davrid

I've had my facelifted SEL since end of November - dealer (Lexus Lincoln) told me I was the first in the county but i never swallowed that particular sales pitch! My car has now done 8000 miles and so far problem free - but then I had an SE before that (supplied by the lovely Karen in Sheffield) for a year and didn't have any major 'problems 'with that either - well other than the lights were crap (but obviously not a QA issue) and it never felt totally secure on the road, used to tramline all over the place. For a couple of months there was a quite annoying rattling sound on the new car from near the fuel tank but this seems to have cured itselfm but certainly no creaks, rattles etc from the dash or anywhere else in the car. However, just recently, there appears to be an issue with braking, in that the car now seems to pull to my side, especally at speed. Need to get it checked out!) Never used to do it, and the improved handling was the major difference between the new and old cars. Have been thinking about changing cars again - this time to an IS250C but again Lexus has gone crazy with the feature/options in that the Mark Levinson hifi (which I had on both of my old cars) no longer comes as standard on the SEL - you need to go for the SEL+ACC which also includes all manner of unnecessary things such as adaptive cruise control, adding £4k to the price, and coming in at a mind blowing £44k list price with metallic paint. Considering alternatives such as a Jaguar XF (but interior build is much inferior to the IS250 and awful plastic 'chrome' trimming on the exterior) and A5 Sportback. Could do with a little more room in the back for passengers, but that's really the only issue I can really find with the IS250 - but obviously I new that as I've now had two!

Collected my SEL 2009 model on Saturday, trading in a year old SE (both autos), so been driving around for a couple of days on all kinds of roads. Not sure whether the improvement is a reflection of the model upgrade or the revisions but couldn't be happier! Styling differences are pretty subtle - new design wheels and rear lights , indicators in mirrors, stitching on seats, controls on door panels, front grill which now has more chrome surround and wider 'slats', and a slightly darker dashboard, with chrome added to the MM surround and DVD input, its also now more black than the previous grey and looks much classier. What put me off the SEL previously was the tacky looking wood finish but now it's a really smart looking birds eye maple gray, which looks great! Sat nav itself (software) really doesnt seem to have changed other than some features can now be operated whilst driving, as can the bluetooth phone. Reception on the phone is also improved, apparently, the sun screen now kills ambient noise, and it does seem to work! Where the car is really improved is the handling - one of my main concerns with the SE was that it veered all over the road, especially at speed and braking but that's now banished with the new model. Am sure the 18 inch wheels (as opposed to my old 17 inch ones) help, but I think it's far more than this - it doesn't just grip the road better, it actually steers in a straight line at all times, even when braking!! My other bugbear with the previous car was the awful headlights but the HIDs are such an improvement, literally like 'night and day'! Anyone considering a new car - buy the IS. As for the model, it's a no brainer - the SEL with MM, albeit its now only available as an auto, but the auto was always the better option. The extras over the SEI are well worth the price difference. BTW , anyone thinking 18inch wheels equals a less comfortable ride, they don't!

Thanks Keith - the 159 was a 2.4 diesel comapred to the 2.5 Lexus petrol. The Lexus gives about 28mpg whereas the Alfa 40 plus. Have had other 2 and a half litre card before, and they weren't so thirsty as the Lexus. But if I can resolve the headlight and sterring problems, I'll be more than happy with it.

The steering problem is at speed - it just seems to have difficult staying in a straight line. Anything under 60 or so is fine

Have had my new IS250SE for about a month now - it replaced an Alfa 159, which lasted for about 2 months from new before I decided it had to go on the basis I simply could never get comfortable driving it, the so called upgraded BOSE hifi was rubbish, and some of the build quality left a lot to be desired eg a sharp edge on the gear stick. Well, as to my Lexus: Overall very happy (the MM is great, as is the overall build quality) with it other than a couple of issues. Firstly, the car seems to steer to the left, I think consequently or maybe incidentally, it's the hardest car to drive I've ever had. Secondly, the headlights are simply awful and I dread night time driving on dipped lights, it's almost impossible to see anything. I felt safer if less comfortable in the 159, and most people seem to think that car was better looking, though most of the 'chrome' external fittings were actually plastic eg the front grill etc and looked decidely cheap very close up. Fuel economy on the Alfa was much better. So as to the issues with the IS250. Has anyone noticed similar problems?

Have had my new IS250SE for about a month now - it replaced an Alfa 159, which lasted for about 2 months from new before I decided it had to go on the basis I simply could never get comfortable driving it, the so called upgraded BOSE hifi was rubbish, and some of the build quality left a lot to be desired eg a sharp edge on the gear stick. Well, as to my Lexus: Overall very happy (the MM is great, as is the overall build quality) with it other than a couple of issues. Firstly, the car seems to steer to the left, I think consequently or maybe incidentally, it's the hardest car to drive I've ever had. Secondly, the headlights are simply awful and I dread night time driving on dipped lights, it's almost impossible to see anything. Has anyone noticed similar problems? I felt safer if less comfortable in the 159, and most people seem to think that car was better looking, though most of the 'chrome' external fittings were actually plastic eg the front grill etc and looked decidely cheap very close up. Fuel economy on the Alfa was much better. So as to the issues with the IS250. Has anyone noticed similar problems?