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My 220d was due for its 60k service the other day so I booked it into Lexus. The initial service quote was £595 but maybe they saw the expression on my face of dis belief and quickly knocked it down to a still expensive £425.

Anyway, I had a is 250 f sport as a courtesy car for the day which was interesting as I wanted the chance to drive one.

My personal quick comparison was this, the petrol engine is noticeably quieter from the off, in fact once warm you need the windows down to hear it and the same for the auto box. From cold I could just feel the changes but once at operating temperature it was only the dash display that told me what gear I was in at it was so smooth in the trsnsisition from one gear change to the next.

My diesel is also very quiet once warm and whilst driving I cannot say I have ever noticed it although on tickover one can just hear the diesel noise.

As has been mentioned many times the manual gearbox is a bit clunky.

I have got used to it and manage to change quite smoothly now but there's no doubt that it does not come close to being as smooth as the auto box.

Fuel wise, I travel 45 minutes to work each day mainly on A-roads with a short bit of motorway.

I dont drive the diesel hard and I drove the petrol in the same fashion.

My diesel returns an average of 40mpg on the computer and the petrol returned an average of 37mpg.

Given the petrol/diesel per litre price the cost in fuel would be identical for my trip.

At higher speed around 80mph I found the diesel to still return a consistent 38-40 where as the petrol was dropping to the low 30,s.

I did not do my town driving but I would imagine that I would have seen a reasonable margin of difference in fuel consumption between the two cars.

One of the things I did notice was that despite the f-sport being just that, it did not feel as stable around corners as my diesel, in fact it felt considerably more wallowy which surprised me. Maybe the diesel has a stiffer suspension, I m not sure.

My only criticism of the auto box was the pointless paddle shift and sports mode.

The sport mode merely drops a couple of gears and revs longer in that gear, something I felt did little to the performance but ruined the experience of what is otherwise one of the smoothest auto boxes I have ever driven.

Likewise the paddles are pointless when they can only possibly worsen the gear change smoothness.

If I owned one I'd just leave it in auto and be done.

Comparing performance between the petrol and the diesel, I thought he v6 was a very smooth and very progressive as you would expect from a luxury car. It won't be winning any drag races but then I'd be looking at the v8 version for that. Likewise the diesel is not particularly fast although it has a lot more torque and that was very noticeable when I got back in my diesel. I would be surprise if there was much difference between the two cars at over taking speeds around 50mph etc.

I think taking everything into account both cars have pros and cons and if I'm honest in hind site given my experience with fairly good mpg's I might well have bought the petrol car.

However, I still enjoy the diesel and it's fuel consumption although not the best in the class has been at least consistent.

Carl

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I think the difference is that there are superlatives that can be applied to the IS250 Auto, and you are hard-pushed to find any for the IS220D.

Even the diesel's high torque is just to unstick a heavy lump of metal from a stationary position - essential for a manual car rather than a particular virtue. In terms of road performance, the diesel falls short at all speeds - as far as the figures are concerned - and for me in in real life too. The diesel's the increased gravelly commotion gives the impression of "trying" to a greater extent so can seem to perform better at times when the petrol just does it.

Yes, the diesel makes little noise to the ears at cruising speed, but still too much is felt through the feet and body compared with the silky V6 which makes long journeys less wearing.

The economy of the diesel is too conditional on all the anti-emission & particulate systems functioning properly - which this forum suggests is a bit uncertain, and which in turn seems lead it to be too conditional on the types of journey regularly travelled.

If your situation & usage suits the IS220D; once you get used to the diesel's characterstics & requirements plus the slightly bizarre-gear ratios, it is fine. Its just that none of these factors come into play with the 250 Auto.

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Interesting array there.

38-40 on a long run with the diesel is way off the mark. I get 54+ on a journey with ease. You want to get that looked at. I'd like to see a 250 auto get that? Currently, driving to work and back I am showing 41.4 mpg. My old is200 used to return about 25mpg on the same route. Suspect the 250 auto would be about the same or a tad worse.

