My sales man told me the IS's with the sports packages sit a bit lower and have titghter suspension than the ones with luxury packages.... NOW after seeing pics of IS's with LUXURY pkgs it seems to me that there really isn't any difference in the wheel well space in either of them, unless you have the smaller wheels. Wierd I hope I wasnt jipped into gettin the sprts for nothing, cause I really wish I did get the rear window shade and DVD based NAV system

 

The sports suspension DOES sit half an inch lower and its overall a little stiffer.

 

All nav systems in the 2006 IS are DVD-based. CD-based navs are a thing of the past, and hard-disk based navs are only found in Japan at the moment.

If you want a nav console that can play DVD movies, what you're actually looking for is the Mark Levinson/Nav package -- an option that can go into either a sport package or luxury package car, but isn't available without a special order in many areas (including the Eastern region).

The sport and luxury packages are very similar -- the only differences are:

• Luxury has wood trim, Sport has aluminum trim
• Luxury has rear sunshade, Sport does not
• Sport has aluminum pedals, Luxury does not
• Sport has aluminum doorsill scuff plates, Luxury has lighted ones
• Sport has lowered and stiffer suspension

So really, I wouldn't get buyer's remorse over not getting the luxury package -- the sunshade is the only thing you're really missing, and it's really just a gimmick -- I find I barely ever use it, and I live in California, of all places.

 

You've got an IS350! Luxury or sport, ain't nothin' wrong with that!!!

 

Yea I got NAV in my IS, just only after I bought it realized that there are 2 different kinds of packages for the NAV...(since the sales man swore to me that the IS350's were all the same except for the LUX or SPTs packages)...which suxs cause now im stuck with the standard sound system and no DVD. but thanks for you insight!! I appriciate it.

 

HA TRUE ON THAT!! Def happy with going with the IS350... was considereing both G35's Cps and sedan, also a 350Z and a left over 525 BMW. Test drove the IS and couldnt get my mind off it, just reallly wish it was a stick, but its still more than worth sacrificing the manual for the all the other great extras and quality.

 

Yes, but you also have a car -- if you wanted ML, you'd be waiting 4 months for a factory order. =)

 

i heard it's just the spring different. the suspension is all the same.

 

Yea I guess so, just sucks when you think you got something you really didn't get... its a little downer but Im still happy with it. They gave me a good deal I think since I picked up a new RX330 black aslo at the same time. They even threw in free coffee mugs and some other little accesorries. Overall a very pleasing experience considereing how crappy it was when I got my CLK430 last year.

 

Luxury has ALUMINUM lighted scuff plates.

 

So it does. I was thinking of the plastic moulding around the plate when I wrote that -- and at the time, it was tickling my head, "is that right? Maybe I should go out to the parking lot and check before posting." But I forgot about it by the time I hit the end of the post and let it go. =)

 

I enjoy the cool look of the blue lighted scuff plate every time I open the door. I think it's a bigger wow factor than the aluminum pedals.

 

anyone knows if i can buy those bule lightted scuff plates? may be steve at carson toyota?

 

you should have gone to the lexus site and built one to see what was available or read a brochure. its your own fault. be happy with what you have and learn from your experience.

 

The "build it" section of the Lexus site asks for your zip code, and only offers options available in your geographic area. In the east, it doesn't even show the ML/Nav package nor the standalone ML audio system when building a car.