weaselwebby

About 23 mpg in most road conditions, even heavy slow-moving traffic - but worse, much worse for short journeys on cold days whilst warming up when you can see the fuel-needle move, and of course there seems to be no lower limt for when you are just having fun with your right foot. You are right on that statement,as I gave mine a blast on my gliding club runway & peri track, and the dash readout put it at just over 4 mpg. I hope that's the lower limit! My tank average at the moment says 25.4, but that's mainly motorway. On the average journey it's 23 mpg more or less. Yep - I've actually shown 4.8mpg over a sixteen mile section of (private) road that I used to use regularly to set up my rally cars but over the 17,000 odd miles I've done from new in December 2008 it has registered 22.1 month on month. Incidentally it was as quick as my N10 Impreza over the stage but nothing like as easy - bumps and crests really aren't its forte! Incidentally - the red beastie is going to be on the market soon, its replacement (a different marque) hits the road 1st December. It's on a PCP with a very realistic final payment so I fully expect someone out there will fancy a private deal rather than letting it back into the dealer system where it will likely go on sale for over 30k. I won't put specifics on here but if anyone with a serious interest drops me a PM with a phone number I'll be pleased to talk turkey!

I run 39 front and 36 rear - for comfort I drop both ends to 36 but it tends to wash out at the front so if I'm off on a decent trip on my own I prefer to sacrifice a bit to get better turn-in.

I would say it certainly does require attention! One of the characteristics that took me a while to get used to is how quickly it whips through the changes under light throttle so unless they've made some dramatic changes to the 2010 model your new beast is mis-behaving (and using a load of fuel to boot!)

Does that mean the traction control works in a similar way to the IS250, where it seems to be quite on-off in its application - bit disappointing if that is the case, thought it would be a little more advanced than that in the IS-F. That's exactly what it means - it works fabulously well on consistent-grip surfaces (did you ever watch the demo. videos on the Lexus web site showing the difference between "off", "on" and "sport"?) but by its very design is severely limited in what can be achieved at low speed and with varying grip levels side to side.

I remember putting my pennyworth in on this subject a few months ago based on my "history"..................... Much as it's great fun driving really sideways (which is dead easy with a slipper but hard work with electronics on anything except a race circuit) it obviously has no place in normal road use (and in any case simply wears rubber out at an even more alarming rate) so for the vast majority of time there won't be any marked advantage. But - the one thing it really will improve is moving off (particularly when it's slippery under-tyre) at a junction where you need to be using a decent amount of steering angle - the only way to do it briskly but elegantly with mine is to switch the traction control off until it's all straightened up but I really can't be ***ed so I take off in a series of electronic stutters!

This is the first indication that the potentiometor on the rear axle which controls the headlight height is damp and soon going to fail. Paul Interesting! The dealer report indicates that that they have totally re-programmed all the headlight telemetry and it's all "back to specification" - and on the two drives home since it's been sorted I've taken the "country route" to check it out and the lights performed perfectly. But............I think I prefer it without the electronic intervention - the temptation to keep the wheel away from central makes for some pretty jerky cornering - so I'll have to forego the auto switch on facility and try to work out for myself when exactly it is that I need to switch the lights on!!!!

Now you mention it mine is a bit "saggy" and I only weigh 80kg and have done less than 11,000 miles so yes, I am a touch concerned! My current thinking is I'll change it at two years old so reckon I'll probably leave it until October/November and get Lexus to sort it so it's right for a new owner.

[quote name='3 MSF' date='Jan 25 2010, 10:45 PM' post='706498' IS F arrives on Saturday in Velvet Black and has a lot to live up to after the Alpina... :winky: - Mark. It will! After twenty something years as a BMW man (with two B10s in the mix) I changed just over a year ago because of BMW Finance's response to my request to extend a contract hire deal while I waited for the new V8 engined X6 I'd ordered - and I have to say they don't have much tempting me to go back when the red beast gets changed November/December. We should perhaps meet up on the A52 and compare notes in a couple of months!

