Test Drive In A 220d

[stuie]

Had a test drive in a 220d se this weekend as i dont want to be paying stupid tax costs next year in my 200. Spoke to the guy about the possible fuel and gearing issues then went out in it.

He was honest about the fueling issues explaining that Lexus had found a problem on the older 220d's and that there had been a recall issue and the new ones were ok.

He was also honest about the gearing in terms on what its actually designed for and that 6th is crap under 80 as it was a design feature.

Compared to the 200 it seemed a bit sluggish unless revved it wasnt as smooth but it also seemed more relaxed more go and less show compared to the 200 in fact when I got back in the 200 it felt slower even though it was smoother and more usable.

One thing I was a bit upset about was the heavier clutch on the 220d but it could be cause it was newer and that it was a diesel but will be something I can get used to.

As for the car loads of toys etc I will be considering it or at least the se-l + mm

Have arranged to get one for a day so the missus can drive it too however tbh I was quite happy I went into it expecting it to be unusable and bad on fuel but the clock said 35mpg which was round town stuff and although the gearing was different it is a diesel and so I expected and such.

Just to cap off it is a nice car it can be driven wants you get used to it and it will of course be different to the petrol engine all in all I can away feeling good about it and looking forward to having one for a whole day.

Oh and one more thing IMO its the only lexus available for someone that wants to save money and keep a manual gear box as I cant stand auto's. If your like me and still want to be involved in the drive rather than just let it drive you but dont want to spend hundred on tax next year give it a go I looked at the a4 and it felt too much like a vw, I refuse to pay BMW prices for extras that are standard on the lexus and the c class just looks ugly.

Please whatever you do dont dismiss it cause of what people say on here there were some bad ones to start with yes however I think theyve ironed out the wrinkles and its becoming a very satisfactory car

[Matus]

I don't get one thing.

Here in europe when you order SE-L version (called Luxury), you also get the "sport" gearing - while I think for europe it is not neccesseary (except north of europe you can drive everywhere 140kph and more (italy, germany))

Why it is not like this in GB? It looks that the sport gearing is essential in GB...

[nate73]

Had a test drive in a 220d se this weekend as i dont want to be paying stupid tax costs next year in my 200. Spoke to the guy about the possible fuel and gearing issues then went out in it.

He was honest about the fueling issues explaining that Lexus had found a problem on the older 220d's and that there had been a recall issue and the new ones were ok.

He was also honest about the gearing in terms on what its actually designed for and that 6th is crap under 80 as it was a design feature.

Compared to the 200 it seemed a bit sluggish unless revved it wasnt as smooth but it also seemed more relaxed more go and less show compared to the 200 in fact when I got back in the 200 it felt slower even though it was smoother and more usable.

One thing I was a bit upset about was the heavier clutch on the 220d but it could be cause it was newer and that it was a diesel but will be something I can get used to.

As for the car loads of toys etc I will be considering it or at least the se-l + mm

Have arranged to get one for a day so the missus can drive it too however tbh I was quite happy I went into it expecting it to be unusable and bad on fuel but the clock said 35mpg which was round town stuff and although the gearing was different it is a diesel and so I expected and such.

Just to cap off it is a nice car it can be driven wants you get used to it and it will of course be different to the petrol engine all in all I can away feeling good about it and looking forward to having one for a whole day.

Oh and one more thing IMO its the only lexus available for someone that wants to save money and keep a manual gear box as I cant stand auto's. If your like me and still want to be involved in the drive rather than just let it drive you but dont want to spend hundred on tax next year give it a go I looked at the a4 and it felt too much like a vw, I refuse to pay BMW prices for extras that are standard on the lexus and the c class just looks ugly.

Please whatever you do dont dismiss it cause of what people say on here there were some bad ones to start with yes however I think theyve ironed out the wrinkles and its becoming a very satisfactory car

I mentioned earlier in the thread - the new courtesy car I had (220 Base model) gave me 42mpg. What I didn't mention was, the gearbox was a lot smoother, and it felt as tho 1st had a lot more urgency. Mentioned that to the dealer but fell on deaf ears!

