Robertb

Great car- lovely looking, fast and economical. We have a 4.2 A8 which has served us very well as our family car. Only problem- You wait til you have to have some work done at a dealer! :shutit: :tsktsk:

I saw a bmw the other day with a bike rack attached to the rear of the bootlid- no tow bar and no fittings on the vehicle and looked very neat. I think they are called strap-on cycle racks- something like this http://www.pendle-bike.co.uk/nulldet.asp?R...rap%20on%20Rack

Do you have a pic of the rear view of the car with just the rear spoiler fitted? I really like the look of the rear spoiler and rear valance on the SR loaner I have today, and am wondering about getting the rear spoiler for mine. I think the rear valance looks good too- the line breaks up the rather heavy looking bumper. I have the park distance control though, and it sounds like a hassle to fit...

I have a 250SR auto today as a loaner whilst the SEL is in for some work. I like the bodykit- it adds to the look without being too shouty, or aping the ISF too much. I like the alu pedals, and the standard cloth trim is good quality. The standard stereo is surprisingly good too vs the ML. The suspension is firmer and more pointy feeling- not sure there's any handling benefit over the SEL, it did not feel any more composed when pushed over a favourite few corners near home, but it rolls a bit less. Overally, I like it and I think it is an attractive package for the money. They also had an ISF in the showroom at Reading this morning- me likey a lot!

I disagree- its interesting to read a different perspective. I had a long line of BMW 3s before my Lexus IS250, and it is fair to say that the engines and handling of the BMWs monstered the Lexus. How they squeeze so much power and so much economy out of their engines is remarkable. That said, a 530d is at a completely different price point to the IS220d, so if it wasn't better I'd be disappointed! Price a 3 series up to the equivalent spec of an IS SEL(which you can't, but get as close as you can), and you will be looking at over £40k and the build quality/materials of the 3 are no better than the IS. I may be lucky, but my 55 reg IS 250SEL with 34k miles is as tight and rattle-free as any beemer I've owned, and the few post delivery issues I've had are dealt with utterly painlessly and courteously by Lexus Reading. Visiting a BMW dealer was never a rewarding experience...

I've heard very good things about www.paintshield.co.uk from some real perfectionists in the Porsche world. One bloke had his £80k 911 GT3 entirely coated with it! In terms of maintenance, after you wash it, any fine scratches can be removed by wiping down with some special solvent.

Mine is an early car- Oct 06... 30k miles and no rattles. The only troublesome thing is the Adaptive Cruise, which is a bit nervous. They have promised me a new radar which will hopefully fix it.

My to-do list for Lexus for the 09 model; - split fold rear seats - 3.5l engine or 250 hybrid - steering mods to give a bit more feel - double glazed side windows - better looking clock/airbag light panel - full heated front screen - keyless lock/unlock on rear doors too - rearrangement of auto gearshift- ect pwr mode accessible from the gate (instead of buried behind the wheel on a switch), and paddles active whenever pulled. - proper iPod interface

The best thing about BMWs is you get your own lane on the m-way, and you have special dispensation to use your mobile whilst driving, and not use your indicators! Enjoy- 535s are great cars, BMW make the best engines IMO.

I suspect you're right- the d has oodles of low down torque, the 250 needs to be doing 4500 rpm for peak torque. But revving a V6 petrol is a pleasurable experience, something that can be rarely said for a d. Its taken me a while to get used to the IS250 with the auto- it really doesn't like to change down in normal mode, unless you push the backstop. When you do, it flies! It feels markedly more lively in Sport mode.

Out of interest, I got a px value recently vs a £35k jag XK... I was quoted £12k for my full spec 05 250se-l. I think now is a really bad time to be changing cars unless you really need to. Dealers don't want to know about px's as they need cashflow right now.

Nope, just been told that older cars can't be set for drive-away locking.

I'm 34. I think there are those who buy a Lexus because they aren't associated with the thrusting types who apparently have sole access to the outside lane of the motorway.

I hope you probs get sorted. Can you speak to the guys from B'ham directly, and find out what needs to be done to sort it, maybe even make a trip down there?

