Hotcracker

I am currently a happy owner of a IS300 1st gen. it handle great, produce huge amout of torque a low RPM. great bucket seats.

i have been looking into the new is350 lately. i have been a bit dissapointed compared to last gen model.

the 350/250
1. no longer has a HAND brake, a foot brake? WTF. the last time i saw that was in a cargo van and my grandpa avalon. when was the last itme you saw a sport sedan with a FOOT brake?

2. no longer a FULL size spare. (is lexus making more money???)

3. Seat are bigger and somewhat unsupportive compared to last year (are people getting fatter?)

4. longer stopping distance (so where is the improvement in that department?)

5. the computer almost controls the car (check motor trend current review) lexus lost to BMW

6. no more inline 6

7. lighter feel on the sterring wheel than fist gen. (are people getting weaker?) and not caring about feeling the road?

8. no stick for the 350


the new lexus has killer looks, great soud system, big techo adv. such as bluetooth, and ipod conections, the new raw power engine can beat almost anything in the streets. not to forget to mention the improved gas mileage. but is lexus drifting away from what the IS300 used to be? a real racing sedan, simple yet luxurious enough not to be flashy. is this what we really asked for as consumers?

i encourage people to pickup a copy of motor trend. Lexus 350 vs BMW 330 vs MB

the is350 has amazing raw power. but did you know that the new avalon is even better? just as luxurious and lower sticker price, service is cheaper. sure it does not have a lexus badge and is not a rear wheel drive. but who care you is you are looking for power to go on a straight line.

thanks for reading
is300 MSM

rominl

iTrader: (4)

umm.....
1) you really have missed a lot of cars. for example the 98-05 gs300/430. that's a sport sedan, that has foot brake. the acura tl, it's sport sedan, it has foot brakes. i am not saying it's good, i prefer hand brakes, but it's nothing new
2) in order to get more trunk space and save weight, i guess that's not too bad of an option.
3) sometimes they look for more comfortable seats for general public
4) what's the stopping distance on the is350 now?
5) cars nowadays have a lot of computers controlling. you mean the vdim? i agree it's good if tehre is an on/off switch, but i rather have it than people crashing left and right
6) and, so? the is350 has more power and better gas mileage
7) the car is now more luxury oriented, that's why
8) agree, that's a big down side

bottom line is the new is250/350 is more of a lexus, a balance of performance, luxury, and comfort. with that respect i think lexus did a great job. is that a good thing, it's subjective. to a lot of driving enthusiasts, no. we want more road feel, stiffer suspension, more aggressive engine, etc.... however, i hate to say, but that might be like a small fraction of the whole market. a lot of people just want a car to drive, that looks good, decent power, comfortable with a lot of luxury stuff, at a good price. the is250/350 is their answer.

whereas the old is300? sorry, but it was not really the case imho. don't get me wrong, i had one. imho it was no lexus. it doesn't have the kinda of lexus built and quality in it, and in terms of insulation, luxury, gadgets, layout, etc... it was a far stretch. engine wise it had tons of potential but stock wise it wasn't too impressive compared to competitions. it was still selling hot, but it definitely couldn't capture as many people. many times already i had people driving or sitting inside a is300 and say the car is too stiff or the seats are too cramp.

just my views, of course

Big Andy

1. Only the Autos have a footbrake and it works perfectly in that format. Manual transmissions have an ordinary handbrake.

2. The tyres on the IS are directional and differing sizes front to rear. Any full size tyre would only fit on one corner. The space saver does what it says on the tin.

3. Yes we are. Sad but true.

4. Where does it say that?

5. A continuing trend on all new cars. BMWs as well.

6. Good, it was never a great engine anyway. The V6 allows for lower placement further back towards the firewall and improves weight distribution and balance.

7. You could have a point there. Then again it is consistent and you get used to it - unlike BMWs active steering system which no one likes.

8. I'd guess they looked at the market and decided the potential sales didn't justify developing a meaty enough gearbox to handle the power.

I'd question the discription of the original IS300 as a real racing sedan though.

4CYLNDR

Ditto. The IS300 is FAR from a "racing" sedan.

diablo1

Especially with 7.3-7.5 sec 0-60 stock...

SilverBolt

Ditto. No doubt it can be made into a well handling powerhouse but it is no racing sedan. The Evo and STi are far closer to that description than the stock IS300 ever was.

