ugly front door contour. So my TL is better :p

 

I'll take an IS350 over a TL anyday, but it will likely come at an RL price - so that's a hard choice.

 

Front of the car looks like a big old man's boat of a car.

 

lol ugly front door contour and all... You guys are funny.. A scion on roids perhaps... The fact that quality, performance, handling, and about everything else is better than the TL... I know I hate the front end.. Sure you do since you will see it in your rear view mirror wanting you to get the hell out of its way!!!

 

Quality and such is very subjective. I am a designer so I value aesthetics more than most people. I looked at the TL and fell in love. When I look at this car, I feel mildly nauseous. That's not really the fault of Lexus, but for me it makes it a car I would never buy. Your mileage may vary. People have different priorities, and for me the TL's "quality" is inherent in its design (especially interior) not just wether or not it has a certain torque or wether or not the seats are 100% leather.

 

Quality in the TL? You make me laugh.

 

Yeah, god knows Acura uses nothing but cheap junk and is total crap right? What are you doing posting here anyway?

Edit: NM I looked up your posts and it's clear how you spend your time online here. Enjoy your G35.

 

well I got to wonder about the products this person designs....

but truth be told acura had fallen in initial quality ratings... I work with different designs and when the company finds a potential cash cow they try to wring all the costs out of it... yeah and untill be breaks... which we are seeing in some of the issues they have been having with poor brakes and other components as well. It is not the process so much as the selection of parts that make up the car and how the car is fastened together...

 

You can make personal attacks at me if you like but you might as well do it in PMs becuase this is just pointless and immature. I was referring to visual design properties, and regardless of what you think you know about product design and quality, visual design is not something you can quantify which was the point of my post.

 

Why are you such an asshole?? No one's teasing you about whatever it is that you do. Besides, the 3G TL's been appraised for its design everywhere, even by those magazines who hate FWD & Acura in general.

Anyway, IMO, Acura buyers in general just expect waaaay too much - they spend 30-35k, and think they bought a 40, 50k car, which I think is the reason for the lower *initial* quality ratings. See what kind of piece of shit you get when you spend 30-35k elsewhere.

Acura doesn't price their vehicles well under the competition with magic - they do cut cost, but they're still at a respectable level. Unless you're an idiot, you should know that you get what you pay for.

Poor brakes? What the hell are you basing this on? Brakes warp all the time, and most of the time, it is due to the drivers' error (or the shop that rotated your tires and didn't torque it right).

 

I have to respectfully disagree with you ndx.

I purchased a used 1999 Honda Accord EX-L with 67,500 miles on it for $12,800 back in 2003. I drove it for a 15 months, put 30,000 miles on it and never once had an issue, not ONE. The same could be said for my previous Accords. But the TL has had nothing but problems (although mine is a 2002). It's sad to me that two cars so much alike (the 99 Accord and 02 TL) could be so different in terms of quality and reliability. If you can have trouble-free service from Honda, there is no excuse why you shouldn't have at least equal from Acura.

 

Well, I definitely understand where you're coming from. Then again, Accords have a reputation they need to maintain, otherwise Honda will lose sooo much market share. I wouldn't be surprised if Honda spent more time & money into Accords to make sure it's problem-free, than they do on the TL, despite its higher price.

Anyway, the way I see it, the more shit you have on your car, the more potential problems... Having said that, my 05 and my bro's 03 TL-S have not had any real problems.

 

And I'll have to disagree with that. If the top of the line premium brand doesnt have BETTER quality than the lower end brand, it will take a huge hit. When people think of Lexus, it absolutely screams trouble free superb quality. People buy Lexus because of this. The consequence of this will be Acura getting an image of being the low end of the premium brands.

 

Well, for me, front of the car looks like the king of England.

and...for me...front of the BMW 5 serie looks like a pig. That ugly grill looks like a fat pig nose.

Oh, one more thing. I thought I was seeing the new lexus IS on the road today. When it came closer.......oh god......it was Hyundai...............

 

Yeah it's really interesting to interpret car "faces" I was looking at a bmw 330 today and the headlights looked like silly eyes forrowed angrily at me... kinda funny and cute. Cars really do have personalities.

 

I am waiting to test the IS before i make my decision re TL v. IS350 v. 330i. Over on the IS forums there is considerable panic over the price of the car (someone heard that it would be close to mid- to high- 40s loaded) but if it is really priced that way its in the GS teritory and from what i heard they are not selling the GS well enough, so it is highly less probable that they will cram another car into the similar price market.

As for the C-class, one word (and i own one): DON'T. it has a lot of quality problems, and a new one is coming in 2007.

 

I am suprised that the rear lights don't come in LED's like most cars now a days. And no side markers. But otherwise the exterior of the car looks pretty good.

 

the new lexus IS looks like a Corolla to me. http://www.toyota.com/corolla/exterior.html

Just my 2 cents.
as for looks TL all the wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

 

http://www.toyota.com/corolla/exterior.html

 

errr. Corolla? I dont think so...

 

Too many triangles and trapezoids on this car. I like the IS350 for how it performs, but the look i think is off.

