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Hi all,

I'm new the world of Lexus....I acquired mine about a 1 and a half a go. Being a newbie I thought I would share my thoughts with the veterans and more importantly with those considering buying a lexus.

Whilst in the process of acquiring the Lexus I read some reviews and whilst most were positive some were on the negative side and this left me a tad anxious, but I was limited for choice. My brother has a new A4, so I couldn't get that and I didn't like the BMW in terms of looks and also the image that now has gained...so Lexus it was....and guess was....I was amazingly surprised!!

I driven the Audi regularly and the BMW and I can honestly say I prefer the Lexus. All these comments by journalists such as...

1) Gear ratio is too high so can feel sluggish....

Nonsense!!

The power band for the lexus is between 2000 and 4000 rpm, the turbo seems to kick in just before 2000 revs. So it's quite easy to rev the car in first and hit the 2000 rpms within millisecs...

Secondly, when changing gears all you have to do is change gear above 3,500 revs and the next gear will come in at about 2000 rpms, ie within the power bad and you still have that transfer of power!!

The only time you may need a sruge of power and might not have it is if your driving 5th or 6th well below 2000rpms and need to accelrate, in this instance you just change down.

If you drive the car as above the car is NOT sluggish at all!! I had a celica GT before and this feels faster within the power band and is definantely faster than my brothers 2.0 petrol Audi.

2) Drive is jittery....

Nonsense

The drive is just different. It is as solid as an Audi or a BMW. The only difference is the feedback in the steering. Granted the Audi and BMW has better feedback ie you can feel the road and the turns through your steering wheel whereas with a Lexus you can't...but isn't that a matter of personal opinion. Some people, prefer a more refined drive and may not want to be as engaged with the car that they feel every bump, turn and road service.

In summary the Lexus is a beautiful machine to look at and to sit in. It is the only car from the 3 that every time I look at it I have a smile on my face. The metallic black is truly beautiful!!

I sat in my brother's Audi after a week of Lexus and it felt cheap and old!!

So guys...remember when you taking this car for a test drive please remember the above....drive the car knowing that the power band is within 2000 - 4000 revs and change gears accordingly, once you have this mastered (easily enough) you will thoroughly enjoy the drive!!

Anyway that's my rant / opinion...I was just tired of reading Journalist opinions that were way way off the mark!!

Finally...a question for you veterans....does the car get quicker once the engine has settled down, ie after 8000 miles etc. I know mpg improves to around 40 - 42, but does it also become quicker??!

Cheers,

Saggy!

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Not sure I agree with the Audi being cheap, but old it is. There is a new one on the way (remember - the current Audi has been around since 2000- - in that sense it is phenomenal!)

It is staid, but having had the Lexus for over a year and 4+ warranty visits (and the Audi for over 3 for one visit for corroded alloys), in my view my Audi was better made (quality rather than apearance). Many will disagree, but that's that and my evidence says otherwise!!

Anyway, welcome to the LOC - the responsiveness of the engine does improve after about 5000 miles.

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Not sure I agree with the Audi being cheap, but old it is. There is a new one on the way (remember - the current Audi has been around since 2000- - in that sense it is phenomenal!)

It is staid, but having had the Lexus for over a year and 4+ warranty visits (and the Audi for over 3 for one visit for corroded alloys), in my view my Audi was better made (quality rather than apearance). Many will disagree, but that's that and my evidence says otherwise!!

Anyway, welcome to the LOC - the responsiveness of the engine does improve after about 5000 miles.

Thanks for the reply Jamboo.

Obviously I can't comment on the owning a Lexus as this is my first one, but based on initial impressions. Good point about the Audi. Is the most recent model a 2000 model?? My understanding is that there was a redesign in 2005. My borther's which is an 06 model is different in styleing to my cousin's 02 model.

Anyway regardless, cheap was the wrong word to use, but when compared to the Lexus interiior it does look cheaper.

Finally, do you know if there have been any improvements in the 2007 lexus in terms of durability etc.

Cheers....

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No probs - the Audi is still fundamentally the same car as the one launched in 2000 - albeit different front and rear styling, slightly improved suspension and a different steering wheel...and some changes to the engines (1.9/130bhp diesel chucked away for a slightly noisier and thirstier (IMHO) 2.0TDi 138bhp motor)

Other than that it's the same - same interior, dash, etc etc.

The new IS'07MY is almost the same as the '06 IS. I believe they have fixed some of the issues which mine probably has - such as rattles etc, and it also has different positioning of the boot/fuel release switches. They are side by side just near your right knee, and are lit at night. On mine they are unlit and one above the other...

Other than that they look the same...I'm sure you won't have any trouble....it's just me - evrything I touch turns to kak!

