Yes, the IS250 is that slow.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 413
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From: CA
Guess he bought the wrong car. If speed was his main concern, he should have used the money and bought some of the other faster imports out there.
Lexus cars are more refined, smooth, elegant, and not to be a BEAST on the road.
Lexus cars are more refined, smooth, elegant, and not to be a BEAST on the road.
Driver
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: CA
) or Foyt. However, I like to think I'm pretty good behind the wheel. I've instructed at a few AutoX schools and have a championship jacket and plenty of race wins... whatever that's worth. I expect a LOT out of a car.BUT my point wasn't really about ME more about my "other" car. My Z06 has 450 RWHP, and it has pulled 1.39 lateral G's, has insane brakes etc. If I can get out of that car, and get into a Luxo boat with only 204HP and think its still "fun" I think that says a LOT for the IS250. You might not care what I think, but that's fine by me.
-TJ
You must really hate evos and wrx's then they are cheaper and will out accelerate and outhandle the IS250
Sorry guys, but I had a manual tC with Tein SS-Ps, Hotchkis sways and 245/40/17 Toyo T1S and it would absolutely smoke an IS anything on a tight road. It was far more fun to drive than an IS350 and had 6% better entry and mid-corner speed than my Supra. That says a lot about what can be done with a lightly modded tC. You can stop making foolish comments about what a tC will and won't do.
It has exactly the same interior dimensions the IS has except it has 3" more leg room in the rear. They are not competitors in the marketer's eyes for a lot of reasons.
I sold my tC after removing the mods (the Fidanza flywheel was the PITA to remove, but I'd already done 5 flywheel jobs by that time so two more wasn't a big deal.) I needed a four door because I too work in sales and you can't put C level execs in the back of a Scion coupe. But I had no delusions about the 250 being fast compared to a tC or a whole lot of less expensive cars. Read the specs - 204 hp and 3455 lbs. It's not even hoping to be quick.
Personally, I really couldn't have cared less about whether it was a Lexus or not, I wanted the 2GR-FSE's 306 hp and the only way to get it was to buy the 350. I don't care what gas costs, it's a reimbursible, and the 350 gets exceptional mileage when driven long distance on the freeway which was my normal M.O. (and BTW, the IS250 gets better gas mileage than either the manual or auto tC - quite a bit better!)
I bought my Supra much the same way - didn't care what color, didn't care what it looked like, wasn't even really worried about how it drove - I just knew any car that accelerated and cornered like the magazine guys tested would be fun to drive. I knew anything about it I didn't like I could fix to my satisfaction. This is still true no matter what car I buy.
So what's the point? If you bought the 250 and didn't mash the gas to the floor to decide if the acceleration was enough, shame on you. There are LOTS of cheaper cars that will out accelerate the 250. There are lots of cars that will slalom faster, and get down a twisty piece of road faster, and some of them are quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't Lexus's target. They built a sporty, good looking, four door sedan with RWD with lots of luxo features. And it's selling like hotcakes. I think they did exactly what they intended to do. They laid the groundwork for segment domination, not street racing domination.
It has exactly the same interior dimensions the IS has except it has 3" more leg room in the rear. They are not competitors in the marketer's eyes for a lot of reasons.
I sold my tC after removing the mods (the Fidanza flywheel was the PITA to remove, but I'd already done 5 flywheel jobs by that time so two more wasn't a big deal.) I needed a four door because I too work in sales and you can't put C level execs in the back of a Scion coupe. But I had no delusions about the 250 being fast compared to a tC or a whole lot of less expensive cars. Read the specs - 204 hp and 3455 lbs. It's not even hoping to be quick.
Personally, I really couldn't have cared less about whether it was a Lexus or not, I wanted the 2GR-FSE's 306 hp and the only way to get it was to buy the 350. I don't care what gas costs, it's a reimbursible, and the 350 gets exceptional mileage when driven long distance on the freeway which was my normal M.O. (and BTW, the IS250 gets better gas mileage than either the manual or auto tC - quite a bit better!)
