Have finally taken delivery of my IS250 se-l auto... and it is more beautiful than I remember seeing in the show room!!!

so what little differences? well they have slightly changed the pockets behind the front seats (they are soft pockets)... they have changed the sill lights from blue to white... there is updated map software... and I'm not sure if this was previously available (but have seen many posts about the lack of auto lock when past a certain speed) well now the doors do lock when past 5 or 10mph.


anyway it's so shiny and new I have to go out and look at it again... even though its night time!!!

anyway it's so shiny and new I have to go out and look at it again... even though its night time!!!

Get your camera out. Just in time for the photo comp. Well pleased for you.....Enjoy.

Cool! I wonder if the mod can be retro-fitted.

Enjoy the car

I bet it can't (BUT I LIVE IN HOPE)....I even wrote to LGB about this - they never told me it would come on the new IS....they just said it was now on the LS460 and it will be considered for future models...well here it is!

Just goes to show - never buy a new model in it's first year....

Anyway - Kit77 - welll done and enjoy...we need pictures!! You did the right thing by waiting. Hopefully it'll be as perfect as it should be.

Sounds a nice lexus you have matey enjoy and dont forget your pic's.

Sounds like a nice motor. Looking forward to pics

Just out of interest, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what all the hoohaa is about the auto lock thing Why is it so important? Does it unlock again below 5mph? or stay locked once they lock like an anti-hijack type thing to stop folk opening the doors from the outside when sat at the lights or in traffic?

The auto locking is a nice feature to prevent, as you mentioned, car jacking. It stays locked until you unlock the doors again manually or by the electric all unlock button

what photo comp?

Does the car auto unlock when you put it into P, or do you have to manually unlock?
Enjoy the new wheels.

doesn't auto unlock... but then again still safer that way I guess.

Shouldnt be a problem for old IS owners as we're used to having to press the lock button after getting in!

Enjoy the new motor mate, and as per everyone else posts... Pics please!

I'm picking up mine on Saturday so revel with ya!

nice stuff. wonder what other "hidden" updates there are that are not visual. think one that i want most is the updated map software. like the sill lights in blue

Have seen the new seat design, a great improvement, gives more rear leg and foot room.
Was also pleased to hear about auto-lock, it's a feature on many cars these days and having had it I would pay for it as an option if it were availlable. As nobody else so far seems to know about it I e-mailed Lexus GB for clarification. Their reply was as follows,

"Thank you for contacting Lexus GB
I can confirm that the Lexus IS 250 does not have an auto lock feature. However I can confirm to you that the vehicle does have a button on the interior driver door, that when pushed will lock all the doors in vehicle".

Not doubting what you are saying, perhaps it's a case of the pigeon from Japan stopping off to see it's mates on the way over?

Some dusk shots of the new car... will wait for a nice day to take the sunlight ones... went for the windsor blue and really happy with it.

get some interior pics of the sill lights and the back seat pocket. glad ur happy with it

Looking good!

Nice they've finally added the autolock, it's about time, hopefully they'll soon make the doors unlock when you pull the handle as well!

I see Edgware Road on your plates, did you deal with AJ by any chance?

the drivers door does unlock when you pull the handle. the others don't.

it wasn't AJ (but my brother in law got his RX from him) I dealt with Antonio (who coincidently sold my dad his s-class a couple of years ago when he worked for Mercedes - weird huh)

Well I guess that's a start at least! Not sure why they're so overprotective, surely you'll stick the child lock on if you've got kids in the car..........

Yeah its bizarre how car salesmen move around, we bought a Golf years ago in 1990, and then bought a Renault from the same guy in 1998 and apparently he'd had other moves about in between!

Hve fun with the new car!

interior images (well tried to get the sill light but difficult with a compact digital)

im sure i read somewhere that the new seat pockets were made to offer more legroom at the back..how would that make a difference? does it kit77..i guess you would know do you know of any other changes? hidden/unhidden?

All the doors unlock when I put my hand on the drivers door handle on mine...

I was actually talking about opening the doors from the inside when the doors are locked.......

new DVD-map (and four disks to cover different regions of europe) RDS-TMC (don't know if that was there before) so the traffic reports come to the sat-nav and can help with re-routing if you want.

as for the seat pockets... i think getting rid of the hard plastic has added all of 1 inch to the rear leg room, softer on the shins when they touch the seat... but i sit in the drivers seat so I don't really know

Ahhh, I see!

That is a bit annoying for me too... I lock the doors from inside using the button... When I park up I get out (drivers door unlocks automatically when you pull the handle) and go to open the rear door to grab my suit jacket and its a no go as that door is still locked!

Gotta remeber to use the button to unlock the doors again before I get out!

Its great that this is the only niggle / annoyance I have!

I do exactly the same. I think I can count on the fingers of one hane the number of times I've remembered to press the button at the end of a journey. It drives me mad.

With the auto locking feature (anti hijack) you can program it so the doors also unlock when the car is put into park. this will unlock all the doors. there is also a way of making just the drivers door.

You all may be interested to know that I have my manual IS220 programmed by Lexus to unlock all doors when I pull the driver's inside door handle. They had some problems initially with my request, but finally found the menu on their hand-held computer. The unlocking has to be done within 10 secs of putting off the engine, rather silly, but better than nothing!

DrOoi

I can configure the door locking on my IS250 SE using a combination of Shift level position (P and N) and pressing the driver's door lock switch for 5 seconds. It's all explained on pages 47 and 48 of the manual.

The auto door locking feature when the car reaches about 12mph is now enabled by default on new ISs. I live out in the sticks and found it unecessary, so I disabled it.

You can tailor the auto lock/unlock function, you can have the car lock at 12mph or whan the car is taken out of park, and then auto unlock when the drivers door is opened or when the car is placed back into park. Easy to do just read the manual, it involves holding the lock / unlock button whilst the car is in either park or neutral dependent on what you want the car to do. Its very long winded to explain, but its in the owners manual. I've just had to change all our RX400h service loan cars to do it when placed into park, cos we had customers who thought they were locked in permanently!! great sales ploy, cant let you out till you buy one!! ha ha

just have given my car in for a service..and got a 57 plate is250 se-l..just some differences i noticed..the power steering seems more stiffer..not as light as the previous models...(i've got a 56 plate).also the air vents seems to be of better quality n not so flimsy and it also seems much quieter..might be due to it having the toyo proxes r32 (t1-rs??) tyres as opposed to the bridgstones i've got on mine..other things think already mentioned were the rear seat pockets, the scuff plate lights, and also the updated 07-08 dvd for satnav..any one else know of any others that have driven different year models?

Awaiting my new one, just a pity that the Lexus dealers do not know their products or new features well, I have seen new 2008 models with an Shark-Fin type GPS antenna on the rear part of the roof similar to the new Mercedes and BMW that supposed to improve GPS positioning and satellite detection, but seems this may only be on models for certain countries.
No Lexus dealers know what is coming and when, "great Pity".
To check this feature out at edmunds.com

Enjoy your lovely car - Better that any equivalent Merc or BM

i must say i like this "updated" version..at some times the steering seems much better..like when u go over uneven surfaces it sticks to its position more..the wheel moves less. and the quietness is nice too...just dont know if its coz its of the tyres..or they've upgraded something internally..? Another strange thing is when i've got the air circulation on and set it to just blow like by the footwells after a certain time it changes to blow to the face level etc. The ac isn't on neither are any auto switches?

got my car back today..can confirm the air vents are less flimsy on the new model i had. much stiffer n better. guess they realised and changed the production of them. the hid's seem to be more efficient too.. gonna stop writing now..seems im only one commenting.