giorgoXXI

Tax is around £90 more expensive per year than the standard 220d. However if you get a new one (facelift version), apparently the CO2 emissions have dropped considerably in the Sport version (so has the final gear ratio) and it will be the same as the standard model (can't confirm this). Economy in town is around 30-32 mpg, and 42-44 mpg on the motorway. The Co2 will be 264g/km on the 2009 model, I believe on all variants. Current Models 220d 220dSport Urban (mpg/l/100km) 35.8/7.9 29.7/9.5 Extra urban (mpg/l/100km) 52.3/5.4 45.6/6.2 Combined (mpg/l/100km) 44.8/6.3 38.2/7.4 CO2 Combined (g/km) 168 195 The figures say one thing, but you HAVE TO drive them to appreciate the differences for yourself... 264? Do you mean 164? I am pretty sure I read a brochure that said the Sport version will still have higher CO2 emissions as usual, but much lower than the current one. Basically I think they tweaked the gearbox again to improve economy, seeing that the Sport version was never an option as a company car due to excessive tax.

Apologies then... it seems the noise its not normal. The thing is all the 220d SE courtesy cars I've taken have had that noise. I don't hear it in mine because the electric steering wheel already makes plenty of noise while coming out when starting, so I thought it was normal on models without the electric steering wheel.

Tax is around £90 more expensive per year than the standard 220d. However if you get a new one (facelift version), apparently the CO2 emissions have dropped considerably in the Sport version (so has the final gear ratio) and it will be the same as the standard model (can't confirm this). Economy in town is around 30-32 mpg, and 42-44 mpg on the motorway.

With the diesel, you don't feel like you're thrashing it's horlicks off all the time... In the 250 Auto, it can take some time before you hit 4000rpm, having floored the pedal, waited for it to decide what gear you need etc etc. unless you drive it at high revs all of the time...which means manual flappy paddle mode to get control....then the flappy gearchanges aren't quick enough and it ruins the enjoyment.... the manual 250 just feels lethargic, unless you keep at 4250+RPM...then it feels quick enough... In the diesel, you just squeeze the pedal and as long as you start at over 1850rpm in 2-4, the power just comes in a silky surge...you don't have to floor it like you do in the 250Auto to get anywhere...and you don't have to change cogs... Also, in the diesel, if you try doing this at revs lower than 1700 you can at times get nothing..zippo...no go at all...and at roundabouts in the rush hour it is almost dangerous...the boost is either on or off... You have to keep the revs up and drop the clutch. Towards the end I was doing that at busy intersections, and my clutch was starting to judder when warm...it couldn't take it...only after 20k on the clock... Like I've said, these are not performance saloons - they need to be driven with a gentle style, in which case the 250A wins - it's a proper Lexus... Just to add that in the Sport version you rarely fall under the 1700 rpm mark when changing gears sensibly... so the turbo lag is minimized.

Sorry, if I seem to have upset you. It was a very brief drive anyway(15mins in 250, and 15 mins in diesel).Although both my current cars are petrol, I'm predominately a diesel fan(previously owned Merc 300TD, Volvo XC90, Audi 4.0TDI,BMW 530d), I currently have a budget of upto £25k, so choosing a Lexus is a no brainer ( the percieved quality and reliability of Lexus), having driven both cars back to back, the diesel was my choice, but now having read various member's posts, you can imagine my disappointment with the below par economy and reliability of 220d. I'll be asking the dealer for an extended test drive in the 250...so watch this space LOL - no of course you haven't upset me. My point is that if someone is used to the rather abrupt power delivery of the IS220d that comes in at 2000rpm and then stops at 4000rpm, the petrol model is going to feel different. However, the IS250 has 204bhp and certainly not short of power but the maximum power is delivered after 4000rpm when the variable valve timing comes into its own. The engine is beautifully smooth and will rev easily past the red line without seeming stressed. You put the car into Sport and use the shifters to keep the revs up and the whole character of the car changes - it feels much faster. I agree, but it also means that you need to work the engine much harder to get any decent power (or rely on the kickdown). In the diesel however you could be driving normally and if you require power to overtake all you do is put your foot down and the power delivery is almost instant. I was honestly quite dissapointed with the engine of the IS250 (in terms of performance, cause it was excellent when it came to refinement and smoothness). Not quite sure how the engine in the petrol is working harder. I had a diesel 220d and was constantly coming up to the rev limiter at only 4500 rpm. I never need to go near the rev limiter in the petrol. I think I know which one is less stressed. What I meant is that, under normal driving conditions, you are never nowhere near the 4000 rpm mark. Therefore if you require suddenly a boost in acceleration, either you wait for the RPM to climb to 4000 or you use the kickdown. On a diesel, you normally drive at 1500 RPM, and if you require that boost then all you do is put your foot down and almost instantly you are within the optimum powerband.

