giorgoXXI

My point was that they need a better diesel engine and not old technology that is shared with a load of other models from Toyota. Had they had the foresight to develop a decent diesel engine they could be competing with BMW in the North American marketplace. Perhaps it's expecting too much for Lexus to have foreseen the rise in energy prices that have changed the American minds with regards to diesel, but the fact is they cannot compete with the Germans with what they have available. Looks like they'll have to be content with struggling to compete in the European market, which admittedly has the potential to be as big as North America, but based on the 220D????. I don't think so. In 2006, the diesel IS 220d accounted for the largest sales increases for Lexus in the U.K but this, as I said is a drop in the ocean compared with the global market when you consider the 220D is a fraction of the total (shown on the following chart) for the UK which is the third biggest sales region. In 2007, Lexus vehicles in the emerging markets of Russia and China saw high demand, with higher per-dealership sales than any other market, but again, not based on diesel sales. Here...gain some perspective ... The 220D has a decent engine, agree it's not as efficient as the Germans, but nevertheless is still a decent engine (there is even a thread here discussing how the Sport version feels quicker than the 250). And again, the weight factor has a major influence and has little to do with the engine itself. You have to remember this is Lexus first attempt at a diesel car. No one expected it to be perfect. But it is a good alternative to the German competition (otherwise me and others in this forum wouldn't have bought it obviously). But you seem to think that because they didn't get it perfectly right with the 220D they should give up after the first attempt, point with which I totally disagree (You even said they would drop the diesel technology next year, which doesn't make sense at all). And as you said, the European market has the potential to be as big as the North American market, and we all know to do well in Europe nowadays you will need a diesel car. Should Lexus drop the diesel version, they would immediately loose a lot of sales in Europe and any potential expansion of the brand in this continent. Doesn't seem like a smart move to me...

how do you know that lexus is insatisfied with the sales then? When did I ever say that? I even acknowledged there's probably more 220D's on the road than 250's in the UK/Europe, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to the rest of the planet, and North America in particular. Lexus does not need a diesel for the American or Asian market because there is no need for one, simple as that. They already sell really well over there. They however had very low sales in Europe before the diesel engine came in. They need a diesel powered car for the European market, and although you are right stating that Europe is not Lexus biggest market by far, I think it is much more than just a drop in the ocean. What you are trying to say is that Lexus should give up in Europe (by dropping the diesel) and concentrate where it's already strong (America and Asia). However I think their intentions (outlined in the official statement I posted earlier) are to try and grow in Europe which has the potential to be a huge market for Lexus, and the only way to do that nowadays is to have a diesel alternative within your lineup.

I do believe the diesel engines on the German cars are more advanced, but I think the main problem with the 220D as well as the 250 is that the car is just too heavy. This inevitably hinders the performance, economy and CO2 emissions of the model compared to other cars in the same class. The same could be said if you compare the IS 250 with the 325i. The 325i has the bigger engine, gets to 60 in over a second quicker than the 250, and still returns a combined MPG of 39, where as the 250 has a combined MPG of 29 with a smaller engine and worse performance. Does this mean Lexus will drop the 2.5l V6 as well? Doubt it, as well as I doubt it will drop the diesel version (It might have not met their expectations, but it has certainly boosted the sales of the IS considerably). Only an effective hybrid alternative would make both the petrol and diesel obsolete, however I don't see this happening anytime soon...

I believe Lexus have already made the decision and have stated it albeit indirectly in their forward plans for petrol & hybrid models as opposed to pursuing the diesel route, so I believe it's inevitable that it will be phased out. The only question that remains unanswered is when. This was Lexus official statement less than 3 years ago: Until Lexus releases another official statement to state otherwise, I will believe diesel technology will still be used to attract the corporate sector and compact executive sector of the market in Europe.

Although there appears to be a concensus that the IS220D is likely to be phased out, it's unlikely that Lexus will confirm this anytime soon or whether this will be before or after the planned 2009 model facelift for the second generation IS. Anyone got any info from the 'inside'?. Consensus ? I've only heard 1 or 2 people in this thread mention that the IS 220D is likely to be phased out... since when is that enough to make up a consensus? If the IS 220D is removed from the range Lexus will loose too many customers across Europe...

Someone in the spanish Lexus forum has tried this one: http://www.steinbauer.cc/neu/pdf///STEINBA...AT_130_kW_1.pdf Really expensive (around £900)... but adds 34 bhp and 80 NM of torque. Apparently, the car feels less slow under the 2000 rpm mark, and although the car feels faster, you don't feel a massive improvement in the performance. Also for the Sport version, since the ratios for 1st and 2nd gear are quite short, the extra power means the car is a bit less comfortable when taking off.

This is from a Yahoo car review of the IS 220D: And thats a review of the normal 220D, not the Sport version with the improved gear ratio. So you are not the only one that feels that the 220D is quicker than the 250...

