Scarlet Pimpernell

Peterb, I have an Audi A4 which I am PEXng for the IS220d...if it was the 250 that I was buying I would only go for the Auto (having driven the manual and auto 250) I reckon the Auto is so good (even though the Manual is excellent too) that in order to get good money in the future for your second hand IS250 it will HAVE to be an auto (like Merc's). I have seen one in the autotrader advertised as "IS250 CVT", but I thought they were conventional auto's... It really is a stonker that Lexus have not put an auto in the diesel. Mine won't be a company car, but I care about the environment just a little too much to go for the V6... Anyway, on a comparo, the Audi and Lexus are equally well built, though the VAG car is a bit dull inside. The Audi in spite of being 5 years old now is still a slightly more spacious car compared to the IS, and it drives impeccably (respecially the V grill), with little road noise. If the mags weren't so BeeEm orientated the Audi would always win the German battle...If for any reason I can't stand the diesel IS, It will be back to Audi again... As an overall package the IS is too good... But for now all that I can say is that you've done the right thing matey...(IMHO), especially as a New A4 comes out in 2007 (early) and anything you buy now will be worth 50% what you have paid in 2 years...

Steve, if it's the accessories (rather than factory fit) version of the mobile kit then I was told it was around £495incl Vat for the IS, but it includes a cradle, I believe in the arm rest, an antenna etc. I think it might still be a Bluetooth tech (not sure), and I also think the cradle only allows access to the antenna and for charging. I believe you get a small remote module, located on the dash to control the phone functions rather than the MF steering wheel controls.... With all of that it's probably best to get a Bluetooth headset...cheaper and non invasive... Not sure about the sensors...

I don't believe that this problem is unique to Lexus (though it appears to be worse... on a Lexus). The insides of the Spokes of my Audi A4 started to show the same symptoms. 3 Wheels were replaced under warranty, but one was not, as it had been marginally curbed (even though the corrosion was not occuring where the wheel was kerbed yet, but on the insides of the spokes). Maybe mine was a one off... but I tried to complain and VAG were having nothing of it... I just hope they have sorted this out for the new IS....

I never would...even without the airbags it would be shame to sit on Zebra colours when you just spent £25oddK! But can you imagine what would happen if you had a crash...and your airbags exploded inside the covers... I once saw someone with a velcro'd mobilephone in the middle of their steering wheel, over the airbag! It was a taxi! Can you imagine the paramedic trying to extract the phone...

bit early to tell i would have thought if there are problems with the seats after 1 month, it would mean toyota has made one huge mistake, and there not known for making mistakes ← I am nervous...dunno if I have done the right thing... Like I say, they look fragile, and I am sure that any problems will start early... People keep going on about Lexus quality, but you have to see the material. Whilst it looks good, it looks "thin" and silky, the sort that could fray from where the embroidery is...

I have one of these on order (220d base with MM), but was a bit concerned about how the fabric wears... The Ecsaine always wore well, but the new cloth is "shiny" in the centre squab and centre backrest, with a knotted embroidered design...It feels silky and fragile... I was wondering if anyone has one of these now and how the material is wearing (i.e. has it started to get "stretchy", or some of the enbroidery getting damaged, pulled etc). Thanks

Oh dear..... went to get the local paper today (my Audi's advertised in it). Saw the Autocar Mag....read the article...they appear to have driven an LHD version of 220d SEL...comments like narrow power band....bad choice of colours and materials in cabin (i.e. Plastic wood and chrome all in one - uhh don't they all have that?)...rough engine....heavy feel to the car....0-60 in 10secs (albeit in wet conditions)...totally unsuitable engine in a well made car....ooh and a new one - balky gearbox (!)...after all that it gets a thumbs up for cabin noise, yet they say it's too noisy... :duh: ...Ride quality too firm around town and the bMW's "dramatically" better ride (yeah, right, I drove them back to back - the 3 was fidgety and horrible in my humble opinion) It did puzzle me how the LHD car with foreign plates was parked on an embankment, with a bridge in the distance with what appeared to be london Red buses on it...I wonder what spec it really was, whether the foreign setup detracted in any way...and maybe the tester had not driven a manual with gears on the "wrong" side ever before...! Oh dear oh dear..... But again, we (who really matter) need to drive it, and I am sure it won't be that bad (gulp, pray pray)...I just hope Moley is right in what he says, and the car is the most refined and smoothest out of the bunch...else it's back to Audi...and embarrassment for Lexus Leicester... and Mr Mole who we will send to "Coventry"... I also know that these mags are well funded by the opposition, but it makes painful reading...and mud sticks and influences people, so it is all very unhelpful (and worrying for us who have put a deposit down (though the garage agreed to refund mine if I did not like the diesel)).

