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Likes/dislikes Of Is200


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I popped over from the 'ToyotaOwnersClub' with a question

What do you enjoy the most, or what annoys you the most with your IS200?

Asking, as my dad is thinking of buying one, probably new (also thinking of a volvo..boo). I would like to persuade him to go for the IS200, so owners thoughts would be a great help. :)

Thank you for your comments.

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:( Dislikes :

- No steering wheel controls for the stereo.

- HIDs not available as an option on the '200.

- Steering wheel only adjustable for height.

- No trip computer (just that rather useless mpg indicator).

- Corroding alloys.

- Slightly below average mpg and performance for the '200.

:) Likes:

- Everything else! I love the car to bits, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another!! :yahoo:

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Likes

- Different from the rest of the crowd

- Cheap(ish) to buy, service, and run

- Holds its value fairly well

- More toys than you can shake a stick at

- Fabulous dealer service (in comparison with "the others")

- Distinctive looks - can be an exec, "young", "serious", and "aggressive" all in one... but without being "boy racer" :)

- Utterly reliable

- No penny pinching (things like spare full size alloy as standard)

- Satnav display best placed one I've come upon (no need to look away from road)

- Basically fantastic car. My current one is my 2nd, and I'm working on the basis that my 3rd will be the next gen IS model.

Dislikes

- Abject lack of trip computer (ideally to include remote radio display)

- Interior not quite as "special" as some of the others (esp. the newer Volvos)

- Infuriating speed lockout on satnav

- No option of folding rear seats

- No option for a decent integrated carphone

- Dealer network a bit too spaced out (distance wise, not drug induced!)

- Still has that "but its a posh toyota" tag (but then again, Aston, Jag and Volvo are posh fords, Saab is a posh Vauxhall, and Rolls is a posh volkswagen!)

I had a Volvo T4 for a while.... it was great, but the local dealer network were such mindnumbing idiots, that it wasn't replaced with another volvo. Shame really, cos the S60 is a pretty good car... but not as exclusive as a Lexus.

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Great car

Only dislike is unable to raise/ lower steering wheel but I can live with that. Have had a number of cars but the Lexus IS200 is the best for reliability, performance and for its size it looks OK.

Last car was the new Celica , rather tinny compared to the solid Lexus.

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Likes:

Brakes - fantastic brakes with good feel.

Equipment levels very good for a car of its price/class (although the game has moved up a level since I bought mine ..... I would now look at the Accord 2.4 Exec which is even better equiped)

Agressive styling for a 4 door saloon - very good looking car.

Reliability is fantastic

Security also top of the class

Dealers (generally) are good

Hasn't attracted the 'agressive sales reps' that currently drive 3-series or Passats

Great for long journeys - cossetting and comfortable.

Dislikes:

Performance - doesn't deliver what the agressive styling promises

Steering over assisted and a bit lifeless, not much feedback

No cruise control on manual models

Doesn't rev high enough (old block) so the fun stops just as the VVTi has kicked in

Poor fuel economy.

Poor rear interior space.

Some of the plastics are a bit Lo-rent

Starting to look a little dated (more the inside rather than outside)

Only drawback if he is buying new ..... the IS has been around a long while now and is due a facelift - although generally these hold their value very well - they will take a hit when the new one comes out, and also as hinted above, the game has recently moved up a level and one of the newest cars is something that should be added to the test drive list.

At the end of the day - the decision should only be made after driving all the contenders as he should buy the one he feels best in.

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Great responses above. Here's mine:

:( Dislikes:

- stone-chipping paint, it's bad

- corroding alloys, they're bad

- dealers that are below the Lexus average

- some aspects of pricing

- the brakes on mine fade quickly :(

- fuel consumption vs performance

:D Likes:

- the sixes: engine & gearbox + rear wheel drive

- the reliability

- the vvti engine note

- passionate owners club

- those front wheel arches :P

- that mid-line side-body sweep :P

- that bonnet bulge :D

- the high line rear

- the large bore exhaust

- the feel of the steering wheel

- the kudos of not choosing BMW/Merc

- still relatively rare on the road

- timeless, Lexus don't overtly revamp each year

...I could go on....

