tsx_lex

Hello All TSX owners...
I'm in the process of buying a new car and have been looking closely at the TSX and IS250. I like both the cars and money is not really a big concern. I like the steering feel of the TSX but at the same time I think IS250 is very good at cornering. I can't make up my mind and have been big time confused. Just wondering if anyone here went through a similar experience before committing to TSX? Would you guys recommend IS250? Any pointers or hints will help me. I'm looking at the TSX 2008 and willing to spend the extra $$$ if the IS250 is really a car better than TSX.

Thank you.

gavinn58

IMO the 250 sucks. To me it is kind of a poser car; like a BMW 328. Now if we're talking about the 350 (which is not much more than the 250), that's a whole different story. Got one sitting in my garage right next to the TSX.

tsx_lex

Thanks..
I've heard IS250 has become a chic car? Is that true? I know the IS350 is in a different class/league itself and cannot be compared to the TSX. Just wondering why IS250 sucks compared to TSX since it has the same HP and similar torque..It shouldn't be that much of a difference right?


So I guess it would be more wiser to get an IS350 vs. IS250 since its probably worth the extra $4-5K.

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

The is250 has alot good stuff in it.
awd / some of the neat luxary features that the tsx lacks.

Honestly heres some quick things that I don't like
Lack of trunk space compared to tsx
sluggy auto tranny
huge blind spots in the rear panels
lack of leg room for passengers in the rear

Overall i like the car and would have bought it but it quiet pricey when you start getting into navi and hid package.

JB08

If you care about luxury looks, prestige and cachet and don't mind not having a usable rear seat, go 250. If you want value for money, a driver oriented car and practicality, get the TSX.

gavinn58

Honestly, the TSX is a chick car as well. Majority of the time, I see women driving TSXs.

At the time I bought my 04, I crossed-shopped the TSX, C230 Kompressor, IS300, Saab 9-3 Aero and 325. The IS300 was the closest in price and was still $6k more than the TSX and had a really cramped backseat (current IS is a bit bigger, but my TSX still has more room).

I also frequent Lexus forums and many of the 250 owners paid more than we did for our 350. Many of them wanted NAV, Mark Levinson, etc. but in the end, you have a slow-ass car for around $40k with a cramped backseat. Some mentioned that they wanted to drive stick, however I'd never give up 100+ horsies just to drive stick.

ThirdLane

IS 250 has no back seat room, engine is not so great, the manual tranny isn't all that great(I'm spoiled by the Honda/Acura tranny), its about 300lbs heavier, and base IS is pretty much stripped out

JB08

But if you do like driving stick, there is not a finer manual tranny than the one on the TSX....

tsx_lex

After reading the posts here, seems like TSX is more of a practical car, more driver oriented with very good value, more refined in terms of driving feel/dynamics with good looks. The IS250, though looks excellent still needs some refinement in terms of blind spots and some practical issues like better back seat, head room etc. and is simply over priced. So maybe the 3rd Gen IS might be worth the wait and TSX is probably a better choice given its overall practicality and driving dynamics. Perhaps if I can mod the car with some fancy 18 inch rims I could get some head turners.

I am still undecided but leaning towards a TSX. I might drive for 3-4 years and get the next-gen IS if it improves over the current one.

I still don't completely understand why has the IS250 become such a famous car. The IS350 is rare.

xenonhid

IS250 no, but if I'll take the IS350

jaehshim

I have both car (well, 2007 IS250 AWD) and my 2006 TSX.

i drive IS250 AWD in summer when i'm home from college and my tsx is resting for modding and so on,
Lexy is sort of our family's 2nd car...I covered around 2K last summer (NY-> NC, City driving, Trips...)

Here's my thought. ergonomics and the general feel is really similar. the car has about the same power, although IS250 is V6 and has that bit more torque punch.

this is really jus my experience of driving both cars.. (3K+miles on IS, 25K on my TSX so far)

TSX.
1. Better fuel economy (yes, in overall driving, TSX much better fuel economy)

2. Easy controlling a/c, audio, jus in general electrics compared to Lexus

3. bigger windshield and windows. trust me, Lexus has small windshield and windows. when i drive the Lexus after driving my tsx for couple days, it annoys me so much.