What does that mean? ← I think it means that the diesel is an IS220d not IS250... ← Looks like a typo to me... The 220d 175 BHP 4 cyl is £200 or so cheaper than 250 V6 200+ BHP - let you come to your own conclusions on that pricing strategy... But it does have bags of torque AND it's a shame that fantastic 6 cog auto is not available in the derv model... And don't read the press stories...dealer assures me it's fantastic, comparable to the 320d ( ) and better than the Audi a4 2.0TDI. The rag mags have some scary stories, but as mentioned on other threads it's questionable if anyone in the press world has actually driven it yet... Ultimately you obviously have to drive it yourself, Lexus Leicester have advised me that they get their demo during last week of December...can't wait The salesman mentioned that I am at the top of the list, so I will post as soon as I can...

Then ......... we all know that those 500 miles were rather harsh ← The hidden text: IS250, black, 1 Owner [47 drivers], 500 miles only [Mostly at Rev Limiter prior to each gear change], barely run in [not even started to run it in yet], Drives well [flat out], good brakes [at limit], Traction control [tested by all drivers], remainder of manufactureres warranty [boy you might need it], only £21850 [you can get the same car for £21,500 on Drivethedeal] :P

I have tried the cooled seats in the GS and have been told that the system uses fans to keep you cool and in the GS they really do work. The £3K difference is not just for leather and alloys but leather, bigger alloys, heated and ventilated seats plus electric adjustment. I've done some reckoning and the Lexus charge is on par with other manufacturers. Of course with Lexus it is all or nothing as with BMW et al, you could choose to have the leather but not the alloys. I agree with the comment about the memory seats, they should have them on the SE. I don't want to start a massive argument about vegetarianism etc but cattle are bred for their meat, the leather is just a by product. I live on a beef farm and my partner is a beef farmer so I know this for a fact. ← I know it's a by-product...I have no problem with "non veggies", honest As you say - it's all or nothing (and I appreciate you get 17" 225/245's), which is a shame...I spent the £3+k on MM and metalic, which I thought was better for me...but these stories of rattles from the dahsboard...sounds Vauxhallish...worries me...I suppose you just get Mark Levinson to raise his voice... Never had a Lexus before, but had a 2 Toyota's, which were fabulously reliable...so expect to keep this for at least 100k!

Are the seats actually "cooled", or is it just "aired" by small fans like the Merc system? Does anyone know whether there are actual Air Con vents positioned in the seat squab/rest to actually cool the seats? If it has, there is potential for moisture...and mould I went for the base IS220d for 3 reasons: 1) Ventilated Leather and alloys for £3000 - seems steep to me 2 Electric seats without memroy function is a bit silly - well it's quicker by hand, and mainly one driver so not necessary 3) Did not fancy killing another cow for it's hide (being a vegetarian and all that) However, I have been re-thinking the strategy, as I would love to have lumbar adjustment...and the leather is better bolstored, especially around the shoulders and back. Also, anyone else have a base IS250? How are the cloth seats fairing?

I drove the 320d too, found it uninspiring and dead...ride was too firm too...and the gear change...longest throw in the world...I swear my arm was in france by the time I engaged first gear... I have an Aud A4 and swear by them, but the dealers are naff. So my IS220d arives in March...best move I made...hopefully! I managed to wangle £996 off list by quoting www.drivethedeal.co.uk...check it out yourself! But the PEX on my Audi was a bit rough (win some lose some)...anyone want a Silver 2002/52 A4 1.9TDI 130bhp, 46k, one owner (me :D ), FASH, Sony Satnav/6 CD for £10k? Just been serviced (Oct, long T&T)

Nick - seriously, if Lexus are as good as they say, get those niggles sorted by them...you should not have to put up with squeakes etc...though the gearbox sounds as though it is "design intent" between 1st and 2nd... If it was a Ford it would have been "designed in a tent..."

You're right, there is nothing in it, joking and jiving apart, they leave the europeans standing, whatever the Japanese badge...the Jazz is actually a great small car all round and we would have another (i'm 38!). It does everything we need it to do and has a huge amount of character, but seriously, the dealers in Leicester leave you wanting...they really do not understand customer care/satisfaction at all. The germans and americans have a tradition...name...that's it! they have sat on it too long, and whether it is a Honda or Toyota or Lexus, the engineering is streets ahead! Well done you japanese manufacturers! PS you could accuse some of the "posters" on this forum for being biased... I'm not - I'm just a person that's found the right car!

