What A Difference!

[GJD]

My 220D is in Lexus for a couple of days having some warranty work done and they 'kindly' supplied me with a courtesy car.........IS250 SEL + MM + Auto

All I can say is BLOODY HELL! It is quite simply the best car I have ever had the pleasure of driving!

I could write page upon page of how much I've fallen for it but will keep it short - if anyone out there is dithering over whether to get a 220D or the 250 instead, there is simply no choice, go for the 250 everytime. If I could roll the clock back, I'd seriously consider paying extra for this variation (company car bandings).

The car they have let me use is a 57 plate and must be the latest model (auto locking, different seat backs) but it is that engine and auto box that have really impressed me - god it flies and that exhaust sound!!

Yes, fuel consumption makes my 220 look excellent (and that's saying something) but I'd give all that up if I could (and won the lottery).

The only thing I do not like is the wood trim, prefer the aluminium on my SE variant but suppose that is personal preferences.

Finding every excuse to go out of the office today as it has to go back tonight..........

[Matus]

this is why I'll never try the 250, I know I would regret too :-)

[GJD]

this is why I'll never try the 250, I know I would regret too :-)

Too true Matus - although I've loved every minute of the experience it is going to be like going back to the steam age tonight when I get back into my oil burner.....and no doubt I will stall it as I leave the garage........

[treborlex]

welcome to the world of the IS250 albeit a short trip glad you enjoyed it.

[Sagitar]

welcome to the world of the IS250 albeit a short trip glad you enjoyed it.

We have just been up to the Lake District for a few days. The weather was awful, but nevertheless, all the driving was a pure pleasure . . . . . :D

[GJD]

welcome to the world of the IS250 albeit a short trip glad you enjoyed it.

We have just been up to the Lake District for a few days. The weather was awful, but nevertheless, all the driving was a pure pleasure . . . . . :D

That's it, rub it in you :tsktsk: s.....!!!

[Lex Bhoy]

GJD... You are not alone....Handing back a 250 SE Auto tonight after 10 Days.... As you pointed out consumption is not great but will blame that on the engine sound at high revs... :)

Drove our Nissan last night and kept forgetting to put the clutch in at junctions... Back to Oil burner tonight only bonus will be the garage have filled the tank up so won't get earache from wife about constant visits to petrol station...

Just be gratefull.... first courtesy car I did get was RX400H that was a real wrench handing back!!

[dazed]

Yep, I know. I went into my local dealer with a view to buying a 220D - and I came out with a 250SE auto.

Best decision I ever made.

[Northern Boys Luv Gravy]

My IS250 is the only car I've ever had where it is never a chore to drive it even on the most mundane of errands. If you want sporty play with the paddles (and I'm finding I do this more and more, blipping down to 2 on the display as I approach roundabouts and then blasting out of them), if you want relaxation just sit back in the comfy seats and let the auto box do all the work.

[hitanp]

Hi All,

Been on this site for about a year now but this is my first post. The information on this site has been invaluable and i only wish i knew about it before i bought the deisel!!!

A bit of history.......i bought an 06 220d sport back in december 06. The exact model was a 220d sport with mm in Argento Ice. Absolutely loved the car when i test drove it and decided to part with 25k of my hard earned money. Bought the diesel because i do about 25k miles a year and wanted something fairly economical. The sport also looked great with the 18" alloys and had already had the rear quarter windows tinted at the factory. Bought it from Lexus Worcester (now lexus cheltenham).

Anyway, after having the car for about a year, the total average consumption over this period was under 30mpg! This was with about 80% motorway driving, 20% town driving!!

Took it in for a 40k mile service and mentioned it to the service guy at the dealership. He said they would change the fuel pump as they had done this with the dealer principals wifes car and it had shown a great improvement! Anyway, while they had it in to do the repair (about 10 days) i asked to test drive the is250 auto after reading several positive reviews on this forum. During the couple of days that i had the 250, i fell in love with it!

To cut a long story short, following the change of the fuel pump and after being assured that all the relevant mods had been carried out, i was still only averaging about 30mpg max with the diesel sport so decided that it was time to bite the bulet and go for the is250.

It was the best decision i have ever made. I am now the proud owner of a IS250 sel-auto with MM, again in Argento ice. Every day i drive into work is an absolute pleasure. The power that the car has available when i need it and the ease of the drive with the auto box is brilliant. And to cap it all off, after about 4k miles since i bought it, the computer is showing an average fuel consumption of 31mpg. At times i have been able to average nearly 35mpg on a tank. So in effect with the cheaper price of unleaded, i am actually beter off in terms of cost of fuel with the Petrol model.