Feel free to quote the post where I've said the 220d is perfect. AFAIK, the 220d will remain. Feel free to post a link to anything even remotely official saying it will be dropped. The IS 250 is a better car for some people and for some purposes. Not for me, not for many others. How hard is this to get? Finlex, go speak to your Lexus workshop staff. That's where the information came from. The IS220d has been disapointing in terms of sales and fault reporting. Fleet buyers are still flocking to the opposition. Enough owners have traded in for either another model or gone to the other manufacturers to set the alarm bells ringing. Lexus know they got it wrong and WILL finish the model. Over here you can buy one with everything thrown at it at a huge discount. Even base models are being offered with full leather in order to get rid of the line. Used values of the 220d are plummeting. It is a dead parot. I'm made up for you that you rate it, but there is enough of a chorous from many slating it. I can only see Lexus finishing the 220d model if they manage to make a hybrid IS, which I seriously doubt. Lexus needs a car to compete in the company car market, and the IS 250 definately can't do it because of its high tax and fuel consumption. Think about this, those customers that currently own a 220d, would have they considered buying a Lexus IS if there was no diesel engine in the range? I definately wouldn't even had considered it and probably would have bought a BMW, Audi or Mercedes diesel instead. And I believe this would be the case for many other 220d owners, not only here but across Europe. You are underestimating the huge market for diesel cars, and Lexus Europe probably knows this. And as Finlex said, before you claim that Lexus will finish the 220d and that they "got it wrong", please post a link that supports that, because honestly the opinion of some guys working at a workshop is hardly an official statement...

If the airbag is enabled, in the IS the light stays always on, however the NCAP requirements state it only needs to stay on for 60 seconds after ignition is turned on.

There is no solution, thats what I was told. I drove a couple of other 220d's with very low mileage and the noise was still there. According to them its "normal". There is no fix and you (and the rest of us) will probably have to live with it. One way to reduce the noise is if you change gears slower and more precisely. When you try to do a quick change from 1st to 2nd is when you notice the noise more. It is quite irritating, but in my case I always have the stereo on quite loud so don't really notice it that offen.

Anyone knows how to achieve the same with a manual gearbox?

The measurements come from a Spanish site (http://motor.terra.es). They've got a flash animation that explains how they measure the noise levels (they put microphones at the front and rear seats and use a sound meter to measure levels at different speeds). Can't believe the others are even noisier! That's more a measurement of the effectiveness of cabin noise insulation than the output noise of the engine. They all sound like tractors from the outside, especially when cold. Agree, its the noise perceived inside the cabin, but still I find it suprising inside the car the noise levels of the 220D are the best in the class.

The measurements come from a Spanish site (http://motor.terra.es). They've got a flash animation that explains how they measure the noise levels (they put microphones at the front and rear seats and use a sound meter to measure levels at different speeds). Can't believe the others are even noisier!

I've always thought the 220D is quite noisy when its idling (considering its a Lexus!). However I was suprised that, according to measurements, it is the quietest diesel by quite a distance from its main rivals. Here are the measurements in dB at idle: Lexus IS 220D: 41,9 BMW 320D: 47,1 Mercedes C 220 CDi: 47,2 Audi A4 2.0 TDi: 46,3 I haven't tried any of the other cars, so I would like to know from other members personal experience how would you compare the noise levels from those cars with the 220D. Thanks.

A couple of days ago, as I switched the car one morning and turned the stereo on, I noticed the subwoofer at the back was not working properly. The sound coming from it sounded extremely distorted. I now have to move the sound all the way to the front and turn the bass down to avoid the distortion. Strange thing I noticed is that, as I am turning the sound gets more distorted than when mm driving straight. Do you guys think there is something loose or has the subwoofer cracked? Have any of you had a problem with the sound system? Anyways I've booked the car in to get it repaired. Its only 3 months old from new :-(.

I just noticed mine has a similar noise. You can only notice it on 1st and 2nd gear, and it happens as soon as the clutch is fully depressed. Mine is a 220D Sport, and only has 450 miles on it. If you find out something let me know please. I'll contact my dealership as well.

I was getting complaints from people that they couldn't hear me properly through the bluetooth system. So I searched for a while, and found out this "secret" menu in the multimedia system to adjust the bluetooth and a few more things. Not to sure if it has been mentioned already over here, but here is what you need to do to activate the menu: 1. Engine ON 2. Headlights off 3. Press and hold the info button down 4. While holding the info button down, move headlights from OFF to Parking lights and viceversa 3 or 4 times 5. The menu should come up 6. To exit, hold DISP for 3 secs. Hope this helps! PS: The menu is intended for professional techinicians, so I wouldn't touch many settings unless you know what you are doing. It probably works on all IS models.