The simple answer lies in how much you enjoy the interaction of a manual box- the auto is very impressive, and is generally in the right gear, or quick to respond on demand. The 'pwr' mode has a character all of its own, downchanging when you brake hard into a bend to give you some extra grunt on the way out. Or if you are a control freak, then you have the paddles. However, once the novelty wore off, I've not touched mine, seemed a bit too much like having a dog and barking yourself, but they do look nice. The auto is more economical too which is a bonus. My only criticism is why they buried the 'pwr' mode switch behind the wheel, rather than simply having a separate 'sport' position on the lever.

Is there a hack to turn off the safety announcement when you switch on that you have to 'agree' to? Ironically, I nearly drove into the hedge the other day whilst agreeing to the safety blurb whilst driving!

If you're in a hybrid, the govt luurves you... Nice choice! Just heard back from Reading- they've done a full set-up of the adaptive cruise, and he said if that doesn't work, they'll fit a new radar.

Can drive-away door locking not be activated by the dealer? I noticed there are some settings that can be tweaked, but sadly not by the owner. Other things I'd like to see on the 09 version- -split fold rear seats -a sport-cross version -a UK IS350, or a hybrid -a 6 cyl diesel auto -keyless entry from the back doors

With the ACC, have you never had any occasions of unexpected braking, even for example around gentle m-way RH bends? Mine is sufficiently unpredictable that I keep my fingers on the cruise stalk, which rather defeats the object! Oh well, hopefull it'll be sorted today. Are you sticking with Lexus, or moving on?

I thought the esteemed readership might be interested in some musings following 10k miles in 6 months in an IS250 I drive a lot of miles to my office up in Coventry, and needed a relaxing and economical cruiser, but with some interest (I love cars) and plenty of toys. On that front, the IS250 was a clear winner! It has more gadgets that I know what do do with, but all of which make a very positive contribution to the experience. So, pros- - Impressively frugal for a 2.5l V6 auto- usually returns more than 35 mpg on a mixed commute, but I've noticed the computer exaggerates the true reading. - very comfy, refined and quiet. I did not realise how much I needed ventilated seats, but they really are good... - fantastic stereo, MM interface is clever and works well. - I love the reversing camera and parking aids - The styling is great- sharp, dynamic and forward-looking- makes other cars in the class look dated IMO - Paintwork is very good quality- a glassy finish compared to an orange-peely 3 series coupe I looked at the other day. I have noticed some chips on the nose though, but inevitable really. - Safe feeling with good NCAP score and solid feeling build. - Perhaps I'm lucky, but there are no rattles. Trim and carpets are good quality, except the rear view mirror which feels very cheap, creaky and nasty when you move it about. - adaptive cruise is just fantastic- at its best in crowded m-ways when you're trolling along at 50-60-70mph. You do need to be sensible about it, as its quite binary and of course cannot anticipate like a human can (yet!) - climate control very good. But cons- - Why no IS350 in the UK?? It is fast enough for daily driving, but I do miss the wallop of my old BMW 330Ci. - Looks a bit under-wheeled with the 17ins. But the trade-off is less road noise I suppose. - Interior plastic seems to scuff and scratch easily, i.e. door entry plates, and seat backs (kids now have a no-shoes rule!) - No split/fold rear seat - iPod interface is only an aux socket- no control via panel or steering wheel. - 10k mile service interval is too short in this day and age. - engine could sound more interesting, especially on start-up from cold when it really sounds rather unappealing. Things that have gone wrong; - Adaptive cruise seems very sensitive to vehicles in the nearside lanes- i.e. overtaking a lorry or van, it sometimes brakes hard to match speed with the vehicle you are overtaking :tsktsk: which is quite un-nerving and potentially dangerous. Its almost as if it is pointing toward the left too much, dealer reckons that it may need adjusting- I hope so. - CD player won't give my cd's back sometimes... again on the list to fix. Other than that, the main thing is that I get out of it after a long trip feeling un-stressed, and positively relaxed (except for occasional ACC-related unexpected braking scares!) which is what I bought it for. But, as Scotty says, I need more power!

Hi there folks, came across this site oddly enough googling for Lexus Reading's phone no... great site! I have an IS250 SE-L auto, 55 reg in cadoxton slate with black leather. It has all the trimmings, inc multimedia, adaptive cruise and sunroof. I've had it since Feb, and its just done 30k miles (in fact being serviced as we speak at Reading) Its a great car, and I'll post some thoughts in separate thread. Cheers Robert.