The 200t exists for Lexus markets which are environmentally punitive, as in many countries in the world, where engines above 2 litre capacity displacement attract significantly higher tax. Thus potentially in these areas it addresses the 250’s shortcomings, and whether the cars equipped with these engine are really competitive in terms of performance with its peers is possibly of secondary, or lower importance to Lexus.

What is clearly important is that Lexus cars must look like they go very fast, and this they have paid attention to, albeit in a polarising way. Forums do seem to me to indicate owner's high praise the Lexus looks while defending its outright performance as adequate.

There are lots of rumours, but no real indication Lexus has (or needs to) revitalise its V6 range with turbos. And if and when they come, if it's anything like the 200t, it would be more marketing tool than with any performance ambition.

My hunch is that reliability alone is no longer good enough, and soon Lexus may be even lower in sales numbers, currently propped up by its SUVs.

 

CAFE standards. BMW. Audi. Mercedes.

They've gotta get with the game. Plain and simple

 

Picked it up yesterday. Atomic silver with cream/black interior and black piano trim. No F sport and no premium audio. I don't listen to music when I drive, just radio talkshows. Came with 2 years of free satellite radio and this cool feature of getting live traffic updates. I don't know how it does that! I've currently put 47 miles on top of what it had bringing it to 53. Picked up insurance and it goes into effect Tuesday midnight. In my quest to trying out a new color, I wasn't aware of how harsh watermarks or dirt looks on atomic silver. Dammit.

Overall I'm happy with it. I'm very impressed with the size of the disc brakes and the rear sitting room. I'm not a tall dude by any stretch but I do have some pudge and assumed the rear seat wouldn't be comfortable since I like to relax in the driver's seat. So damn impressed with the space in the rear. Normal is great for city driving, comfort is fine on highway and I'm not sure if I'll find a use for Sport/+ but it's quite snappy in that mode. I took a hard corner in Sport mode and my left should now hurts a little. I originally wanted black interior but the cream was sexy and it was perforated. I don't look forward to dirt accumulation but seeing as I'm going to be the sole user of the car, it's gonna be fine. I'll try and get a couple pics up when I can get around to it.

The only thing I don't like so far is the touch controllers for the heating and cooling. It's too distracting compared to a **** or digital selector button.

 

This just occurred to me, but could the M cars beat the RCF and GSF simply because German companies downscore their cars hp ratings and Lexus is honest about it?

 

The M cars a hundreds of lbs lighter than F cars. RCF is a fast pig.

 

Weight is another factor. Arguably a really super duper important one. I need to make a trip to the dealer. They forgot to include the wheel locks. I have the gorilla key in the dash unit, but not the locks. Service manager said the car came with them but I don't see them anywhere.

 

BMW is really the only one that understates their power. The advertised #s don't matter though. Lexus is just more conservative with their engines and tuning.

You'd be in for a big surprise at the F Sport brakes. They're even bigger (Unless your car is a 350?)

Congrats. Cant wait to see pics. I do like the subtle luxurious looks of the non F-Sport. Sometimes I like it better than the F Sport. The premium non F sport wheels are nice too.

 

The 200t actually has the same brakes as the 350 unless you're referring to the blue F performance ones. I'm like you where I like the non-F aside from the grille; I wish it was also the spindle grille. Personally, I find the 17" wheels hideous and the 18" non-F too busy, but opinions will differ.

The difference in speed numbers comes down to two things: tuning and weight. The RC F is much heavier and weight is hard to overcome. As for tuning, I think it's a mixture of the Germans tuning for low-end power which gives the M4/C63 heaps of power when you nail the accelerator. The V8 wants to be rev'd out which means you're going to lose the 0-60 because it's characteristics make it disadvantageous.

 

The RCF is fat as hell. It needs to be lightened up. If it's being sold as a sports coupe, it shouldn't feel like driving a gt car.. The exhaust needs to be reworked too. Currently the Borlas and the GT Mauser sounds great on them. I haven't seen an RC in real life anyway. I don't think Lexus sells more than a few hundred a month.

I've heard and read that Audi, BMW, MB and even Porsche do it to some extent. They apparently under label their cars because they're tested at the worst conditions. I'd read a chart a while back that showed the current s65 amg making over 670 hp on a dyno. Like the other dude said, the 200t gets the discs of the 350. They've got good bite at the moment but I suspect they'll fade as time goes by. I didn't opt for the F Sport because they're more rigid than non f sports and driving long hours gets annoying with a stiff chassis. It's why I didn't opt for a 328d apart from getting way more with the Lexus. The Lexus dealer offered better discounts and incentives to apply and was generous with yearly lease miles. My only real complaint is the menu system seems laggy. If Lexs comes out with their rumored v6tt for the GS in 3 years, I'll get that.

Jw, but what would you recommend as a cleaner for the interior?

 

200t F sport has the same brakes as the IS350.

the 200t non F sport gets smaller brakes.

The Lexus website doesn't do a great job at explaining it but if you dig deeper you'll find:

IS350/IS200t F Sport:
BRAKES
Four-piston calipers with 13.1-in ventilated discs (front), 12.2-in ventilated discs (rear)

IS200t non F Sport:
BRAKES
Two-piston calipers with 11.7-in ventilated discs (front), 11.4-in ventilated discs (rear)

 

Actually, I recall reading the Lexus site is wrong by a dealer member here in this thread, I think. BTW e46, what products are you using for washing/cleaning?

 

I have them here listed on my website/blog: http://www.e46mango.com/2016/03/mang...tips-what.html

Basically this wax: http://amzn.to/2crk0t6
And this detailing spray: http://amzn.to/2cgoV2p

Both smell great and both very very easy to work with.

(I get asked this often in the BMW world)

 

Well here's post #1.

I just got a 2016 Atomic Silver 200t F-sport over the weekend - could not be happier with the car! It actually had 950 miles on it, so I got a good break on the price without it really being used. I commute about 40 miles a day so straight-line speed isn't a big deal to me, but what makes parts of the commute fun is the great suspension and handling in this car. I feel like I'm driving a go-cart. Adds just the right amount of fun-factor I was looking for. It was minus the Mark Levinson audio and parking assist and pre-collision, but has everything else I want. I'm a long time Acura owner so joined the forum here to find out what fun things I can do with it.

I read a lot about turbo lag and even delays coming of the line under normal acceleration. I don't get any hesitation in daily driving. I haven't been out to drive it hard so no idea if the turbo lag is a big deal or not. Overall I'm just really impressed with the quality if the interior, and the gauge cluster is fantastic. I wish I could move it right and have it stay put rather than reset when the car is turned off. But three days into it and I'm really happy with the choice.

 

Sounds like we have very similar cars. Congrats and post some pics!

 

I'm surprised you don't feel the turbo lag; unless Lexus fixed it silently, when you nail the accelerator from a dead stop, there should be a second or two of hesitation before the car moves. How peculiar.

E46CT, I'm still waiting for the day I run into you on the road; I'm always looking for your SLM!