Michaelvg1

How are our cars against the IS?

I see they are coming out with a V8....

coop1018

If you are speaking of the IS300's....we would blow the doors off them both performance and look

Michaelvg1

Yes.
I know ours definitely look better, just was not sure about a race.
Glad to hear it.

TLover

The current IS300 is underpowered. Other than that, it's a nice car.

PoochaKannInc

Michaelvg1: I thought the IS430 was only a concept (i.e. the current IS w/ the 4.3L V8 stuffed in there)?

Donte99TL

Be very careful when racing one though. They have a tone of performance parts for them to push the HP rating all the way up to 650. I have seen a lot of fast ones out there. I learned a lot about them from here acutely. Some one sent me a link about the performance parts for them.

NightRider

I think the IS300 is Lexus sporty attempt at a 3-series type car. WHen I test drove one I found the back seat uninhabitable, maybe even smaller than 3 series. It handles better and brakes better than our car, but is just so small! My head was almost hitting the roof and I am no more than 6'. Why would anyone want a brand new IS when for the same general price they could have a TL? Or 3 series or G35....

PoochaKannInc

I thought the original post was comparing the "V8 IS" to the TL...no?

Michaelvg1

No. It was comparing the existing IS.
The concept one.. I read about.
As far as it coming out, I would not be surprised if it was soon.

2004MT6TL

If anything, this car has excellent power and it's rear wheel drive, a huge plus. I think that it is a little over priced and way too small. I had a blast test driving it alone!

coop1018

I would not go as far as saying that the IS has better braking than the TL.....especially the ones with the Brembo's. However, yea the cornering may be a little stiffer. I just think they are played out. They been around for how many years now....5???? they still have not changed the body style!

PoochaKannInc

oops. I guess I read the first post too fast...and here I was wondering why everyone was talking about the IS300...

well, to add on to what others said. I sat in the IS, and it was too small for me. The seats, the gauges, the overall positioning was almost as if it was 8/10ths of what a "normal" car would need to be so that I would be comfortable.

There are plenty of turbos out there, so performance enhancement is not even an issue with the IS. From all that I have heard, it seems to be a great platform to build on...

Bottom line: too small, and too slow (stock) for me.

1SICKLEX

The IS is extremely right wing. Just the Altezzas (Which everyone copied) and german proportions on the outside stray people away. Sitting inside, it's either love or hate, with the most distinctive interior of any sedan today.
Performance, handling/braking is fine but the car is now short on power compared to newer competition. Since it is selling slow, dealers are dealing.

The TL on the other hand is bigger ( a lot of people don't like bigger cars) and blends luxo and sport very well. Lexus doesn't have to blend, as they have the IS for true sport and ES for floaty luxury .

If you were not modding and unless customer service and reliablity are your top reasons for buying, the TL at this point is the better buy.

The next IS comes out next fall in sedan, wagon, coupe/targa forms. It will have a new v-6 looks like good for 245hp and a 6 speed auto. AWD will be offered and in 3 years the hybrid IS and the AMG/M fighter IS 300 GT.
Lexus has promised the next IS will be a leader in all aspects this next go round. We'll see.

TLme

The IS is a very nice car. A friend has one. But as was stated, for the price, the TL gets more bang for the buck.

Goldglv

I just picked up my TL last week. I traded in a 2002 IS300 to get this car. I really liked my IS300, yes it's small but it was really fun to drive. The one thing(so far) that I do prefer over the TL were the guages. The IS300 are nothing like I've seen before, very different, I also liked the drilled aluminum foot pedals. The TL's gauages are a little boring to me but maybe that's because I'm used to the IS300. I haven't driven my new TL enough yet but looks wise the TL buries the IS300. I'm glad I decided to purchase the TL though, so far I'm very happy with the car.

jchoi19

been driving a Lexy IS for the past year... It's a NICE car. Small, yes. Maybe a lil under powered, yes. but with right tires, this car is sick. It hugs the road very tight... and cornering is just amazing. and the driver and the car become one... It's like wearing a right pair of running shoes for sprinting... the ones that are so perfectly fit to your feet that you don't even realize you're wearing them? but i am very sick of its interior. plain and boring. gauge was cool in the beginning, but not any more. i am actually very excited about the new model it's coming out with. i am a true TL lover. I absolutely love G35 too. but my next car would be a Lexus IS. Lexus just makes a very tight car. i meant literally tight... no rattles and such. seems like toyota ppl put some extra tension when bolting things together =P

Goldglv

jchoi, I couldn't agree more about Lexus making a VERY tight car. I had my IS300 for almost three years and I don't recall ever hearing any rattles or squeaks.

