pml9952

I have been following the pre lauch for the new IS for about 18 months and eagerly anticipated its launch which I knew would coincide with the replacement of my current vehicle (Rover 75 diesel). I agree with the post about who cares about the thickness of door seals etc, but only to a point. Where the packaging is poor is on the equipemnt levels, great if you want it all, pricey if not. As an example, I happen to want lumbar adjustment on my seat. If I was buying a BMW 320, I can have it for £135. I can also add 17" wheels for about £500. In my opinion the 16" on the 250 look weedy, especially on the back, given the expanse of metal there. With lexus if I want those 'extras' I have to pay £3000 for thew SE. Agree too about comments re Audi and Merc, and dealer service is rubbish anyway. Ive driven the 250 auto twice, and its great, but doesnt make financial sense for company car drivers. Ive driven diesel everyday for 8 years. VW passat, and Rover 75 (a la BMW 320 in both 115 and 130 bhp spec). Ive also driven the two best diesels out there, jaguars 2.7 V6 and the Honda, which is very smooth, but not particularly punchy. To my mind the 320d doesnt compare in smoothness with either of those engines. Anyway, in my experience the diesels Ive had, including the River BMW unit, get progressively gruffer as the miles pile on, even after 25 or 30, 000, so you need something smooth to start with. We've now seen about 6 media reports on the 220d, and only 2 were complimentary. this link has an Avensis review http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/dr...sis/d-4d-2.html and the dealers say its great, so who do you believe? I will be down my local dealer first week in Jan to find out. Incidentally I called at Sheffield Lexus yesterday, and the impression I get is that dealers will have the diesel before Christmas but may not register and tax till 1st jan. anyone else now if thats true?

Steve, thanks - you are right and we did think about doing just that. We decided to wait for Leic Lexus to get their diesel IS in later in December rather than to drive the Avensis. We have been assured of one of the 1st testdrives. The bottom line is that the Merc C220CDI is very agricultural, the Audi A4 (which we have now - 1.9PDI130) is an old design, but a good'n and the new 2.0TDI is noisier than the 1.9. The Beemer is fab...so as long as the Toyota derived engine sits averagely well and comparable to the VAG unit we will still buy... I have driven 3 merc's - E220CDI, C220CDI and C270CDI and was very disappointed, yet no Motoring hack has ever commented on how rough and shameful that 2.2 Merc engine sounds...The 2.7 was not too bad, given it has 5 cylinders compared to the better balanced 4 pot on the 2.2! The Lexus is well insulated for noise inside, and all Lexus dealers who have driven the IS220d back to back with the competetion in Monaco say the engine compares well to the BMW and new 2.0TDI VAG units (who says they're biased.... ). So I'll trust them on this. I have been given the golden guarantee, which could mean one of two things...either they are are sure I'll love it, or they're sure I won't! Either way, I'll post as soon as I have driven it. PS - The Mole is right - apart from it's diesel engine, the BMW is the biggest imposter. It does not, in my view, ride that well when compared to the IS with 16" wheels. It handles well enough though. Once you stick the SE wheels on the IS (i.e. 245/17 rear and 225/17 front), it becomes a little "hard" and fidgety at lower speeds, and does humm more for more of the time...6.5-7/10 The standard IS rides exceptionally (in my view), slight taught, but not harsh and forgiving, and corners very well 8.5-9/10. ← I wrote this earlier somewhere. Avensis was tested vs all of the rivals (C class, 320tdi, new A4, etc), and it had the best engine - quietest, with most power. AMS (german mag) said Japanese diesel engines (Accord and Avensis) were clearly much better than German. Avensis while on the paper slightly slower than 320d, was much, much, faster in passing times than 320d. Now, all these UK IS220d reviews poping out say IS220d is slow and loud.(most of them from bigger mags, smaller outfits say it is good engine). I find it hard to believe that IS220d has less sound absorbing material than Avensis and that they somehow managed to detune the engine to make it slower :-). It only weights a bit more, and RWD drive would help with traction. Now, closer you read those reviews, more you wonder if they have ever been in the car. Sunday Times said IS interior was cheap and major letdown (what?). Some say ride is too harsh (ppl who drove BMW say BMW has harsher ride), etc, etc. One review said that IS220d was "much" slower than 320d (8.9 vs 8.7 sec 0-62, lol). Seriously, until people test the car, I wont trust any of that. Some people are scepctical about advertising motivating reviewers, but it is pretty much true. Not only that, but a lot of editors and reviewers see Lexus and Toyota as an outsider ruining the party and are very loyal to "their" favorite brands... ←