bigdo26

Found out about a drive event sponsored by Lexus that took place this past weekend at Belmont racetrack on Long Island. It was, in short, one of the best days I've had in a long time!

They had 3 separate auto-cross courses set up, 1 for the Luxury cars, 1 for the SUV's along with the new ES350 and SC430, and then the performance track for the IS's and GS's

Luxury cars available were: Lexus LS460, BMW 750, and Mercedes S550
As a quick summary, I was very impressed with the LS460, it accelerated very nicely and actually handled quite well, considering the size and weight of the car. It was absolutetly on par with the Bimmer and Benz.

The Benz was probably my overall favorite car on the day, although thats to be expected from a $90,000 car! It had awsome takeoff (391 ft-lbs torque!! 380 hp!) and it just drove like a dream. Amazing car, worth 90g's!

On the SUV track, I only drove the ES350 and SC430, as I was not interested in the SUV's. Both of those cars were fairly fun, although driving them back to back made me really appreciate RWD! The ES is FWD and understeered signficantly through the corners when pushed. It did handle fairly well for a FWD car, although it was the most floaty out of all the cars there.

The SC430 was pretty fun, not worth $66,000 IMO, but fun none the less. The car had no trouble kicking the rear end out some in the corners, and it held the road pretty well, seemed stiff enought (convertible...), although for the price the raw power just wasnt there. It is rated at 288hp I believe it was and 318 ft-lbs. Nice cruiser and is capable of stepping it up a notch, but for the money it should have more power I feel.

Now the real fun - the performance track:
Cars available: GS450h, GS350, IS350 , and IS250

I only drove the IS cars, as the line for the GS cars was signficantly longer.

I think I fell in love with the IS350. The car screams off the line and just keeps on pulling!! The course they had was about a 1 minute long course, signficiantly longer than either of the other courses, and it started off with a ~ 1/8 mile straight, then entered a quick "accident avoidance" type manuever before going into twisties. I managed to almost top out 3rd gear (6 speed tranny) on the straight, which I think was ~65-70 (definatly was not watching speedo at that point!) before SLAMMING on the brakes and entering the beginning of the turns. The acceleration on the car is awsome!! Handling is very good as well, as I made it through the curves quickly and with a giant smile on my face. the RWD again is just so superior to FWD. The only thing that bugged me about the car was the lack of ability to turn off the traction control. When entering a corner and trying to apply some gas pedal, if anything starts to skid much, traction control cuts power and all the cars weight ends up on the outside front tire, which caused some pretty serious skidding for my friend at one point. I managed to figure the system out fairly well to avoid loading up the front tire, but just when the back end would start to slide a little (in a good way) the traction control would cut your power and more often than not overcorrect, as you don't anticipate sudden loss of power like that. However, overall that car was absolutely awsome, I would absolutely consider purchasing it.

The IS 250 I only drove once, but it was also a very fun car. Handling was right on par with the 350, however power was lacking for my taste. It was quick, don't get me wrong, but it didn't like to swing the rear at all, and I couldn't touch 3rd gear on the straight (same transmission as the 350) so there was a significant difference in power. But the car handled great, not much roll, quick transition between hard turns, not a lot of nose dive under hard braking... just an overall nice package.

Overall the event was awsome, I would go again in a heartbeat! The only thing I did not like about the event was they did not like people driving to the limit of the cars' abilities. Screeching tires were frowned upon, and if you nipped a cone, it was a sure thing you'd get spoken to at the end of the course. I felt this was detremental to the event, as there were plenty of people there who not only wanted to drive nice cars fast, but also really test out the cars' limits to get a feel for if the cars were something they might consider buying in the future. I know if I were only able to drive at say 7/10ths in that IS, it would not be as appealing as it was when i took it to 9/10ths or 10/10ths. (probly more like 9/10ths, I'm not THAT good a driver...) By the end of the day I was on the verge of having my pass pulled because there was no way I was going to slow down in the cars just to make the Lexus man happy. I came to test the limits of the cars, and did exactly that (with a HUGE smile on my face by the way!!)