I bought my Supra much the same way - didn't care what color, didn't care what it looked like, wasn't even really worried about how it drove - I just knew any car that accelerated and cornered like the magazine guys tested would be fun to drive. I knew anything about it I didn't like I could fix to my satisfaction. This is still true no matter what car I buy.
So what's the point? If you bought the 250 and didn't mash the gas to the floor to decide if the acceleration was enough, shame on you. There are LOTS of cheaper cars that will out accelerate the 250. There are lots of cars that will slalom faster, and get down a twisty piece of road faster, and some of them are quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't Lexus's target. They built a sporty, good looking, four door sedan with RWD with lots of luxo features. And it's selling like hotcakes. I think they did exactly what they intended to do. They laid the groundwork for segment domination, not street racing domination.
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 745
Likes: 1
From: California
Well, I did test drive the IS250 before I got it (all part of the buying process). Every dealership I went to, I had a test drive done just so I can get the feel for it. It felt fast to me (you have to remember that I'm coming from a Corolla), so that's what I'm probably use to feeling speedwise.
Oh, I should mention this all started going onto the freeway from an overpass. Let me lay down exactly what happened:
On the overpass, I was on the outside lane getting ready to make a left turn onto the freeway. There was an inside lane that was also going to being doing a left turn onto the freeway. Once the turn is made, its straight-away from there and curves out onto the freeway. We were both first in line.
So the guy next to me has this tC. There was no intention at first until he pulled out screeching. Well, I want to take the opportunity to see what this car's got just for the hell of it. Plus, being in an IS urges me to go for it anyways. Once we both made our turns (he already had roughly a full car length lead on me), I gunned for it. I slowly inch forward and I saw him turn his head in my direction, looking at the front end of my car to get a feel for how far he is compared to where I am. He floored it and the rest was history. It was like I had no chance at all. I did manage to pull closer, but that was all I could do. I could've used the paddles, but didn't know how much difference that would make because I was already redlining from the start at first gear, except for 2nd gear (but close though) because I had to make a sharp turn onto the freeway. Every other gear had a bunch of orange and red lights popping out of everywhere on the instrument guage.
Oh, I should mention this all started going onto the freeway from an overpass. Let me lay down exactly what happened:
On the overpass, I was on the outside lane getting ready to make a left turn onto the freeway. There was an inside lane that was also going to being doing a left turn onto the freeway. Once the turn is made, its straight-away from there and curves out onto the freeway. We were both first in line.
So the guy next to me has this tC. There was no intention at first until he pulled out screeching. Well, I want to take the opportunity to see what this car's got just for the hell of it. Plus, being in an IS urges me to go for it anyways. Once we both made our turns (he already had roughly a full car length lead on me), I gunned for it. I slowly inch forward and I saw him turn his head in my direction, looking at the front end of my car to get a feel for how far he is compared to where I am. He floored it and the rest was history. It was like I had no chance at all. I did manage to pull closer, but that was all I could do. I could've used the paddles, but didn't know how much difference that would make because I was already redlining from the start at first gear, except for 2nd gear (but close though) because I had to make a sharp turn onto the freeway. Every other gear had a bunch of orange and red lights popping out of everywhere on the instrument guage.
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 745
Likes: 1
From: California
That's where the misconception falls in. See, people expect the IS to be fast, yet luxurious all at the same time. When I first got it, friends and family talked about the speed and features, which was on all their minds. The car looks agressive enough which gets the attention on being a speed demon. That's what the IS is: sport (Intelligent Sport for that matter). When you think of sport, you think of race and speed.
Lead Lap
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 599
Likes: 0
From: ca
But why didnt you get the IS350? you know it has a bigger engine...simple as that...you wanted speed...I came from driving a very slow suv slower than a corolla and the salesman tried to sell me a IS250 but I didn't want it because I knew it was slow in comparision to many other cars for the money so I didn't hesistate and paid the extra 7k or so (ya they were giving under invoice prices for the IS250s). The IS350 is fast and luxurious but isn't the fastest thing out there but its sure fast enough for street purposes. Lexus made the IS250 for people who either wanted better fuel economy or for the people who can't afford/aren't willing to spend the extra money for a IS350. And btw people that know about cars knows when they see an IS they look for the IS350 badge to see whether its fast or not =)
Last edited by inxexisten; Sep 1, 2007 at 08:54 AM.
