Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Recommended Posts

interesting & divisive post :unsure:

i recently switched our bmw 520d for a 300 petrol lexus & couldn't be happier , i hated the noise & general driveness of a turbo diesel , fortunately i don't need to achieve great mpg or please any company car criteria,

i am , on the whole relatively new to jap cars (4months) after 16 years germanic motoring , still have a 2003 20v turbo petrol passat that returns 33/37mpg daily(not in town) & goes like **** through a goose ,

generally folks go diesel to save money but in my experience they cost more to buy , more to run/service & the fuel costs more , , why not just buy a better petrol car ? ?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201144425841258/sort/priceasc/fuel-type/petrol/maximum-age/up_to_2_years_old/model/passat/make/volkswagen/page/1/radius/200/postcode/bb120hr/advert-type/featured-listing/dealer/11495/usedcars?logcode=flp

what i can say for sure is the VW/AUDI produce the best range & value for money cars with one to suit every desire & budget ,

their biggest fault for me however is sheer numbers on the roads ,

lexus offers everyday folks that little panache & prestige no longer available from germany unless you have £40k + to spend

whichever you have just enjoy them ,

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Did you know the Mirror is a known issue and will be repair/replaced at any Lexus. My dad just got a call one day saying his car had not been in for the two recalls the speaker in the dash and the vibrating mirror. so he just drove down and got a courtesy car for a few hours and that was it fixed!

Hi Sohail

I've had my 220d se-l for almost 5 years with no problems.

If you are getting one, they all have vibrating rear view interior mirrors, comedy gearchange till you get it right and a useless 6th gear.You should get the top of the range model.

My better half has a manual is250, which is a far better car-drive it like a grandad & its quite economical (35+)

I've had is250 autos as courtesy cars and this would be the version to get. its a smooth, fast, comfortable car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to add that my IS250 is capable of a tank average of 40 MPG (with no hybrid option) and in line with Tangos comment on his good MPG too:

post-24942-0-37928800-1324314853.jpg

Thanks.

I am impressed! what sort of driving is that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to add that my IS250 is capable of a tank average of 40 MPG (with no hybrid option) and in line with Tangos comment on his good MPG too:

post-24942-0-37928800-1324314853.jpg

Thanks.

I am impressed! what sort of driving is that?

It's quite easy to achieve that sort of MPG on certain types of journey, but I doubt it's typical of anyone's overall driving.

A couple of years ago I drove from Exeter to Cambridge and managed 44mpg in my 250 auto. That was achieved by driving at a fairly steady 70-75mph with a couple of stops and a bit of a crawl around the Birmingham area. It was all the more impressive because I had a passenger, full fuel tank, two full suitcases and associated holiday stuff in the back of the car.

My typical monthly average varies between about 32mpg (winter) and 36mpg (summer).

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I've managed 42mpg on a 150 mile round trip but I was nodding off at the end.

Generally long runs at more usual speeds give low 30s and for local use I get low 20s.

Not bad really for a petrol auto V6.

I'm struggling to get 15mpg out of the Subaru at the moment with all the traffic and the cold weather.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're buying diesel then don't buy Japanese, let alone Lexus. The best Jap diesels are the Honda lumps, and even they disappoint IMO. VAG diesels are the best in the world, bar none. Despite being tuned to within an inch of its life my old PD130 used to return over 50mpg and would happily spin the wheels in 3rd in the dry. The CR lumps in use now are more refined than the one I had. No faults over the two years I had it and I abused it like you wouldn't believe. On the move it was quiet and pulled like a steam train. The Toyota diesels are unbelievably noisy, inefficient and unpleasant in comparison. If you want a 'luxury' diesel then it has to be an Audi - they're prolific for a reason! The BMWs are refined but not particularly dieselly and under real conditions are (or certainly were when I drove such things) less efficient.

If you're going petrol then the IS250 is probably the best real-world car I've had the pleasure to drive. Mine returns 25-30mpg on my commute (5 mile round trip - it barely gets warm) and I have seen 44mpg on a longer run, though I was trying (but still exceeding the 70mph limit). It's quiet, smooth and is the only Japanese car I've ever driven with a decent automatic gearbox. I have utter faith in it and after 10k I'm still impressed (I fall out with cars within a month or so, normally). I wouldn't have a manual version, and seemingly neither would everyone else as Lexus ditched it. It really is a FAR better car in every respect barring economy - in that regard the difference is less than you'd think. It's probably fair to say if you can't afford the difference you probably can't afford a Lexus come service time anyway...