Sorry for the novel, but lots to talk about!

I'm now seriously considering an IS as my next car, however I think I'd be more interested in the original IS300, as turbo kits are readily available for those (essentially the same engine as the Supra). I LOVED that IS350 I drove, and am now very very interested in trying an IS300. RWD absolutely OWNS over FWD...

Salut

It's coming to LA this weekend I think....

I might be going...

Sounds cool...

Thanks for the info...

tonio

You dont understand why its frowned upon? Those are pretty expensive cars that they're allowing YOU to test.. personally I'd have more respect for something that I do not own.

bigdo26

Most other events that I've been to they encourage you to push the cars' limits. For instance Mazda's event their motto is "a squeeling tire is a happy tire," or Car and Driver's event where they put a professional driving riding shot gun with you and he/she gives you tips as to optimal braking points and how to power through corners at the car's limits. So no, I don't understand why Lexus frowns upon it. The people there don't own the cars, its a closed course to drive on, and if they want to attract a younger enthusiast crowd (i.e. people my age) then the best way to try and sell the cars like the IS350 is to let people drive them very aggressively. I plan on using my daily driver on the race tracks every now and then for recreational racing, so I want to know what the car is capable of.

TorontoTL

I just got my 2007 IS 350 and I know exactly what you're saying about that smile on your face. I get that smile everytime I take a turn.

bigdo26

Haha yeah, it was a very nice ride. Definatly one of the contestants for my next car. Although after driving the G35 coupe and the 07 TL-S today, i'm really torn between cars....

Dan

Dodger Stadium the 11th.

Doom878

How's the straight acceleration of the ES350 compared to a car like your TL. Is it sluggish?

bigdo26

ES350 is similar. Its a little more torquey, which is nice, and hp is roughly the same. It was the only FWD platform available to drive there, and I could definatly tell a difference because of that. The RWD 3.5 L cars they had hooked up and pulled harder, while the ES350 had significant wheel spin off the line and through corners.

Definatly not sluggish by any means, but the overall ride is not as tight as the TL. Its a car aimed towards a far less performance oriented crowd, and thats just how it rides.

kensteele

went to the taste of lexus in chicago i think it was sep 05, got my is350 in nov 05...been smiling since.

TorontoTL

Hey Ken did you have an Acura prior to your IS 350? A TL ?

kensteele

01 CL-S, bought it on 03/2000 and traded it in on 11/2005 with about 109k miles.

Salut

Roger that... I just checked my email invite...


TKS

SSMTL01

I went to the one in Atlanta yesterday. Great event!!!

The LS was absolutely gorgeous and much better in person than in the pics. While waiting my turn i was sitting in the car and there were helicopters flying almost directly overhead. I closed the windows and sunroof and could BARELY hear the helicopters. This thing is so refined. I didnt drive the benz or bimmer bc the lines were pretty long, but having driven a 750 before I like the LS better.

Bigdo was right on point with the IS.. i drove the 250 first and was wowed with the handling. Then i drove the 350, and the whole package was great. The car is very very nimble and goes right where you point it. I also fell in love with it.. who cares about a small back seat. The interior was nicer IMO than any of its competitors, which is an important aspect for me.

Also- the food was very good.. and you could eat all you wanted. Eggrolls, tortelini, skewers, muffins, deserts, etc.

Overall- Definitely worth the hour drive down to the event!!

mr.motoring

Mazda was the same way with their Zoom Zoom event. They got mad at me when I put the Miata sideways!

I didn't get to go to the Lexus event though...

yohan81718

I also attended the event in San Francsico area...

FYI, GS450h is the fastest car in the Lexus line...
GS450h 0-60: 5.2s
IS350 0-60: 5.3s

As I'm 6'3" and GS would be better car for me