so i picked up my IS today. i bought a used 2002 with 30K miles. i noticed right away that in low rev situations, the transmission shifts out of first very quickly, maybe around 2000 rpm. i also noticed that when i barely step on the gas, the engine responds, pauses for a quick second and then responds again. is this normal? thanks for your help.

 

Yes 1st gear is very short. As for that lag...it's because we have a throttle by wire system that gives that vague pedal feel and response. All normal.

 

Try pushing the POWER transmision switch on the console and see if that raises the shift point a little. With the same gas pedal pressure, that should bump it up a couple of hundred RPMs.
In this mode, a small POWER light will show up on the dash.

One of the quirks of the IS300 throttle-by-wire system is that it can be a little jumpy starting off in first gear when cold, but when fully warm, as smooth as butter.