I completely disagree with the comment that the diesel is more tiring to drive on a long journey. I drove from Scotland to Bournemouth in one day (640 miles) and the comfort, economy (54 mpg) and quietness was nothing short of superb.

The economy of any vehicle will, ultimately, come down to the driving style of the individual driver ( and yes, I fully realise as well as heaviness/lightness of foot there are the other factors of A/C on, windows open, piles of weight in the boot, roofrack, tyre pressure etc etc )

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Interesting array there.

38-40 on a long run with the diesel is way off the mark. I get 54+ on a journey with ease. You want to get that looked at. I'd like to see a 250 auto get that? Currently, driving to work and back I am showing 41.4 mpg. My old is200 used to return about 25mpg on the same route. Suspect the 250 auto would be about the same or a tad worse.

I completely disagree with the comment that the diesel is more tiring to drive on a long journey. I drove from Scotland to Bournemouth in one day (640 miles) and the comfort, economy (54 mpg) and quietness was nothing short of superb.

The economy of any vehicle will, ultimately, come down to the driving style of the individual driver ( and yes, I fully realise as well as heaviness/lightness of foot there are the other factors of A/C on, windows open, piles of weight in the boot, roofrack, tyre pressure etc etc )

It's interesting you say you get 54mpg.

As a matter of interest, what sort of speed are you traveling t to achieve that as I doubt I could get that even at a steady 56 mph.

I also disagree with the tiring drive though. Having driven both now I could feel no difference in comfort once moving, certainly one was not more tiring than the other.

Maybe fjcfarrar was finding changing gear more tiring.

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Pretty sure I was averaging 70 -75 mph, using cruise control, in 5th gear ( forget 6th unless on an autobahn doing 85 + ) travelling back down M6, M40, A34, M27. Had been to a family wedding near Aberdeen. Had I clocked it at the time I'd have tapped up Colbecoz and said Hi.

My heavy footed son borrowed the car to go to Wales over Xmas and got 49 mpg on the motorways and on return to base he was averaging 45mpg. There are no motorways from Bath to my house. There are no motorways in Dorset!

I posted somewhere else on this forum also relating to Hols in France this summer. Loaded vehicle, self and wifey, all types of terrain, but mostly Autoroutes (in fairness) got around the 49-52 mpg. Best I ever did with is200 was around the 35mpg. Yes the straight 6 petrol was a sweet engine but I prefer my mpg with the diesel!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had the 220d now for 18 months and after a sticky start I have got to really like it. There are quirks and irritations but no more than any other car really. The ratios and the gearbox are a pain at times and there is the slight vibro-massage that goes with the diesel but the engine goes very well and the car is comfortable, handles fine and does everything I've asked of it. Even without winter tyres I've had very little trouble in the snow though it is pretty flat round here I admit.

Fuel economy hasn't been good but this is mainly because circumstances have restricted me to a lot of town work over the last 6 months and with winter stop start driving it's been around 35-40mpg. Can't imagine that the V6 would have been too clever at that sort of work either though.

One thing I have found about the driving technique on this car is that you should ignore the fact it's a diesel. It runs happiest with a few revs so forget the 1k rpm trundle round the town like I could do in the old Avensis. If you drive it with a bit of gusto on the A & B roads it handles well and the mid-range acceleration is excellent. You might as well just forget about 6th gear because it is truly useless in the UK.

Would I buy another? Maybe. I got this one because it was a one-off bargain SE-L model with all the goodies much cheaper than the 250 version but with more or less the same performance. Generally I am satisfied with it, glad I got it. The 200D would have to be made a bit better on acceleration to tempt me to swap. It could be the extra refinement of the 250 V6 and auto box that swings it at changeover time but it would have to be another bargain.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello,

There is lots of interesting stuff said there.

