malexa-krost

I had the new wheels fitted on my IS200 SE at the weekend at Lexus Swindon. Received excellent service, as ever. They had the car for a couple of hours and it was returned to me with the replacement alloys. I think the rounded-off corners and the extra layer(s) of lacquer spoil the look compared to the originals, but only slightly and it's a small price to pay to keep them in one piece. While I was waiting I was asked if I wanted to take a car out for a play. Since the SC430 they had there was being prepped for customer delivery ( ), and because they didn't have an IS300 SportCross available, I had to settle for their IS300 saloon. Unfortunately they had added the styling kit to the car, which I don't like at all. My opinion is the car loses its 'classy' appearance and looks like a boy racer has taken it for a run around Halfords or somewhere like that. It also had the 18" wheels. The wheels made a big difference. The road noise is, IMO, significantly louder than the 17" wheels on my SE. The steering also loaded up very quicker when cornering. The ride was less 'jittery' than my SE though and slightly firmer. Does the 300 have the suspension mods similar to the IS200 Sport? I found the steering quite a bit heavier, which I didn't like - it would suddenly load up when cornering, it wasn't gradual. I had a feeling that the extra width of the 18" tyres also had something to do with this (235 width). I loved the engine and gearbox combination. Sooo smooth through either gentle or more aggresive driving. Kick down works well, being willing to go down more than one gear if you need to. Very quick car too. I didn't like the Eshift system. The buttons just never seemed to be in the right place compared to the position of my hands. Perhaps a sequential shift pattern on the drive selection lever as well would have been a good idea? I don't have particularly long fingers, but the position of the up buttons on the back of the wheel seemed to require stubbies and felt quite hidden away. Probably to avoid accidental selection. According to the sales people, driving the 300 SportCross is almost identical to the saloon. Based on this, I think I might look to the 300 SportCross when I come to replace mine but that's not likely to be for another couple of years yet so there's still time for things to change. All in all .... me likes B) Pete

Tony, Can you let me know where you got the Lexus quote from? I'm gonna be tackling my local garage about this soon (again) and it would be nice to have the information to back up my argument. Thanks ...... Pete

So far so good. I had a call yesterday from Lexus Swindon saying that my replacement wheels had arrived. The car is booked in for a week Saturday. I'm going to have another word about the large paint chip on the bonnet. If it was a large stone, I can't help but get the feeling it would have dented - but there's no dent. So perhaps a small stone made a large mark? Sounds like a defective paint job to me. We'll see how much mileage we get out of it. I might see if I can have a play with an IS300 while they're doing the wheels Pete

This was all at Lexus Swindon. Pete

Just had the first service done on my IS200. Everything went quite smoothly, I'm pleased to report. I mentioned the pitting that has started on my wheels and a set of 5 new ones are on order. I asked them to look at the clunky gearbox and, surprise surprise, they weren't able to find anything wrong on a short test drive. Helpfully though, they have suggested an extended test drive to try to recreate the clunk. Problem is, I can't even make it happen if I try and can't find a common theme to when it happens. It doesn't seem to matter what the weather is, whether I'm driving quickly or slowly. Ho hum. I've got a couple of paint chips (one quite large on the bonnet) and they have been diagnosed as stone chips and therefore not covered by any warranty. Its not even as if I go chasing cars down country lanes in the Lexus. I'm really worried what state the car is going to be in when I come to shift it in (probably) a couple of years' time. Courtesy car was an IS200 SE auto. I've not driven an auto since my last visit to the States and I was surprised by how smooth it was. The chap at the dealership reckons that, despite the official figures, there's little noticable difference in the fuel usage between the auto and manual. I might consider it when I come to change. Quite fancy the 300 Sportcross (if I can't afford the SC430 :P ) Pete

I wanted Aztec Fire when I ordered my SE about this time last year. Apparently it was discontinued after the mini face-lift. Settled for Granite Sky in the end. Its a dog to keep clean but looks nice and will look better when I come to tint the windows. Pete

Hi David, I went from a Proton Satria GTi to an IS200 SE back in November last year. One of the best decisions I've made in a long time. Like Blue Thunder, I don't push the car hard very often (but I love the sound when I do!) and I find the car to be much more comfortable than I was expecting, especially with the lower profile tyres. I used to have a BMW 523 as a company car and have to say that I prefer the IS200 in terms of driving experience (and equipment levels too, obviously). I agree with tivoa - any dark car will need looking after. Mine's in Granite Sky so even leaving the car for a while shows up the dust that collects. Ho hum. I find the driving position to be very comfortable and the car isn't tiring at all for me on long journies. I took the Proton to Edinburgh and back last year and had to take four of five stops each way just to get away from it for a few minutes. A trip to York earlier this year was executed with much less pain!! Best of luck with the test drive. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Pete

Hi All, Well it's first post time!! I bought an IS200 SE new last year in Granite Sky with black interior. I was *SO* happy that they changed from gold to black for the trim on the dash. Unfortunately they didn't get round to changing the gold trim around the eleccy window controls and around the speakers on the parcel shelf. Anyone know if this is now available in black anywhere? Thanks ...... malexa