Lexus IS - Leg & Head Room (Vehicle comparison)
03-15-07, 09:53 PM
#47
I have average size friends and they don't seem to have a problem if I move my seat up a little bit, now 5 people is a tight squeeze but that's the price they pay for volunteering me to drive. The fact that the IS isn't comparable to other sedan's doesn't bother me. I'd rather have a sedan than a coupe with extra long, extra heavy doors. I've had nothing but coupes before and they aren't always fun to get out of when parking is tight.
03-16-07, 04:49 AM
#48
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
According to wikipedia the IS is clasified as a compact executive car NOT a sub-compact.
Here is the info:
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars produced by the Lexus marque of Toyota Motor Corporation. The IS was introduced as an entry-level model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup and competing against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Nissan Skyline/Infiniti G35 sports sedans. It was originally sold as the Toyota Altezza in Japan until the introduction of the second generation design.
The EPA listed the first generation IS as a subcompact car, despite being a compact on the inside.
What is a Compact executive car?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compact executive car (British English, Mittelklasse in German) or entry-level luxury car (American English) is a car classification which respectively describes large family cars produced by premium brands, or compact cars built by luxury brands. These vehicles offer a certain degree of comfort, prestige and perceived quality at a modest price, currently € 25000 up to € 40000 and a similar price range in US dollars.
Dimensionally, these vehicles are often shorter than large family cars, and the rear leg room and boot/trunk size is smaller to accommodate larger engines. While they offer the buyer less equipment, inner room or engine for the money, the material and building quality is higher and the nameplate itself is part of the value proposition. Compact executive cars are usually available in sedan / saloon, station wagon / estate, coupé and convertible / cabriolet body styles.
This market segment is fairly new, pioneered by the BMW 3 Series, which found consumer demand for a small but upscale sedan in the late 1970s. The luxury car nameplate Mercedes-Benz then branched down to create the 1982 competitor Mercedes-Benz 190. The class then grew with the arrivals of the Rover 600 and Audi A4.
What is a Subcompact car?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A subcompact car is an automobile in a vehicle size class smaller than a compact car but larger than a city car (and known as superminis in Europe). This is also known as the B-segment class. Such cars usually have four or more seats and in North America, subcompacts are usually considered to be those cars that have a wheelbase of 2.54 metres (100 inches) or less or between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume (though popular usage of the term frequently ignores these boundaries). Subcompacts/superminis are most commonly sold in Europe and Japan where they enjoy enormous popularity, and are reasonably popular in North America despite people often preferring American and Asian sedans.
In North America, this type of car was first seen in the 1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan and a number of imported models notably the Volkswagen Beetle and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the 1970s with the introduction of such cars as the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega, which were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from Volkswagen, Nissan-Datsun, and Toyota. Today numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Versa, the Honda Fit, the Scion xA, the Kia Rio, the Chevrolet Aveo, and the Hyundai Accent.
In 1971, Ford and GM introduced their subcompact models, with AMC's Gremlin having been the first introduced in April 1970. Notably, the Gremlin did not fit the mold of the typical subcompact, which was powered by a 4 cylinder engine, but was an abbreviated AMC Hornet, which was a compact car. Of the four large American companies that were making cars at that point, only Chrysler did not develop a domestic subcompact car, electing instead to import models produced by its British and Japanese affiliates (the Plymouth Cricket and Dodge Colt respectively). Chrysler would not have a domestic subcompact until the 1978 Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins. Ford later added its European supermini, the Ford Fiesta, to its North American lineup for the 1978 model year, but it was only available for three years until the larger sized Ford Escort replaced both the Fiesta and the Pinto.
Although they were all strong sellers in their time, none of the early domestic subcompacts are well thought of today, with the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega placing 4th, 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in Car Talk's "Worst Car of the Millennium" contest. The 'winner' was another subcompact, the Yugo.
However, some luxurious subcompacts like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class are not sold in the US, but they are for example, sold in Mexico.
Here is the info:
The Lexus IS is a series of entry-level luxury cars / compact executive cars produced by the Lexus marque of Toyota Motor Corporation. The IS was introduced as an entry-level model slotted below the ES in the Lexus lineup and competing against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Nissan Skyline/Infiniti G35 sports sedans. It was originally sold as the Toyota Altezza in Japan until the introduction of the second generation design.
The EPA listed the first generation IS as a subcompact car, despite being a compact on the inside.
What is a Compact executive car?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compact executive car (British English, Mittelklasse in German) or entry-level luxury car (American English) is a car classification which respectively describes large family cars produced by premium brands, or compact cars built by luxury brands. These vehicles offer a certain degree of comfort, prestige and perceived quality at a modest price, currently € 25000 up to € 40000 and a similar price range in US dollars.
Dimensionally, these vehicles are often shorter than large family cars, and the rear leg room and boot/trunk size is smaller to accommodate larger engines. While they offer the buyer less equipment, inner room or engine for the money, the material and building quality is higher and the nameplate itself is part of the value proposition. Compact executive cars are usually available in sedan / saloon, station wagon / estate, coupé and convertible / cabriolet body styles.
This market segment is fairly new, pioneered by the BMW 3 Series, which found consumer demand for a small but upscale sedan in the late 1970s. The luxury car nameplate Mercedes-Benz then branched down to create the 1982 competitor Mercedes-Benz 190. The class then grew with the arrivals of the Rover 600 and Audi A4.
What is a Subcompact car?
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A subcompact car is an automobile in a vehicle size class smaller than a compact car but larger than a city car (and known as superminis in Europe). This is also known as the B-segment class. Such cars usually have four or more seats and in North America, subcompacts are usually considered to be those cars that have a wheelbase of 2.54 metres (100 inches) or less or between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume (though popular usage of the term frequently ignores these boundaries). Subcompacts/superminis are most commonly sold in Europe and Japan where they enjoy enormous popularity, and are reasonably popular in North America despite people often preferring American and Asian sedans.
In North America, this type of car was first seen in the 1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan and a number of imported models notably the Volkswagen Beetle and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the 1970s with the introduction of such cars as the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega, which were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from Volkswagen, Nissan-Datsun, and Toyota. Today numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Versa, the Honda Fit, the Scion xA, the Kia Rio, the Chevrolet Aveo, and the Hyundai Accent.
In 1971, Ford and GM introduced their subcompact models, with AMC's Gremlin having been the first introduced in April 1970. Notably, the Gremlin did not fit the mold of the typical subcompact, which was powered by a 4 cylinder engine, but was an abbreviated AMC Hornet, which was a compact car. Of the four large American companies that were making cars at that point, only Chrysler did not develop a domestic subcompact car, electing instead to import models produced by its British and Japanese affiliates (the Plymouth Cricket and Dodge Colt respectively). Chrysler would not have a domestic subcompact until the 1978 Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins. Ford later added its European supermini, the Ford Fiesta, to its North American lineup for the 1978 model year, but it was only available for three years until the larger sized Ford Escort replaced both the Fiesta and the Pinto.
Although they were all strong sellers in their time, none of the early domestic subcompacts are well thought of today, with the AMC Gremlin, Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega placing 4th, 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in Car Talk's "Worst Car of the Millennium" contest. The 'winner' was another subcompact, the Yugo.
However, some luxurious subcompacts like the Mercedes-Benz A-Class are not sold in the US, but they are for example, sold in Mexico.
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