They may well have ironed out some of the issues on the new ones. Don't forget that the complaints on here are justified, but equally there are others on here with nothing but praise for the 220d. You're doing the right thing by having one for the day away from the sales rep.

[mrak]

Why it is not like this in GB? It looks that the sport gearing is essential in GB...

Just few days back I have visited lexus to see lead times for delivery.

In Croatia, you can purchase is220d with "normal" gearbox only with base model and what is called finnese package (just leather seats + 17" rims).

In the case you purchase anything more then that (luxury or sport package being only other options) you are "stuck" with sport gearbox.

Now, the difference is that basic gearbox include 2.4 reduction on differential, and sport includes 3.2 reduction (or something like that). Someone mentioned that this is the only difference, but this does not make sense, since if you have 2.4 ratio and your car can go up to (for example) 200km/h, then with 3.2 ratio you will get up tu 150 (or something like that)

if you have different ratios in your differential, then you have to have different gearbox as well.

also, notice that co2 and other figures are completely different for sport gearbox, sport machine is supposed to consume more fuel and therefore comparing which car consumes how much fuel is apples and oranges (or at least pears) if you do not mention which gearbox is inside.

I plan to purchase 220d in next few months, and I would really appreciate if that one includes standard gearbox with lower emissions and lower consumption (since I am moving from peugeot 406 with 110bhp, this should be performance improvement regardless of slugish standard gearbox).

[stuie]

Im sure its only the sport that has the different gearing the se-l has the standard system

[FinLex]

mrak,

The only difference between the two is the final gear ratio. The gearbox is the same. What you say about the top speeds is correct in principle, but in this case it's not that simple. The sixth gear of the normal version is an overdrive, so the car can't reach max RPM on it. The sport version can hit 3600 RPM (max power) and even go beyond, reaching the top speed at 4000+ RPM.

The lower consumption isn't as simple, either. True, the sport version has a lot worse official figures based on the so-called EU test cycle. This is because it is driven at about 30 % higher revs than the normal version throughout the test. In real life, there is absolutely no reason to drive the sport version this way. If you change gears at around the same revs as you would with the normal version, you'll get pretty much identical fuel economy. In fact, at speeds between 85-120 km/h the sport version is a bit better, because you can use the 6th gear whereas with the normal version you would be stuck on 5th. Above 120 km/h the 6th gear of the normal version becomes usable, which means the sport is left behind on the fuel efficiency.

[FinLex]

In Finland, you can get the shorter final drive ratio on all the versions, but you can't get the Sport model with the longer ratio. There seems to be quite a bit of variation on this from one country to another, which is a bit silly if you ask me.

[Matus]

Mrak - it is exactly like Finlex said.

[Matus]

Im sure its only the sport that has the different gearing the se-l has the standard system

yes, in GB.

In europe it's different.

[Zhex00]

Im sure its only the sport that has the different gearing the se-l has the standard system

Not around here (Portugal), you can have a luxury with the sport gearing (for 5000 euros more).

[nate73]

Im sure its only the sport that has the different gearing the se-l has the standard system

Not around here (Portugal), you can have a luxury with the sport gearing (for 5000 euros more).

Guess that answers the question of is it worth getting it changed as an aftermarket job!!!

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Had a test drive in a 220d se this weekend as i dont want to be paying stupid tax costs next year in my 200. Spoke to the guy about the possible fuel and gearing issues then went out in it.

He was honest about the fueling issues explaining that Lexus had found a problem on the older 220d's and that there had been a recall issue and the new ones were ok.

He was also honest about the gearing in terms on what its actually designed for and that 6th is crap under 80 as it was a design feature.

