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Hi this is my first post on the forum. So I've been interested in the IS since it was unveiled 2 years ago, when the 200T was announced I knew I had to have look. So on test driving an F-Sport 300H I was seriously impressed with the car so it didn't take much convincing to place an order. I settled on an F-Sport in Azure blue with black leather and electric seats with the business sat nav. I initially wanted grey with the rose leather but the azure blue one was already in build so it means a delivery just before Christmas. Very excited and cannot wait for the Lexus Experience!

So, I got to test an IS200T Sport a few days ago. I won't go into details of the styling, interior etc etc but focus mainly on the handling and driving of the vehicle. Bearing in mind, this was an IS200T "Sport" and not an F-Sport but even so, it was very well specced with the business nav and 18" black wheels for a base model. Not a fan of the black mirrors but thats another story, however I did like the grey accenting on the interior. So the drivetrain - well, its good! It feels like a small V6, probably the smoothest four cylinder Ive tested to date and its got plenty of torque for day to day driving. Fuel economy was OK - got about 28mpg but I guess I was driving it pretty hard. Handling is somewhat better than the IS300h down to less weight presumably. The only disappointments - the engine is very quiet for a sporting model. I was told no models have the intake for a throatier sound including F-Sport models and I wish it was a bit louder. But, its a Lexus so maybe thats what customers want. No AVS option on any models either which is odd too. The 8 speed transmission is good, pretty quick shifting for a conventional auto, the only problem was launching from a standstill. Unlike the 6-speed in the NX200T, the launch in the IS200T is very lazy, like its starting in 2nd gear almost all the time. I think this is the reason for the 7s 0-60 time which does feel identical to the NX. It could be much faster - 6-6.5s if it didnt take so long to get up and go from a standstill. No word of a lie, it took about 1 second to move after prodding the throttle from a standstill, something which doesn't happen when rolling. There is slight turbo lag but nothing serious, its just annoying that it takes so long to move at traffic lights when flooring it! Oh and the best bit - turn the traction off and it hits the limiter without shifting up!

Looks like the sending company didn't fill out the customs declaration correctly, or customs misread it - clearly they think the value of the goods is a lot higher than what you actually paid.

"lexus fanboys" grow up and dont be so rude. I am not a "fanboy" any more than you are. My car is an early model and definitely does not have the problem. No car manufacturer issues a recall if only a few are affected. If your car is then take it to a dealer who will fit the damper for you. Ed :megaangry:

Hankook Ventus ST on my '06 RX350 for last two years [18000miles] and liked them the moment they were fitted. They are quiet and now showing minimal wear. Remember reading tests had shown them to be better than average in the wet and slightly less good on snow. I would have to be seriously convinced of superior performance of some sort to pay any more for future tyres given that I am always prepared to pay whatever is necessary for good tyres. Bought a fifth tyre off Ebay from Germany very cheaply and it was delivered in a few days but must admit did not check the manufacturing date. When offered cheap tyres it is always worth looking at the date which appears on the side wall in a four number framed date group, month/year or week/year. The original fit tyres were changed because of hair line cracking on the tread blocks not lack of tread depth. From what I have read 5/6 years is the life of a tyre depending of course on various conditions.

Blimey, that is a long wait. :(

My RX 300 SEL UK version is permeant 4 wheel drive. I believe all UK model of RX300 is AWD. The snow function is quite good. Once it turn on, AWD become much heavier and it stands on the ground better.

I thought the Prius plug in was lithium ion

A recall is for a serious problem regarding security and/or risk, and some vibrations that the most of drivers even don't notice is not a valid reason.

Well .. Had a pleasant drive home in the rx,which is more than can be said for the train journey there (what should've been a 75 min journey took well over 3 hours!! 😡 First impressions.. Very good .. The sat nav is hopelessly out of date so will look out for a updated disc .... If that's the only problem then I'm well pleased ! Dave.

The problem with the air/fuel ratio sensors is that they can test ok, in that they respond quickly to rich/lean conditions in a relative way but their actually reading can go off a little - unless you put in a new sensor to compare results it can be difficult to be 100% confident. I'm sure your existing cats are less efficient than the new ones will be so it will improve or fix the issue, best of luck :)

I'd be more inclined to think it is the air/fuel ratio sensors (Oxygen sensors) rather than the MAF, I doubt you would see much improvement compared to your cleaned MAF. Is your air filter clean?

It could be that the upstream air/fuel ratio sensors are on their way out and running the engine slightly rich, which would increase CO levels. Have your upstream sensors been replaced recently - they don't tend to last more than 10 years so I'd be surprised if you are still on the original ones. Otherwise yes the cats are probably in need of a replacement. The downstream oxygen sensor is meant to check for cat efficiency but it is certainly possible that the cat will fail an emissions test before the check engine light comes on.