Sorry, if I seem to have upset you. It was a very brief drive anyway(15mins in 250, and 15 mins in diesel).Although both my current cars are petrol, I'm predominately a diesel fan(previously owned Merc 300TD, Volvo XC90, Audi 4.0TDI,BMW 530d), I currently have a budget of upto £25k, so choosing a Lexus is a no brainer ( the percieved quality and reliability of Lexus), having driven both cars back to back, the diesel was my choice, but now having read various member's posts, you can imagine my disappointment with the below par economy and reliability of 220d. I'll be asking the dealer for an extended test drive in the 250...so watch this space LOL - no of course you haven't upset me. My point is that if someone is used to the rather abrupt power delivery of the IS220d that comes in at 2000rpm and then stops at 4000rpm, the petrol model is going to feel different. However, the IS250 has 204bhp and certainly not short of power but the maximum power is delivered after 4000rpm when the variable valve timing comes into its own. The engine is beautifully smooth and will rev easily past the red line without seeming stressed. You put the car into Sport and use the shifters to keep the revs up and the whole character of the car changes - it feels much faster. I agree, but it also means that you need to work the engine much harder to get any decent power (or rely on the kickdown). In the diesel however you could be driving normally and if you require power to overtake all you do is put your foot down and the power delivery is almost instant. I was honestly quite dissapointed with the engine of the IS250 (in terms of performance, cause it was excellent when it came to refinement and smoothness).

The IPod cable is a normal 3.5 mm jack cable (male on both ends). You can buy it from anywhere. Note that while having this connected and charging your ipod in the car there is going to be an annoying buzz in the background... thats why I don't use the IPod in the car. The 'ratching' noise is normal.

Never had that vibration problem. Did this happen while the engine was warming up (i.e. when it's idling above the 1K mark)? You have 8 months of manufacturers warranty left, so I suggest you make the most of it. Manufacturers warranty will cover just about everything, especially when it comes to a problem related with the engine. If you ever get the vibration note down the conditions (weather, temp, driving speed etc) and then take it to the Lexus dealer so they can take a look.

It's hard to tell, anything could have gone wrong with the parking sensors. If sensors need to be replaced then it could be quite pricey because of labour costs. By the way, what's your opinion of the car after the test drive? My opinion is... I bought it. Dealer is going to put a full years tax on it, a full valet, full service, fix parking sensors, 4 new tyres, new rear brake pads. It's July 2006, 23k miles, and I got, I think, a great deal on it. Traded in my 2001 3 series, and paid £9500 According to parkers price guide, I should have been paying £12,335! (at least - my BMW actually had 93k on it) Does that sound like a good deal to everyone? Looks like a good deal to me. Congratulations on your new car! I'm sure you will love it.

It's hard to tell, anything could have gone wrong with the parking sensors. If sensors need to be replaced then it could be quite pricey because of labour costs. By the way, what's your opinion of the car after the test drive?

Hmm.. so this is how an IS hatchback would look like:

I use the Edgware dealership. Sales good, servicing not so good. By the way, even though it has been opened for a couple of months, tommorow is the open ceremony for the new Edgware showroom.

The complaints around the 220D are mainly to do with the 5th injector (fixed by recall) and gear ratios (in non-Sport models). Otherwise I find both models to share the same advantages and disadvantages (especially the interior rattles that are common on both the 250 and the 220D).

I drive the 220D Sport model (08) and here are my views: 1. Great car so far. It looks really good (to me and to others), handling is good and performance is good as well. The only downside are some dashboard rattles that appear sometimes in cold weather, although they are not a major issue, especially with the superb sound system. 2. Servicing is around £220 a year which isn't bad. I have a servicing plan, and pay for 3 years servicing in monthly installments at 0% interest. 3. The Sport version will do around 31 mpg around town (as advertised "urban"). On the motorway expect low to mid 40's. 4. The Sport model comes with parking sensors installed, you need to activate it using the satellite button under the steering wheel. 5. Metal pedals are only installed in the Sport model. 6. No faults so far, just as I mentioned minor rattles. 7. Tax is high for the Sport version, but not much of a difference if you take into account it's an annual fee (unless you are referring to company car tax in which case I wouldn't know). Insurance for the Lexus IS is generally quite low compared to other premium brands. Try esure. 8. The Sport model is imo the one to go for, because the gearing ratios are better. 6th gear is usable at just under 60 mph, and you feel less turbo lag. Just one note, I'm not sure if you have mentioned if it has the Multimedia option or not. If it doesn't, then I would stay away from it. The MM just makes the car so much better.

Had that as well... gear stick was replaced under warranty.

