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On Sun, 28 May 2006 04:40:00 -0500, "Mark Klebanoff"
<maxikins@os2bbs.com> wrote:
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>On Sun, 28 May 2006 05:48:12 UTC, Viperkiller <nothing@nothing.net>
>wrote:
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>> On 27 May 2006 17:56:27 -0700, "Built_Well"
>> <Built_Well_Toyota@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>> >I really love my Camry, but occasionally I get buyer's remorse and
>> >think I shoulda dropped an extra 10k for the intro Lexus IS 250 or
>> >ES 330. Would anyone know if these '06 Lexus models were selling at
>> >invoice (or perhaps under invoice) like the '06 Camry was last year?
>> >[/color][/color]
>
>At least in the previous generation, the IS was a completely different
>car from the ES, and I can't imagine there was much overlap in the
>people who bought them. The ES is a very nice car, but it stresses
>comfort, and even Consumer Reports notes that nobody could call it
>very sporty or fun to drive. The IS, otoh, was deliberatey and
>proudly "rough around the edges." Its interior and exterior styling
>were from the "in your face" school. It was very fast, and very
>nimble, but it was tight inside, had a miniscule trunk, and had a
>fairly stiff ride. It had rear-wheel drive and (most shipped) with
>17" Z or W-rated performance tires that stuck like glue but wore out
>quickly and were actually dangerous in snow. The ES was competing
>with the C-class Mercedes while the IS competed with the 3-series BMW.
>
>My sense is that for better or worse, Lexus filed down most of the
>rough edges in the current IS250-350. The styling is still somewhat
>more aggressive than the normal Lexus, but this time the car is based
>on a shortened GS chassis, rather than its own chassis. As a result,
>the ride is smoother, but interestingly, although Consumer Reports
>gave the IS250 its nod as the best car in its class (including the new
>3-Series, the Saab, and others), they also noted that it's no longer
>very sporty.
>
>However the IS300 had Toyota's venerable 3-liter straight six which
>goes back to the Supra in the early 80s. It was heavy (cast iron
>block), and used a lot of gas, although allegedly it took to
>turbocharging very well, and was easy to soup up to put out 400-600 hp
>from its stock 215 in the IS (and 220 in the GS, since the GS had room
>under the hood to install dual exhausts). The current IS has a
>new-design 3.5 liter V-6, which puts out nearly 100 hp more than the
>old IS did, and actually manages to get better mileage. So while the
>new IS350 isn't sporty, it certainly is fast.
>
>Personally, I like a "driver's car" and don't mind that my 02 manual
>tranny IS is a bit rough around the edges. In fact, I like it.
>Unfortunately, Toyota, even when they set out to build a sporty car,
>seems unable or unwilling to assemble anything other than marshmellows
>on wheels. If I had to replace the IS today I don't know what I'd do,
>since you can't get a stick shift in the 350, and I think the car's[/color]


I just don't get that. Why not offer a sport-package with a 6 speed
manual on the IS350 ? I think they are missing out on many potential
buyers. I testdrove the is250 because I want a manual and I thought it
was a dog and way too mushy. I do like the looks a lot better than the
is300.
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>too soft anyway. I might consider the 3-series BMW, but their
>reliability doesn't even come within artillery range of a Toyota's,
>and their current styling is even uglier than the IS. So I've
>resolved to keep my IS300 until the wheels fall off, or at least until
>someone comes up with a car that is reliable, sporty, and doesn't look
>like it was designed by either a committee or someone who's spent
>their entire life watching anime cartoons.[/color]