All i will say is that if you are not happy with the diesel and are thinking about the Petrol.....don't hink anymore...just do it....its the best decision you'll make.

[FinLex]

Still getting very stable 47-48 MPG, tank after tank. There is not a single petrol car in the class that would return the same.

Besides the fuel economy as such, there is another very good reason for me to drive the diesel. In Finland, diesel costs about 1.25 euros per litre, while petrol is around 1.40-1.45. I know for sure that 250 Auto is a better car, but I'm absolutely not going to pay that much extra for it!

[Sagitar]

Still getting very stable 47-48 MPG, tank after tank. There is not a single petrol car in the class that would return the same.

Besides the fuel economy as such, there is another very good reason for me to drive the diesel. In Finland, diesel costs about 1.25 euros per litre, while petrol is around 1.40-1.45. I know for sure that 250 Auto is a better car, but I'm absolutely not going to pay that much extra for it!

If you are a high mileage user then fuel cost is important.

I am a low mileage user (about 8,000 miles per year) so petrol cost is a relatively small proportion of the total cost of running the car.

My overall cost is about £1.35 a mile of which petrol is currently about 14p. I might save about 4p a mile by going to diesel, but if I was that strapped I would probably not have bought the Lexus.

In fact from a pure economy standpoint, I would probably be better off with no car and using my bus pass and taking taxis . . . . . .

[Matus]

Still getting very stable 47-48 MPG, tank after tank. There is not a single petrol car in the class that would return the same.

I guess the C-klass 180kompressor would be very close, while it has 20hp more.

[FinLex]

I guess the C-klass 180kompressor would be very close, while it has 20hp more.

I seriously doubt it. I was able to get about 42 MPG with the new Audi A4 1.8 TFSI that I had for a test drive a couple of weeks ago. I think that engine is the very best petrol you can get today in this class. I took it for a spin just to see what mileage I'd manage to get from it, so was driving as gently as I normally do. None of that pedal-to-the-metal kind of testing...

[FinLex]

If you are a high mileage user then fuel cost is important.

I am a low mileage user (about 8,000 miles per year) so petrol cost is a relatively small proportion of the total cost of running the car.

My overall cost is about £1.35 a mile of which petrol is currently about 14p. I might save about 4p a mile by going to diesel, but if I was that strapped I would probably not have bought the Lexus.

In fact from a pure economy standpoint, I would probably be better off with no car and using my bus pass and taking taxis . . . . . .

I do about 20k miles a year. Fuel isn't everything, but where would the 250 Auto make up for the money it lost in fuel? In smoothness, of course, but in actual money? Insurance? No, that costs more for the 250. Maintenance? Not sure, but can't see a reason why the diesel were more expensive. What does that leave? Reliability? Well, I have not had a single fault in my 220d so far...

I'm not saying that the 250 Auto is the wrong choice. Anyone driving in heavy urban traffic and especially in the UK with your fuel costs, go for the Auto. Just reminding you guys that there are circumstances when the 220d really is the one to get.

[VrmmVrmm]

If you are a high mileage user then fuel cost is important.

I am a low mileage user (about 8,000 miles per year) so petrol cost is a relatively small proportion of the total cost of running the car.

My overall cost is about £1.35 a mile of which petrol is currently about 14p. I might save about 4p a mile by going to diesel, but if I was that strapped I would probably not have bought the Lexus.

In fact from a pure economy standpoint, I would probably be better off with no car and using my bus pass and taking taxis . . . . . .

I do about 20k miles a year. Fuel isn't everything, but where would the 250 Auto make up for the money it lost in fuel? In smoothness, of course, but in actual money? Insurance? No, that costs more for the 250. Maintenance? Not sure, but can't see a reason why the diesel were more expensive. What does that leave? Reliability? Well, I have not had a single fault in my 220d so far...

I'm not saying that the 250 Auto is the wrong choice. Anyone driving in heavy urban traffic and especially in the UK with your fuel costs, go for the Auto. Just reminding you guys that there are circumstances when the 220d really is the one to get.