 

I think the new IS looks great, but I was expecting a car that would have the driving dynamics of a 330i BMW with the quality of a Lexus. I have owned a 98 Lexus GS300, 2000 GS 400, and 99 , 2001 RX300s, and our present 05 RX330. Lexus builds a great luxury car, not a drivers car. Nothing falls off, breaks or is poorly designed, but you pay for it. Unlike Mercedes and BMW, they appreciate their customers. Both the 99RX and the 98 GS were recalled. They were first year/model cars. Lexus repaired/updated them, filled the gas tanks, and sent me $50 checks for my inconvience. Although I am 57, I like a good driving car. The RX is great for a family hauler, none better. I have owned a TSX and my present 04TL. I have had zero problems and have 20000+ miles on my TL. Neither the new IS nor the BMW have as nicely integrated electronics and navi as the TL. I was thinking about a 330i, and tested one. The driving experience is hard to beat. If I ordered one it would be without navi since the TL has spoiled me. I decided to wait for the 07 TL which might be more interesting.

 

This car definitely doesn't look as good as people hoped, but the specs are amazing. I think it'll re-adjust power ratings again for competing cars. Keep in mind though, that competitors like BMW do a lot with their 255hp 3.0 (the car hit 0-60 in 5.7 or 5.9 seconds in some recent magazine tests). Anyway, I have a friend working at American Honda and he said he already saw a prototype for the 07 TL type S. I'm guessing 300hp+ and SH-AWD. So keep your choices open people.

 

I'm glad you wrote that last sentence, because I was going to post on that very topic. I was watching a GS go by the other day. Remembering its much-touted new "L-Finesse" styling, I was saying to myself "pretty nice, pretty nice. Progress for Lexus." Then, to my astonishment, right behind it was a new Max with a small trunklid spoiler, low-profile tires and chrome aftermarket wheels. It looked almost exactly like the GS from every angle: headlights, taillights, overall size, every line of the side sheetmetal, you name it.

So there we have it: Old Lexi ripped off '90s Mercedes S-Class sedans, and new Lexi rip off the current Nissan Maxima.

I was just reading that Mercedes can't fix the reliability bugaboo of their ridiculous electronic brakes on their E-Class until the next complete model changeover. Given that BMW and VW are now total losses for anybody who cares a whit about reliability, the pickin's are pretty slim in this class for those who want a beauty that isn't built like crap.

 

You say those things in a Lexus forum and they go ape shit They will tell you that the new Maxima ripped off the old GS blah blah blah and how lexus is the most original blah blah blah

It still hurts them that the new M has whupped the new GS in every comparison possible (and even Consumer Reports which LOVES Lexus). Most of Lexus's lineup catch slogan should be the "relentess pursuit of boredom." I'm glad the new IS infuses their lineup with some personality...its no fun driving an appliance.

 

ok looking to me. too bland.
too small back seat wise
pedal parking break (i hate that on the so-call sport something something)
automatic only (unless you are AMGs with sub 4 performance then it's OK i guess)
IS250 too slow
IS350 too expensive for daily commute (for me pay-check to pay-check guy anyway)
i have to admit i'll probably get one IS250 for my wife as her next car to haul my kid around (most of the above mentioned dislikes are perfect for this condition). ;-)

 

leddogg: where did you find those numbers? I havent read anything about prices anywhere in the Lexus web site.

 

The front end of the new IS350 looks like its 2005 Lexus RX330. Maybe lexus has taken some of the front design from its family member the RX330.

 

Family resemblance.

 

From the original thread:
http://www.colexusclub.com/article34.html

The 0-60 in 5.6 was from the new IS site I posted a couple threads up.

 

IS whatever, the new G35 has got some, well, whoop assin under the pedal.

 

well i think the IS 350 trumps the G35 under the hood by 10hp or so.

 

Its more than 10hp... Its heavier than the G35 and is about 0.3 seconds faster on average from most of the tests. C&D had it a good .8 seconds faster to 60. I bet the dyno reflects a good 20-30hp more.

 

I think i just realized what i don't like about the IS. It may just be the picture...but the doort panel is perfectly square. It destroys the sporty look completely to me...

 

Heh, your right, I didnt conciously notice them being perfectly square, which is odd, because I really liked the high doors and the oversized mirrors coming out of the door frame. The mirrors scream aggresive sporty fun, and the doors convey a sense of refinement....no rice rocketry here. One thing about this car is theres no doubt people will notice it.

 

The car is really nice in person, I drove the IS250 and IS350 last weekend at a Lexus event, along with a 330 sport for comparison. They had a pretty good autocross set up to drive the cars on.

First and last I drove the IS250 AWD, it had good power, but was not the point and shoot performance of the 330i, with soft steering and a little too much of the nanny factor kicking in during the drive. The IS250 was not as fast as the TL but it does not lean as much as the TL either in the twistys

The 330i was smooth and transitioned without fuss, steering was right on, including steering feel and effort and quick on it’s feet.

The IS350 was about raw power, you could tell immediately that it had a bigger kick in the pants than the 330 and my old TL, but, transitions were choppy as the Lexus nanny kicked in way too early, and changed smooth transitions into abruptly computer controlled corrections. The car at time felt like the car was hopping as brakes applied and released in the turns. Power was always ready and on tap though. Car did stay flat in the corners.

Back seat room in the IS was small, nowhere near the size of the current Acura TL, and smaller than the 330i (and I think a steeper angle rear seat back).

I was not able to play with the controls on the car on display, as the battery was pretty dead (you would think they would have it hooked up to a power supply). And time in the car was devoted to the autocross.

To the credit of the cars, they stood up after a hard day of testing (plenty of cars were put off course and had the VDIM kick in plenty of times, including some what appeared to be fishtailing on the IS350’s).

Overall, I came away with the feeling that if you want to corner to the limit, the 330i is your car, if stop light to stop light straight line runs are your thing, the IS350 is your car. In snow, the TL is your car. However, in terms of interior and exterior appearance, the IS and the old TL had the BMW beat and maybe the TL had the Lexus beat in terms of interior also.