kensteele

So I've only had the car less than a week and there are so many things I love about this car, I can't list them all here. Off the top, the headlights are really bright, I like the daytime running lights, the lighted Lexus door sill and footwell lighting is awesome, park-assist is pretty cool, one-touch sunroof opening, turn radius is very tight, the ML stereo is the best, and the rear end looks better and better everyday. But here are a few picky things: There are some blindspots to get use to, at 72" my head is very close to the top (feels funny with the sunroof open), the backseat hooks for dry cleaning are tiny, the armrest compartment area is small, trunk release button in the cabin is difficult to get to, and turn signal is not sensitive enough to disengage on all but the sharpest turns (driving with turn signal flashing is a no-no).

In detail:
1)I wish there were turn signal indicators somewhere on the outside mirrors; when done right look cool.
2)When I release the trunk with the remote, it only pops instead of opening fully. If your hands are full, expect to use them to lift. You can however close the trunk without touching the paint.
3)My last car if I left the headlights on when I went inside, when I returned to the car and got close to it, I could use the remote to activate the headlights and show me where my car was located. The IS only activates the parking lights.
4)Not sure I like putting the car in park and all the doors unlock. I know this is a setting but the door unlock button is difficult to operate so this might be for the best with four doors.
5)I'm trying to get use to locking the door behind me by touching the handle. If I can't, I'll go back to the remote.
6)Wood interior on the luxury is good but I'm not totally convinced until I see the silver on the sport. In the luxury, there are silver highlights and they look awesome.

That's it for now.

upbull340

Ken,

Thanks for the update. I'm also wondering if I will remember to lock the car. I drove a silver and red 350 today. Took them to a parking lot so I could really study the lines. I'm still with you black on black but I will get the sport suspension. Unfortunately our region is never going to see it. Also my dealer has2 250 AWDs and 2 350s none with nav. Looks like they are stripping the latest deliveries to keep the price as low as they can. May have to rethink where I purchase my car from.

Keep the updates coming. It will help the others.

TimboIS

That seems counter intuitive. I would rather it lock automatically when the transponder goes out of range of the car (basically the opposite of how it unlocks).

EvgeshaIS300

i guess it depends on your location, in Brooklyn i never forget to lock the car, even if i park in police dep garage and there is 10 officers around the car. its on an instinct level

jlin101

Thanks for the input. I am glad that Lexus did not put that flip-down panel (the one with the mirror control and hood-trunk release) from the GS in the new IS. That is a big ergonomic faux pas like i-Drive. As far as the trunk is concerned, short of putting a motorized system to open and close the trunk, the only other way to open the trunk automatically when unlocked is to spring-load it, but that will make it harder to close. I plan on deactivating the "auto lock when in drive" feature . I also agree that locking the door with the button on the handle seems counter-intuitive, because you have to turn around to lock the car, instead of walking away and locking the door with the remote without having to look back. I am glad you're enjoying your car for the most part.

diablo1

The problem with auto-locking is that I'm sure some people want to leave their car unlocked when they park it - for example, people who have a garage attached to their house. But I agree that it would be good if it were an option. I almost always park in a public garage, so I would always use the auto-lock feature.

I definitely agree with you about the trunk release button. It's also really hard to find at night since it isn't lighted (as far as I can tell anyway). And, the trunk release and gas tank release buttons are right next to each other and exactly the same, so you pretty much just have to memorize which one is where, otherwise you have a 50% chance of pressing the wrong one.

brewkp4

Quick question... what if you accidently leave the keys in the car (lets say you put them in the cup holder when you are driving) and forgetting the keys in the car when you walk out of the car you lock the car? Would the car not lock because it will know the keys are still in the car or will you lock your keys in the car? Sounds like something I am sure I will do......a few times.

jlin101

I agree the trunk and fuel door switches are too close together and inadequately lit (would've been easier to place them at separate locations like Honda). Is there no trunk release switch on the trunk itself? Amazing that car manufacturers spend enormous amount of resource/energy to devise fancy ash tray door mechnism or sound-absorbing sun visors (not sure how much sound those little visors actually absorb), but still manage to botch basic things like a trunk opener. Sometimes they change things for the sake of change, and in the process take a turn for the worse.

jlin101

the car can't be locked with the key inside--same way you can't lock a car with the remote fob inside.

mkaresh

The auto-locking would be based on how far the key fob is from the car, so it would not lock. The car has no way to tell where you are. At least not yet...

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

A very good review. I share your thoughts on many of the items mentioned.

Lexus3oi

that definitely would make the most sense...and definitely tie it to the distance of the transponder and not on some sort of "time delay"...i can't stand cars that automatically lock themselves after a minute or 2 of having the doors closed...you don't need your doors locked or alarm set while filling your gas tank

diablo1

jlin, there is a button on the trunk, but it's not immediately obvious where to find it. It's to the right of center, under the top of the indentation that holds the license plate. If you feel around there, you will at some point feel a 2-inch metal lip sticking down, and right behind that is a button. Strangely enough, you have to press the button for 2+ seconds for the trunk to unlock. That's the default setting anyway. I think I'm going to change mine so it unlocks if you just press and release.

kensteele

Also I wish the park assist had a front and center sensor instead of just the side ones. When I pull into my garage, I have to have an item left or right of center in order to guide me in.

diablo1

True! Why didn't they do that? The nose slants pretty abruptly so it's not really that easy to judge how much space you have up there...