Mike_C

Well, i visited Lexus Nottingham today and test drove a very nice IS200 Sport! Impressions are: Look great, always have liked the aggressive front, and a few there had the styling kit too! Interior was OK; felt the seats were comfy but not overly supportive, dash binnacle looked great but the centre console felt tacky; generally good thou. Ride was very good; very pliant and smooth but very little body roll and felt nice and taut-definately a highlight. Engine sounded fantastic at higher revs and even better if u heel and toe blipped the throttle on gear changes...BUT, and here's the big one, its not quick by any means i'm afraid, and certainly not for the sorts of mpg it achieves. :( If u did stay high up the rev range to get the most from it, i cant see it ever getting past 20mpg, or even close! A lovely car and i can see why people buy them, but not quick enough for me i'm afraid. An IS300 maybe, but thats out of reach with its slightly ridiculous insurance grouping (and price due to their age!) Cheers anyway for your advice and help, enjoy your cars! Mike :)

Any pics Mr Morse??? And are IS200's reall that bad on fuel then? How many miles to a tank, and how much is a tank to fill up? Cheers :)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum so please bare with me. I'm after a new car and want plenty of luxury but also still need something fairly nippy and economical with good handling. So, how does the IS200 fit the bill? I'm yet to test drive one (next wknd i think) but i'm slightly concerned the 0-60 of a "sporty" saloon as they were advertised is "only" 9.2s! Is the real world performance any better? I cant stretch to an IS300 be it for price or insurance costs! Furthermore, is the IS200 economical compared to the equivilant 3-series 2.0 or whatever? Cos the evo magazine figures suggest its pretty bad, worst even, than a Civic Type R which is a darn site quicker! Do all manual IS200's have 6 gears and are the auto's paddle shift or standard auto boxes? Also, is the Sport worth having over the SE? I've had a look at this link (clicky) and it seems mainly cosmetic, thou i do like the lowered springs if they make any difference? Finally, as far as i can make out, the only optional extra (other than the SE and Sport packs) was the Sat Nav; is this correct and how does it perform (i.e. does it work!)??? Cheers for your help! Mike.