conekiller

The time has come to dump my 6-year-old A4 in favor of something new. I bought it with the sole intent of building a track and daily driver, which it did well...however I'm done with heavily-modified engines for daily use and my driving (30K/year now) demands it anyway. The IS350 is the only car out there that seems to fit the bill and look good doing it, so I'm in the process of getting one soon.

I drove a lux-pkg 350 last week and came away from the drive fairly impressed and happy with it, with a few reservations. The engine felt real nice but the exhaust is a bit too tame...it made me feel too disconnected from the drive. I plan to leave it as stock as possible, however if someone comes out with a well built full exhaust system w/higher-flow cats that isn't too loud I might be persuaded.

My biggest complaint by far is the paddle-shift response time is *ATROCIOUSLY* slow. I'm not happy the car isn't even available with three pedals on the floorboard, but I was willing to overlook it because of the paddles. The test drive made my heart sink...I honestly have no idea how Lex-yota figured the current shift speeds would be adequate. A few times while running up through the gears I actually hit the right paddle twice because I thought I might not have been pulling the paddle far enough to register the shift...turns out it just shifts slow. A few of the better Audi tuners made tip-chips for the RS-6 transmission that raised shift points and lowered response time, so I'm hoping TRD or an aftermarket house can rectify this...it's another thing I'd rather not have to do, but they should've gotten it right to begin with.

I'm also not happy that the sport pkg allocation is so small as I really want to drive one, and I'd want a lower stance from the factory too (how much lower is it?) I think I'd probably prefer it over the lux, but I won't allow it to make me wait for months. Not a wood interior fan either.

*What does Lexus charge for prepping the car with XM? I'm a current customer and I'm not going without it ever again.

*Other than suspension and wood trim, what else does the lux pkg have over the sport pkg?

*Are the DRLs easily defeatable?

Thanks

pkvir

Did you drive the car With the ECT on? When on, it is a different car. I also agree that the car is very quiet, but that I like. It is quiet and fast. I don't use the S shifting very often, but would love the car without it. I have not driven the sport package, but find the premium package (normal suspension and what I have) a perfect mix of sport and luxury. Also, I think the wood trim is very classy, but respect you opinion about it.

I am also curious about XM/Sirus.

conekiller

No idea what ECT is on a Lexus...all I know is I turned the car on, immediately put it in paddle-shift mode and started driving.

pkvir

It is a button you push that changes the shift points. More performance. If you did not know about it, it probable wasen't on.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

Sport Package (RWD only) - $3,695 (Automatic), $3,725 (Manual) [2]

- Perforated leather-trimmed interior
- Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column
- Lexus Memory System for power driver's seat (except lumbar), outside mirrors and steering wheel
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Aluminum sport pedals
- Aluminum doorsill scuff plates
- Rain-sensing intermittent windshield wipers with mist cycle
- Electrochromic (auto-dimming) outside mirrors with auto tilt-down in reverse
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps
- Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
- Sport-tuned suspension
- 18 x 8.0-in alloy wheels with 225/40YR18 tires front [3], 18 x 8.5-in alloy wheels with 255/40YR18 tires rear [3]

Luxury Package (RWD only) - $3,495 [2]

- Auburn bird’s-eye maple interior trim
- Perforated leather-trimmed interior
- Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column
- Lexus Memory System for power driver's seat (except lumbar), outside mirrors and steering wheel
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Illuminated doorsill scuff plates
- Power rear-window sunshade
- Rain-sensing intermittent windshield wipers with mist cycle
- Electrochromic (auto-dimming) outside mirrors with auto tilt-down in reverse
- Bi-xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps
- Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)

conekiller

Changing the shift points wouldn't seem to be of any use with the paddles, since it's supposed to shift gears when I tell it to. That sounds like it's for use in full auto mode when the car is doing the gear changing on its own. I want faster response to paddle commands.

conekiller

Also...has anyone found a source for the euro headlight housings without the lame US-mandated yellow inserts in the corners?

pkvir

You are right, I don't find the paddle shifting to to instantainious (sp) on upshifts. Maybe this is not the right car for you, but I could not find a better car for me. A combo of performance, luxury, build, style and price. Thank you Lexus.

cdeslandes

You'll get used to the paddles. With ECT (Electronically Controlled Transmission) in PWR mode, the throttle becomes MUCH more responsive. Programming the light rings to the proper RPM also gives you a visual warning it's time to upshift. Properly adjusted, you can arrange for the shift to happen just before the limiter hits.
And for the track, there's a hack to disable the VDIM stability system; the car turns into a real sports sedan with VDIM off.