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 745
Likes: 1
From: California
I tried to go cheap and that's where it got me. Plus, I commute everyday to work so I want something that gets good gas in the process. Iknew about the IS250 doing good on that as compared to the SI350. Knowing that the IS250 has significantly less HP than the IS350, I knew they had to make up for it with a more responsive acceleration in some way (perhaps something to do with quicker shifting and gear ratios and such).
That's probably what I get for going cheap, but paying more than 30 grand for a car isn't cheap still. I even opted out of the NAV system which I somehow have a hint of regret. But where it got me the most was the name and beautiful body of the IS. At the time, that's probably where I got hooked the most (now that I'm thinking about it) and totally overshadowed the performance. I mean, I did test drive it. It felt fast. Then again, it's not like I was racing against other cars. There was a salesman right next to me, lol. The IS250 and 350 share the same chassis and body so I picked the cheaper out of the two. I've never been in a car faster than a Corolla and this is my first luxury car. Getting the IS was a joy because of what it stood for. But after months of driving it, it seem to have lost it's zest and to be beaten by a tC!!!!!, oh man.
I was debating whether I should get a BMW 3 series before all this, but in the end, it came down to cost again. Parts and service for those cars are way too much compared to Lexus. The first 5 years may be maintenance free at no cost, but after that, the cost will come around and bite you in the ***.
The IS350 was one of my options too but the numbers just don't work out for me at different dealers.
That's probably what I get for going cheap, but paying more than 30 grand for a car isn't cheap still. I even opted out of the NAV system which I somehow have a hint of regret. But where it got me the most was the name and beautiful body of the IS. At the time, that's probably where I got hooked the most (now that I'm thinking about it) and totally overshadowed the performance. I mean, I did test drive it. It felt fast. Then again, it's not like I was racing against other cars. There was a salesman right next to me, lol. The IS250 and 350 share the same chassis and body so I picked the cheaper out of the two. I've never been in a car faster than a Corolla and this is my first luxury car. Getting the IS was a joy because of what it stood for. But after months of driving it, it seem to have lost it's zest and to be beaten by a tC!!!!!, oh man.
I was debating whether I should get a BMW 3 series before all this, but in the end, it came down to cost again. Parts and service for those cars are way too much compared to Lexus. The first 5 years may be maintenance free at no cost, but after that, the cost will come around and bite you in the ***.
The IS350 was one of my options too but the numbers just don't work out for me at different dealers.
But why didnt you get the IS350? you know it has a bigger engine...simple as that...you wanted speed...I came from driving a very slow suv slower than a corolla and the salesman tried to sell me a IS250 but I didn't want it because I knew it was slow in comparision to many other cars for the money so I didn't hesistate and paid the extra 7k or so (ya they were giving under invoice prices for the IS250s). The IS350 is fast and luxurious but isn't the fastest thing out there but its sure fast enough for street purposes. Lexus made the IS250 for people who either wanted better fuel economy or for the people who can't afford/aren't willing to spend the extra money for a IS350. And btw people that know about cars knows when they see an IS they look for the IS350 badge to see whether its fast or not =)
If I remember correctly. When he got his is250 he could barely afford the IS250. So the 350 would be out of the question.
If speed was his number one concern he could of gotten a new STI for the price of his IS250.
Lead Lap
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 599
Likes: 0
From: ca
A bmw 3 series will cost you more money in the long run. Plus you wouldn't get much from a 3 series with the amount you paid for the IS250....probably end up getting the base model...without leather,power seats, navigation system, heated seats, and so forth...everything in the bmw is almost an option except the givens even automatic transmition is another 1.2 k. Nor is it that fast...you would probably end up getting bored of it fast...its (the 328i) only like .9 seconds faster than the IS250, the IS350 is like 3 seconds faster.