TonySCV

I'll second that... I just traded in my '02 IS as well for a TL. The IS was the only car I've ever owned that didn't have a single unscheduled maintenence run. The thing was a rock. No squeaks, rattles, nothing. Couldn't have been happier with it.

automophile

The IS 300 is WAY overpriced with a very cheezy interior. The dash is hard plastic for cripe's sake - like a cheapy econo-box. My wife looked at them and although it is built very well and drives well, she could not in any way accept the interior or the price. She bought a TSX for a LOT less money and is very happy.

The TL is in another league compared to the IS300.

MADCAT

Its MADE IN JAPAN!

Bobzmcishl

The IS 300 has a tired look to it and a very cramped interior. Plus it is now underpowered compared to the competition. According to the latest sales figures the IS 300 is way low compared to the TL and 330i. I'm sure the next generation IS 300 will be a nice car; but it will have to be if it expects to compete with the TL and G35.

TheOne305

The IS300 is a great lux car.My friend has one,but for stock it has performance of a low to mid 20k car like a Prelude,Celica.True it has lots of mods but unless you can do them your self it can cost you especially to do force induction.The TL which i choose has 270hp and Comtech is developing mods i'm im sure they have a Supercharger too just like the previous models.So basicly the TL is more :ar15: BANG for the buck.

VQ35DE

IMO, the IS is MUCH more comparable to the TSX NOT the TL.

lilirish

i love the is430. i rember readin an article a few years ago when the dropped the ls430 engine in the is and turboed it, i was so amazed

1SICKLEX

Sigh. Looking at what previous owners have stated, it costs more (IS) and you get no rattles and no silly maintenance issues like the Accord based, Ohio built TL.

You always, get what u pay for.

RUF 993TTR

why choose an is3 over a TL? easy answer: 2jz-ge. stock block can handle 700rwhp np. there are is300's running 10s and 11s all over the place (full interior and system btw) and are daily drivers as well. the is300 is also a rwd and the steering is tighter. you buy an is300 if you want a fair balance in luxury and power potential...you buy a tl for the luxury. if you guys cared so much for racing, i don't know why you bought a TL for. this thread is no better than the one posted over g35 forum about "tl vs g35." geez, to each their own. lexus's marketing technique has never been to outdo their competitors, they do their own thing and that is why they are successful. acura and infinity are too busy fight the HP war. since you guys are doing so much comparison about how slow the is3 is and how much more hp is coming out of the TL, i'd like to see a street driven 10sec tl....or even 11s...

anyways, why do you guys care so much? you bought the TL if you're so secure of with your purchase why do you guys keep on making comparison with other cars. be happy with what you bought.

my sc3 has the same motor as the is300 and weighs 4k lbs...i challenge any daily driven TL on this board against it. it's full interior and i've invested less then $2000 on it. no nitrous.

lilirish

YEAH, and i'll do the same thing with the solara. hey toyota,lexus, same shit, plus i love a good race

1SICKLEX

Nuff said.

Edr0e

The is300 is hot. I ve always liked the looks of the car. They are indeed much slower than the J32 stock vs. stock. But modded its a whole nother story.... The IS300 has so much more aftermarket potential. Ive heard of 10 second is300's but u would end up spendin close to 50k on mods... Sequential transmissions wtf.!

GaleForce

Yeah any car can run 10s and 11s if you have enough money (well, almost any car anyway). I'd rather buy a performance geared TL then buy an IS for almost the same price and NEED to spend thousands to make it fast. Whats the point? Its a nice car to soup, but if I wanted to soup something, it would be an e46 probably... if I had the money. And, well, if I was buying a car soley to soup up I am sure I would. For a little more you get the TL which performs better, looks better, is nicer inside, has more toys, features, etc. I don't get it.

1SICKLEX

We have yet to see any TL or CL running below a 13 sec run. They are not performance cars. They are good value entry level luxo cars. You don't get it. Which is cool. That is why you have a TL. Great car stock. Mods are limited for the cars. Even Comptech gave up seemingly. The Comptech NSX is barely a 12 second car with the turbo.

I always said TL vs IS is apples to oranges.