Nige

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the only things i dislike about the lexus is that some things are slightly dated

no memory for electric seats

no stereo controls on steering wheel

doors that lock automatically

basically some things that you take for granted in the newer cars

but the IS more than makes up for what are simply little niggles

which volvo are you considering? i was actually considering the S60 before the lexus and only chose the lexus cos the volvo's got almost no room in the back. Otherwise the volvo's easily the best looking 4 door saloon on the road (with the IS a close second :D ) and the premium 13 speaker stereo in the volvo is breathtaking (the dynaudio speakers will set you back a few grand itself!)

but the lexus has much better handling and ride quality. the volvo is rolls a lot and has quite a harsh ride too

not sure if its a concern but the IS has very low insurance compared to every other car in this bracket

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Parthiban,

Will let you know which volvo is in the running on Sunday night, as I will be visiting parents and showing my dad some of the comments so far, he also has a Lexus brochure to show me.

I think he will be pleased by the range of comments so far :) (thanks)

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My dad said...

thanks for you input, really useful. Its confirmed my own thoughts. Volvo was second choice (S40/60) and I did also think that a revamp may be due on the Lexus as some basic toys are missing. Its now down to cost to go new or 2nd hand, lease or buy as I use it for work, not rep! so the brakes and handling are important as is the comfort for central london traffic.

:)

If anyone else wishes to add comments, I will let him know.

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Good choice,mine should be here in 4 weeks

See if he can get a 24 hour test drive as it will give him a better feel for the car, a quick run around the block doesn't

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Likes - See most posts above.

Dislike - The fact that most of the lesser rivals (Mondeo, Accord, Mazda6) are now quicker off the line. Lexus, if you're listening, we'd like 180 BHP and an 7-8 second 0-60 from the 2ish Litre 6 and 240BHP and a six second 0-60 from the 3.0 Litre on the next generation please, oh and none of that American automatic gearbox rubbish thanks.

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I quite like the E-Shift system - maybe not as 'in control' as with the six-spd manual, but then I'd only really exploit a manual on twisty country lanes. For the more usual motorway jams, town driving, the B-road crawl to work, etc., the Auto + E-Shift rocks! (Gets lots of envious looks from mates too!) B)

The downside is that it's only available on the '300 and I had to sell the house, other half, cat, etc. to afford it! :lol:

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Likes: excellent handling, great equipment, engine note, super-slick gearbox.

Dislikes: thin paint, lack of low down grunt, non-folding rear seats, tyre roar on M-way.

Do warn your dad that the engines on demonstrators often haven't been run-in which can make them feel gutless. Also, one gets used to having to rev the engine, but it feels strange at first.

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I quite like the E-Shift system - maybe not as 'in control' as with the six-spd manual, but then I'd only really exploit a manual on twisty country lanes. For the more usual motorway jams, town driving, the B-road crawl to work, etc., the Auto + E-Shift rocks! (Gets lots of envious looks from mates too!) B)

The downside is that it's only available on the '300 and I had to sell the house, other half, cat, etc. to afford it! :lol:

There are days when the e-shift IS300 looks attractive (sitting in a two hour traffic jam after a match at West Ham where the car was getting as stroppy as us !), but the performance hit over the manual IS300 (sold in the US of all places) is huge (two seconds).

I don't think the IS300 can realistically compete with the BMW 330, the Audi A4 3.0 and the Jag X-Type 3.0 as a drivers car without a manual box and a better semi-auto option.

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Yup, good point about the performance - at 11.2sec for the 0-62 dash, my 200SE Auto was a good 2sec slower than the manual, so a manual version of the 300 would (I guess) be good for 7sec! :yahoo:

Makes you wonder then why Lexus never sold the manual 300 over here? I'd assume they did their research and the outcome was that demand for the auto would be higher? Strange...

True enough, a BMW 330 will waste my IS300 off the mark, but then there's other reasons why I didn't want the BMW (like I didn't want every other road user to hate me!) :lol:

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http://www.lexus.com/showroom/model/is_5sp...ifications.html

6.8 seconds to be precise, which still looks a little sedate compared to the Audi,BM and Jag !

Maybe as the Japanese Mercedes, Lexus aren't worried about pace, because the only C-Class that really shifts is the AMG.

Maybe I'm not really the target customer, but why are the bigger Lexus cars (GS LS) faster than the small "sporty" saloon ? If you want younger buyers Lexus, give us a bit more ooomph.

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Well, would I swap my 210bhp in the 3SGE Altezza for the electric seats in an IS200...

I don't think so!

I love the handling and the turn-in. Sharpest cornering/ most comfortable ride compromise I've come across.

Fuel runs in at 8.5-9L/100Km which is fine, and I agree with all of the things Nige loves about the body!

There are a lot around Auckland, but they still make peasants stop and look! :lol:

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