4. Much better sound system in my opinion. good bass

5. automatic is actually good fun with the tiptronic. good response

6. huge backseats, thanks to FF drivetrain

7. Better handling.

Lexus.
1. yes. VERY comfortable. i've driven about 1600 miles in 2 days. the car is amazingly comfortable.

2. sound proofing much better than TSX. actually the sound proofing in IS is similar to ones in GS and LS.

3. engine is fun, but rather a grandma engine.

4. in my opinion. why did Lexus make that tiptronic? stupid tranny. it takes about 7 days to go from 2nd gear to 3rd gear.

5. just the overall feel, it feels more like a lincoln...jus comfy luxurious...not sporty to my taste.

6. cramped backseats

7. bit expensive than TSX, paid 34600 for the 07 IS250 AWD pretty much everything except navi.

8. Maybe it was the AWD system we have, but don't compare Lexus IS250 to TSX handling. once again, consider IS250 as just a nice cruiser, more like "lincoln".

hope it helps, let me know if u have more questions

tsx_lex

Seems like you like your TSX!
If you had to buy a car now, would you buy the TSX or the IS? From your words, seems like there's nothing special about the IS except the fact that you get a quiter ride with some good aesthetics/looks.

jim13

iTrader: (1)

since this is an acura forum i would say get the TSX !! but if you decide to get the 250 thats cool also

SoCaliTrojan

Everyone needs to have a lexus, so they get the cheapest one they can afford. I bet my sister, when she graduates and starts working, will buy a base model IS250 just to say she has a lexus.

LiLS

I had the same problem as you but I couldnt afford getting a IS350 so Im sticking with TSX...

heres how i see it...
IS350>TSX>IS250

bhavin3623

if u gona spend 34000 u could get a tl type s.....
if not i would go wit the tsx

Ruserious

iTrader: (2)

+1!!

tsx_lex

Thank you all for your help. I appreciate it.

TS_eXpeed

TSX.

Hands down.

Mokos23

09 TSX or G35,

jaehshim

I try to look at it in a neutral way as possible to help this guy.
at least you came here to ask for neutral view and some positive feedback of our cars.

anyways, tsx_lex, i am not too sure which car i would pick. that's why i asked you what's the main reason for purchase of this car, how will it be used.

i know you mentioned you might just get the IS250 and drive till the next gen.

IS250 was built to basically improve much from past IS300 and to compete with the 3 series. along with that idea, with the toyota/lexus reputation, the quality and value of IS250/350 is awesome.

However, the TSX has a great base structure, awesome engine, and especially 6 speed, the best tranny. after all, it's a Honda. It's a great car.

I am going to say thou, that TSX has much character than drivin the Lexus IS. and i say this from my experience, from driving, living with it, to comparing with other cars.

If i were to choose from the two, i choose TSX. why ? I like the engine, although it may lack some power, but hey... i sometimes don't understand people who drive V6 engines comparing it to our K24. K24 has in fact, the 2nd best performance in any 4 cylinder NA engine in America (first being the S2000). Car is VERY responsive, and i like that.

I'm still young, and after driving my parents' cars for couple years, this was my first car. I wanna do some tuning, dress up a bit to look unique from crowd, and TSX is the car for me.

It does thou, feel a bit cheap compared to Lexus, in daily driving such as the sound proof on highways, Lexus is very quiet. the upholstery and LEather is a bit better in Lexus.

But i don't regret getting the TSX. overall, i like it more.

It's interesting because I looked at (back in 2006) 325i, C230, C350 used manual, TL, TSX, Saab 9-3, Lexus IS250, G35 coupe and test drove most of them.

From my perspective, i don't regret about not getting the Lexus. IS's styling, its driving feel is rather too comfortable for me.

afici0nad0

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ight=tsx+is250

tsx_lex

yo man.. thanks bunch for your informative replies. The car will be used for daily driving but at this age I also prefer some rough/sporty driving. I think no car is perfect. The TSX definitely has some good driving ergonomics and visibility so it's a very good car to driving daily with ease and not worry too much about blind spots. I hope the next IS generation improves on these minor annoyances like blind sports, crammed rear seat, head room etc...These shouldn't be an issue at all in a $36K car.

