison, the IS250 is a stiffer ride and not as silent as many would have you believe. Having said that it is a beautifully well made car and has less wind and road noise than many of its rivals, but there is a reason why there is a price difference between the ranges – and it’s not just to do with the engine size.

[F.A.]

My F-Sport does have quite a bit of road noise (mainly due to crap roads) as it has thin profiles on. Ride is harder than normal due to the sport suspension. Thats the model that a few reviewers reviewed. Well worth it. The other models are softer but where is the fun in that? ;)

I have just changed all four of my tyres from the OEM Bridgestone Turanza's to a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 asymmetrical 2's and found that there has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of road noise on all surfaces. The car is still not whisper quiet like an LS400 but it is a big improvement.

[MW70]

I agree having a IS250 SEL at the time I thought the review was unduly harsh.. however I agree with Dark Oracle and F.A. the suspension is a bit jiggly on rough roads (pretty much all of em' where I live) and the lower profile tyres did'nt help (Dont get me started on tyres! see my earlier comments) I re-tyred with Bridgestone Potenzas and apart from being a harder ride they were pretty noisy. When I had to change the rears (again!) I used Michelin Primacy HPs and noticed less noise. I don't have the car anymore but cost of tyres and the soso ride and to lesser extent the noise were an issue for me. (never mind rattles and economy) Great motorway cruiser but there arent any here!

I think there are lots of cars that ride/ handle better but not many feel or look so good - so I kind of miss it!

[Silver Arrow]

Utter tosh! Whatcar loves BMW and Mercedes so always slate the Jap cars especially Lexus!

Well I had the IS 220d, admitttedly an early one (2006) and one of the first registered here in the UK. Had it almost 3 years. Then went over to the Germans, and whilst I am not a fan of German cars, I have to say the BMW I had was so much better - in every respect other than the 2 obvious - equipment levels and the dodgy image.

Had the 5 series and I know it's not a direct competitor to the IS - but I did try the 3 too and it was miles ahead.

It was much more economical - the 5 series (3.0 6 Cyl diesel and Auto though it weighed the same as the IS, the 3 is good couple hundred Kilo's lighter so even better on fuel). Bigger boot, interior dull but beautifully built - no rattles at all. The overall ride quality was much better, slightly knobblier around town due to run flat tyres but much more composed on a run, superb steering feedback. Every 3 I also drove was better - and I'm aLexus fan...

So having driven them back to back, I have to say the competition is way ahead of the IS. Even the brief spells in a 3 series told me that they were much better overall to drive.

The new GS on the other hand feels much more special than any of the competition, except the Audi's (specifically the new A6 and 7), which I think are simply brilliant now. But having wanted a non-turbo Petrol car, the only option was Lexus again, and I'm glad of it. Couldn't get into a A7 2.8FSi - just none around in budget with 5 seats.

The mags on the whole slate the GS for it's emissions and economy which lets face it is pretty bad on paper - no arguments there. But it's only an issue if you do a lot of miles, or buy it as company transport. Otherwise it's stonking value, especially when you consider the equipment levels.

The biggest issues with the IS were the gearing, the gear change, the ride, road noise, flat spot to 1700rpm and economy. Pretty tight in the back too, and the boot was just too small. It spent far too long in the garage, either for rattles or fuel/EGR/5th injector issues - just plain bad.

[ColinBarber]

The IS has always been different to all the other Lexus models in terms of comfort and refinement. I've driven the IS250 a couple of times when had as a courtesy car and was slightly disappointed in the amount of road noise, certainly compared to a GS, RX or LS but I don't think it is much worse than similar sized vehicles from other manufacturers. I didn't find any issue with hard suspension, maybe just a little unsettled on uneven roads.

[Geoffers]

There is a fair amount of wind/road noise. Not much worse than simllar in its class, but certainly not quiet.

[BosniaLexus]

I drove my IS250 (06) from Vienna to Liverpool last week, almost non stop, 1200 miles, with a service due and new tyres also due. As always, it got me here -a solid stable quiet comfortable ride, with no signs of grunt or groan, and with tank averages of 43 miles per gallon, on 230 to 140 Kph, and up to 180 kmh in places (108 mph) where allowed. Solid as a rock. This a manual, not auto. In years of ownership, the spare wheel he's never been used. I passed so many BMW, French and some Italian and Merc cars on the sides of the autobahns.

What Car are industry lobbyists. They promote Landrover, BMW, vw and Audi.

They make a whole splash about new BMW and Jaguar XF, and a few years later we see that the XF has an appalling reliability record, and BMWs not too far behind with techies who do not care. They hate us. We hate them (the way they drive) and that is the way it always was, what car reviews seem to be paid adverts written by their companies, and not objective real world tests.

