doctorttt

Due to work reason, I have to get a car as soon as possible, perhaps within a month. Bay Ridge Lexus in NYC is unable to provide me any update on my 350 F-Sport RWD order, and I've waited for over a month. So, I need to make a decision whether or not to get the 350 F-Sport AWD from another dealer for which the car is now available.

I really like the 8-speed tranny on the RWD version. Can someone tell me whether the 8-speed makes a difference compared to the 6-speed?

Dustin2011

If you are going to spend that much on a vehicle, I would definitely get the one you want.

NYC ES3

iTrader: (7)

Stick with the Rear wheel drive ...much more fun than the all wheel..plus u get more foot room down by the gas pedal.
The 8 speed gives you more room to play with than the 6. The 8 shifts damn near immediately tho.
but all in all with the 306hp on the 350 the 6 speed is enough, unless u want the super fast shifting
I would stick with the RWD tho hands down.
as for snow....just get a set of Blizzak's and call it a day ...that RWD will be ridin through high snow past SUV's....(TRUE STATEMENT)

no need for AWD car in NYC...just need a set of Blizzak tires and the snow is like asphalt to you.
When it was needed I strapped my F with a set and rode through 8 inches of snow like nothing.
Dont let the "gotta have it" feeling cloud your real wants...if you want RWD (and you should) then GET IT...wait and just get it.

Also if you want a dealership with some pull from LEXUS...go to Ray Catena...they do BIG volume

kabgolf1

Special order and wait for the RWD. That is what I am doing. Add the VGRS while you are at it as it is only available with the RWD.

mrraider

What part of NY do you live in? Will you be able to resell an RWD car in the Northeast. Around here, no one wants RWD.

AndyL

I have been doing a similar thing. Waiting for factory order of a 3IS RWD but it is a non F Sport IS350. Actually VGRS is only available for F Sport only, Going for non F Sport myself mainly b/c of the limited options of the RWD F Sport packages in Canada and we can't even do a special order. Or I would probably add ML.

AndyL

I think it is quite true in Canada. RWD seems to be limited in stock. And the number of packages for RWD IS reflect that. In fact I haven't seen a single 3rd gen IS350 RWD yet

kabgolf1

The options are limited here in the US for F-Sport as well but I am willing to sacrifice a few creature comforts for the look of the F-Sport. That is horrible that you are not allowed to special order.

AndyL

The Canadian market is simply too small to accept custom order from their business model. . I guess this is their way to drive down the cost and the MSRP. Called Lexus Canada months ago about special order and they said they can't.

Yet BMW Canada allows more flexibility in the options and allows special order. But the downside is it costs more to the customers.

kabgolf1

I understand cost controls but what stands out to me is that all of these vehicles come off the same production line. I do not see where there is added cost on Lexus' end except for the fact that they only want to build cars a certain way. I would think that they could control costs better if they standardized the offerings on a more global basis as opposed to market by market and region by region. Do not get me wrong, the price points are extremely attractive where they currently stand. Just my 2 cents.

r0shiro

iTrader: (1)

The 8-speed transmission (by Aisin)is the same one found on the ISF. It is designed to respond exactly to what the driver wants. No delay when shifting (after 15MPH) and predictable. It has all of the characteristics that a manual box so why is it better? First, It's faster than any human will ever be. To give you a reference point, the Aisin 8-speed can shift in 0.1 secs... Formula-1 vehicles shift in 0.05secs. I don't care who you are out there, you CANNOT shift in less than on second let alone come close to a tenth of it. Not racing? Not a problem. Secondly, it only shifts when you want it to (when its in Manual Mode) and yes it mimic's clutch lockup (2nd thru8th gear only) so the gas is there when you want it to be, not when the transmission feels like it.. Thirdly, it throttle blips downshifts matching engine and gear speed to avoid engine breaking.

Not "racing"? Not a problem. Eight gears (on auto mode) only means you can run at a lower RPM during those long drives up and down the 101 making this IS a bit more gas efficient. In fact, ZF has just announced that they will be releasing a 9-speed G-box fairly soon so it seems that the 8-speed is the least amount of gears you should have going forward. IMHO.

So faster when I want it to be, and more gas efficient when I want it to be? sounds like a win/win.

Good luck!

doctorttt

Thanks for everyone's input, especially thejaperu for explaining the technical benefits of the 8-speed tranny.

Getting back to Raider: I live in Brooklyn, NYC for which snow gets plowed pretty quickly here, and NYC snows like about 5 times per winter. As for reselling, my plan is to trade in after a few years (maybe 4) for a SUV because I'm planning to have kids later. I owned the 2IS350 for about two years and didn't have any trouble in winter because I kept it in my driveway on snowy days; in addition, snow melts in NYC pretty quickly.

However, due to changes in my job recently, I will have to drive more often and I currently do not own a car. Regardless of how much I like about the tranny and how much i'm going to spend, I've got to keep my job or else I have no $ for a car. lol. As of now, I'm trying to get a confirmation from my employer on when the changes will take place and to see how much time I can buy.

Glashub

That is really good info, Richie. Thanks for sharing. That's why I lurk around here -- exactly for that type of information.

AndyL

One point to add. The 8 speed found in 3IS 350 RWD is actually adopted from one on ISF with improvement - it has a different part number despite the gear ratio for all 8 gears are identical. ( to my surprise as well)

http://my.is/forums/f41/3rd-gen-lexu...trains-459322/

Sango

iTrader: (10)

Lexus Canada did custom orders at point in time but they stopped doing it because of amount of custom ordered received, besides the price.

As for the packages, they could of done a better job. Maybe next year as the options have to be presented to the Canadian government in advance before they get distributed.

Here is an email from Lexus Canada which I inquired about special ordering from March of 2012.