The red beast goes in to Lexus Nottingham on Tuesday for some attention to the moving headlights - the left one doesn't (!) and the right one bends right at the slightest movement of the steering wheel then immediately flicks back to central before the steering wheel is straightened. But...... does anybody else have a problem with their lights vibrating? When I come up behind another vehicle so my lights shine on to its bodywork the beam is clearly "wobbling" - it doesn't show up on the road but certainly does when shining on to something vertical (even my garage doors) and I worry I might be causing a problem to on-coming vehicles. Rather than simply reporting it as a vague worry on Tuesday I wondered if it's a known problem with standard fit HID lights or the "F" in particular.

You should be able to find a law firm to handle it on a "no win no fees" basis. Any business (not just a supermarket) has a clearly defined duty of care when it comes to keeping the public safe from harm, as I understand it the fact that a sign says they don't take responsibility means diddly-squat if they are in breach of said duty of care.

It does indeed - and I guess the previous comment about fuel costs not being a big issue if you can afford the car in the first place is pretty much true.... BUT........ it would soon be off the list if you'd ever driven one! The Merc was actually higher up the wish list than the "F" until I got to try one - the ride really is teeth-clatteringly hard on British roads. I have to say I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed!) to see members on here "dissing" the IS-F and suggesting it perhaps doesn't compare well with the Audi RS4 (which isn't available except as a drop-top version of an old model) or the BMW M3 because you don't see as many on the road. I ran BMWs for years before my current mount and, much as they did most of the things I want a road car to do, the build quality and reliability are no longer their strongest selling points - my business partner is on his third M3 which, in just two years, has devoured two gearboxes, a clutch, three rear light assemblies and many, many litres of engine oil at nearly £20.00 a pop! I'm pretty confident that I can out-drive anything comparable in my Lexus (except perhaps the RS4 which would also have been higher up the wish list if they did one yet) and I seriously don't expect things to fall off or break whilst doing it! So, let's hear it for an all-round spankingly good first effort from Lexus - so they struggled to sell the first 150, I reckon it's more down to reticence on the part of the buying public to accept that it could be any good than it is to any shortcomings in the car.

[quote name='Parthiban' date='Sep 28 2009, 12:54 PM' post='692312' It will also have a proper LSD which again is about time :) Pardon me for saying so but.................. rubbish - they've almost certainly put a slipper in because it's the cheaper option! Ask virtually any professional competition driver (me included, albeit in the not so recent past) and I'm pretty sure that all but the absolute best would say that, much as it undoubtedly feels more fun to go sideways with a traditional limited slip it simply isn't as consistent (or fast for that matter) as the latest electronic systems.

I'd be tempted to try another dealership!!!!! I had a similar experience with my local dealer in June/July last year when I first expressed an interest in a new IS F for October or thereabouts - they even told me they'd sold all their allocation and I'd "be lucky to get one this year". The smirk had disappeared when I drove on to their forecourt in my sparkly new one (from Listers in Lincoln who were absolutely great to deal with) to point out to the dealer principal how well his star salesman had performed ( :tsktsk: ) and they still had two on the forecourt! Ask around - money is money no matter how well they're selling!

I think the expression I'm looking for would be something like "up one's nose"! But you're right - I've got eight (nearly nine in fact) years on you - you young whippersnapper!

I'll echo that welcome Chris - enjoy the beast! The bit about service, warranty and tyres is interesting.....I've done the pre-paid service thing (although only last week - it took until then for Nottingham to get the info. through!) which looks "about right" cost-wise but I wasn't planning on keeping mine longer than two years so not sure if the warranty extension would be worthwhile. What sort of cost is it? The tyre insurance is something all-new to me (despite my advanced years!) - I do actually live in dread of a tyre problem on this wee beastie, not so much because of cost (although I doubt the rubber is cheap!), more the thought of some tyre lever jockey taking less than perfect care of the wheel!