Driver
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: CA
Sorry guys, but I had a manual tC with Tein SS-Ps, Hotchkis sways and 245/40/17 Toyo T1S and it would absolutely smoke an IS anything on a tight road. It was far more fun to drive than an IS350 and had 6% better entry and mid-corner speed than my Supra. That says a lot about what can be done with a lightly modded tC. You can stop making foolish comments about what a tC will and won't do.
It has exactly the same interior dimensions the IS has except it has 3" more leg room in the rear. They are not competitors in the marketer's eyes for a lot of reasons.
I sold my tC after removing the mods (the Fidanza flywheel was the PITA to remove, but I'd already done 5 flywheel jobs by that time so two more wasn't a big deal.) I needed a four door because I too work in sales and you can't put C level execs in the back of a Scion coupe. But I had no delusions about the 250 being fast compared to a tC or a whole lot of less expensive cars. Read the specs - 204 hp and 3455 lbs. It's not even hoping to be quick.
Personally, I really couldn't have cared less about whether it was a Lexus or not, I wanted the 2GR-FSE's 306 hp and the only way to get it was to buy the 350. I don't care what gas costs, it's a reimbursible, and the 350 gets exceptional mileage when driven long distance on the freeway which was my normal M.O. (and BTW, the IS250 gets better gas mileage than either the manual or auto tC - quite a bit better!)
I bought my Supra much the same way - didn't care what color, didn't care what it looked like, wasn't even really worried about how it drove - I just knew any car that accelerated and cornered like the magazine guys tested would be fun to drive. I knew anything about it I didn't like I could fix to my satisfaction. This is still true no matter what car I buy.
So what's the point? If you bought the 250 and didn't mash the gas to the floor to decide if the acceleration was enough, shame on you. There are LOTS of cheaper cars that will out accelerate the 250. There are lots of cars that will slalom faster, and get down a twisty piece of road faster, and some of them are quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't Lexus's target. They built a sporty, good looking, four door sedan with RWD with lots of luxo features. And it's selling like hotcakes. I think they did exactly what they intended to do. They laid the groundwork for segment domination, not street racing domination.
It has exactly the same interior dimensions the IS has except it has 3" more leg room in the rear. They are not competitors in the marketer's eyes for a lot of reasons.
I sold my tC after removing the mods (the Fidanza flywheel was the PITA to remove, but I'd already done 5 flywheel jobs by that time so two more wasn't a big deal.) I needed a four door because I too work in sales and you can't put C level execs in the back of a Scion coupe. But I had no delusions about the 250 being fast compared to a tC or a whole lot of less expensive cars. Read the specs - 204 hp and 3455 lbs. It's not even hoping to be quick.
Personally, I really couldn't have cared less about whether it was a Lexus or not, I wanted the 2GR-FSE's 306 hp and the only way to get it was to buy the 350. I don't care what gas costs, it's a reimbursible, and the 350 gets exceptional mileage when driven long distance on the freeway which was my normal M.O. (and BTW, the IS250 gets better gas mileage than either the manual or auto tC - quite a bit better!)
I bought my Supra much the same way - didn't care what color, didn't care what it looked like, wasn't even really worried about how it drove - I just knew any car that accelerated and cornered like the magazine guys tested would be fun to drive. I knew anything about it I didn't like I could fix to my satisfaction. This is still true no matter what car I buy.
So what's the point? If you bought the 250 and didn't mash the gas to the floor to decide if the acceleration was enough, shame on you. There are LOTS of cheaper cars that will out accelerate the 250. There are lots of cars that will slalom faster, and get down a twisty piece of road faster, and some of them are quite a bit cheaper. It wasn't Lexus's target. They built a sporty, good looking, four door sedan with RWD with lots of luxo features. And it's selling like hotcakes. I think they did exactly what they intended to do. They laid the groundwork for segment domination, not street racing domination.
You just can't compare modded to stock, ever. Give the IS some coilovers, sways, a bit more tire etc. then I bet it does have a chance with the TC modded up like you had it.
Anyway, you're right though about what the IS is all about. Like I've said its an amazing car and does exactly what I want it to do... but that does not include dominate the street races.
-TJ
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2007
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From: Windward, Oahu
