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Is 220d Sport Owners...read Me And Reply Pls :d


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Hi, looking to buy a 2006/2007 lexus IS.

Due to running costs/insurance etc im plumming for a diesel. (i hear many of you scream :tsktsk: noooooo :tsktsk: )

I have never driven a diesel before, only petrol motors. My current being a W reg Honda Accord 2.0l

Is the Sport variant of the IS significantly better? I so far, have not been able to test one. The feedback on this site seems to favour it more than the standard IS diesel. Although i havent read many comments on the sport variant. Does this mean it is actually pretty good?

I know many of you prefer the IS250 but as mentioned above the insurance and tax cost alone push it out of my pricing, yet alone the purchase price of it.

The sport models tend to be more expensive so my choice would basically be either an SE-L with MM or a Sport

I will be keeping this car for atleast 3-4 yrs so need as best an informed decision as i can get, as I am not in an overly healthy financial position. (Hence the W reg accord with 135 k on clock) :whistling:

thanks in advance for the helpful comments

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Thing is some are very happy with their 220ds and some are very unhappy. The Sport does tend to get more favourable reviews as the 6th gear is more usable but personally I'd take both for a long test drive on different types of roads and see which you feel more comfortable in.

I'd go for an SE-L with MM over a Sport myself, but have never driven a 220d so no idea what the difference to drive is like.

And check the car very carefully for rattles :)

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thanks for the reply Parthiban

I intend to test drive both, if I can find a 220d sport to test drive, they are a lot rarer than the standard 220d

I assume the rattles apply to all IS?

Any actual owners of the 220d sport that can advise?

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i've the 220 se model, happy with it so far only been driving it a few months, the 6th gear can only be used on motorway but i hardly need to go past 4th all city driving. Overall i like the car and would recommend it.

as said above test drive the car and if you like it get it and if you dont, dont.

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The Sport model has better gearing ratios, which makes the car better to drive. On the standard model you will find yourself more times under the 2000 rpm mark, where the car is sluggish because the turbo does not kick in. Also the Sport gets a tougher suspension, so you will notice the road bumps more. Other than that, it is specd like the top of the range SE-L (without the rear blind and leather), but you get some nice 18s by default. The Sport version has considerably higher CO2 emissions (195), and theoritically the fuel consumption is worse (but I don't really believe that, the engines are the same).

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Bump...

There must be some 220d Sport owners that use these forums that can give some informed decisions???

Do you have any dead spots in the gears?

At what speed can 6th gear be used?

Everyone seems to be comparing the Lexus to the beamers due to sweeter engines etc but possibly the Sport model will compare better? Just a thought?

I know its only the gear ratio thats been changed with stiffer suspension and bigger wheels, but how does this compare the the 320d.

2 things i do know... 1) Much better looking car than the beamer 2) Nowhere near as common

thoughts? :question:

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As I mentioned earlier, because of the shorter gears, the car remains easily close to the 2K RPM mark in all gears, and hence you will not notice the dead spots as much as in the standard model. This improves the drive considerably.

6th gear can be used at 55-60 mph, so that is also considerable better than the standard model.

I have not driven a 320d so can't compare them, but agree on the looks and exclusivity points. The 320d will definately give you much better fuel consumption figures. You will struggle to even get 40 mpg out of a IS220d Sport. And if most of your driving is town driving, then you will be looking at 28-30 mpg.

As always, the best thing is if you manage to test drive one...

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I know your after input from 220 sport people really but thought i'd stickl my 2p's worth in i think the advise is good you should test drive and see what suits you same as any car really. i have had my 220D since jan this year. I like the car its different looking and i never brought it for the MPG if i did i would have run a mile i do mainly what i guess would be extra urban style driving (some town and some A-B roads) with the odd motorway trip here and there. i get about 37 mpg out of mine i have had a long trip using only 5th of course because 6th is pretty much no use but motorways it can return mid 40's if you try hard enough. i have never had an oil burner before i had this and its nice to drive once you get the hang of it not being petrol. the gripes people have seem to be :-

1) rattles ... well its the lexus theory i think cos its a lexus any squeek its back at the deelers (who are veyr good i have to say) but if it was a mondeo then you might just think noisey thing and leave it ... having said that we have mondeo's at work they get abused left right and centre and dont make a noise! mine has been back 4 times for various squeeks

2) non existant first gear - it is just something you have to adjust to a lot of oil burners suffer with this so i am told

3) 6th gear is useless - again once you get used to it its ok to be honesst it might as well not be there car is perfectly quiet/ fuel efficient and runs well at up to 80-85 in 5th

And various other complaints i think you have to also bear in mind that in any forum (not just lexus) they are probably going to be someone who has a fault and trying to find uot how to fix it as most who dont have faults will be out enjoying the car.

i am getting rid of mine in the new year to go back to a skoda (i would have said shoot me a few years ago) but i have had too many faults with mine ( water pump replaced, two top end rebuilds for oil leeks, squeeks, rattly seat, etc etc) but mine might just be a friday afternoon lemon.

other than that its comfy does everything pretty well (except MPG!) and is different to the masses of BMW's

hope that helps

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Thanks for response Moonpig. Did you buy yours new or second hand? If second hand was it high mileage etc? I wont be buying new, im probably going to aim for an ex-lease car. I am gambling on most issues(squeeks etc) would have been sorted prior to me getting it. As you say, as its a Lexus people expect these things to be right, hopefully the previous owner of the car I buy would have the same attitude

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Thanks for response Moonpig. Did you buy yours new or second hand? If second hand was it high mileage etc? I wont be buying new, im probably going to aim for an ex-lease car. I am gambling on most issues(squeeks etc) would have been sorted prior to me getting it. As you say, as its a Lexus people expect these things to be right, hopefully the previous owner of the car I buy would have the same attitude

I brought mine second hand from a car supermarket, so am never sure they come from the best stock! was a private owner before hand. mine had 20,000 on the clock. to be fair most of the things on mine i had done because its a Lexus and shouldnt make noises! to be honest its now pretty much noise free (apart from the odd crack! from the plastics when its heating up or cooling down with air con etc but i can live with that). In all its a good car i am pretty happy with it but i didnt buy it for its MPG i brought it as i liked its looks and the car in general

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