Compared to the 200 it seemed a bit sluggish unless revved it wasnt as smooth but it also seemed more relaxed more go and less show compared to the 200 in fact when I got back in the 200 it felt slower even though it was smoother and more usable.

One thing I was a bit upset about was the heavier clutch on the 220d but it could be cause it was newer and that it was a diesel but will be something I can get used to.

As for the car loads of toys etc I will be considering it or at least the se-l + mm

Have arranged to get one for a day so the missus can drive it too however tbh I was quite happy I went into it expecting it to be unusable and bad on fuel but the clock said 35mpg which was round town stuff and although the gearing was different it is a diesel and so I expected and such.

Just to cap off it is a nice car it can be driven wants you get used to it and it will of course be different to the petrol engine all in all I can away feeling good about it and looking forward to having one for a whole day.

Oh and one more thing IMO its the only lexus available for someone that wants to save money and keep a manual gear box as I cant stand auto's. If your like me and still want to be involved in the drive rather than just let it drive you but dont want to spend hundred on tax next year give it a go I looked at the a4 and it felt too much like a vw, I refuse to pay BMW prices for extras that are standard on the lexus and the c class just looks ugly.

Please whatever you do dont dismiss it cause of what people say on here there were some bad ones to start with yes however I think theyve ironed out the wrinkles and its becoming a very satisfactory car

I mentioned earlier in the thread - the new courtesy car I had (220 Base model) gave me 42mpg. What I didn't mention was, the gearbox was a lot smoother, and it felt as tho 1st had a lot more urgency. Mentioned that to the dealer but fell on deaf ears!

They may well have ironed out some of the issues on the new ones. Don't forget that the complaints on here are justified, but equally there are others on here with nothing but praise for the 220d. You're doing the right thing by having one for the day away from the sales rep.

What could they have ironed out? All the mods and bits are on mine...I am getting 29-32mpg in town, and on a run on Sunday (earlier than planne) I got 40.5mpg. That's a hanful of MPG better than I got before the latest fix - 210 mile round trip - both at quiet times (we got home at 0400hrs), included M1 50mph bits where the road repairs/lane widens are...

I never went above 73mph, used 5th and 6th sensibly...

I don't want this to become another "are they really that bad", so please, lets all just these things up with our own dealers!! Some cars are fin, others aren't. Priod. End of. Next topic!

[GWilso]

Sorry

Jamboo,

Can I ask what your "latest fix" was to reach 40.5MPG had mine 3 days covered 400Mile can't get passed 34.00mpg I was aware the 220d had consumption issues but was guaranteed by dealer to expect 40-44mpg and if i wasn't happy he would change any Parts necessary to achieve this i'm booked in at the weekend to have a possible injector replaced

Cheers

Had a test drive in a 220d se this weekend as i dont want to be paying stupid tax costs next year in my 200. Spoke to the guy about the possible fuel and gearing issues then went out in it.

He was honest about the fueling issues explaining that Lexus had found a problem on the older 220d's and that there had been a recall issue and the new ones were ok.

He was also honest about the gearing in terms on what its actually designed for and that 6th is crap under 80 as it was a design feature.

Compared to the 200 it seemed a bit sluggish unless revved it wasnt as smooth but it also seemed more relaxed more go and less show compared to the 200 in fact when I got back in the 200 it felt slower even though it was smoother and more usable.

One thing I was a bit upset about was the heavier clutch on the 220d but it could be cause it was newer and that it was a diesel but will be something I can get used to.

As for the car loads of toys etc I will be considering it or at least the se-l + mm

Have arranged to get one for a day so the missus can drive it too however tbh I was quite happy I went into it expecting it to be unusable and bad on fuel but the clock said 35mpg which was round town stuff and although the gearing was different it is a diesel and so I expected and such.

Just to cap off it is a nice car it can be driven wants you get used to it and it will of course be different to the petrol engine all in all I can away feeling good about it and looking forward to having one for a whole day.

