Matus

Some diesel cars have "preheater", usully eberspecher or webasto, and this runs automatically from certain temperatures and helps to heat up the engine. I have it too, although not automatic, but as I see, UK IS's don't have it...bloody savings.

you explained whole thing perfectly and thank you for that, but here is one point where I disagree. It is true that the A/C cooling takmes 2-5hp but when you turn off the A/C button, the whole aircondition consumption constits of the electricity for fan and couple of sensors. And it still needs to rev 1200. If I turn of the whole climate system, but I turn on both seat heaters, rear window heater and the wiper heater, the electricity consumption will be surely higher than has the climate system without the A/C however the engine has no problem at all to rev just 800. Personally, I am not bothered of 1200rpm when idling, because there is less vibrations when cold and I am happy with my consuption... It is just another thing where lexus is not that smart, as it should be.

in another words, you will have to go to the dealer to change the discs. This seems to be absolute stupid.

You need to find out how people are getting their MPG figures. I discovered that my trip computer produces vastly optomistic figures ;) My trip computer reports 27mpg, while I'm actually getting 21mpg. Over 30% out ;) (IS250) If anyone is quoting mpg from the trip computer, I think you can ignore them if my experience is anything to go by. I have real figures in my case. If you take a look on www.spritmonitor.de, you can even see the difference between the TC and the reality (btw the difference is minimal)

I am not mechanic nor electronics guy but I think that IS is one of the last cars without the Canbus technology. I think this because: 1. the electronics in this car is overall extremely reliabale (btw Canbus was found out to improve the reliability, just things don't go as the have to go) 2. for simple automatic always lights on (in Slovakia from 15.Oct till 15.March it is complusory to have lights on when driving) they have to install a HW box - In cars with canbus you do these things with simple SW changes. I think that to have automatic door locking, you have to install another HW box, but we have to take into account for example this: this feature locks the car under certain conditions - speed would be one of them. How can get the box the information about speed? From the speedo, or from the ECU. If our - previous - version of IS doesn't have a ECU port/output to connect this HW box with necessary information flow, than the HW box can not be installed. And this is why I think that we will never get the auto door locking :(

nicely said. good choice!

that is interesting. I dont go under 75mph on 6th and even at this speed I don't think my engine likes it... But the consumption is OK... Hi Matus...If I'm in traffic which is constantly moving along at 50+ mph (80klms) I can use 6th no problem at all the engine pulls fine and only 1200 revs. However if I need to speed up even only by an extra 5 mph I would have to change down immediatley. I tried today and no... OK, the engine is able to go on 1200rpm od 6th but it "rumbles" - very deep sound, like hell. I almost could feel all the screws to unloose. I don't think it does good to the engine. Even the owners manual says that 6th can be used over 120kph, I think. I really don't want to save 0,5l of diesel per 100km and have the engine trashed at 50.000kms - I am not saying that this is happening to your engine, but I am sure I can not drive at 1200rpm on 6th. Such a low revs I use only on 1-2-3 and 4th from 1500rpm, 5th from 1600rpm and 6th from 1700rpm.

same with mine, however I have a "power heat" button which starts the eberspacher heater and this helps a lot.

that is interesting. I dont go under 75mph on 6th and even at this speed I don't think my engine likes it... But the consumption is OK...

I wouldnt buy LS600h

haven't driven the latest 320d 177hp but the 163hp. beemer started to pull from 1500rpm. Redline was 4800rpm or 5000rpm. My IS pulls from 1500rpm and redline is 5200rpm - achievable on 2nd what means app 95kph (60mph). Beemer must be on 3rd already in this speed. What I want to say is that you are right what you are saying, but I would say the story is a bit different. The truth is that beemer has better box in terms of ratios. It is not as short as is220d sport and not as long as standard IS220d and the ratios between the gears are better calculated - I don't like on IS the huge ratio difference between 2nd and 3rd, while 4th and 5th are too close in my eyes and 6th is too far again. IS220d sport has this same problem, because there is no difference in gear ratios, just the final ratio is different. This is much better done in beemer. We have to understand that the torque - the Nm number is very specific number as the torque is being converted through the box. This means: the 400Nm number is the torque on the engine and this is not fair when comparing two cars with two different ratios in gearboxes. For example, lets say that on IS220d (standard) has the 4th gear the ratio 1:1, what means that the torque at 2000rpm is 400Nm on the wheels. (1:1 - no conversion) - we ignore the powertrain losses. 320d has slightly shorter box, lets say 15% shorter than IS220d, what means that the ratio is 1:1,15. This means that the torque at 2000rpm is not 350Nm but 350x 1,15 = 402Nm. And this is why you feel that the torque is spread wider/it is stronger on 320d. 320d has simply shorter box. Long gears on IS220d kill the torque. Plus - 320d has less weight to move. And what more - don't know about the 177hp version, but the 163hp is almost lag-free even in low revs. To have no lag in IS220d you have to be over 2500rpm. I said many times - 320d has better engine/box than IS220d but this is where it ends. The rest of package wins in IS220d. well in Slovakia the limits are 60kph in the urban, 90kph extra urban and 130kph on higways, however the police tolerates up to +10kph, so we drive 70/100/140kph. I reckon that it has to do something with the diesel quality. I don't know much owners of IS220d in here (3 :) ) but including me we have never had something like EGR or injector problems while here it looks like almost everyone had.

question is, is the squeky interior reliability thing?

I am so lucky I haven't driven the 250 yet and I hope I will never do :) But this reminds me to times, when I had the Citroen C5 3.0 V6 and my boss had the same but 2,2 HDI and it was significant difference between those two cars (both in same equipment level). When I read this forum and comparations between 250 and 220d I always force myself to think: no, IS220d is not that bad, it is just not good as the 250 ;-)

great!

my 220d is 12/2005

I was told that there is a new more efficient one due late spring. Less powerful but no mention of mpg! Funny but don't think I'll bother! well, there is 2,2 D4D 150k toyota engine. One of our contractors has this in his avensis and he is always below 6ltr/100km

Hopefully to a V6 petrol engine...... :D

cheers and welcome from your southern neigbour :)

I don't think it is a problem, I think it is a feature. I don't know if I read it in the owners manual or somewhere on the internet, but lexus sais, that when the engine is cold and the climate system is on, diesel can not burn everything in the way it has to be burned (emissions) so the car revs up to 1200. I find it strange. OK, I believe lexus, but why the hell the temperature of coolant has to be exactly 90 degrees celsius (my bet) ? Why 30 degrees is not enough?

my words...

switching off AC doesn't help, you have to switch off the fan.

Fredsmith> I believe that IS220d is a good quality car. There are two weak points: 1. MPG 2. rattling ad 1: IS220d is economical, but you have to "work" on it - there are few topics abot this on this forum ad 2: important is, that despite it is a diesel, it is still quiet car and therefore if you drive without the stereo, you hear many things - I would say unhearable in other diesels. And truth is, that interior has weak points. I had 3 problems and I sorted it by myself and my car is quiet as new but I believe to Jamboo and others. However after about 6 years and plenty of new cars (citroen, alfa, mercedes...) this (and corolla verso) are first cars, which for almost 1,5 years go to the dealer just for regular servicing. If I was buing car for same money, it would be IS220d again. People like Harry are exception. But this is no excuse for lexus. Everyone can make a mistake today, but it is important to see it and do things to improve it.

Harry, lexus should replace your car. This is not normal at all!

probably he means this: http://www.infoarena.com/lexus/HWMod/

welcome! :) at what speed was this? do you have long or short gearing?