philthy

Turn that around. So because someone posts a POSITIVE opinion ... no one should take any notice ot them. You're can't pick and choose like that. You make decisions based on full facts not just the bit that suits your argument. If you're that good how come you didn't pick up the crap gearing, harsh and noisy engine on the test drive. At the end of the day, I would like to see balanced feedback on the car. Not this consistent moaning that ignores all the good things. Double standards or what! Ignore the complainers you clearly stated and now try twisting my viewpoint that we shouldn't be ignored to me claiming ignore the positives. Nowhere do I say that. You are the only poster to have advised someone to ignore specific posts. I'm getting the distinct impression you're in some way connected with a Lexus dealership. If you're not you should be as that is the kind of clap-trap they would come out with. I bought the Lexus because we wanted something different. This is the first deisel I've ever owned but not driven. If I could have afforded it I would have gone for a new model S80/XC90 D5 believe me. The 1st gear issue can be lived with if you're prepared to sacrifice fuel economy i.e. floor it when pulling out of junctions. The engine is quiet from inside the car, a positive for Lexus soundproofing if nothing else. Like it or not, the IS220 is not a luxury car, a performance car, a comfortable car or an economical car. In trying to be a jack of all trades it falls short everywhere but granted not by much. It is well put together, has a lot of extras as standard and looks good. You don't see too many of them on the roads. It's a decent fleet car option IN MY OPINION. Dealerships are not to be trusted. Another fine example of why not; I wanted a tow bar fitting to mine. Price from the dealership £800. Tow-bar centre down the road, (and the one the dealership would have used I hasten to add), £325. Rip off R us. Hands free car kit fitted £250. Same kit from Halfords fitted £99.

If it's an approved Lexus you shouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and a new car other than by the odometer and the reg plate. Wheels will almost certainly be changed if they have a chip on them, the service if it's due will be completed and it should receive a full valet inside and out. You don't specify which model it is. If it's a deisel the economy is woeful and not worth the compromise. If you go for it make sure you inspect it with a fine tooth comb before taking it away.

SO because someone posts a negative opinion of the IS220D no one should take any notice of them? What utter rubbish. I'm paid to drive a car very fast as part of my job so I know a thing or two about how to drive. The IS220D is a very nice looking car that fails in all it attempts to be. It is not fast in comparrison to its competition. It has the worst fuel economy of the class I'm getting 33mpg around town driving like Miss Daisey. The gearing is crap. The ride harsh and the engine noisy. Couple that with poor dealership standards common in a lot of places judging by the review section and the IS220 doesn't seem very appealing. I'd recommend test driving one for a day before you commit to buying one. If you have to have a deisel I'd recommend looking elsewhere. If you really want an IS go for the IS250.

Yep, join the club!

I use 6th from 50mph, and I think I'm very cautious about underreving. I know the manual says 62, but the manual is wrong. In fact, it's wrong on all gears regarding the Sport model, because the minimum speeds are not at all in line with the speeds for the normal version. Same revs on same gear -> ~30 percent less speed with the Sport. 6th gear at 50mph will be labouring your engine and doing more damage than thrashing it. Japanese test engineers bench test and road test these engines, you can't seriously be suggesting they are wrong with their suggested engine speeds? I consider the car to be at the point of labouring in 4th at 30mph. 6th is virtually useless unless you're at significant speed.

I don't know much about the 220d, but having been a Lexus owner for over 5 years, this is the part that I know for sure they have absolutely spot on. Sounds like you need to use a different dealership if you're not being treated well, even when I take my 5 year old IS200 into my dealer I get treated exactly the same as the guy who's just brought in his brand new LS - which is impeccably well. It's a little unfair to apply one bad dealership right across Lexus as a brand, as customer service is the one area where they are unrivalled (and I've had several experiences with many different brands). I can understand though that if you've been messed about a lot that you'd want to speak up about it and you're completely entitled to do so - I hope your Lexus ownership experience improves to what most people on here have enjoyed over many years :) Unfortunately my dealership is a large franchise operating a number of Lexus dealerships around the UK who all seem to have some issues according to the review section. Travelling to Coventry just to use another official dealer is unrealistic and noneconomical. I've got an independant set to do all my work from now until I get shot of the car and say goodbye to Lexus in twelve months. To counter your comment that you know Lexus have got the people thing right; I know they haven't and they're a long way off.

I think that is fair comment Jambo. The deisel needed more development before it was launched. Hate to think what used prices are going to be like if the predictions that deisel prices are going to go through the roof in 2009 come true. I've just taken mine to have a tow bar fitted and had to use some motorway and dual carriageway. The torque in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears is very good at the expense of any decent fuel economy and reminded of one reason I opted to buy one. The 250 must be amazing power. If only the human side of Lexus was right.

