Well, I have been car shopping for a while, and I have finally settled on the TSX and the IS250. I was considering the 325i, but that was before they added an extra $1900 to the base price of the 07 328i. Seriously, $1900??? For what? 15hp, 15 lbs-ft or torque, and some little chrome rims around the HVAC controls? Please! I could have gotten the Sport Package and a little extra in 06 for that! Well anyways, that's too late, and like I said I am in the market for a TSX w/ Nav or an IS250 w/ Sports.

I stopped by my local Lexus Dealer(Lexus of Monterey Peninsula) yesterday, and got a test drive in an obsidian 250(man, that is a nice black) with premium/HID's. The interior was very plushy and luxurious(more so than the TSX). The leather had a nice feeling to it. I was also surprised by the look of the dash and steering wheel; in photos they look so cheap and plastic like, but in real life they did not look half bad. It drove pretty well, and it had adequate road feel in the steering wheel(not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but nowhere close to BMW territory). After the test drive, I did a once around in the car again and looked into the back seat. My goodness, that thing is tiny! It reminds me of my friends Mustang! But that really doesn't matter, I won't be hauling too many people around.

I do have a few questions that I was hoping you guys could answer. I am a college student, and will be driving back and forth from Irvine to Monterey, hauling my stuff. After looking in the trunk, it looked like it had a good amount of space, but at the same time it looked like it would be difficult to transport things with. Is this true? Do many of you have a hard time carrying stuff in the trunk due to its design?

The second question I have is with the visibility. How the hell do you guys drive this car without having to bend down/around? While at a stop light I would have to bend down to see the red light(I'm 6' 0"). Not only that, but the doors are so high that your field of view is limited by the small windows.

Like I said earlier, I'm still at a dilemma between the TSX and IS250. I know with both cars I will get exceptional reliability. They both look pretty nice(I think the 250 looks slightly better), and they are both very well made(quality trims, small gaps, etc). With the TSX, I would be getting bluetooth and a NAV, which the 250 won't have, while saving 5k. But the IS would give me ventilated seats, RWD, etc. I know a few of you guys came from TSX's, are you happy with your decision?

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

Hmm, to be honest I'm really not sure what you're reffrring to as far as the truck design being roomy yet difficult to haul stuff. I've never had a problem, if it fits, it fits. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Kinda like any other truck design

As far as visibility, i'm only 5'9" but i've had three friends of mine, one is 6' the other two are 6'2" and none complained of any visability issues. The seat is adjustable. The only visibility issues may be when you're backing up because of the high belt line of the car. Not a problem for those of us with navigation though becuase of the back-up camera.

 

I was just thinking about the comparison between the TSX, IS250 and 325i recently. I probably would have gone for the 325i out of the 3, though it probably won't have much options as most of its options are standard on both the TSX and IS250. The 325i is the fastest and best driver's car out of the three with its main flaws in exterior and interior designs. IS250 probably has the nicest interior of the three and the TSX is the best value because even with Nav and standard HID headlights, it is still less expensive than both the BMW and Lexus in their base setups.

But since you ruled out the 325i, I suggest the IS250 over the TSX since it has RWD (unless you live in snow areas) and is a newer car on the road being that it just came out. However, if you must have Nav and Bluetooth (since you don't plan to purchase an IS with them) then TSX is the obvious choice there. Ultimately, it is all up to you as you'll be signing that check, not me.

 

yups...did very similar when looking at the is250. The TSX (Honda Accord Euro in oz) is quite a handsome car...but they are sooooo common!! Its popularity indicate that its a very good car, but i think it lacks that certain exclusivity like the lexus. When I drove the TSX after i drove the is250, i was not impressed. The front end push thru the corners was predictable, but hardly inspiring. Interior wise, the lexus wins hands down. It is also a much quieter car on the highway...something to think about if you do a lot of that type of driving.

DrShoe's comments ring true for me, and it does ultimately come down to how much emphasis u put on the nav and bluetooth vs. build quality and driveability. Both are good cars, but seeing that i am on CL forums, i think its obvious which one i got

hth!

 

well I currently own both the tsx (6pd) non nav and is250 auto/sports package/ML.