Interesting comment! Probably explains why they bite so well but it makes a mockery of the various pre-release test reports which were unanimous in their praise of the fact that there was zero fade even after lap upon lap of high speed running. Wonder what pads they given for the occasion and why can't we have some of the same?

Yes indeed I hear squeaks too - more so under braking than acceleration but strangely only when I have a passenger and it usually sounds to be coming from very close to my left ear! :winky:

I've had mine since 1st December (nearly 6,000 miles) and have similar issues although not to the level of needing (yet!) anything replacing. I read the previous post on this topic at quite an early stage in my ownership of "The Brute" and felt quite smug that I'd had her into the hand-wash guys at least once a week since new - until I looked carefully and found that the lack of gloss on the surfaces between the spokes was not just recent dust but, in fact an engrained layer of particles that felt like an emery board! I spent many hours that week-end with a Sainsbury's washing-up brush, a pressure washer and a bottle of Autoglym wheel cleaner. Several patient applications of the wondrous spray, a lot of vigorous brushing and hosing and two well-worn thumb nails later all four wheels looked virtually like new so I rounded off the day with a celebratory coat of (Autoglym again - and no, I'm not on their pay-roll!) wax. I agree totally that it's wholly impractical to think of hosing down after every use but I do take care now to use the spray and brush technique every week-end and so far it's paying off.

I reckon that's only going to work if the old Sony Ericsson is one of the (very few) bits of kit that will actually exchange data with the horrible Lexus bluetooth system - you might have to borrow a late model S/E (or upgrade!) to do it. Neither my iPhone nor a selection of Nokias will do so absolutely everything has to be entered into the car's system - I still struggle to come to terms with Lexus being so out of date in this area!

I guess with only 150 imported that's maybe not too surprising! I've only ever seen one outside of a showroom (a really dirty white one parked up in Stowmarket - owner on here perhaps?) and even that was before I got mine so I couldn't park up next to it and take a photo

Can you imagine how much of a warm glowy feeling this gives me????? I ordered mine in July and finally got it 1st December and, to work on the figures above, it's now worth the old expression "four fifths of FA"! :tsktsk:

Not so! Providing you don't fall into the "sleepy" trap it's brilliant! The M1 is being updated to four lanes around where I'm based so it's 50mph average speed cameras for twenty or so miles and ACC is wonderful - set it to fifty and a bit and you can concentrate fully on the problems associated with narrow lanes and aggressive white van men content in the knowledge that the electronics are doing a far better job of optimising throttle control (and thus fuel efficiency) than most humans would manage.

Assuming that's a reference to the photo of my Rapier then it's bloody well spotted! I've tried really hard over the last few days to replicate the situation you describe (bends with trucks on the inside lane) and haven't really found it to cause problems - I can understand the logic of the radar pointing in the direction the car is heading but it needs to be an awful coincidence for the angles/distances/speed to all gang up together to cut the cruise...... BUT yesterday I found a situation that the system really couldn't cope with - lots of snow/spray on the M1 was tackled fine unless there was traffic in all three lanes travelling at much the same speed at which point a message appeared stating that "cruise is not available"! It could be re-set once at least one lane cleared away and would last until the next similar situation - I ended up changing to the non-auto mode and all was well. Perhaps therefore your system may need some TLC from a friendly dealer tecchy!

I use mine at every opportunity and have'nt come across the problem - perhaps I just use too many straight roads! I can certainly see the logic of radar only pointing straight ahead so I'm going to make a conscious effort to replicate the situation and will post accordingly.

Would that it could be!!!! The only factory system (as opposed to after-market ones) I know of that allows it is the Subaru one. It's been a constant source of irritation to me during many years of owning various BMWs, Audis and Mercs and is still one (almost the only one actually!) feature of my IS-F that frustrates me.