None.
I wanted a car that had a quality reputation, prestige marque and wasn't too common.
The Lexus was an unexpected choice, but definitely the correct one. This car is more fun than my Merc, better spec'd than it's BMW, Mercedes and Audi bed fellows and better value than all three. I would never believe I would enjoy an automatic so much, but I am now a convert - what a ride!
To those who bang on about the Lexus being 'underpowered' I would venture the IS200 has more than enough - perhaps what you really mean is you've not quite worked the boy racer out of your system yet!
The straight six sounds lovely at speed and the ride, though perky, never fails to impress.
The Lexus dealership in Hatfield, Herts gets ten out of ten from me. A knowledgeable, attentive and professional team made a real difference to the whole buying experience and so far have been able to quickly deal with any concerns I have had - excellent.
That's cool.=)
But the thing is, for the same price for a is200, you can get an is300 in America which has a 3 litre engine. Sure it's cheap against BMWs of the same class with its award winning interior and sound system, but why do Americans get the better of it?
No offence Americans =)
I have driven all of the three Lexus IS series available here in Australia, the IS 200 manual & automatic, & the IS300 automatic.
In my opinion, the IS200 automatic is grossly underpowered, showing me a 0-100km/h time of 13.84 seconds when I measured it against the stopwatch with the transmission in Power mode. I have never driven a car so slow for the amount of outright roadholding & neutral handling this vehicle has to offer!
The manual IS200 is a better choice. I have timed this version from 0-100km/h in 10.13 seconds. It is easy to drive with this six speed manual gearbox, even in spite of the clutch engagement not being the smoothest. The gear ratios are very closely stacked-at 100km/h in 6th gear the engine is showing 3200rpm, in 5th gear the engine speed is 3500rpm. The other gears are very short as well-they need to be in order to try & capitalise on the middling to high rev range torque-not a really tall order as the gearshift quality is very precise & baulk free.
The IS300 is the ultimate choice. I have timed this vehicle from 0-100km/h in 9 seconds flat. This version is only available in 5 speed automatic guise, with E shift- a function that allows you to shift gear ratios up or down on both left & right hand spokes of the steering wheel. This version has the power to capitalise on its chassis & make it truly throttle steerable.
Downsides to all IS series Lexus? The interior design & detail is far too fussy, with so many elements that clash, although the interior is well built.
I would say that the IS series Lexus is nearly as good as an equivalent 3 Series BMW, the interior the only issue stopping it from being directly equal to its German rival.
This has been a dream car to me for along time. I can't believe they come in various specs. In-line four, as I see it, is the faster of the available models. It has so much potential. With a little modification combined with aftermarket parts, she kicks major butt. I would recommend this car to anyone. "Better performance for a better price." What else would you get?
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