I know you've had a bad experience with Lexus Leicester but I can't agree with any of the above. Toyota staff suddenly selling Lexus?? Lexus has been in the UK since 1990 - most of the dealership staff are either Lexus recruited or have come from other premium marques. Lexus cars are built on dedicated production lines by the best employees Toyota employ, they build cars to quality standards far in excess of Toyota's own high standards, using components that have to meet even higher quality standards. Year after year, Lexus top all independent surveys of customer satisfaction and reliability - of course there will be some problems but you don't get that recognition from rolling your eyes and upseting customers. Lexus set the benchmarks for customer care that all other marques aspire to - Audi in particular, though privately they acknowledge they have a long way to go to match it. Year after year Lexus are also the top selling luxury marque in the US and those people really do know how to complain if things are not right! Many of the things we take for granted when buying upper end cars were pioneered by Lexus, for example the layout of dealerships and the facilities within. Lexus also introduced no quibble exchange periods on secondhand cars and were the first to offer the same level of service to used car buyers that new buyers expect. As I said before I understand that you feel disappointed by your experience so far (although I don't know the whole story) but every day other people are disappointed by their BMW, Mercedes etc experience - it doesn't make them bad cars, or all their dealerships shoddy. I totally agree with most of that. This is based on my experience with Lexus compared with other marques and is not intended to disparage Toyota owners. When I read the dealership reviews the common link I find is the franchise holder. No matter how good the car, if the dealership are woeful then that's the impression you're going to keep. Lexus are at the forefront of technology, but I don't want a Japanese gizmo. I want a quality car that is well put together with everything working as it should crafted from the best materiels. I want a car that gives a better than average performance too backed up by polite, respectful dealerships. It's the last bit that lets Lexus down and some of the switchgear. I disagree with the American issue though. The majority of American cars are awful in terms of build quality, materiels and trim layout as the Pontiac Grand Prix I ran in the USA for a while will testify. Lexus would easily outshine anything America could offer, but then so would Skoda. The JD Power survey has been based on previous models and the early IS '05/06 IS range. My gut feeling is that Lexus are not going to fare so well in the latest evaluation from what customers are saying. The fact they sell so few cars in the UK may just be their saving grace.

Can't understand the quality issues with Volvo as here in the UK and in my long history they are well built and reliable. Maybe we have the reverse of your situation with Volvo and Lexus? My impression of Lexus is they are run by a bunch of Toyota staff who were suddenly told they now work for Lexus. Same mindset that they are only selling budget family cars to the working class who don't know any different and can be fobbed off with excuses. Some of that working class customer base have brains and standards and expect better when they hand over large sums of money. I don't care if someone has paid £5k or £80k for their car. They're the customer and should be treated with a bit of respect, not rolling eyes because they've dared to highlight yet another fault with the car. Lexus GB really should do an owner survey to get the full picture of how their dealerships are performing or I don't see them selling anymore than the 15,000 cars they sell each year in the UK. It'd be a shame because the cars aren't bad, (they're not as good as most of the opposition in my opinion), it's just the service and customer relations that let it down.

Firstly I have experience of a wide range of cars and am trained to drive at high speed. I base my opinions on a lifetime of Volvo ownership and what I have experienced at the hands of Lexus so far. My opinion counts for everything in my opinion. I'm ecstatic that you're pleased with the car and Lexus, but accept facts, some people aren't and with bloody good reason. Those people have the right to offer their opinion. Prospective buyers have the right to the opinions of others in order to avoid wasting large sums of money. The aim is to arm interested buyers with all the information instead of just a heap of "my car's great" stories that lulls them into the false sense that all is well with Lexus and the IS220d. If I help just one person avoid the mistake I made, it'll be worth it. If someone buys one of these cars after reading all viewpoints then they have little cause to complain. The S60 is a superior deisel to the IS220d. The comparrison is in engine. Read the original thread to see I clearly state the model on a whole is not comparable with the IS220d. http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=48539

Stick with the S60 for another year if you can and go for the new S60 when it's launched in 2009. There's noting wrong with Lexus, I'm just used to better level of service and customer care than I've experienced so far. The Volvos feel more solidly put together, yes they're a pain for blowing bulbs every five minutes, but that quirk isn't as worrying as a dodgy first gear that leaves your heart in your mouth every time you pull into a line fast moving traffic. If you're really bothered about fuel economy then again stick with the Volvo. Far better and Lexus don't do split fold rear seats.

The new S60 is being launched next year and from the sketch impressions supposedly from the true leaked photographs, it looks a corker. With the new S60 due in it was the one reason we went for the IS instead of buying a used current model D5 S60. The S60 is a lot bigger than the IS so you could only compare the IS with the S40. The S40 is more economical and has split fold rear seats, but it doesn't feel as though they used the best plastics and trim in it even in the SE versions. If you're after something comparable with a S60 then the IS isn't it.

