Hey guys,

Today I got a chance to ride in a Lexus IS250 AWD, though, only as a passenger. One of the first things that I noticed right off the bat, being an 06 TL owner, is that just like the TL, the IS rattles!! The dash rattled when going straight, and it was more pronouced as the body flexed on tight turns. The same kind of leather rubbing against leather sounds that I hear often on my TL. Little sqeaks and creaks galore, same as TL. The car was an 06 with 25k miles on it. So there you go, that dispells the myth that Lexus are "perfect cars".

Some of the other things i noticed is that the IS seams narrower inside, the TL feels wider and bigger. The leather on the IS is nicer, it had a black interior and the leather on that car with 25k miles looked 10x better than on my 06 with 8k miles. The Navi is not as good as Acura. Alot of the options on the IS Navi were disabled when driving, even after my friend modded his Navi, by cutting some speed sensor so that it would allow changes during driving.

The dashboard seemed better, no fade or unevenness like on my TL (near the passenger airbag area). Powerwise it was no match for TL, especialy since this one was AWD. However, handling wise, the AWD IS is very nice. Even though I didn't drive, I could see that as my friend was making tight turns at pretty high speeds, the car stayed much more planted to the ground than my TL does. I guess that is to be expected in an AWD versus FWD comparision. Overall, its a nice car, the IS, however, I like my TL more.

 

Yeah, I wasn't too impressed with my friends IS250....His had squeeks/rattles as well, and the overall feel wasn't amazing. Only one i'd consider is the 350, but shit...for that price i'd get a 335

 

My g/f wants an IS... she currently drives a G35 Sedan. I think it would be a major downgrade. The IS looks boring, very unintimidating, and most of all, the interior = plain. (Plus - most everyone I've seen driving one is a girl.) I'm not a Lexus person at all. The one Lexus I came close to liking was the current GS... until I saw the interior I love my TL and I love my g/f's car even more! (But shh... don't tell anyone!)

 

 

car talk?

 

Amazes me that no one can make a car that does not rattle before the warranty is up. Makes you wonder why they don't have a "Rattle Free Department" whose only job is to identify, fix, prevent rattles. I would pay an extra $300 for a rattle free car...

 

how is going from g35 to IS a downgrade

that is saying moving from camry to accord, or civic to corola, are both downgrades

 

My cousin has an IS250 and well although it seems as though the quality has not been superb but as stupid as this may sound, the lasting imprint for me were the seats! They're just like a big cushion, almost like sitting down on a huge sponge!

 

The TL has really hard front seats. I've got an '06... I'm pretty sure the '07s got softer seats. But yeah I did notice that when test driving all the other cars. I think they are hard because the leather really sucks and if the seats were really cushy, the leather would wear out even faster. At first I didn't like the hard seats on the TL but I've grown to like them, especially on long trips. The extra firm support actually keeps me more comfortable - keeps my back from sinking into the seat, reduces fatigue.

 

Sorry, but this thread belongs in the Car Talk Forum. Since we can't move threads into other forums, please repost there if you wish to continue this discussion.