jonathon555

Hi, Does anyone know if the 2009 low emmisions model is still fitted with the dismal 6 speed gear ratio's ? I am just abou to choose a new car & would consider a lexus apart from the unusable 6th gear & dismal economy. I can't even seem to find a technical brochure so i can compare the ratios

After driving the new generation for first time today I have to report that the new genration has moved on alot, it has lost quite alot of drivability in translation though. The driving experience offered by the new generation leaves a little to be desireded, but i can only speak from the experience of driving an IS220D SE.L today. Luxury definatley YES, driver involvement NO The pase 1 was a fine balance of sport & luxury which hit the spot with a quality finish & a sporty drive. If it has not been pointed out to LEXUS uk already, the final ratio of the 220D is total garbage for uk usage & pretty much kills the deal for me. The car just flounders in 6th gear off boost at 70 mph. This is without doubt the only reason I will not order one, I have driven alot of cars in my time but this has to be one of the most lousy ***** ups ever seen. Did nobody test this car during developement ? Until this issue is resolved along with the economy, I am sure Lexus are suffering in the showrooms because of this one issue alone. I amazed that the dealers are brave enough to let people test drive the car, I would love to see this resolved so i can order one. Other wise a great car !

OK, I got to test drive a IS220D SEL today, it was a nice comfy car with descent in gear shove. But when travelling at 70 mph the car was doing 1600 rpm in sixth gear & was dead as a door nail Why oh why have they not sorted this out ? 5 th gear is not relaxed enough at 70 ish & 6th is diabolical, the economy was 27.7 mpg after the test drive which was mainly done on a dual carriage way at 70 mph. This for me has ruined, what is a car that on paper ticks all the right boxes. The top gear performance at motoway speeds is more akin to a non turbo diesel Toyota CARINA 2.0 D. The rear view mirror was shaking like mad as the engine thrumped along at 70, I did not find a problem with the lower gears that much except there seemed to be loads of turbo lag in first when setting off. Lexus is also alot louder than the BMW. Sorry but BMW has got lexus hammered on this one, this car should never have got signed off for the uk market with this current setup. Spoke to the service manager whilst at the dealership, he sorts out IS220D problems. Biggest complaint ECONOMY. I am gonna wait to see if these problems get resolved before commiting to order, if not i will be ordering another BMW or MERC

i have got a test drive arranged for monday, will let you know how i get on. just noticed the co2 figure on the 220 D Sport 195 g/km WTF ? Surely it can't jump by that much compared to standard car. I am still suprised that toyota have messed up the gearbox so much,they must have realised that the UK has a 70mph speed limit. So why have six gears if sixth is unusable ?

Thanks for the replies, thats cleared up th weight issue (I think Lexus need s to change their website as it does not state the word max for kerb weight) The interior is deffo nicer than the BMW & i do spend alot of the time on the motorway so it could be good. The fuel consumption bothers me as my current E90 running a tuning box returns 51 mpg constantly, I drive it hard as well. I really cannot beleive that a Lexus gearbox can be so much of a mess up ! If the car is so slow in the first 2 gears& 6th cannot be pulled from 60 mph then why have they not changed the ratios to sort the problem out. Do you know if any revisions are due to help drop the emmissions, or will a hybrid petrol be soon available? I will go for a test drive, but from what i am reading about the fuel consumption & general drive train problems I will not get my hopes up. There are alot of the new 3 series about , that is true but maybe its because it is just a great drive ! ( vastly under specced , overpriced) thanks

guess no one replies on this forum ?

Hi i am new to this forum and am looking for some advice if possible. I currently have a E90 BMW 320 D which i am looking to change, one of the cars i am consedering is the Lexus IS 220D SE. But i have a few questions that need answering if possible : 1 : According to the Lexus website they stae the car has a kerb weight of 2075 KG ! (surely this can't be right as that is my BMW weighs in at 1500 KG) 2 : The emmissions are stated as 168 g/km , but this seems very high by any modern day diesel especially from an environmentally consious manufacturer like toyota. 3 : The dealer has informed me that 6th gear cannot be used below 80 mph ? (is this really true when the uk speed limit is 70 mph) if you guys can help to clear up some of my answers , I would appreciate it as i do like the interior of the lexus.