@ Nicnac If Honda are the best overall Jap manufacturer why didn't you buy an Accord? If it's speed you were after (you mentioned the Civic would ***** all over the IS200) why didn't you buy a Scooby? What exactly were you looking for when you bought the Lex? (I'm not arguing with you BTW, just trying to understand your rationale :mat: ) ← I thought anyone under 65 was barred from buying Honda.... Seriously, we have a Jazz, wonderful car :duh: ! Rock hard ride quality, thin door panels that dent easily in car parks, rough sounding engines, twin spark per cylinder (plugs cost the earth and inspite of super efficient engine claims, we average 35mpg), need manual rocker/tappet adjustment (£), massive windscreen pillars so you have bad vision, needs front tyres every 10000 miles, lots of road noise, wind noise, engine noise, thin unsupporting seats....excellent design? I'll let you mull it over.. Ooh - the dealers - naff! It's darn reliable though! On the other hand, I had a Toyota Corolla - best car I ever had! So, went back to the brand..no nonsense good cars...can't wait for the IS...March 2006...roll on! PS - I have driven the Accord...it's "nice" but over priced for what it actually is. It was comfy, everything was OK but bland, and it did not stir me at all. The new IS on the other hand, it's gorgeous and did not need a good salesmen to sell it to me. Honda make good lawn mowers engines and motorbikes though.... Incidentally, I have not had a Toyota since 1999 (Carina E....dull as marbles), so I don't have a Toyota fetish...I just happen to think the new IS is Top dog (having driven all of the competition...) especially when you consider the value... :D

Koshime, you've already mentioned that you have a SE K750i mobile phone. Is there a cradle available that you can plug the phone into which then also charges the phones battery? I have a K750i phone and am waiting delivery of my Lexus IS250 SE-L with the ML audio and sat nav etc. I would visit my nearest Lexus dealer, but they are a very long way away. Oldun. ← I asked my dealer when I ordered my IS220d with MM - he quoted £495 ( ) for a cradle and ariel... What's the point...

What kind of problems have you heard about in relation to the DVD player. I'm just asking as I have an IS250 on order and have specified the MultiMedia option. ← The only thing I believe is a "problem" is that you cannot play DVD's crammed with MP3's....but then that's true of most DVD players...? Anyone disagree? I have just tried to use Win Media player and Real Player, and and neither will allow me to copy MP3's onto a DVD...the DVD format is not recognised (inspite of me having a dual layer DVD writer...). So the only way that I can see of doing it is to use Roxio to convert the DVD into Data storage and copy the files across...messy, but probably worth a try... Most home DVD players that support MP3 ought to be tested too. You can load JPEGs onto DVD and watch them through DVD players, so MP3's ought to work... I'll try this when I have time and post back.

wait for it.... . . . . .Nokia 5110 ....it's prehistoric! :duh:

Just rec'd a PDF file from Lexus. Very unhelpful. For all Lexus variants it is a "2" which is partial compatibility...so I'm no better off. I suppose I'll just wait for my IS to arrive before I buy one, with 14 day exchange on any Mobile deal...

I have just spoken to the dealership who are trying to track down some documentation...however it only shows which phones are compatible with headsets...not much use me thinks... So if anyone has successfully used modern bluetooth phones please add post with your experiences regards the new IS Multimedia Bluetooth compatibility - and more importantly state the actual model/make of phone. I have an old Nokia 6310i which is my work phone, and I assume that will be OK, but my personal phone is from ancient egypt... "Dear Santa... "

The Sony Ericson P900, which is Bluetooth enabled does not work, and maybe it's the phone. Checkout the IS250 - Diary post, last page. Entry by "RDSTurbo"

That's true, but to a fashion. What I meant was that some phones will only allow basic calling functions, where as others will allow updating/downloading to the directory in the car, copying from SIM etc etc etc. I would like to know which phone I should get (Santa to buy me) which will give me the lot.

I have read some mixed views on what works and what does not. I am expecting my new car in 2006 with MM. I am also due a christmas present for once... What I would like to know is which Make AND specific Models have been tested by owners and which give the greatest compatibility. I have heard that some Sony Ericson's work (Koshime), but which ones (i.e. specific model), and which Nokia's? Eagerly waiting...

What a :tsktsk: At least it didn't blow while you were driving... I can think of it as sabotage only. Me of suspicious persuasion...It looks as though the boys from Munich/Stutgart/Bavaria are trying get their own back on us Lexus owners... Makes you wonder if the tyres are prone to easy punctures...what make/size is yours fitted with?

I also heard that there is no auto option. Expect pricing close to the SE-L (about a £100 in it I heard, though not officially). Also, the Sport has a different drive aspect ratio, making it more responsive etc and performance orientated, hence they have probably left the auto on the shelf. The manual gearbox is light and very precise, and the V6 sounds delicious already in the SE/SE-L, so I bet the Sport will be fab. I suspect fuel consumption (and Co2 if you are a company car driver) will be on the "adverse" side too.