fastball

Good evening,

This is my first post in this forum. I currently do not own a Lexus and never have, but have strong interest in the new IS 250. In this class, I think it is the most beautiful car available. Problem is, I seem to be among the esteemed few who put performance ahead of convenience. I am interested in the 6 speed manual. I won't own an automatic. Having said that, I have been trying to locate photos of the interior of the 6 speed manual IS 250 with no avail. I have the official brochure on the IS line, and not one picture in the brochure is of one with a stick. So, I wonder, if any of you IS 250 stick shift owners would be so kind as to post a few pictures of your interior, I would really appreciate it. Mainly the center console, gauge cluster, and if possible, the pedals (heel and toeing it with size 11's can be tough if the pedals are poorly spaced).

I really love this car. I know Lexus makes some of the best cars out there today. I currently own a 2000 Honda Prelude, and have had thoughts of buying an Acura TL 6 speed. But if I can find a Lexus IS 250 equipped with just the premium package and the Mark Levinson sound system, I would buy it. I would just like to see some interior pictures of it first.

Thank you.

05RollaXRS

Since none of the Lexus owners have responded. I am jumping in to help you on this one.

Here you go:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...2&page=3&pp=15

Although, IS250 would be slower than the TL stock, Lexus IS is getting some exhausts, intake and header built for it with good gains. So in my opinion, an IS250 6 speed manual with sport package and these mods will make it one hell of a luxury sport sedan.

carenthus

Here is another thread with a picture of the manual stick interior.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...5&page=2&pp=15

knox_sport

I'm kicking myself wishing I'd saved the links to manual tranny pix. That's what I want, and I know what you're going through -- finding those pix isn't easy.

There are two on the main page of this review (right side column of pix). One w/premium package (wood) and another without.

http://research.cars.com/go/crp/revi...19&aff=chitrib


I know there's another Canadian review of the IS with another shot of the interior with the premium package & stick. But I can't find it. Hopefully someone owns one & will post...

fastball

Thanks to all those who replied.....

Coincidentally, my dealer just got a 6 speed manual in stock..... so I just got home today from taking it for a spin.

Fantastic car (although I'm sure I don't have to remind those of you who already own one )

My first impressions:

This car puts the Acura TL to shame.

Very linear steering with no dead spot on center whatsoever. Laser sharp, so when you change lanes or hit a curve in the road, the steering is telepathic sharp. It knows exactly what you want to do before you even do it.

Solid, quiet, refined interior the likes I've never experienced in a car before (like I said in my first post, I never owned a Lexus). Yet, you can still hear the engine rev up as you go through the gears - the salesman was very cool and let me wind it out a bit on the on ramp. Took her to 6k in each gear before I looked down and saw I was doing 90 - neither of us realized it!

Since I was the first to drive it, it had about 5 inches of snow on top of it and I was very impressed at how fast the car heated up and defrosted the windows. Nice heated seats as well. Buttery soft leather.

It had the premium package, and a few accessories (winter floor mats and embroidered trunk mat), blue onyx pearl with cashmere interior.

That's probably how I will order mine, only instead of blue I prefer the Tungsten Pearl with black leather. I would certainly go for the premium package, and would like the ML sound system as well. The salesman said if I went with ML, I would be looking at about a 6 month ordering period (because I don't want the navigation system), without the ML they could locate one for me within 2 months.

I'll decide very soon which way I want to go.

In the mean time, I'd like to hear what you all think about your 6 speed manuals after owning it for a while. Thanks.

knox_sport

You mentioned heated seats. So, did it have the premium or sport package? If premium, how'd you like the wood and how it looked with cashmere? That's the interior color I'm looking at.

Most important, how was the shift and clutch feel? I have a Toyota with a 5-speed, and it's rather notchy. I'm expecting the IS to be smoother.

Thanks!

fastball

It had the premium package. The wood is very nice, you can see all the grain in rich detail. It looks nice with cashmere, but I'm a person who prefers dark interiors.

As for the shifter and clutch, all top notch. The shifter has short throws with precise engagement, and the clutch is smooth and easy. It's probaby a hydraulic clutch.

If you are driving any Toyota outside a Supra, you have front wheel drive. Keep in mind the IS is RWD, so the gear shift is hooked directly to the gearbox, while on front wheel drive cars you have a shift linkage which will affect the feel.

The driveline hump is quite high on the IS, as they have raised the drivetrain for better undercaraige aerodynamics. I happen to like it - you feel wraped up and very comfortable with the drivline up to your mid-torso.

Josh Combs

Which dealership are you dealing with?

05RollaXRS

How did you feel the driver involvement factor comparo to your other choice i.e. Acura TL 6 speed and somewhat performance as well. (yeah TL is a front drive V6 car with a horrible torque steer, but gotta ask anyways. )

fastball

Metro Lexus in Brookpark. There are only 2 in Northeast Ohio - Metro and Classic in Mentor which is 60 miles from where I live (North Olmsted), so I doubt I'll be visiting them much.

You hear more of the engine with the TL than the IS. When VTEC kicks in on the TL, there's cerainly more scream than on the IS. Even though the IS has a variable timing system (VVT-i) similar if not exactly like the TL's, the engine noise remians audible but barely.