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Welcome to LOC, that's a nice write up you've done there :)

You may not be affected but quite a few of the guys here had one of the injectors replaced on their IS220d due to a recall and it's made them much happier - may be worth enquiring as that would also give you an extra boost :)

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Welcome to LOC, that's a nice write up you've done there :)

You may not be affected but quite a few of the guys here had one of the injectors replaced on their IS220d due to a recall and it's made them much happier - may be worth enquiring as that would also give you an extra boost :)

Aido,

Thanks man. How do I go about finding out if an injector needs replacing?

Cheers,

S.

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Welcome to LOC, that's a nice write up you've done there :)

You may not be affected but quite a few of the guys here had one of the injectors replaced on their IS220d due to a recall and it's made them much happier - may be worth enquiring as that would also give you an extra boost :)

Aido,

Thanks man. How do I go about finding out if an injector needs replacing?

Cheers,

S.

My understanding is that the injector problem was limited to a few early motors. If yours is a 07 then it ought to be fine. When you speak to the dealer, be prepared to hear these words:

"What Injector problem?..."

:lol:

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My understanding is that the injector problem was limited to a few early motors. If yours is a 07 then it ought to be fine. When you speak to the dealer, be prepared to hear these words:

"What Injector problem?..."

:lol:

Jamboo,

Been meaning to ask, I never needed the injector work but noticed the other day you mentioned a remap? Is this the aftermarket one that was discussed last year or have the dealers got a new version of the software? As I've had such a dramatic jump in consumption maybe mine was done when it was serviced but is there anyway to check?

Cheers,

Rich.

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My understanding is that the injector problem was limited to a few early motors. If yours is a 07 then it ought to be fine. When you speak to the dealer, be prepared to hear these words:

"What Injector problem?..."

:lol:

Jamboo,

Been meaning to ask, I never needed the injector work but noticed the other day you mentioned a remap? Is this the aftermarket one that was discussed last year or have the dealers got a new version of the software? As I've had such a dramatic jump in consumption maybe mine was done when it was serviced but is there anyway to check?

Cheers,

Rich.

Rich,

I understand that it is a new version/remap by the dealer and is recommended. It's something that would be done for all owners.

Mine didn't necessarily improve consumption but the car became more driveable at lower revs.

Interestingly what MPG do you get now? And how many miles has yours done?

PS - mine is struggling to get over 44-45 mpg eevn driven like a priest would...though I suppose that is acceptable.

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I'm not doing too bad at the moment, averaging around 38/39 with pretty much all urban driving with longest trip being 7 miles. On a run I can get 44/45 if I go steady at say 80 but 85/90 on cruise can drop this to 41, both in 6th. All on private circuits and certainly not trundling down the M40 to London :winky:

I'm on 21.5k miles and had the second service a couple of weeks ago, didn't notice a lot of change post service as the step change in consumption happended around 15,000 miles but it never went into the dealer between services. :duh: so it is confusing. All of this is on Tesco fuel as well and I'm sure I remember previous topics covering the benefits of using 'branded' fuel so I'll do a test tomorrow night as I've got to drive to Leicester to off load the kids with my folks so I'll fill up with BP/Shell and see what I can do on the M69 at a realistic cruising speed.

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Jamboo,

On that point, I got my 07 model a couple of weeks ago. Do you think at this stage there's any benefit in contacting the dealers to find out if the remap has been done or would all new 07 models come with the new software.

Thanks,

S.

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Jamboo,

On that point, I got my 07 model a couple of weeks ago. Do you think at this stage there's any benefit in contacting the dealers to find out if the remap has been done or would all new 07 models come with the new software.

Thanks,

S.

I asked the same question to my dealer about my 07 plate and yes it did need re-maping.

I was also informed that there was a new re-mep upgrade coming soon to improve the turbo lag!

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Jamboo,

On that point, I got my 07 model a couple of weeks ago. Do you think at this stage there's any benefit in contacting the dealers to find out if the remap has been done or would all new 07 models come with the new software.

Thanks,

S.

I asked the same question to my dealer about my 07 plate and yes it did need re-maping.

I was also informed that there was a new re-mep upgrade coming soon to improve the turbo lag!

Thanks JT. That's good news. Just called my dealer in Leeds and he knew nothing about it. Said he'll look into it and call me back. Just so I have something to come back with, which Lexus dealership did you deal with. I don't want him turning around and saying there's no such thing - at least if I can give him a name of a Lexus dealership that has carried this out for someone he'll have to take it seriously.

Cheers mate.

S.

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Guys.....

I'm not sure if my dealer / the salesman who dealt with me is just trying to fobbing me off, but he just called me back and said he's spoken with the servicing department and they told him that all new models 07 (got mine two weeks ago) have had the ECU remapped with the new software.

Do you know if all new Lexus have the new ECU or is he just fobbing me off!!

Cheers,

S.

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