I also would concur with Finlex as above ....I do approx 20,000 miles per year I put up a post recently indicating that the performance of my diesel saves me a whopping 34% over the petrol car that I would get 30 mpg from I've over 40,000 klm done now for 66% of the cost. There's no doubt in my mind driving in rural Ireland I've made the correct choice. Having never been to Finland I can only presume that it is predominately rural driving and in this the 220D appears to be the correct choice....motorways???? What are they??? I make this comment tongue-in-cheek...some comments just write off the 220D without any context or valid reason. In fairness the readers guess the reason correctly...poor return. However I will agree with any comment that says the 250 is better at blasting away from roundabouts. But 'blasting' anywhere at any time blasts a hole in your pocket...so to drive in this style and then discount the pro's of the 220D does not appear to be valid. Having purchased your 250 it is to my way of thinking unfair to compare it to a 220D...they are TOTALLY different can't perform in the same way can't be the same economically...CAN get you from A to B in style...thats the only valid comparison in my opinion. Having said that I acknowledge your personal opinion and experiences...but...to say the 250 does this that and the other without having owned or driven the 220D stretches the truth sometimes.

Compared to other diesels in its class I believe it holds its own as an overall package its better in most cases. The 250 compared to other petrols with auto boxes probably holds its own also....I don't know haven't driven one so can't really offer a valid opinion.

Bottom line is we chose the IS package, petrol - diesel -sport -auto whatever? then.. matched it to our differing needs ended up either happy or unhappy....hopefully not the latter. Lets all enjoy what we've got and not make global statements about it I don't speak for everyone owning a 220D but I do have the experience of Finlex and almost the exact same performance 48 mpg since the beginning...if everyone was getting this return the 220d would be king-of-the hill. what drivers who have never driven a 220D should know is whether it is the sport model or not... it too can blast away from roundabouts or anything else for that matter...make no mistake the 220D is a very high performance car if you want it to be.....On the other hand a very stylish economic diesel if you want it to be.

[Matus]

Today I just looked on pricing of the c-klass.

The 200kompressor with 185hp would cost in same equipment as my IS about 2.700 euros more - this surprised me, because when I was buying the IS the difference was about 9.000 euros.

I recently sat in the new C and it was a pleasant surprise. Everyone's telling that the interior is ****ty but in my eyes it looked fine. I'd be seriously considering the merc if I was buying today, specially when here is the basic servicing for free (160.000kms or 6 years) and you can extend the warranty (for about 400 euros) till 4 years and 160.000kms

[dgman]

Today I just looked on pricing of the c-klass.

The 200kompressor with 185hp would cost in same equipment as my IS about 2.700 euros more - this surprised me, because when I was buying the IS the difference was about 9.000 euros.

I recently sat in the new C and it was a pleasant surprise. Everyone's telling that the interior is ****ty but in my eyes it looked fine. I'd be seriously considering the merc if I was buying today, specially when here is the basic servicing for free (160.000kms or 6 years) and you can extend the warranty (for about 400 euros) till 4 years and 160.000kms

you won't find find anything like that on treasure island i'm sorry to say.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

This post is going all "MPG" again. STOP!!!!

And I didn't have anything to do with it! Now I feel smug!

For ages I've been saying that the 250 Auto knocks spots off the 220d. in normal (and non-rural) conditions of Mainland "treasure island", without any DPS4 aids or other, with the latest newest ECU software/5th Injector, mine averages 40mpg on a run. I am seriously thinking about trying that DPS4 stuff, until Septmber, when my new car arrives (nothing ordered yet - but am close).

The 250 Auto on the other hand is smooth, reasonablly economical, and like a Lex should be...I really do wonder how those (dgman, Finlex etc) who get high 40' in a 220d would fair ina 250 Auto...I bet you woul probably get low 40's in a 250 Auto....

PS - I did try the new A4 2.0TDi and I will not put my findings on here, as no one will believe me...(BTW - I wouldn't buy the new A4 - the dodgy driving position put me off...). All I would say is just go and compare the engine and box combo to a 220d - you'll be shocked at how good a diesel can be.

[Tango]

PS - I did try the new A4 2.0TDi and I will not put my findings on here, as no one will believe me...(BTW - I wouldn't buy the new A4 - the dodgy driving position put me off...). All I would say is just go and compare the engine and box combo to a 220d - you'll be shocked at how good a diesel can be.

I hate to say it, but having driven a Alfa Romeo 159 diesel recently IMO it is far superior to the IS220D and it's as good or possibly better to look at too. Cannot vouch for the reliability as only had it for three days, but the build quality looked excellent.

[VrmmVrmm]

I think, not to far in the future an owner of an IS/F will come on here and start a topic named 'What a Difference' and will be comparing it to the IS250 Auto SE-L MM and you'll all agree you can't compare those two cars. My post was not about mpg ...even though it gets mentioned.

The two cars ...250 & 220D should not be compared just because they have the same appearance....as will be the case when the IS/F hits the roads...you can't compare it to any other IS model....!!!!