[briatore]

My IS is very quiet and very comfortable. I guess the guy who wrote the article had unreasonably high expectations. Sometimes the reputation can do that to a car and he was probably expecting a black matter powered starship levitating above the ground. :)

And that would be the LS. :)

[rogerthedoger]

The simple answer is NO - it is not that bad. I have compared these magazine reviews against cars I have owned or driven over the years and sometimes it is almost impossible to relate the reviews to your own experience !!

My IS250 SEL auto is now 6 years old - I bought it 2 years ago so we have covered driving in some ghastly winter conditions and some ghastly summer conditions ! - about 18K miles.

The car has had some persistent clunks when driving over [through] potholes and these dammed depressed manholes [ that UK road repairers don't seem to notice or give a damn about ], all of which are covered by comments in this forum, and road noise, which is quite loud on some of our lovely gravelly road surfaces [ modern tarmac is fine]. I changed the front Potenzas to Toyo's and that made an improvement.

I love the car --- it is an IS, which stands for Intelligent Sport, so it is meant to be a bit stiffer and firmer in its ride; cornering is great. I acknowledge that I have not driven BMW's, Mercs and the like, so I may be criticised for lack of comparators, but I think my IS is a great car to drive - fun - powerful enough for me - stable - quiet enough - smooth transmission.

A very nice car.

[michaelH]

What bad ride and noise do they mean? I chose my first IS250 auto after comparing it with two different Mercedes CLK coupes in the same price range - I liked the Mercs but preferred the IS250 overall, especially for its equipment levels. I don't recall the ride being in any way inferior and if it had been I would not have gone for it.

I bought my current IS a year or so later, after the first one was written off (while stationary) in someone else's accident. I was minded to try a BMW 320i auto coupe. Quite nice I suppose, but there was no performance advantage I could identify (should have tried a 325, perhaps?) , and the gear change was not quite as smooth. Oh, and no leather, no premium CD/DVD changer, no satnav or hands-free system, no Xenons, no reversing camera, no voice recognition, no electric seats with heaters and aircon and memory settings... A fair bit of wind noise too. Did it have keyless entry? Can't recall that, but it was ll a bit spartan. Got back in my hired GS450 (that the other guy's insurers were paying £220 a day for!) and the latter's superiority was so very obvious that I tried to buy one. But when I went back to trying a more affordable IS250 the difference in quality and ride from the GS was much less marked, so that is what I bought. You may see it (and (ahem) its 'happy Lexus owner') in Auto Express sometime very soon.

My car is now five years old but I still find that almost anyone I give a lift to comments on the quiet smoothness, nice ride and levels of luxury. That includes my younger son who drives a BMW 5 (fast armed response) for West Yorks police. Perhaps he was too used to the high speed and sirens?

Oh, and in eight years of owning one lexus or another, none have ever let me down.

You want a really dodgy ride over manhole covers and other bad surfaces? Try a smart four two with silly Brabus wheels. Yes, I confess that I own one of those too. Oh dear. But my wife loves it and it does go well on a smooth road.

[Silver Arrow]

All cars have good and bad - just seems like the mags, who have a huge amount of leverage in persuading people, concentrate on the pro's of german cars and the con's of Japanese cars. For example - the ride in any BMW currently available new is really atrocious. The steering has a lack of feel, the options are expensive etc. Mercedes have dour interiors and very bad quality - the interior is really dreadful - yet they will always beat a Lexus in a road test even though the Lexus rides and handles better - especially the new GS.

The current IS is only a good car if it's the 250 Auto. Even then it's small boot and pretty hard ride, tiny rear leg space etc are no where near as good as any of the competition - who also happen to be a lot newer in design now (A4=2008, C Class=2008, BMW3=2012).

Lexus's biggest problem however is the emissions thing - that's what stops it dominating the sales. Then you add a lack of an Auto Diesel, and all of a sudden no one wants one.

The New GS250 is a terrific car for 100% of anyone who buys the car with their own money, but over 90% of these cars are bought as company cars, and it just doesn't stack up. The 450h is terrific, but all the comparison reviews just state it's average.

These things don't help - but it means we have great, rare cars!!

[Jamalaya]

I too read many reviews before buying (and I am a hard core VW GOLF GTI owner and I think they are the best ever made ), I loved the VW Passat for its comfortable ride, economy and huge boot, but was boring to drive (I owned 2 as well and later gave them to me wife who loves them and still owns the 2007 Passat). All the reviews that I read about the IS 220D SE-L were awful or average, until I saw a "Fifth Gear" episode about it where the presenter (forgotten his name, the big guy with long curly hair) said the following in conclusion.