I'm sure the Lexus will be awful in winter, but it's on summer tyres so that's to be expected. We've got the missus' MX-5 if it gets really snowy and I need a manual gearbox to get going.

To tie this in to other comments, I'm also an advanced driver and a biker. Not sure how that's relevant to the IS220D though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're buying diesel then don't buy Japanese, let alone Lexus. The best Jap diesels are the Honda lumps, and even they disappoint IMO. VAG diesels are the best in the world, bar none. Despite being tuned to within an inch of its life my old PD130 used to return over 50mpg and would happily spin the wheels in 3rd in the dry. The CR lumps in use now are more refined than the one I had. No faults over the two years I had it and I abused it like you wouldn't believe. On the move it was quiet and pulled like a steam train. The Toyota diesels are unbelievably noisy, inefficient and unpleasant in comparison. If you want a 'luxury' diesel then it has to be an Audi - they're prolific for a reason! The BMWs are refined but not particularly dieselly and under real conditions are (or certainly were when I drove such things) less efficient.

If you're going petrol then the IS250 is probably the best real-world car I've had the pleasure to drive. Mine returns 25-30mpg on my commute (5 mile round trip - it barely gets warm) and I have seen 44mpg on a longer run, though I was trying (but still exceeding the 70mph limit). It's quiet, smooth and is the only Japanese car I've ever driven with a decent automatic gearbox. I have utter faith in it and after 10k I'm still impressed (I fall out with cars within a month or so, normally). I wouldn't have a manual version, and seemingly neither would everyone else as Lexus ditched it. It really is a FAR better car in every respect barring economy - in that regard the difference is less than you'd think. It's probably fair to say if you can't afford the difference you probably can't afford a Lexus come service time anyway...

I'm sure the Lexus will be awful in winter, but it's on summer tyres so that's to be expected. We've got the missus' MX-5 if it gets really snowy and I need a manual gearbox to get going.

To tie this in to other comments, I'm also an advanced driver and a biker. Not sure how that's relevant to the IS220D though.

Thanks for your post - its interesting for me,

a) because I learn such a lot,

B) opinions help me to form some idea of what to look for (I have been looking at Hondas!!)

All my knowledge re winter tyres (fitted to the Lexus on 8th October) mostly came from this forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to thank everyone for their posts and im happy to say after much research and speaking to family members with the car i took the plunge and got my self a diesel..

hope it works out for me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to thank everyone for their posts and im happy to say after much research and speaking to family members with the car i took the plunge and got my self a diesel..

hope it works out for me

good luck, Iam on 94K miles and still no head gasket problem.

do one thing. every 10K get your egr valve cleaned by independent garage (will cost £50-£60) and once a while put injector cleaner in your car. I use millers diesel injector cleaner once every few months.

good luck once again :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to thank everyone for their posts and im happy to say after much research and speaking to family members with the car i took the plunge and got my self a diesel..

hope it works out for me

good luck, Iam on 94K miles and still no head gasket problem.

do one thing. every 10K get your egr valve cleaned by independent garage (will cost £50-£60) and once a while put injector cleaner in your car. I use millers diesel injector cleaner once every few months.

good luck once again :)

great advice thanks, i could prob do that myself where is the egr valve? although when i went to look at the car i had called the lexus dealer from where the car was serviced and they confirmed all the history and they did say the car was recalled for a egr valve change.

i think i picked up a bargain but i had to travel nearly 350 miles for it.. but im well impressed. its a 220d SE-L in cadoxton slate with multimedia. the only problem with the car is the front left parking sensor isnt working which i need to look at. comes up on the display as check sonar and has a cross on the front passenger side one.

any advice on that would be helpfull.

also need to get some mats for it would like the genuine ones any idea how much they will set me back?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I would like to thank everyone for their posts and im happy to say after much research and speaking to family members with the car i took the plunge and got my self a diesel..

hope it works out for me

good luck, Iam on 94K miles and still no head gasket problem.

do one thing. every 10K get your egr valve cleaned by independent garage (will cost £50-£60) and once a while put injector cleaner in your car. I use millers diesel injector cleaner once every few months.

good luck once again :)

great advice thanks, i could prob do that myself where is the egr valve? although when i went to look at the car i had called the lexus dealer from where the car was serviced and they confirmed all the history and they did say the car was recalled for a egr valve change.

i think i picked up a bargain but i had to travel nearly 350 miles for it.. but im well impressed. its a 220d SE-L in cadoxton slate with multimedia. the only problem with the car is the front left parking sensor isnt working which i need to look at. comes up on the display as check sonar and has a cross on the front passenger side one.

