I do wish there was more luxury stuff in and on it like LEXPRIDE speaks of... auto dimmin mirrors on the side view and rear view would be nice on the 01' never happend, also memory seats would have been nice, vaccum tube display instead of the orange backlit dash,,, to name a few but I still like the car...dont get me wrong...just a few gripes

 

I agree! But remember, this may be an open forum, but not a public one. Given that this is a private website, we can restrict access to anyone we feel does not comply with our rules. You have been warned.

 

True. Dat.

 

I definitely agree with you to some extent. Remember, Lexus made immediate changes to the car (in U.S. at least) when criticism arose over the lack of Nav, an armrest, all-leather seats, and the rear lenses. I'm not criticizing the style, I'm merely speaking of the overall Lexus quality, which has been mentioned quite a bit in various auto mags. And to Devildog and Fairuza, I apologize if this turned into a flame war. I could understand if I was a diehard Bimmer owner trolling for an argument as to what is better, but being both a Lexus and BMW owner, that had recently had the opportunity to drive an IS300 (which turned into almost 3 days, but that's another story), I felt I was qualified to convey my thoughts in an unbiased manner. I just wanted to find out from IS owners if they felt Lexus could've done more for the price, even though they decided to buy it regardless.

 

yes they could have done more...................................................................im supprised to hear that you dont get an arm rest,or nav as an option(or didnt)
the IS200 has always had the nav as an option and the arm rest has been standard on all three trim levels

 

The one I had was the 2001 (as most loaners anyway don't come loaded, but the price sheet did say it was $35k and change), which, if I'm correct didn't offer Nav or an armrest, which was a bone of contention for quite a few people. My wife's Bimmer has an armrest that at first glance is just that, no room for storage inside, but months later we realized that it opens like a clamshell to store small things inside. You don't realize it at first because it looks so thin and light, plus the button is flush with the edge. It just seemed unnatural at first when driving the IS, out of habit you expect it there so you feel like your arm is hanging. Add to the fact that shifting is done on the steeringwheel, so an armrest is not in the way, as it sometimes feels when driving a stick, so what Lexus was rationalizing for the reason to eliminate it is beyond me.

 

the IS200 an arm rest that opens to a deep storage area,and infront of that you have ,either your satnav controler or anouther flap that you can lift up to find twin drinks holder/storage area,it seems to me that things that i would asume you would get as standard you dont in the states

on the spec model i have we get(as standard)

limited slip diff
tinted windows
chrome sill plates
chrome pedals
sport steering wheel
dead lock central locking
headlight washers
heated windshield
trac/snow control
power seats,both sides

 

The one thing that really bothered me was that the IS had the same type of sunvisors, same material, but on the GS, the material and it's plushness carried over to the roofliner. On the IS it was a hard thin material covered with a rough lining..and the 'A' pillars (where the doorline meets the windshield) where then covered in the same soft felt as the sunvisors (the exact same piece as in the GS). So it seems that they took some existing pieces from other cars in Lexus' lineup and mixed them with less expensive original material which created an uneven flow throughout the car i.e. nice here, cheap there. In defense of the IS though, the new ES has a hard plastic surrounding the gateshifter on the sides, then uses beautiful wood and leather everywhere else to offset it. Plus, I wish the IS had auto up-down on all 4 windows as opposed to just the driver's side.

 

i also wish it had auto up on all doors and reach adjustment on the steering wheel and for the drivers seat to lower more.................
oh................and now im used to the 6 speed gearbox,when they bringing out the 7speed..............................lol

 

Ok sorry no more fighting. And yes this is a great website!

 

Blown IS--you finally get your VOLKS from david..... huh.... damn that took a long time...

 

yep but he forgot to send the centre caps so im waiting for them now,

 

Wow! This topic has gotten out of hand.

My perspective means nothing to anyone else, but to me, dollar for dollar the IS 300 is the best value in the luxary sports car category where it competes with the BMW 330 and Audi A4, etc. Myself and my friend both purchased ours at the same time and got them both fully loaded, top-to-bottom, for less than $32K. A loaded BMW 330 goes for like $38 minimum, correct me if I'm wrong. Some may prefer the interior to the beamer but myself personally doesn't think it's worth an extra $6K, especially since the BMW interior style hasn't changed in who knows how long.

I like the fact that the IS is different. It's not the same as the BMW, whether that is for better or worse, but that makes me like it even more. I drive approx. 70+ miles to and from work everyday and see at least 10 to 15 BMW 3 series on my commute daily. I see maybe one IS a week. The IS is different and unike and I like being different and unike. If you don't like the IS, great!! Don't buy it. I don't want you to buy it. I'd rather you buy the 330 or A4, etc and be one of the many in the herd.

On another note, what is this "hard plastic" everyone's dissing on. What car doesn't have a large amount of"hard plastic" in it? What about the hard-plastic on the exterior of the 330 around the bumper, etc. Don't tell me you think it's not acceptable to put "Hard Plastic' on the interior but the exterior is acceptable. Old Honda Civics and Accords used to put this around the bumpers of there lower tier DX models. BMW needs to cut this out of their design.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and to me the IS physically and monetarily a much more attractive car.

 

Moxie, I just want to clarify a few things without flaming :

To me personally, based on price and performance, the IS300 should be compared against the 325. They both price out at around $35k w/similiar options, although the 325 gives you walnut trim. The IS300 w/the leather package is $35k, so I'm assuming that you received a $3k reduction, which may be possible because Lexus itself admits that they haven't been moving as quickly as originally anticipated. BMW is #2 overall in sales in this category (now behind the Acura TL) w/close to 70,000 units/yr. so they usually don't offer discounts. As for performance, they both do 7.1 in stick, high 7's in 5-speed auto, despite a 30hp advantage in the IS. And the reason that you see so many 3's is because they offer 2 models (now the 325 & 330) plus either 2 or 4 doors, not to mention the convertibles, so it will add up. As for the hard plastics I mentioned, to me it isn't really speculative, I just felt both and thought the Bimmer's was softer, not shell-like but rather like a foam rubber, it has density to it. My GS has hardly any hard plastic anywhere, save for around the audio/climate controls, which many on the GS board wish had wood instead like the LS430, I assume that the next GS will look to do this also. I agree with you when you talk about the hard rubber trim molding that the 4dr 3-series has all around, the coupe doesn't, so what is it's purpose other than aesthetics ?? I hate it personally. If you mean though, the lower front and rear bumpers that are black on the lowest model of car lines, I know BMW no longer does this(starting with the last gen), they used to, which to me seems cheap. As for the IS300, automotive journalists love the ride and the engine, seem split usually over the exterior (love/hate) but come back to the interior materials in almost every article I read on it, that Lexus seems to have cut some corners to get in at the lower price quicker, so I was curious to see whether they were just being a little ****. But as I've said, I tended to agree somewhat. Do I hate Lexus ? No, I have one and will continue to buy them. Do I love BMW ? No, questionable longterm reliability, not enough standard features for what they charge you (although this year they changed that in part from the competition, read:Lexus), but great driving experience, plus it was my wife's decision, not mine. And her next car is the SC430

 

Cool stuff!! You make good points. I did, however, get the IS w/leather, and everything else you could possibly throw in it, for less than $32K. This also included the carbon fiber kit. Sticker price on it was $1,500, although I know you can buy the parts for only $200 or so. The only thing extra I couldn't get was the 16inch all season tires in addition to the 17inch. I guess I was asking for too much. The sales person was probably willing to give me a good deal because this was a dual purchase with my friend who bought the same car.