Edited

I was watching Auto Trader (the TV program) the other day, and this guy wanted to buy a saloon/exec car for under 20K (used). The salesman gave him three options to test drive: the old top of the range Mondeo ST; the BMW 320d and the Lexus 220d. He discarded the Mondeo immediately due to the badge, and after deliberating between the BMW and the Lexus (and a couple of test drives), he finally chose the Lexus. My point is, being the BMW on paper supposedly so superior than the Lexus, why did he choose the Lexus? Moreover, why do customers keep buying the diesel version? Why doees the IS220D outsells the 250 in the UK? Personally, I had a 250 SE-L Auto for 5 days as a courtesy car. Loved the quietness and refinement of the engine, but honestly couldn't wait to go back to my 220D Sport. The combination of a heavy car, with very little low end torque and an automatic box makes it a very dull car to drive, comfortable, but dull. The car feels really slow under normal driving conditions, you have to make the engine work hard to get any decent performance, quite the opposite from a diesel engine. Maybe the manual version of the 250 is more entertaining to drive, but then that gets taxed at the highest rate (+£400) per year. On top of that at 22 mpg it was far from economical to run. At the end of the day it comes down to a matter of needs and choice, and for some the 220D still makes a lot of sense.

There is a "Screen Settings" option, I think alongside where the telephone option is. Inside that option you can choose not to flip back to the sat nav automatically.

I can see they have managed to reduce the CO2 emissions on the 220D Sport considerably (from 195 to 179), and it has fallen off a level in the car tax charges, which basically means a saving of around £60 a year in tax. Moreover, the final drive ratio has been changed again for the 220D Sport, which might improve the gearing (or perhaps they have made the ratios in the Sport longer to reduce the CO2 emissions?).

For the first few hundred miles I thought the gearbox was pretty bad, it was hard getting it into 1st and 2nd gear. So I went back to the delearship and told them about it. Apparently they changed the "settings" on the gearbox (no new parts), and since then gradually felt an improvement and now I don't have any complaints about it. 1st and 2nd are OK, while 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th gears are really smooth. I definately agree the gearing is better on the Sport, it helps to cover up the turbo lag. But on the non-Sport versions I found you can minimize the turbo lag by changing your driving style. Unfortunately for the non-Sport versions the 6th gear problem is still there (only usable above national limit speeds). I agree on fuel economy it not as good compared to the competition, but then again, im getting almost exactly the fuel economy that is advertised, so can't complain about that (I knew what I was getting into). The 250 on the same route does -10 mpg compared to the 220D, which on the miles I do every year (not much), saves me £500 a year on top of the intial saving on the car (the 220D is cheaper). Plus if I were to go for the manual 250 (hate auto boxes), I would be paying the highest car tax amount.

It's a great car, don't worry. Most complaints in this forum are for older 220D's (pre 57 plate I would say), new ones like mine don't have any problems (so far). If yours is a non-Sport version, it will take you some time to get used to the long gear ratios. I had a courtesy 220D non-Sport for a few days, and at the beginning it felt weird, but after a few miles you get used to it, you just need to change your driving style. You will also feel the gearbox is not very comfortable at the beginning, but after you do a couple of thousands of miles it improves a lot, and so does fuel economy (in my case at least).

I had a 250 recently as a courtesy car and I agree with you, the lack of low-end torque makes it feel slower than the 220D. However when you set it Sport and using the paddel shift you can drive quite fast, but I wouldn't see myself using the Sport mode very offen (plus the MPG drops substantially when in Sport mode, obviously). The only main advantage I saw on the 250 was the quietness of the engine at idle and low speeds.

It is somewhere in the manual. I think it cleans the fuel system (or the injectors not sure) and yes it only applies to diesel cars. It should only be used under certain circumstances and there is a procedure to follow which is explained in the manual.

The fact that your interior mirror stopped vibrating could mean your sub-woofer is not working. Mine broke after a few months using it, so they replaced it under warranty. You can check easily if you put on a track with a lot of bass and then go to the boot see if it is vibrating. Otherwise check each individual speaker in the doors. It might me just a loose connection when they put the dash back together.

I have the 220D Sport version, and it is very good. You get loads of toys, the engine is good and the car looks great. Main drawbacks are fuel consumption (on the Sport version combined MPG drops to 38), emissions (on the Sport version goes up to 195) and the gearbox which is not as comfortable as you would expect. The Sport version has a revised gear ratio, which eliminates a lot of the turbo lag in the engine, so imho it is better. The non-Sport versions are good as well, however I would go at least for the SE version with the Multimedia Pack. The gear ratios in the non-Sport versions are slightly akward, but you can easily get used to them. There are no folding rear seats, and boot is small (380 litres I think). If you buy a new 220D now you won't suffer from the recalls and 5th injector problems.