r4z0r3ck

i agree with lexus missing the point wit the IS. how i see it is its suppose to be a sports sedan, but it focuses more on the luxury portion. with the entry luxury priority in mind, theyre basically competing with themselves with the IS,ES, and GS3. If I was the CEO of Lexus this is how i see their lineup should be.

ES (entry level sedan) $
IS series coupe (entry level sports coupe) $
RX series (entry level SUV) $
GS series (mid-level sedan) $$
SC 350 (mid level coupe conv) $$
GX (mid-level SUV) $$
LS (upper level sedan) $$$
SC 430 (upper level coupe conv) $$$
LX (upper level SUV) $$$
LF-A (Flagship exotic) $$$$

Och

iTrader: (3)

Where do you get these numbers? I've seen G35's up in the .9x, I believe in Road & Track. I guess it much depends on the driver/tire, but either way, there isn't anything remarkable about 330's handling. It's up there, but there are tons of cars that will outhandle it.

Och

iTrader: (3)

I completely disagree, the IS is a sport design with a strong focus on both sports and luxury. There aren't many cars out there, if any, that can tough its quality and performance in the same price range. It certainly doesn't compete with the ES, which is a total luxo boat, or the GS, which quite honestly is as much of a boat as the ES, but with RWD.

In any case, if you are saying that it doesn't focus on sports, then what does? G35? 330? TSX? Last I checked, the IS350 outperforms all of them.

The only thing I agree with you on, is that Lexus should make an IS based coupe.

picus

Those skidpad numbers don't seem to jive with other tests. I'm not going to magazine race though, so ok.

Gojirra99

The IS350 can handle better than the #'s show, but they did these tests with the electronic nannies turned off for all the cars, except the VDIM of the IS350 cannot be turned off, which prevented the IS from getting better handling numbers (this is the booboo on Lexus's part which is frustrating & kinda puzzling to me , the reason they give is their philosophy on the emphasis on safety prevents them from installing an off switch, which sounds like a BS answer to me) . Will they have VDIM on the LF-A (which is supposed to be a real sports car )that cannot be switched off ?
Vast majority of real world buyers probably won't mind though, except Lexus will never get the best reviews from the mags nomatter how good their cars are if electronic nannies can't be switched off when testing on the tracks . . .

r4z0r3ck

those cars focuses more on the sports factor than does the luxury portion. lexus however has it the other way around. i guess they learned their lesson with the IS300, and are trying the opposite approach by focusing more on the luxury portion. we'll find out after the 1-2 years sales # comes out and show the age demographic of IS owners. my prediction is itll hit ages 30+, which is pretty much the ES and GS demographic.

Och

iTrader: (3)

And what is the demographic of 3 series owners, G35 owners, etc?

I dont know about the GS, but I think ES is way into 45+ demographics.

Gojirra99

ES & GS demographics are more like 40-45 + (at least for those that bought them new). Average age for Lexus is 50+, & 44 even for BMW's. ( that was published by a car mag. a while ago)

r4z0r3ck

this is just my opinion but for me sports appeal coincides with age. though my experience might be out of the norm seeing how i live in the OC since a lot of rich kids live here. so the g35 coupe has the sports appeal and from what i see the age demographic is low. the tsx is also low but i think it has more to do with the price. For Lexus to truly hit the point with the new IS, it has to a) beat the 3 series in terms of sales or b) lower the age demographic. though i dont see A being possible, B might be possible.

doug_999

Back to the earlier posts.... The Taste of Lexus had the 530 up against the GS430 (they are priced similar after all). They have not had a 550 as far as I know.

The IS350 is a beautiful car - both inside and out and it has some serious power to it. It does not handle like a BMW. Just like life, everything is give and take - pick what is important to you and go buy it - and whatever you do, don't pick one car over the other cause it is cheaper - get the one you like and want.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

the 530 was against the gs300. the e500 was against the gs430

lexusls430

HAHAHAHAH disaster thats funny and you say it doesnt handle that good when the 330 was .89Gs and the IS was .87 wow thats a big difference, really come on.

picus

I'm not defending the disaster statement, but in all fairness those numbers seem a little off. I'm not sure what the source was, but more typical test results put the 330i around .90-.92 @65mph and the IS around .85 @ 60ish mph. Actually they all seem off. I've never seen an A4 get lower than .86 (so .83 seems very bad) and the G35 is almost always over .91 @ 67-68mph. So to those numbers I say

Then again the idea that any of us are going to be pulling over .80g more then 5% of the time is absurd, so it's all magazine racing really.

LexFather

Sigh...how do I say this.
1. You haven't a clue. To say the IS is a disaster is foolish. Period. The car was 2nd to the 3 in Car and Driver. Every review has been positive about the car. Everyone here has said the same things, fast as hell, steering not up to BMW spec, still a fantastic car. A disaster is more like selling the BME 318 ti years ago. Reviews sucked, sales sucked, the car sucked. That is a disaster.
2. Its a LEXUS. This is LEXUS INTERPRETATION of a sports sedan. Thus you get VDIM and don't get a stick shift. This is not a BMW, this is a LEXUS. It excels at being a Lexus, it is not a BMW therfore shouldn't be called a disaster b/c it isn't exactly like one.
3. Even if Lexus had better steering, feedback etc than the BMW, you and others would still find faults with it and why BMW "the real thing" is better. So quite frankly its a moot point.
4. You cannot seriously compare the ES and IS driving experience. I've driven both recently and its NIGHT and DAY difference, from handling to acceleration. Being a LEXUS, they both offer top class interiors and features and easy of use and reliability.


I could call BMW a disaster, as a CAR, as an AUTOMOBILE because there is a good chance your chariot will be at the dealer more than in your garage. So technically, has it failed, as a mode of transport and its not transporting anything. its gaining dust somewhere in the dealer

See, that sounds foolish. As is calling the IS a disaster.

How the hell is selling 2,500 cars in half a month a disaster?