LexFather

No review yet, the largest construction project in the SE opened yesterday, Atlantic Station http://www.atlanticstation.com/ so I had a couple events there to check out.

They closed the streets around the park and VIOLA, 1, 2, 3! ISs, the light blue, black and silver.

Pictures really don't do the car justice. I was AGAIN, EXPECTING to be disapointed, as most new cars to me today are big, ugly or retro or just pathetic.

I was looking at this car for maybe 20 minutes, as everytime I thought I saw it all, BLAM, another small detail here, an intersecting line here, the tailamps have to be a first, the way they poke out, lovely.

THe cars were locked, but the interior SHAMES the whole damn class except the ES 330 and the The Audi A4 and Acura TL. But both won't be as well built.

I go to the Taste of Lexus event tomorrow, full review to come there.

People are saying its too small? The car looks pretty damn big to me, 3 in wider and 3 inch longer than the 1IS.

My fav feature, the front end. My goodness that is ONE MEAN looking front. I mean, it looks BUSINESS. Then the way the car is sculpted around the wheels front and rear, WITHOUT HAVING TO USE GHEY GIANT WHEEL ARCHES.

My less favorite feature. I would say the sideview mirros are pretty damn big And IMO, like most cars today, there is too much DOOR and not enough WINDOW. Cars look so tall nowadays.

I guess if we laid off the damn Big Macs, cars wouldn't have to grow the way they do

Bottom line, I love it. I love it b/c its original. I mean, it doens't COPY anything. It looks like nothing else on the road.

I also really like the new 3 sedan, which to this DAY surprises me. The E90 (ONLY WITH THE SPORT PACKAGE) looks purposeful and very detailed. But LORD, when it has those puny wheels, it looks like crap.
I like the A4 too, but that front grill belongs on a SUV, not an AUDI. THe car is too small for that huge grill. I love that its timeless but its also so damn AUDI, its just another evolutionary design.

Finally, the Acura TL is a good looking car from most angles. Someone they made a FWD car look almost RWD. I just hate the fake BMW crease on the side and the front bumper is too heavy. OTherwise, its a pretty damn good looking car.

I won't name the UGLY cars in this class but you can search my posts and find that out

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Nice post.

Again, we hear that the car looks so much better in person. I mean, sometimes you anticipate and get disappointed, and other times you anticipate and fall in love. What is it about this car that disappoints in print but delivers in person? Most pictures end up looking like (gasp!) a Corolla or Mazda3, but in person, the car is truly incomprable.

Any thoughts? Has any other car done the same thing for you?

LexFather

I would say the 2GS, the Carerra GT Off the top of my head.

plgtx

I went to the Taste of Lexus event in Dallas today. OMG...the 350....speechless !

And surprisingly enough, the AWD 250 was not bad either. I made sure I drove the 250 first, so it wouldn't be spoiled, but it was not SLOW to me. I find it more than capable for the driving I do. Even though the course was limited, it got up to speed in what I felt was like my car now (maybe a tad slower). Once I adjusted my seat properly, It fit me like a glove. It feels like the car was made for me!
Oh, the Crystal White color is GORGEOUS! Once the sun hit it, it looked like the car was one big pearl. I don't even like white cars, but that may be the exception. The 350 I drove was the Smokey Granite, which is still my favorite color (cough, see sig). The 350 put an instant smile on my face. It felt like it was eager as soon as my foot lifted off of the brake! For me, it felt way faster and even handled better than the 330 I drove. It felt like point and shoot driving! Oh, by the way, I HATED driving the 330. It had the screwed up I-Drive system which I couldn't play with (took too much time). The interior left much to be desired, and was to blah. It didn't feel like the Ultimate Driving Machine to me (but just my opinion).

Back to the IS! For all wondering about the ML system, it sounded better than my home theater. The salesman (or whatever) gave me a demo of The Lord of the Rings DVD. The sound kept shutting the car down since it was on an inverter, but once things got back running, it was amazing! He also played a scence from Master and Commander that felt so real, I looked around like I was crazy!

For size purposes, I couldn't fit in the backseat when the person before me sat in the front. But, once I adjusted the driver's seat to fit me, I jumped in the back again and felt comfortable (I'm 5'7 and....thick).

This was just a quick write up of my random thoughts, but I will be happy with either the 250 or the 350, I can't go wrong with either one. Now, it's time to figure out the budget!!

Later

Gojirra99

I finally got to see the new IS in person today too, looks even better in person
Didn't get to drive the IS350 yet, but was offered to test drive the IS250 AWD, I turned it down.
I saw the car in white, black, dark grey & Matador Red in person, so far Matador Red is my favourite color for the IS350.

flipside909

Damn Mike! If it wasn't for your stupid work, you would have driven and experienced it first with TLW & Johnny Mo!