kimmi

The wife is making noise about replacing her 2003 IS300 which only has 90K; too soon I know!
Owners of the 200t or new IS300 care to comment about the turbo lag? I have heard that it is pretty bad. After driving that sweet 3L straight six for 15 years she will be pissed if it hesitates when she puts her foot in it! $ not an issue, we can always get the 350.

Flash5

premier3IS

she'll definitely notice the lag...

I'm curious to know if money isn't an issue, why would you consider a 200t/300....?

Flash5

kimmi

Weight distribution.

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

The weight distribution for the IS200t and IS350 RWD are the same at 54/46 %.

The weight difference between the IS200t and IS350 RWD is 3-4 lbs.

The biggest differences is the increased fuel economy and the lower power.

Jeff

1Louder

I have a 16 200t F-sport - yes there is a very noticeable lag. From a dead stop, if I need to get out into traffic quickly I actually hit the accelerator a full second before I'd normally do it. On the highway, you get the added delay of the downshift from 8 to 3 plus the lag so there is a clean 1.5 - 2 second delay. But the only time this is an issue is under hard acceleration. Daily driving is just fine. The 200t might be the best car I've ever owned except for this one feature, but with practice and training yourself to anticipate, you can manage.

I'd never say the lag alone is a reason to avoid the car because it does most everything else exceptionally well. But I would take an extended test drive and really get a feel for what the delay time is under hard acceleration because to be perfectly honest, if you don't anticipate and are in a tight spot it can cause some very tense moments. Meaning when you dart into an open lane and floor it, you're going to sit there for a second and a half and if you didn't leave enough room you're going to create a problem for that car behind you.

kimmi

It looks like I will be spending more $.

premier3IS

looks like the thread starter didn't due his/her research on weight distribution lol. Sadly, the marketed "increased gas mileage" is still pretty poor, I'm getting around 19.5mpg. It's probably because I'm not driving Eco mode and occasionally like to drive spirited.

Good luck.

Flash5

EZZ

If you test drive both the 350 and 300, there's a large difference between the two especially at higher RPMs. The 350 Fsport also feels sportier with Sport+ too. Can't see how anyone would pick the turbo if price wasn't a consideration.

Flash5

E46CT

The 4 Cylinder is only 10 lbs lighter.

The low end torque is nice, 100% of it available at 1,650 RPM. But between idle and 1,650 RPM does take a while. You do have to do some thinking/preparing if you want to compete with other cars in traffic.

I would get the V6 if you don't want the car to get in your way.

The V6 does tend to have less incentives and less wiggle room for negotiation. Also dealers tend to have a lot less of them. So you will get quite a huge chunk of money off if you do choose the 4.

arentz07

Or, try to get the 300 AWD. Where I live it is nearly impossible to find a 4-cylinder turbo. So if you are willing to go somewhere that experiences snow, you'll definitely find lots of 300 AWD models lying about. Best thing about that is that you get the same V-6 that's in the 350, so you can tune it to make the same power... Not to mention the V-6 sound from the intake sound generator is still there.

EZZ

The fact remains the V6 is a far better performing car due to the lag. I really wasn't impressed with the Lexus 4 banger especially compared to a comparable engine from BMW and Audi. Not all 4 bangers are created equal.