Here are my pros/cons of both cars

TSX pros:
bluetooth is awesome (can’t get nav in Hawaii so no bluetooth for the IS here)
nice size trunk and the rear seats fold down
very fun to drive in 6spd
no blind spots for me
excellent value at less than $30k
TSX HIDs seem brighter than in the IS maybe it’s the sharp cut off?

Cons:
FWD
not enough torque!! car feels sluggish unless you're flooring it
ride is a bit soft compared to the is250 (sports package) lots of body roll
leather feels very cheap almost cardboard like.
some wind noise at highway speeds

IS250
Pros
smart access entry is awesome
no wind noise cruising at highway speeds
nice plush leather
fit and finish is better than tsx
ventilated seats
mark levinson stereo
while not as good as the 3 series suspension is nice and stiff

Cons:
auto shift transmission sucks! it doesn’t allow you to actually select the gear you want to stay in it only disable your higher gears one gear every time you press downshift. for example say im in 3rd gear and I move the stick to manual shift mode, if I hit the downshift paddle it wont take me to 2nd gear. What it does is remove the 6th gear so If I want to actually go down from 3rd to 2nd I have to press the downshift paddle 4 times to get to 2nd gear 6->5->4->3->2 does that make sense?

lots of blind spots for me I'm only 5'8 so I cant see the end of the front bumper or the trunk at all. I know I could raise the seat up but I dont like sitting high up. Its a good thing I got the parking sensors.

rear seats don’t fold down.

no steering feel. its a lot softer than both the 3 and the tsx

IMO, I think it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a fun sporty ride at a great price I'd choose the TSX (get the 6sp the auto feels way under powered)

want luxury with bit of sporty ness get the IS. Personally I like the IS better.

 

If you are worried about trunk space you could always purchase a roof box for those odd times you need more room.

 

Don't pull up so close to the traffic light.

 

I'm also in the market for a new car. The TSX and the IS250 are at the top of my list.

Its hard not picking the TSX because for $29k OTD you get a fully loaded card with navi, bluetooth, memory seats, Xenon HID, etc and you have $5000 in your pocket instead of purchasing the IS250. (without sports package that you mention).

The IS250 is a gorgeous car. I think the IS250 is a better car but it doesnt have the best bang for your buck. The TSX is a good car too. check out www.acurazine.com its a good tsx forum.

So I think it overall comes down to how much you want to spend. If you dont care about FWD or RWD this will make your decision much easier.

 

About space, I drove my IS300 1200 miles to college last month with all my stuff in it. Granted it did fit, but it was a tight squeeze.

 

For near the same money, you could get an '07 Infiniti G35 base, which smokes either of those cars!

 

only thing bout the TSX.. they're going into redesigning soon... you'll have a new car, but soon an old model~ = ) I'm happy with my lexus and my friend that has a TSX really regrets not getting an IS. She's thinking of purchasing one after riding in my car. I didn't even let her drive it, she likes everything about it. That's from a TSX point of view, my other friend with a TSX loves my car.

I do like the TSX also, but FWD kinda kills me... no more FWD for me


There's a good point... G35 isn't a bad choice at all after they redesigned it~

 

are you looking into gettin a manual? if so keep in mind that the manual's fuel rating is much lower~ my decision in getting a IS350 was because the IS250 manual had a worse MPG

 

either the TSX or IS250 both are great cars. Either car having 200 hp, i could care less which one has FWD RWD. You will be able to deal on a TSX much better not much on an IS

Personally if I couldnt afford a IS350 and only a 250 I wouldve went with a TSX. The sportshift implementation is better in the TSX where you choose the gear you are in (not just choosing the top gear like in the IS and have the computer shift automatically up to that gear)

 

TSX and the IS250 were at the top of my list of potential cars. i didn't go with the TSX because the interior wasn't as nice, it felt sluggish and the design is getting dated. The IS had some cons also (mostly what's been listed above), but i ended up with the IS. It just felt so much nicer to me and was worth the extra $$.

 

I was looking into a TL but didn't reaLLy like Acura and I've been wanting the new IS. I say just get a new IS. . ..