Horses for courses...in the same way as you don't need 4x4 to bring kids to school.

[illestjt]

My 220D is in Lexus for a couple of days having some warranty work done and they 'kindly' supplied me with a courtesy car.........IS250 SEL + MM + Auto

All I can say is BLOODY HELL! It is quite simply the best car I have ever had the pleasure of driving!

I could write page upon page of how much I've fallen for it but will keep it short - if anyone out there is dithering over whether to get a 220D or the 250 instead, there is simply no choice, go for the 250 everytime. If I could roll the clock back, I'd seriously consider paying extra for this variation (company car bandings).

The car they have let me use is a 57 plate and must be the latest model (auto locking, different seat backs) but it is that engine and auto box that have really impressed me - god it flies and that exhaust sound!!

Yes, fuel consumption makes my 220 look excellent (and that's saying something) but I'd give all that up if I could (and won the lottery).

The only thing I do not like is the wood trim, prefer the aluminium on my SE variant but suppose that is personal preferences.

Finding every excuse to go out of the office today as it has to go back tonight..........

they finally added auto locking now?

[GJD]

Well, back in the real world now in my 220D and it's not that bad a world really, especially as I now have 4 nice spanking new alloys on the car and it has been cleaned inside and out by Mr Lexus.......

I was very pleasantly surprised just how easy it was to slip back into the 220D, didn't even stall it, yes, the 1st roundabout I went across was a bit hairy but a few apologitic hand signals solved that one.....

Whether its the 220d or 250, this car certainly does turn heads, was amazed this morning just how many other drivers twist their necks to have a good look, they certainly are not looking at my ugly mug that's for sure......

Yes, if I had the money spare and probably more importantly the thieving government would not tax me to the hilt on CO2 emissions, I would love a 250 but I count myself lucky to have such a great car in the first place. The amount of miles I do a year also doesn't really lend itself to a petrol, has to be a a diesal even with the increasing gap between the 2 fuels prices.

I appear to be one of the luckier ones in that I don't have any real problems now with the car itself - I can live with the MPG now (sorry, mentioned that word again) and the MPG (there it goes again) does seem to have settled down into the low to mid 40s without really trying. I am seriously creeping towards the advertised combined MPG (sorry again) now on a regular basis.

Even the old cracks and groans after about 5 minutes driving have mysteriously disappeared (suppose this could be with the 'slightly' warmer weather?)

I've had the car 8 months now, done 22,000 miles and still get that glowing feeling each time I drive it so it can't be that bad can it? Not for me anyway, appreciate some of you guys have had a nightmare so I count myself as being lucky although I fully appreciate that 'lucky' shouldn't come into the Lexus brand......

[GJD]

My 220D is in Lexus for a couple of days having some warranty work done and they 'kindly' supplied me with a courtesy car.........IS250 SEL + MM + Auto

All I can say is BLOODY HELL! It is quite simply the best car I have ever had the pleasure of driving!

I could write page upon page of how much I've fallen for it but will keep it short - if anyone out there is dithering over whether to get a 220D or the 250 instead, there is simply no choice, go for the 250 everytime. If I could roll the clock back, I'd seriously consider paying extra for this variation (company car bandings).

The car they have let me use is a 57 plate and must be the latest model (auto locking, different seat backs) but it is that engine and auto box that have really impressed me - god it flies and that exhaust sound!!

Yes, fuel consumption makes my 220 look excellent (and that's saying something) but I'd give all that up if I could (and won the lottery).

The only thing I do not like is the wood trim, prefer the aluminium on my SE variant but suppose that is personal preferences.

Finding every excuse to go out of the office today as it has to go back tonight..........

they finally added auto locking now?

They sure have, although I couldn't quite understand it........locks all 4 doors when you start driving and when you stop, only appear able to get out the drivers door, all other stayed locked!! No doubt I was not doing something right and there is a setting somewhere, didn't really have time to explore!

[GaryC]

My 220D is in Lexus for a couple of days having some warranty work done and they 'kindly' supplied me with a courtesy car.........IS250 SEL + MM + Auto

All I can say is BLOODY HELL! It is quite simply the best car I have ever had the pleasure of driving!

I've just bought a new IS250 SE-L Auto after owning a Merc C270 CDI and it's the best car I've driven.

It's bloomin marvellous. The engine sound, refinement, everthing. Beautiful motor. I've just taken a work mate out in it and he was totally in awe of it.

So I know how you feel. Forget the slightly worse fuel economy I'm never getting a diesel again.

The car is an absolute joy to drive.