Oh and one more thing IMO its the only lexus available for someone that wants to save money and keep a manual gear box as I cant stand auto's. If your like me and still want to be involved in the drive rather than just let it drive you but dont want to spend hundred on tax next year give it a go I looked at the a4 and it felt too much like a vw, I refuse to pay BMW prices for extras that are standard on the lexus and the c class just looks ugly.

Please whatever you do dont dismiss it cause of what people say on here there were some bad ones to start with yes however I think theyve ironed out the wrinkles and its becoming a very satisfactory car

I mentioned earlier in the thread - the new courtesy car I had (220 Base model) gave me 42mpg. What I didn't mention was, the gearbox was a lot smoother, and it felt as tho 1st had a lot more urgency. Mentioned that to the dealer but fell on deaf ears!

They may well have ironed out some of the issues on the new ones. Don't forget that the complaints on here are justified, but equally there are others on here with nothing but praise for the 220d. You're doing the right thing by having one for the day away from the sales rep.

What could they have ironed out? All the mods and bits are on mine...I am getting 29-32mpg in town, and on a run on Sunday (earlier than planne) I got 40.5mpg. That's a hanful of MPG better than I got before the latest fix - 210 mile round trip - both at quiet times (we got home at 0400hrs), included M1 50mph bits where the road repairs/lane widens are...

I never went above 73mph, used 5th and 6th sensibly...

I don't want this to become another "are they really that bad", so please, lets all just these things up with our own dealers!! Some cars are fin, others aren't. Priod. End of. Next topic!

[nate73]

Sorry

Jamboo,

Can I ask what your "latest fix" was to reach 40.5MPG had mine 3 days covered 400Mile can't get passed 34.00mpg I was aware the 220d had consumption issues but was guaranteed by dealer to expect 40-44mpg and if i wasn't happy he would change any Parts necessary to achieve this i'm booked in at the weekend to have a possible injector replaced

Cheers

What mileage has the car done and what speed, roads and driving style are you using, makes the world of difference.

I am doing 80% m'way at 78 in 6th with cruise on and am getting 38mpg so far since they changed the egr valve and cat. I am also changing up at 2000rpm (except into 6th).

The fifth injector was changed on mine two weeks before I bought the car and I was only acheived 35mpg, which is why I took it back they did the other work.

Still not happy as I've had to alter how I drive a car, but if I can maintain 38mpg then it'll do till next year when I change it

[GWilso]

Thanks Nate

When I picked the car up on saturday I made the 90Mile run back home mostly motorway stuck between 60-75 in 5th when I left the dealer the MPG average was 19mpg when I got home the mpg average was 34

Ive done a few motorway runs since then trying to stick to 60mph and still can't get more than 34MPG its an 06 SEL-MM 65K on the clock

[dgman]

Thanks Nate

When I picked the car up on saturday I made the 90Mile run back home mostly motorway stuck between 60-75 in 5th when I left the dealer the MPG average was 19mpg when I got home the mpg average was 34

Ive done a few motorway runs since then trying to stick to 60mph and still can't get more than 34MPG its an 06 SEL-MM 65K on the clock

try motorway at 70 in 6th with cruise on.mine does low fiftys like that.

[dgman]

Thanks Nate

When I picked the car up on saturday I made the 90Mile run back home mostly motorway stuck between 60-75 in 5th when I left the dealer the MPG average was 19mpg when I got home the mpg average was 34

Ive done a few motorway runs since then trying to stick to 60mph and still can't get more than 34MPG its an 06 SEL-MM 65K on the clock

forgot to say zero the avg as soon as you get on motorway.

[egnot]

My 220d is in for an oil seal to be fixed. I have a 220dSE as a Courtesy car with 1100 miles on the clock so compared the MPG with my normal trip home and back to work.