Tony1

From 0-60 a v-6 honda accord would of blew away the old is300 ,, after knowing
that do you really need to discuss the is300 further?

GSE25

I think it's a big improvement over the 1st gen. Although my 250 awd is DISAPPOINTINGLY slower than the IS300... the pros still outweigh the cons. Mainly in the luxury department where everything is more refined and luxurious than its predecessor. Don't get me wrong, I love the 1st gens but imo, the new one has much more to offer if you're not too into the performance aspect (250)... I agree with you on the foot brake and the bigger seats though.. I still prefer traditionally pulling up the handbrake and smaller seats for that extra hug when cornering.

mcfly

That's weird.... I'm 5'10" and weigh 135lbs (wet). I found the seats pretty comfy and reasonably bolstered. And this coming out of a WRX and and S2000 where admittedly things are tighter, but not nearly as comfy.

shaolin

iTrader: (2)

yea, i didn't like the way they designed the hand brake but lexus to me is just one luxury car.. lexus don't make excellent sports car period.

yes, the older IS have more sporty feel than the current model

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Lexus is "purposefully" drifting away from what the IS300 used to be, which is a semi-racing Toyota with a Lexus badge. The IS is a new thoroughbred of car: it has performance which is complemented with technology and (a lot of) safety [the "three dimentions" of the new IS]. The old IS was not as safety oriented nor was it technologically savvy. I think that the new IS is much better because it offers a better package as a whole, not like the IS300 which offers a simple package with "racing" in mind.

The Avalon and IS are compeltely different animals. That is like comparing the IS to the LS...

The Avalon is better in some ways: more room, less cost, more comfort. However, the IS is better in other ways: more horsepower, more technology, more safety, and, of course, better performance. It really depends on what you want, and it seems that you don't want the IS in particular.

Good luck in finding the perfect car!

Bichon

If you are looking to accelerate quickly, even in a straight line, you most certainly should care that a car has front wheel drive. High horsepower and FWD don't mix. Notice how the front of your car raises when you accelerate hard, and dives when you brake hard. WIth FWD, when that rearward weight shift occurs, it unweights the front wheels, causing wheel spin. On RWD, that weight shift increases traction on the powered wheels, reducing wheelspin. Simple physics.

eg6turbo

1. without a hand brake you have more room with the center console storage and looks alot cleaner and more luxurious....



2. the is350 has a staggard wheel and tire combo so having a full size front may not work in the rear and vise-versa...

3. looking at the pictures of both seats the is350 looks and feels more upscale...they are going after sport luxury...if you wanted better seats you can always throw in some leather wrapped recaros later

4. the is350 is a overall heavier car and with almost a 2" upgrade on the front rotors and upgraded 4 piston calipers the car now would be absolutely fade free...my friends is300 brakes would fade after 3 rounds at the local scca....

5. they tested the bmw with the dsc off giving them more control on how the car reacted at its limits...the only reason why they said it was all computer conrolled was because they didnt know how to turn off vdim ...with the bmw dsc on you cant do crap either...trust me i know i have a bmw with a similar dsc...

6. inline 6 motors dont produce that much tq down low...with a heavier car a v6 gets it off the line faster...2 seconds faster in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 compared to the is300...

7. driving around town the steering is fairly tight and really responsive...on the freeway at speed its really tight and feels great....and there plenty of road feel even though i dont care for that much road feel...streets of sf arnt the best....

8. the is300 initially didnt not come with a 5 spd...the following year was when lecus released the 5 spd model...the is350 is going to get a 6 spd manual hopefully next year...

9. the is350 had more rear leg and shoulder room then the is350

so all in all i really dont know what your complaining about...this car is better in almost everyway when it comes to upgrades...theres always a compromise when new models come out...the only real thing i see which wont be a problem is braking from 60 mph where the is350 takes 10 more feet...better tires should resolve that issue...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

umm...... the is300 auto is slow, but the 5 speed was quite a bit quicker. at low 6, the accord can't blow it away..... i had an is300 stick, i didn't lose to any accord.

and while the old is300 engine was very weak (i admit) but the handling was really good. i don't have problem that it will hang tight with the 3 series easy. i really like the handling of the old is300 myself.

and regarding spare..... stagger isn't really a "problem". the donut now isn't even the same size as either the front or the rear right? as long as it clears the front, it will clear the rear....

eg6turbo

on my bmw with a similar setup my front doesnt fit in the rear it rubs on the inside...just saying from experience...