"It is not as fast a BMW, but much more comfortable and more reliable and loads of extras without having to pay the odds for it and much more refined and sophisticated. The BMW is for the bullies and the unsophisticated while the Lexus is for the fine gentleman".

True, almost everyday I have a beamer up my exhaust trying to prove something. I let him go cause it is dangerous to tail gate at high speed but then again they are a BMW drivers. If you get my drift (it happened just today, he was tailgating me at 100 mph. I let him go but he went no where except in front of me until I got to work). Actually, on the first day I bought the car, and while taking it home, a BMW came flying behind me, dangeorusly swerving and overtaking me on a single lane (40MPH) and when I looked at him casually he gave me the finger ME? I pulled a cigar and lit it. I am till wondering why on earth did he do this dangerous manouver?! Oh well.

I took the car for half an hour drive (always insist on driving and testing the car both at national speed and in town) along the A419.

The ride was comfortable, and it did accelerate rather well and the looks, really the looks and the colour that attracted me . The interior is exactly as I wanted it, uncluttered and straight forward. I am a driver not a typist and I hate the multitude of push buttons found on Mercs and BMWs. I wanted a compact saloon with finesse :-). Now Merc drivers are different, gentlemen too.The always give way

They say it is noisy and that baffles me. It is certainly not noisier than a passat which is considered a very fine, comfortable car albeit boring, in the trade and reviews. I drive on the M4 daily (actually I hardly drive the car in towns) and it is a joy to drive. It just glides at 80-90-100 miles an hour (every day it takes me by surprise, how effortless the car drive at those speeds, it really glides), no unnecessary noise or wind noise. That would have put me off cause I never ever drive with open windows (got beaten up once in London as they grabbed my GPS ) and I will notice these things. I have the rear mirror vibration syndrome but you know what? I got used to it and I don't notice it any more.

Review are fine but at the end it is one particular person's opinion. You have to read a lot to filter out the bad, the good and the ugly (still take it with a pinch of salt). Nothing to worry about the PROS, and the CONS, eliminate the CON that is not important to you and see what you are left with. If they outweighs the PROS then it is not for you, and move on. There is no perfect car.

Now you get bad and good dealers anywhere with any brand. However, at Lexus, after every visit I get a call asking for my experience with the service from the Lexus customer satisfaction department. The local one in Swindon are very polite, very understanding and explain everything you ask in details (specially servicing). It could be my beard as I look like a terrorist when it is not trimmed

You really ought to drive and test the car, any car, yourself and read a lot of reviews (not just one source) before deciding.

(Apology for my grammar, it is my 4th language and I am still working on it and getting old and tired :megaangry: ).

[Silver Arrow]

My IS220d had Bridgestone Potenza's on it RE050 I think. They were intermittently noisy - really noisy on grained concrete/tarmac - really quiet on billiard tabld smooth new tarmac.....Jekyl and Hyde. May be it was the early cars that were afflicted, but I have never driven a "luxury" marque that had so much road noise...

Driven on the same roads in other cars and it's like day and night. Nothing came so close.

[m44rrt]

I have just come from a BMW (albeit a Z4) to an ISC

A key point for all marques with road noise is tyre choice - the same with BMs, particularly the runflats are terrible over pot holes etc

I am waiting for my Bridgestones to wear down so that I replace them - probably with Goodyear F1 asyms

The biggest difference is the amount of noise on BMW forums about the many problems folks have with them and poor build quality for circa 1 in 5 new Z4s, the poor paint, rubbish dealers etc etc

I worry much less with a Lexus than a BMW

[Silver Arrow]

Probably true over all - the Bridgestones may have been the culprits. My IS220d was one of the first and plagued with issues. Most of the issues remained throughout it's life-cycle judging by the posts on here - so I was worried about buying a "fresh" model with the potential for teething issues.

So far I've only found a couple of issues - and neither are about build quality at all.....so it seems that Lexus isn't falling into the mire that LED to MB falling behind - thank god!

This new GS seems better built than any Lexus I've ever driven or been in before. Not a rattle or squeak in mine anywhere - what amazes me is just how few there are about still.

I hope they learnt from the issues of the current IS when designing the new one. A hybrid is a good idea, to a point, as long as it comes well priced. The new GS Hybrids start at £45k....ouch....

[jason61c]

I've a july 2006 car and dont' have a single squeak or rattle. NVH is much better than any car's in its class and the next ones up from my own investigations and test drives. Every car has a few issues, at least lexus handles them properly. Also remember that a lot of people voice issues on forums, not many go on full of praise. Look at Audi/BMW/Mercedes forum's and you'll see no end of issues.