There is a notable difference driving a RWD car - the turning radius is amazingly short. You can manuver into the tightest spots with ease. And, since the weight distribution is near even, hardly a hint of nosedive with extremely hard braking. What actually is an added bonus is under hard acceleration, when you hit the gas and the momentum of the car shifts rearward, it puts more pressure on the drive wheels for better traction. When you hit the gas hard on a FWD car, it pulls the weight off the drive wheels, so there is not as much force to them.

Having been a Honda owner for 6 years, I am quite used to the sound and feel of VTEC. However, riding in the Lexus I felt like I was getting all the performance of an Acura, without the noises. It was quite nice. Every little thing about Lexus vehicles exudes class, elegance, sophistocation, warmth, refinement. They are very well buit, well crafted machines. They have really managed to ballance driver involvement with panache and luxury better than anyone.

I know this sounds really silly, but untill you try it you won't understand..... and when you do you will.....

Try opening and closing the doors on an IS once or twice. They are so buttery soft, smooth, and silent when they close, you will want to go out to your garage at 3:00 in the morning to do just that! They go beyond the nice "whoomp" that most well built cars have to a sort of "whoowh". Definitely built better than a TL, as well built as it is. When I went back to my Prelude to leave the dealer, as nice of a car it is and as much as I have loved it for 6 years, it felt like a piece of garbage.

05RollaXRS

Nice.

Just to give you some information on technology used in your IS250 (not found on any Honda).

Dual VVT-i

Infinite valve timing advancing and retarding on both exhaust and intake cams (instead of just the intake cams in VVT-i). Direct injection allows the fuel to be directly injected into the cylinders, which eliminates the need for an intake manifold (hence the lofty compression ratio).

All you need is an aftermarket exhaust and intake and you will see the engine will be a lot louder when you punch it since it will advance the exhaust cam timing as well.

The only screaming engine with variable valve timing and a dedicated high speed cam lobe with increased lift engaging at 6000 rpm to 8400 rpm that Toyota developed with Yamaha was the VVTL-i 2ZZ GE engine for Celica GTS. They never incorporated this concept of second high speed cam lobe in any other engines.

Cypren

I got my car at Metro -- had a very good buying experience with them. Ed Stohrer was the salesman I worked with, and I'd highly recommend him. Helped me set up the purchase from California, took care of all the out of state registration paperwork, and has been really friendly, checking in on how the car's doing and such; quite a lot more than I expected from a salesman dealing with someone across the country who isn't likely to be a repeat customer.

Something funny that I've noticed with my car is that you hear the engine when you want to -- which is to say, it has that satisfying "vroom" to it when you floor it. But when you're cruising, it just fades away and you never notice it. Lexus really deserves big kudos for the way the acoustics were balanced.

Fully agreed, and this was really the deciding factor for me over the Infiniti and BMW. The other two may make you feel more connected to the road (especially the BMW), but the Lexus makes you feel like you're driving luxury. Neither of the other two really convey that same "wow" factor.

One last note -- spend some time with the nav system before you write it off, especially if you're going to get the Mark Levinson package (a fantastic system in its own right). It completely changes the way you interact with the car. I can't even imagine doing without it now, and I'll certainly never buy another car without an onboard computer that meets or exceeds the high standard set by this one.

fastball

Since I work for a large electronics retailer, I can get a Garmin or Tom Tom for dirt cheap with my discount if I really wanted one. I know Lexus has top notch GPS systems, but it's not really important to me.

Did you live in Ohio at some point, or was Metro the only dealer with a 350 exactly how you wanted it?

I have been working with Greg. I don't remember his last name. He has been very helpfull and patient with me (I'm kind of picky about what I'm going to put 33 large on).

fastball

Thanks for the info. It's good stuff to learn. I appologize if I have made some incorrect statements about Toyota motor designs. I'm very knowledgeable about Honda/Acura since I've owned Hondas almost all my driving life, but I'm still learning the Toyota/Lexus way of life

Cypren

Fair enough. To me, the biggest perk of the nav system isn't the nav itself, but the touchscreen interface to the rest of the car's functions -- not to mention the ability to play DVD movies and view the video content of DVD-Audio discs. Plus the GPS is much more accurate than a standalone unit, since it uses your spedometer/odometer and turning data to fix the position. It's usually within about 15-20 feet of where it should be.

But I'll stop lobbying. =) I'm just a big proponent of the nav system and I know a lot of people tend to write car navs off as "all the same."

My wife's family lives in Ohio. We were flying out there for Thanksgiving, and I called up Metro on a whim and it turned out that they had a model coming in that week that was line-for-line identical to what I was about to factory order (and wait 4 months for) here in CA. (The Levinson package and parking assist aren't available here.)

I'm not familiar with any of their other salespeople -- Ed was just the guy I randomly was assigned when I called up and asked for a salesman. And I don't blame you one bit for being picky -- in my mind, if you're paying over $30k for a car, you're entitled to some serious consideration and effort by the salesman. That's part of the luxury-buying experience, and it's part of why commissions are larger for these cars.

And even though the IS is the low-end of the Lexus line, smart salespeople know that kids coming in today to buy an IS may well come back for an LS in a few years once they're looking for something less sporty and more stately. =)