For now, I'm leaning towards buying the TSX as it seems more of a practical choice for daily driving with some sporty feel to it. I will look into the Lexus again after 3-4 years if they improve.

Thank you all!

wackura

I have an '07 TSX and have been pondering trading for a used IS350 among other cars. At the time I bought the TSX I needed the versatility (if you call it that) of a ordinarly sedan but now I don't and am looking to shed the versatility for a more purely fun car. The reason I probably wouldn't get an IS250 or IS350 is the floaty handling and gaudy Lexus styling.

I'm not down with getting an s2000 or a similar roadster because that is woefully impractical. A used RSX Type-S seems like a nice mix of sporty ride with trunk space but reports that say they're brutal on road trips is scaring me away (and I have a soft spot in my heart for them because I had two Integras previously). As for the typical TL Type-S upgrade, I think it's hilarious that people would get a car that large with intentions of driving in a "spirited" manner. To my mind sporty driving is more about pulling hard turns than simply breaking the speed limit on straight aways. I think my best option is to do nothing for the time being.

nj2pa2nc

I am the proud owner of a 06 6MTw/nav tsx, bought new 11/17/06. It now has 56,000+miles. Went on two long distance roadtrips-May 07 6,177 miles NC to Yellowstone and back (18 states) May08 6,452 miles NC to CA and back (22 states) It was a very comfortable quiet riding car with the OEM tires. I also travel from NC to NJ and back every few weeks. Never thought of owning a lexus so can not comment on them.

samir786

Lexus tiptronic is useless. I don't like the fact that it downshifts by itself even when you are in tiptronic mode. defeats the purpose.

250 engine is very boring. and 2.5 liter 6 cylinders to pump out only 200 hp? doesn't seem very efficient.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

My thoughts on the IS250...https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...6&postcount=16

dwest1023

My problem with the IS 250 is it feels cramped. Nice car if you get all the extras, but then you are talking RL money and there is no comparison at all.

DLTSX6MT

Does anybody ever walk into a Lexus dealership wanting to buy a car with a stick?

Well, actually, I did once. The salesguys pretty much brushed me off once they knew that's what I needed.

nj2pa2nc

Not a lexus dealer but I did get that same reaction when I went to a nissan and mazda dealer. I guess they had no sticks in stock and tried to get me to buy a automatic.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Generally, I always go into dealerships and request to test drive a stick. If they give me even an ounce of attitude about it, I walk out, but never quietly. Usually, that makes them think twice about trying to convince me that I need an automatic.

Just remember that when you are dealing with sales people, any time you are going to adversely affect their revenue stream (which is directly tied to their income), they will change their attitudes pretty damn quick.

That said, when I went to test drive the IS250 6MT, the guy had to do some serious digging to find one and even then could not find one with the X-package so I still didn't get to drive the car I wanted to try.

jlukja

Salespeople will always want to sell you what's on their lot (in their inventory) first. If they don't have what you want they'll try to talk you into what they have. Be as firm as possible with them up front. A good salesperson should suggest a different transmission one time only, and not bring it up again when you firmly tell him exactly what you want.

frescagod

the IS250 backseat really isn't THAT small. someone else said that the TSX backseat is "HUGE thanks to FWD" or something, and that's not really true either.

i'm 5'9" and with the front seats moved completely aft in either car, there is almost no leg room. however, if the front seats are somewhere in the middle (say, to make front leg room equal to ~40 inches), then the rear leg room is pretty close, i would say. getting in and out requires about the same amount of effort as well.

that said, the IS250's V6 engine isn't terribly impressive, and car is probably 5 or 6 grand more expensive when comparably equipped (assuming you can get a TSX without nav for roughly $28k out the door...i bought my '05 WITH Navigation for about $27,500 OTD). i'm going based on my memory of 2007-2008 prices, but there's no doubt that the TSX is a better deal. the TSX also has one of the better 6 speed transmissions around, and has enough pickup if you don't mind revving the engine.

i did find that revving the 4 cylinder TSX engine with 4 people + cargo just to get it moving at a decent clip was kind of lame, but that's just me. if money was no object, i would probably buy the IS250 for: more refinement, a bit more torque, and a quieter cabin, but at the expense of the great TSX navigation system and manual transmission.

if you think about it, though, you can get way more car than the IS250 for $35-37k if you look elsewhere.

way more.

jaehshim

oh trust me. i've done 3000mile + trips on both cars, enough to understand the interior volume.

