Well enough is enough i have chopped in my IS 250 Sport (which was a replacement for a IS 250 SEL).
I'm now the proud owner of a GS 300 SEL and what a difference - no cheap looking silver coated trim, no more fighting the gearbox, no rattles from somewhere on the passenger side.

Basically i had enough of the niggles, to the point that i did'nt 'love' the car like i should.
The GS is so much more refined and smooth to drive, it also makes the interior trim of the 250 sport seem cheap.

I have driven the GS during the open days and it always impressed me; however i was taken more with the styling of the new IS and its aggressive stance.
That said the GS has slowly grown on me and i can honestly say that after 3 days of ownership i am confident that i have made the right move.
In my opinion the GS is in a much higher league than the IS.

maybe be in a higher league but i dont fancy your fuel bill....

[quote name='si' post='413176' date='Feb 3 2007, 01:49 PM']maybe be in a higher league but i dont fancy your fuel bill....[/quote]

Can't be much worse going from 2.5 to 3.0 I wouldn't have thought.

any way I hope you enjoy your car, I prefer the looks of the new GS to the IS but I just love the toys you get with the IS, I dont think you can get the full MM system in GS, am I right?

[quote name='fatpieman69' post='413193' date='Feb 3 2007, 04:39 PM'][quote name='si' post='413176' date='Feb 3 2007, 01:49 PM']
maybe be in a higher league but i dont fancy your fuel bill....[/quote]

Can't be much worse going from 2.5 to 3.0 I wouldn't have thought.

any way I hope you enjoy your car, I prefer the looks of the new GS to the IS but I just love the toys you get with the IS, I dont think you can get the full MM system in GS, am I right?
[/quote]
Good move the IS really is not up scratch !!! I am thinking of changing as well

alan

the gs is very nice but yeh the gs300 does drink alot more fuel than my 2.0 IS, my mates guzzles it, hes had to get rid it was costing him too much to run,
i hope you enjoy the experience though, they are quick

[quote name='fatpieman69' post='413193' date='Feb 3 2007, 04:39 PM'][quote name='si' post='413176' date='Feb 3 2007, 01:49 PM']
maybe be in a higher league but i dont fancy your fuel bill....[/quote]

Can't be much worse going from 2.5 to 3.0 I wouldn't have thought.

any way I hope you enjoy your car, I prefer the looks of the new GS to the IS but I just love the toys you get with the IS, I dont think you can get the full MM system in GS, am I right?
[/quote]

I agree there is an extra 500 cc - so it may be slightly more expensive.
Regarding MM - yes it does, it's an 06 GS 300 with SEL trim with the full MM system, mark levinson sound system, the works.

[quote name='richbaker' post='413153' date='Feb 3 2007, 11:28 AM']In my opinion the GS is in a much higher league than the IS.[/quote]

I already thought it was supposed to be ..... , hence the reason it costs alot more, don't forget the IS2XX is the Lexus entry model.

Think you find this is the case with other makes as well...

[quote name='Noel' post='413225' date='Feb 3 2007, 06:39 PM'][quote name='richbaker' post='413153' date='Feb 3 2007, 11:28 AM']
In my opinion the GS is in a much higher league than the IS.[/quote]

I already thought it was supposed to be ..... , hence the reason it costs alot more, don't forget the IS2XX is the Lexus entry model.

Think you find this is the case with other makes as well...
[/quote]

Noel

I take your point, however i have owned two brand new Is 250's since September 2005 both costing over 30k from the showroom.
I don't agree that the IS is an 'entry model', which at over 30k is a very expensive entry model.
The ratles, creaking seats, clunky gearbox and general issues are well recorded.
In my opinion i had enough of the IS i wanted to stay with the brand so i went for an alternative, which i am very happy with.
Do yourself a favour and lose the ..... this is just my opinion based upon some sorry experiences.

People dont buy lexus to get cheap running costs. If you can afford it then enjoy it.

[quote name='richbaker' post='413236' date='Feb 3 2007, 07:27 PM'][quote name='Noel' post='413225' date='Feb 3 2007, 06:39 PM']
[quote name='richbaker' post='413153' date='Feb 3 2007, 11:28 AM']
In my opinion the GS is in a much higher league than the IS.[/quote]

I already thought it was supposed to be ..... , hence the reason it costs alot more, don't forget the IS2XX is the Lexus entry model.