GaleForce

Still, who buys an IS to soup up? Even if you aren't going to compare it to the TL, I won't either. You buy an e46 and soup it up. It looks better, handles better, performs better, and is just an overall better car than the IS. Heck you could even get the 325i e46 which would be close to the IS in performance and soup that up. I would definitely take it over the IS. If you're buying the TL you want a blend of luxury and performance, thats a given. Stock wise I would prefer a TL, why get an IS? And if you are planning on making your IS faster with performance parts jsut get an e46.

youngTL

I think the TL is a more useful car. Stock, the IS300 isn't worth it (like others have said) and the TL comes with so much more for the money. Also, it has habitable, even nice, back seats and chances are for your daily needs it is the better car. Oh yeah and the IS is a pig on gas. But I guess if someone has that much money to blow on mods they wouldn't be bothered by fuel economy. For all the mods you'd have to put into the IS300 to get it to run 11s, you could probably get a used Porsche 911 Turbo.

brahtw8

The Comptech NSX is supercharged, not turbocharged, and the particular example tested in R&T some years back in the supercar shootout was a very poor example in its performance compared to other Comptech SC NSXs.

As for turbo NSXs, there is a guy with near 1000 hp at the wheels with a custom setup, and the FactorX Engineering cars are extremely quick. The FX400 and FX500 (for RWHP) are becoming quite well known. The FactorX factory car is at over 639 RWHP and recently ran low 11s with a 129 trap, on street tires, with a boost malfunction and a passenger in the car, and in Las Vegas w/105 degree weather and significant altitude. On the same track, other cars that can easily run 12.5 at 112 or more (911 GT3 and Viper SRT-10) were running 12.9 at 109. Look for this event on Spike TV in the near future.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showt...threadid=32733

Here is a video of the FactorX car running 11.44 at 123 last year, also at altitude.

http://www.factorxengineering.com/Videos/11_44_nsx.mpg

planman_RENAMED

That's right. The IS400/430 is a concept only...supposed to hint at Lexus's more performance-oriented future models...not likely to ever hit the street.

SilverBulletCLS

The E46 would never gain the same potential the IS300 with turbos would. No questions asked on that. The IS300 is the car to have if you want to mod, not the bmw.

brahtw8

Depends what you mean by 'mod'. If you want to build a car for the drag strip, that is probably true, although I think you underestimate the modification potential of the E46, which does have several options for forced induction.

If you are talking about modification for a road course, the E46 has much more potential, and much more in terms of aftermarket availability.

SilverBulletCLS

Obviously you don't know how large the aftermarket is for the IS300, much bigger than the M3. We are talking about a 4 door Supra MKIV here.

brahtw8

I know of the impressive array of go fast parts available for the IS, to say nothing about its engine-mate Supra.

Nevertheless, as I said above:

If you are talking about modification for a ROAD COURSE, the E46 has much more potential, and much more in terms of aftermarket availability.

This is a separate issue, and involves much different companies than those that design 600 hp. turbo kits.

RUF 993TTR

e46? are you on crack? have u seen an e46 run 10s...have you seen more than one do so? i didnt think so. theyre owners are the types that say "drags are for pussies."...i owned a few in the pas year....good cars. but you'll spend twice the price of the car to make it run 10s. how much does the dinan intake cost for the e46? exactly my point. new motor = 12k. new clutch = 2k (clutch alone).


as for you youngTL - give me 5k and an is300 and i'll put it in low 11s...or else i'll give you my porsche. and if i can make it run low 11s...you give me a new TL. that's a deal or what?


nsx this nsx that...that car is not meant to drag...i'm ready for any nsx to run me on road track or drags. i sold my nsx because it was such an awesome car. you're bragging about an nsx running 11s.....let me tell you theres at least 40-50 sc300 and is300s running that time or faster...and theyre luxury overweight cars.


the is300 has a 2jz... one of the best production motor. if it goes FI, there's no motor that will be able to go against it...stock motors that is.


brahtw8 - give me an is300...you take an e46. we'll use the same amount of money and we'll see who win on a road track.


anyways, I am offering anyone on this board who runs a "fast" tl to run against my car of choice (that i own) since they have no faith in other cars besides the TL. wait...ill rephrase that...i'll run in my SC3 or IS3. we'll run for slip and have the webmaster be the judge. anyone up for it? btw..my sc300 has about 1500 worth of mods.....talks cheap...you'll learn that in business class