IS250 back is SMALL. I'm 5' 8" and i've done traveling in both cars. the car's overall interior sits higher than that of TSX , and driving area volume does feel smaller than the TSX.

I agree that at times, TSX doesn't have the "big" backseat space, but it has good space, and is definitely bigger than the Lexus ones.

some reason for that is the seats (both front and back seats) are actually fatter, thicker than those of TSX. their seats are more bulky, and take up a quite amount of space in that small higher sitting interior area.
plus , there's the middle part of lexus is that's very crampy, which is the axle goin thru from front engine to rear wheel axles.

in the end, there's also the small windows in Lexus. from back or driver's view, you are surrounded by the high up interior. in TSX, you rather look "over" the interior, easy viewing in every edge.

and yes, Lexus auto tranny is perfectly comfortable, jus don't try to downshift or upshift that grandma and pretend to drive sporty...

1Louder

Feature by feature, they're fairly comparable. I did not like very small rear seat in the 250 (the TSX is small enough, and I have a family of 4). What few things the 250 has over the TSX, I didn't think justified the price differenct by any stretch. You say money isn't an issue, but a couple grand means something to anyone. You can get a TSX, mod it in some nice ways to suit your taste, and still be under the cost of the 250 by a decent margin.

krz4runner

Would you consider an 07+ G35 S? I had one and I was pretty happy with the handling on the x model... It is a heavy car but it sure was fun to drive. Just a thought...

1Louder

Feature by feature, they're fairly comparable. I did not like very small rear seat in the 250 (the TSX is small enough, and I have a family of 4). What few things the 250 has over the TSX, I didn't think justified the price differenct by any stretch. You say money isn't an issue, but a couple grand means something to anyone. You can get a TSX, mod it in some nice ways to suit your taste, and still be under the cost of the 250 by a decent margin.

CiViCKiDD

Yeah well, I got brushed off as soon as I told them I wanted a RWD IS250. According to my salesman they only sell AWD 250/350's in the tri-state area, if I wanted RWD I had to fly to Florida. Didn't even bother to ask for a stick since obviously because I'm "young" I can't afford a nice car...

tsx_lex

thanks again, i guess i can see similar comments on the lexus forums against the tsx..according to them it's the real deal..they think it handles better than the tsx blah blah...i guess it just depends on which one you like to drive and if you're willing to pay the extra price for premium...having said that i still think that tsx is a better car (if u don't look at the price)..by better i mean has very good driving ergonomics and visibility and is very well balanced as compared to the IS. Atleast that's what I can conclude now...I'm now planning to get the TSX but if I change my mind and get an IS, it'll be the 350.

deznium

Hi,
Nice to see that you're considering these cars. Both of them are amazing to drive and IMO the Lexus is definitely better than the G even if it's sluggish/slow since it's refined and really smooth to drive. It also has a very good sporty feel to it. Lexus has significantly improved this for the 2008 models. IMO, between the TSX and IS250, I'll take the TSX but between the TL or TL-S I'll take the IS350. To me the IS250 doesn't make sense unless you get the AWD or really crazy about driving a Lexus with a manual. The IS 250 is also not $5-6K better than the TSX in terms of both refinement and looks, though I have to say that it looks sleek from certain angles but at times also looks like a 4 door Scion TC, IMO.. I think if you can spend close to $36K for a car, then you might as well convince yourself to go for the IS350 and it is like $4-5K at max. It's a fast car and drives great.

I'm not sure if you know about this or are concerned.. the IS250 is more known to be a girl's or chic car nowadays.. Guys are more practical and will go with G37, Acura TL or IS350.

Just for fun, check out this article, it's interesting
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/200...-is250-review/

I also bought a TSX couple of months back over the IS250. My next car is most likely going to be the next-gen IS350 probably..

Anyway, drive both the cars, see what you like better. Don't base your decision just on looks... good luck in your decision and if you get a chance let us know!