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Debait Over Power Of The Lexus Is200 S


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Yep its a bit of a shame the power side of things really.

Had a brand new clio sport a few years back, renault get 170-180 BHP out of their 2-litres (was great fun). you would have hoped Lexus could have done a little better (would understand poor fuel economy if it returned a bit more poke). Like last poster though, its still a good car to drive and the best all round car I have owned.

I thought debait is when you cleaned your fishing hook :winky:

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My diesel van produces more power than my IS, however the van also spends a large potion of it's life being repaired as I suspect would the Clio.... Squeezing more and more power out of the same number of CCs using the same materials will always have a pay off....

Not too many years ago, 3.5 litre V8s were producing 155Bhp... If you want a fast car, then you should buy a fast car, not a family saloon..

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My diesel van produces more power than my IS, however the van also spends a large potion of it's life being repaired as I suspect would the Clio.... Squeezing more and more power out of the same number of CCs using the same materials will always have a pay off....

Not too many years ago, 3.5 litre V8s were producing 155Bhp... If you want a fast car, then you should buy a fast car, not a family saloon..

Erm, GS450, family saloon, very fast, and 0-60 could supprise a few Porches!

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My diesel van produces more power than my IS, however the van also spends a large potion of it's life being repaired as I suspect would the Clio.... Squeezing more and more power out of the same number of CCs using the same materials will always have a pay off....

Not too many years ago, 3.5 litre V8s were producing 155Bhp... If you want a fast car, then you should buy a fast car, not a family saloon..

Erm, GS450, family saloon, very fast, and 0-60 could supprise a few Porches!

Is that a PVC porch or a hardwood one..... :whistling:

I think that we were discussing the IS 200, I find it quite amusing that guys buy a quite heavy car with a smooth lazy engine that will run happily for many miles complain about a lack of power... If the IS is too slow, then they should buy a car with more power... Perhaps a Porsche

Even with the minuscule power that the IS 200 has, there are quite a few posts from guys here who complain about the IS kicking it's RS end out on wet bends which leads me to suppose that the power of the IS is adequate for what it is and also too much for them.

As for Bazzas comment on the IS cruising at 120 all day, well he is right, I do drive to Munich and Prague now and again and I rarely drop below 100 on a good run.. The GS, I expect would do the job even better.. Both cars will still be cruising nicely when the current VWs and Renaults are being converted into coke cans

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I am in the fortunate position where i can run more than one car. The IS is my every day runner, use it for work get in and out with dirty boots and overalls on and everything. Cleans up very nicely everytime my apprentice does a great job so it gets used as my evening car as well. I run up and down the country in my IS every weekend on caving canoeing and scuba diving trips. Mine has clocked 145,000 miles has little to no recorded service history and still drives at tight as the day it was made.

I have other cars when i feel the need for speed.

AS for power bmw 6 cylinder 2 litre engine only puts out 150 bhp i know i used to own one would take my IS over the bwm anyday.

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I bought my IS200 for its ability to eat through motorway miles as that's where I do most of my driving. Out of all the other cars I was considering the IS was the only one that didn't fall into the sports category (i came very close to buying an mr2 which I have wanted since the mk2 was released), and was also the slowest car. The IS is perfectly suited to my needs. Surely before you buy a car you know about its performance so I don't understand how anyone could complain about its power. For what the car is I feel its engine is great. Maybe other 2 litre motors are more powerful but I doubt they carry the reliability of the Lexus, or the smoothness.

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When Top Gear tested the IS200 back in 1999, they made the following comment:

"The IS200 has enough power, just enough" I completely agree with this, and as mention in the past, the IS200 is a luxury cruiser designed to get from A to B in comfort. The IS200 is no GTI.

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well to be fair 144lb of torque isnt much but it works well in the design of the car, the is200 is a comfortable cruiser which i could never fault, and his has the power through out the rev range i find even in 6th gear to put the foot down and over take happily on motorways or any other situations, power is there in the car just not flat out acceleration or speed but as i said, car wasnt built to be a balls out speed machine, its a business mans or family luxurious vehicle, it does its job well through out its life whether it be 50k miles or 130k miles,

I have an IS200 sport with just under 120k miles and i've driven a car similar to mine with less than 60k miles and didnt notice any different, I couldnt fault my IS in anyway, regular services and change the worn brakes bushes etc like you should do on all cars and it stays like new, very reliable,

want a fast car, buy an mr2 or an evo etc, want something with enough power to keep you going for a long time and in comfort to give you the driving pleasure forever then buy an IS,

I dont think i could change my IS for anything, looked at jags bmw merc audi etc and none of them felt anywhere near as comfortable or solid as my lex,

so i disagree that it is underpowered, i beleive it is a perfectly balanced car and does its duty proud!

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I'm surprised there's not more 3SGE conversions going on over in the UK, especially with TTE no longer making the compressor kits. Would be pretty straight forward swap, depending on what your laws are like regarding transplants. 210hp definitely bring the chassis to life :winky:

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I used to have an IS200 and did used to have enough power. The power comes in nice and smooth, and the MPG was diabolical on short runs. But i still enjoyed the way it drove, looked and preformed when pushed hard.

My van also has more power than my previous IS200 (Merc Vito 204 Sport - 204BHP 440lb torque) and if you want something faster, go for a GS450H, as that can surprise many cars

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can the is200 be remapped?

no

You could with a piggyback fuel ECU like an Apexi SAFCII or Camcon. Just not sure if the expense would be justified in power increase?

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well to be fair 144lb of torque isnt much but it works well in the design of the car, the is200 is a comfortable cruiser which i could never fault, and his has the power through out the rev range i find even in 6th gear to put the foot down and over take happily on motorways or any other situations, power is there in the car just not flat out acceleration or speed but as i said, car wasnt built to be a balls out speed machine, its a business mans or family luxurious vehicle, it does its job well through out its life whether it be 50k miles or 130k miles,

I have an IS200 sport with just under 120k miles and i've driven a car similar to mine with less than 60k miles and didnt notice any different, I couldnt fault my IS in anyway, regular services and change the worn brakes bushes etc like you should do on all cars and it stays like new, very reliable,

want a fast car, buy an mr2 or an evo etc, want something with enough power to keep you going for a long time and in comfort to give you the driving pleasure forever then buy an IS,

I dont think i could change my IS for anything, looked at jags bmw merc audi etc and none of them felt anywhere near as comfortable or solid as my lex,

so i disagree that it is underpowered, i beleive it is a perfectly balanced car and does its duty proud!

Took the words right out of my mouth mate. I have one extra word to add to the IS200 and Lexus in general..... REFINEMENT......

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