The good lady and myself sat down today to discuss our options. Fortunately we bought an approved used as I never buy new. I let someone else take the initial hit. We loved the car as something different on the test drive, but that's all been tainted by our experience with Lexus Leicester. I have to say Lexus GB don't seem at all bothered about what happened either. If something has been soured by your experiences it is nigh on impossible to gell with it again. Despite that we've opted to keep it for twelve months sticking to our plan to sever all relations with the dealership and get all servicing and warranty work done by an indpendant garage. We're still on speaking terms with my old delaership despite going to another brand and that says a thousand words for me. I still get treated with the same level of respect even though I don't own one of their brands anymore. At the end of twelve months we'll be going back to Volvo. It's unfortunate because the cars themselves aren't too bad. But the lack of customer care, attention to detail and any support from the head office mean Lexus will never get my business again. I only wish I'd found this site before we bought and I hope that any potential customers Lexus might have will read my impressions and go into any deal with their eyes wide open and aware of how bad they can be. If you go into the dealer reviews section you'll see for yourselves what we experienced.

For that money you'd get a used new model Volvo S80 D5. Far better car, more room, as much power, no dodgy first gear but no revwrsing camera.

Why am I not surprised at that response from Lexus Leicester. Shop elsewhere. I am so dissapointed with the customer relations at Leicester it has tainted my opinion of the car to the point I am openly touring the showrooms to trade in after just two months ownership!

I came from a petrol 2.4 S80 that averaged around 18mpg around town so the IS is a lot better than that. After a week of trying to keep the engine revs in the keen range I'm now averaging around 31mpg around town so it is a vast improvement on the S80 albeit they are different engines. To be honest I haven't had an easy ride buying this car in terms of dealer attitude and I don't think it has the feeling of a prestige marque. Too much is carried over from Toyota such as the switchgear and some of the plastics for me to feel Lexus are seriously competing with Audi, BMW, Volvo etc. Once the new S60 is launched I may trade in or failing that wait until I'm in a position to buy a newish D5 S80.

I'm sure most people know this but; The theory of keeping low revs in a high gear to assist with fuel consumption is misguided. Best fuel returns come from keeping the vehicle in the "keen" rev range. If the veh is searching for power because revs are too low fuel consumption will be hit. Around town the IS is best in 2nd and 3rd gears as far as response goes. A roads or 50+mph limits are the only real places you can use 4th and above. 6th does nothing other than take the load off the engine at high speed. Around town I reckon most fuel is wasted in the IS by having to keep pulling away in what has to be the worst 1st gear of any car on the road. If it wasn't for 1st I reckon fuel economy would be fairly reasonable. Cummings engines used to have an economy guage to assist the driver in keeping the engine revs within the best range. It was always as you neared the top of the cam leaving you enough in reserve for any requirement for sudden acceleration and away from the engine having to labour initially as you hit the accelerator. As Lexus seem to like their gadgets, maybe they could fit such a guage to the revised model to assist poor deisel IS drivers. Either that or a decent auto box as suggested above.

Fortunately the economy isn't so much of an issue otherwise it'd be in the Auto Trader now! I doubt I'll buy another one though when the time comes to replace it. I reckon the new S60 will get my money. Thanks for the info and the tip on resetting the constant figure. 27-28mpg around town really is bad from a deisel. Should have bought an IS250 instead!

As a first time Lexus owner having been brand loyal to Volvo for the last three cars and past nine years, I'm a little confused by the readout on the display of my IS220. I've seen a few threads about MPG on here and Lexus' own claims, which I think I can take with a pinch of salt, and wondered which of the readouts is my current MPG. Is it the tank average reading or the 35.6 readout that never seems to change? At the moment I've not had the opportunity to get her out on a long run on A road and motorways meaning most of my journeys have been runs through the city etc together with it's congestion. My tank average is showing 27 mpg at the moment, which is not what I expected. Any ideas to save me trawling through the manual?

I looked at buying a '04 RX300 but when I asked about converting to LPG was advised that Lexus do not recommend it and it would void any warranty claim? The fact it couldn't be converted made me opt for the IS220D instead.

I've just bought an IS220D to replace my Volvo S80 2.4 petrol. Although the IS isn't as good as others on MPG, it's a damn sight better than my S80 was so I'm happy. It has a decent spread of power although 1st is a bit iffy when pulling out in traffic as I gathher is normal on all IS220s. It has enough gadgets, even as a base model to keep me happy on a journey so I'm pleased with the car. Not so happy with certain things though. The car is an approved used model, but the dealership promised it would be PDI'd just like a new vehicle. Alas it wasn't. My last three cars have been Volvos from the same dealership where I was treated like the most important person in the showroom every time I walked through the door. When I picked my IS up it hadn't been valeted properly, had gum stuck on the ashtray, the ashtrays had rubbish in them, the spare wheel well was full of old card that had got wet and had stuck the spare wheel to the body, there was a nail in one of the tyres and trim components were loose. I have no problem with the front of shop staff at Lexus, but their after care sucks compared to Volvo. They better shape up during the ownership of this car or I will be going back to Volvo. It's a shame as the Lexus models all appeal, but with shoddy after care I wouldn't buy another one. The car has been back to the dealer to rectify the faults and they have thrown in an offer as compensation. However, I've just driven by the dealership this evening to see my car abandoned on the forecourt instead of being secured properly. Ownership of this car has been tainted now to the point where if I see a reasonable deal on something else, I may well trade in for it. Great cars, crap staff.