Think you find this is the case with other makes as well...
[/quote]

Noel

I take your point, however i have owned two brand new Is 250's since September 2005 both costing over 30k from the showroom.
I don't agree that the IS is an 'entry model', which at over 30k is a very expensive entry model.
The ratles, creaking seats, clunky gearbox and general issues are well recorded.
In my opinion i had enough of the IS i wanted to stay with the brand so i went for an alternative, which i am very happy with.
Do yourself a favour and lose the ..... this is just my opinion based upon some sorry experiences.
[/quote]



Hi there,

Not trying to cause an argument but the IS2xx is the "cheapest" Lexus you can get which makes it the "entry" model.... but i agree it ain't cheap and for the price should be at an expected standard...

now if the GS costs 30% more (does over here) then you must surely expect that it should be better than the IS or if it isn't then why would anybody agree to pay more for a GS in the first place?

sincerely

Nice move mate - I too love the GS - very smooth. Even JC said on Top Gear that he thought the GS (450) was a very good, comfortable car. Any compliment from JC towards a japanese car is praise indeed...

Fuel economy - well the IS250Auto is a gem in terms of economy - I seriously doubt you'll get close to it. Probably 18-20 Urban and 25 on a run. I believe it's only 500cc more, but an older unit. The GS350 (if it comes) will be at least as economical (and probably better).

I converted from the IS series to the New GS. Unfortunately, I have rejected the GS due to rattles and now awaiting for a replacement car from Lexus. The GS is now parked on the my drive way and I am having to use my wife's Corsa which is a third of of the price of the GS and RATTLE FREE.

Oh dear -

16.5 years ago I tried to reject an Astra which was dreadful. The doors wouldn't open from the inside (they had forgotten to connect the inside door handle on both passenger side doors at the factory), the gearbox went (in two months with an almighty bang) and the dash was falling off. They replaced the whole dash, but eventually found that the bodyshell was missing some anchoring points which they had to weld on, and they put them too low....

This was before any serious cust stuff around cars and when the law was otally one sided (towards the dealer). I couldn't reject it (dealer would not let me)....but they agreed to part ex it through group for another car...

In the end bought a corolla 1.3GL saloon - which we kept for 6.5 years. Not a rattle, squeak or anything for 64500 miles. Fantastically well made car, and other than servicing, tyres and a new exhaust it was perfect (in fact on same brake pads).

The point is that it was simple. The only thing it had out of the ordinary was PAS and Central locking. That's it. No satnav, complex wiring looms, CD changers etc, and it had a reliable engine and g'box.

I think these threads proov that there is a serious and significant design and build issue, where cars rolling off the same production line are so inconsistently made. Some are perfect and others aren't. Why?

I do think that Lexus have been resting on their laurels, and are about to find that once you start to lose "it", you can't stop. Look at what happened to Mercedes...fantastic bullet proof engineering - now languishing at he bottom of the Cust Sat indeces...

Lexus watch out! Sort it now...

Some of us have allowed Lexus dealers to bodge it up with foam and black cloth...but really 'cos we can't be arsked to take it further...

As the chuckle brothers would say...


"Oh dear"

"Oh dear oh dear"

Oh and the comment about entry level - surely people aren't even suggesting that an entry level car can be made cr4p? Come on - if a car costing 3 times as much as a corsa is badly made, then lets all buy a corsa (BTW - isn't a corsa the entry level VX? The last one I drove was as well made as a Vectra 3.2)...

PS - rant over - crawls back under stone

I drove the GS450h before I drove the IS220d.
Whilst the GS was obviously better in a great deal of small details,
I didn't notice anything with all the IS's I drove to suggest anything serious.
I was actually quite happy with my choice because I prefer the IS's looks.

The only things going for the GS for me were the hybrid, gearbox and the fact it hides those hideous seat ventilation controls.
Undermining the former, though, is the better economy and similar emissions of the 220d.

I think that if I found the IS unacceptable I probably would go for the GS, though.

G