My Car 39mpg, Courtesy Car (not run in) 44mpg. Same driving conditions. I have asked Lexus Bristol to swap the engines!!!! That was the kind of MPG I saw in the first 15000 miles (Now on 51000) and then it tailed off. Had the 5th Injector done and the mpg went up to 42mpg and its now back to 38. So the engines get worse when they are run in!

[nate73]

Thanks Nate

When I picked the car up on saturday I made the 90Mile run back home mostly motorway stuck between 60-75 in 5th when I left the dealer the MPG average was 19mpg when I got home the mpg average was 34

Ive done a few motorway runs since then trying to stick to 60mph and still can't get more than 34MPG its an 06 SEL-MM 65K on the clock

try motorway at 70 in 6th with cruise on.mine does low fiftys like that.

DGMAN - How does your engine sound at 70 in 6th. Cant do that in mine, to much vibration.

GWilso - I took a look at my removed egr valve (22k) and it was really coked up - about 5-6mm all over. Ask your dealer to change out and the cat too, when they do the 5th injector. Also, if your not using v-power or BP Ultimate put some Millers DPS4 in with your regular diesel, a lot of guys on here recommend it. At 60mph in 5th you should be in the 40's no problem.

As DGMAN says reset your trip - you dont know how the car was driven before you got it.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

My 220d is in for an oil seal to be fixed. I have a 220dSE as a Courtesy car with 1100 miles on the clock so compared the MPG with my normal trip home and back to work.

My Car 39mpg, Courtesy Car (not run in) 44mpg. Same driving conditions. I have asked Lexus Bristol to swap the engines!!!! That was the kind of MPG I saw in the first 15000 miles (Now on 51000) and then it tailed off. Had the 5th Injector done and the mpg went up to 42mpg and its now back to 38. So the engines get worse when they are run in!

Exactly my experience too

[egnot]

I got my 220 back and had a discussion about economy with the Bristol Service Manager. Did not get very far but did glean that there is a techncal meeting of Service Managers about economy on around 9th April and there may be another re-map from that. It also appears that it may involve a de-tune to get the emmissions down on the newer models. I got the distinct impression that the Service Manager knew that 44mpg from a 1000 mile old car is the best its ever going to get!

All the tests on mine came back OK so no explanation on the economy apart from the fact its the way its drivern as these cars have 'self learning ECUS' and I need to give it a thrash to clean things up a bit. The 5th injector does not affect the ecomomy if it cokes up but gives the error that causes limp home so it is not that.

The UK seems to be the only country that have the economy problems due to our way of driving. Something to do with Speed Cameras I suspect!!!

So its a case of ringing up at the end of April to see what the situation is.

I also have the problem that as my car is a lease car I don't really have a voice and it needs to come from the lease company as they are the owners. That's a battle I don't really want to start.

[dgman]

Thanks Nate

When I picked the car up on saturday I made the 90Mile run back home mostly motorway stuck between 60-75 in 5th when I left the dealer the MPG average was 19mpg when I got home the mpg average was 34

Ive done a few motorway runs since then trying to stick to 60mph and still can't get more than 34MPG its an 06 SEL-MM 65K on the clock

try motorway at 70 in 6th with cruise on.mine does low fiftys like that.

DGMAN - How does your engine sound at 70 in 6th. Cant do that in mine, to much vibration.

GWilso - I took a look at my removed egr valve (22k) and it was really coked up - about 5-6mm all over. Ask your dealer to change out and the cat too, when they do the 5th injector. Also, if your not using v-power or BP Ultimate put some Millers DPS4 in with your regular diesel, a lot of guys on here recommend it. At 60mph in 5th you should be in the 40's no problem.

As DGMAN says reset your trip - you dont know how the car was driven before you got it.

it sounds ok,no problem with vibrations,i am assuming you are refering to the thrummm noise if so there is a cure .its a modified rear axle bush had mine done at coventry lexus 02476518100 about ayear ago.the service man said it was a four hour job, rear axle off and so on.it does fix the thrummm.hope that helps.