I am looking at buying a lexus is diesel but the reviews are rarely very friendly and even an owner like yourself calls the gearbox clunky.

Are such things just minor flaws or real issues? By reading the reviews you'd think a golf was somehow better than a diesel IS.

I drive a 2004 a4 diesel at the moment and it's poorly refined compared to the newer a4 models. Any opinions on how the IS compares to an a4?

Thanks :-)

Matt

Ps. Apologies if this should be in a different thread but it looks like you are discussing refinement here and I am trying to gauge how serious these issues are in reality.

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Welcome to the LOC.

I have seen comments where potential IS220 owners have been recommended to buy a BMW if it is a diesel model they want!

There have been some serious engine defects on this model requiring a rebuild as well as EGR related problems.

I have also heard that Lexus only introduced a diesel model to compete in the diesel market sector, there will be no more as everyting is moving to Hybrid status eventually.

The IS250 is very nice though.

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Well I've gone and done it now - swapped the 220d for a 250. They are two totally different beasts. The ride quality in a 250 is quite different and the noise level quiet in comparison though in fairness the diesel is very quiet at motorway speeds. The biggest differences though are the gearbox and the vibration factor. To me in seems incomprehensible that a company like Lexus can produce a 6 gear car in which the 6th gear is unusable. Then there are the weird ratios. It was this that made me swap in the end - having to change gear so often to keep the torque and the lack of flexibility in the engine. Driving a diesel like a highly strung petrol engine is bound to bring a fuel penalty and it sure did. The vibro-massage is there at all speeds, passengers noticed it more than I did but it was just an irritant in a car of this quality.

In some ways I was sad to part with the car, The roadholding is excellent and it is a good A to B car but I expected more than that. The 250 is a much more versatile motor, not to mention much easier to drive and more comfortable. To be honest, it is the car I should have bought in the first place.

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Like Desmond, I also swapped my IS220d SE for a IS250 SE-I Nav, both new vehicles. I should never have bought the IS220.

I returned 31 mpg vs 41 mpg from the diesel but the IS250 experience was so much better. Forget the Lexus diesel unless thay pair it with an auto box.

I now drive a C Class 350 cdi Sport estate and return near 40 mpg. It goes round corners and stops like an IS can only dream of.

I wanted to like Lexus, but...............

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Hi All,

My experience is about average I guess. Gearbox replaced after clutch thrust bearing repacement didn't quieten the rattly gearbox/clutch noise, all under warranty. All quiet now though. Rebulit engine (under warranty again) which failed in Italy on holiday :megaangry: last year, Lexus customer service was exemplary and the 220D SE Multi is now brilliant. I learnt fairly quickly that 6th is useless exept at above 75 when the engine vibes smooth out considerably which by all accounts is better than other 220D owners. Fuel consumption is up to about 50mpg on a run and only down to about 37/38 in town, I'd say thats good. I have just fiited a "black box" and noticed how much smoother and quieter the engine is at the kind of speeds/gears I use. I'm initially impressed. The "hole" in response up to 2000rpm has gone and it now picks up at about 1500/1600rpm which is much better. It's too early for mpg results but will keep you all posted. The new 200D's gearbox is better as I was given one as a courtesy car. I also had a 250 and prefer my 220D maybe as I was driving it like a diesel rather than chasing the revs around the clock. There still isn't anything like a Lexus for quality of finish and standard gadgets. Would I buy another one, yes the new 200d or even give it up for a C, the 200h doesnt quite do it for me . . . . . . . . . . . . yet.

That's interesting because the first thing I noticed on the IS250 was that I was using lower revs than I did on the diesel for the same performance. Admittedly I haven't fully explored the performance (yet!) but in "limo mode" it seems to be very happily and smoothly running about town and motorways and whatever and giving a respectable mpg around the 36 mark.

I agree with you about the CT, Lexus hasn't quite got it right yet, especially in the fittings and furnishings department.

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