any advice on that would be helpfull.

also need to get some mats for it would like the genuine ones any idea how much they will set me back?

try this link for diy egr valve cleaning

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=64978

reason your car had egr changed is that lexus doesnt clean egr valve when you get the car serviced by them so when it gets completely blocked and the car goes into a "limp home" mode and you take your car to lexus, they replace the egr valve with a new one.

looks like you got a great car, the only problem is that your dealer is 350 miles away. your parking sensor should be fixed by the dealer, or the dealer should pay for fixing it as per trading standard rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to thank everyone for their posts and im happy to say after much research and speaking to family members with the car i took the plunge and got my self a diesel..

hope it works out for me

good luck, Iam on 94K miles and still no head gasket problem.

do one thing. every 10K get your egr valve cleaned by independent garage (will cost £50-£60) and once a while put injector cleaner in your car. I use millers diesel injector cleaner once every few months.

good luck once again :)

great advice thanks, i could prob do that myself where is the egr valve? although when i went to look at the car i had called the lexus dealer from where the car was serviced and they confirmed all the history and they did say the car was recalled for a egr valve change.

i think i picked up a bargain but i had to travel nearly 350 miles for it.. but im well impressed. its a 220d SE-L in cadoxton slate with multimedia. the only problem with the car is the front left parking sensor isnt working which i need to look at. comes up on the display as check sonar and has a cross on the front passenger side one.

any advice on that would be helpfull.

also need to get some mats for it would like the genuine ones any idea how much they will set me back?

Hiya, Got myself a 220d two months ago and am really pleased with it although I have come across a small 'problem' that I will post about to see if anyone has had similar.

As regards your mats, I've just got myself a set of originals and they are superb. Give Andy a call at Lexus poole and tell him that you are a member of the LOC and he will do you a good deal. His number is 01202 493700. You will find him on the 'Discounted Parts' at the bottom of the first forum page (I think) this might be a link to it too http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showforum=150 hope this helps. enjoy your car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for all your replys

and to those who say get a is250 my question is why?

and any more input on the is220d?

DONT BUY ONE

owned one since April the dash rattles, door card rattles, it scrubs the front tyres inside edge alignment has been checked 3 times its fine this december broke down its with Lexus now having an engine rebuild at just 98k the car has full lexus history and never been in a crash. My opinion look at the BMW 335D i hate BMWs but this car has it all power and economy.

And Im total Toyota Fan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

One more nail in the coffin for IS 220 D.

I had it for just over a year (07 plate) - the fuel consumption got gradually worse, the last service didn't improve things at all. At below 40mpg on motorway is not acceptable. At the last service, the Lexus service guy warned me to keep an eye on the antifreeze - which to me was a sign of further problems - search for 'head-gasket problem'...

To this add very soft paint (not sure is the right description) - it is very easy to scratch it or damage it. Much easier than in other cars. Also, very soft window glass (not sure how else could I describe this - the side window got scratched by ice on winding the window down ,one of the rear ones by some clothing fixture of a passenger (zipper or bag or something similar). Never seen anything like it on any other car I had before... even the windscreen is prone to minor, but visible scratches.

So I decided, like many others here, to cut my loses - swapped it for a BMW with EfficientDynamics tech.

It is a simpler car, not as luxurious, but more sporty, it drives much better than the IS. The fuel consumption is in the region of 50mpg from the 2l diesel. I love to drive it and it has a 6th gear that I can actually use!!! £30/yr road tax!

I miss the luxury of the IS, the car has a fantastic shape, but overall I am glad to see it go. Hopefully the IS 200D is better, but am not willing to risk it.

Also, I fail to understand why Lexus gets high scores on JD Power... Extremely expensive (£135 to replace a door mirror glass?!!!, £530 quote for the 40000 miles service?!!!), not as open in explanations as JD Power suggests, kind of arrogant staff.

The whole Lexus experience was disappointing, will never buy one again.

I hope this helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, I fail to understand why Lexus gets high scores on JD Power... Extremely expensive (£135 to replace a door mirror glass?!!!, £530 quote for the 40000 miles service?!!!), not as open in explanations as JD Power suggests, kind of arrogant staff.

I can't say I've ever experienced any arrogance from my Lexus dealer. Sure, they're pretty expensive, but to be fair to them it is a luxury marque and they've always been very keen and efficient to sort out any little problem I might have had. I doubt the German dealers would have been any better or cheaper.

Oh dear, I sound like I must work for Lexus (which I don't).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...