LexFather

(1SICK googling plastic usage on cars as you type)

insider

Only someone who does not know how to drive a manual would ask a question like this.

The Chad

That's interesting, I currently own a Honda S2000 which last time I checked is only available in a 6-speed manual. I've autocrossed it as well locally, and still find that feathering the throttle to be a much better use of throttle control than being in a higher gear and mashing the go pedal. It's not an on / off switch.

Generally, if I press the pedal all the way to the floor, that translates into my brain, actually, let me reverse that...

If my brain feels that I need to press the pedal to the floor, it must think that I need full power from the car. If that's the case, my brain then decides that a downshift is in order, and performs it.

I understand the point is that the car changes gears even if you don't want it to, and I can completely agree with how that could possibly be annoying. But I can't think of any situation where you would need to put the foot all the way to the floor but not queue up a downshift.

Please enlighten my obviously ignorant point of view.

daveortega

They also said this:

"That Bimmer starts at about a grand more ($31,595), comes with a six-speed and a 3.0-liter inline-six that makes 215 horsepower and 185 pound-feet at a low 2750 rpm. Its specs are nearly identical to the IS250’s, but BMW seems to make better use of them—the German car gets to 60 mph a full second before the IS250 and 0.7 second more quickly through the quarter (14.7 seconds) at 94 mph. And the 325i feels right when pushed."

Personally, I don't see the point of the IS250--it pales very badly compared to the even more powerful 328i.

But, hey, I have an IS350 and I agree that the 335i is a far superior sport sedan.

AM1

iTrader: (6)

for the rrecord i drove an is250 and is 350 and the is250 feels weaker then a 140 hp honda civic, granted i didnt drive it with a manual transmission but still. i dont get why dynamic cruise is necessary, ive driven a LS with the system and the system is overly sensitive and hard to use in heavy traffic....which in so cal is almost all the time. hey to the original poster, the dealers are lying when they say they cant get sport package....im looking for that too.

Bichon

The whole point of a manumatic transmission is to give control of the gear changing to the driver. When I click the paddle or tap the shifter, I want the transmission to shift to the gear I asked for as quickly as possible. If I wanted the car to interpret the intentions of my right foot and pick the most appropriate gear, I'd have left it in "Drive". In my opinion, the only valid reason to ignore the wishes of the driver is when he is asking for something that would damage the engine or transmission.

NovaIS350

Yeah...that electronically controlled transmission with intelligence is probably too intelligent for it's own good. The manumatic tranny in the Lamborghini Gallardo is pretty sick, and yes I've driven one. It's a manual without a clutch, you click on the paddle shifter and you are instantly in the gear you want, no electronic sissy patrol here. The only problem is if you don't know how to drive it( I hit the limiter twice, my uncle almost threw me out of the car), you can seriously mess up the tranny..which probably cost as much as the IS itself. needless to say, I want one.

IronPhoenX

I don't know about the Civic, but my IS250 AWD is faster than my old 160hp RSX base auto. You have to set the IS's ETC to PWR to see the difference. I still have to get use to the torque of the IS cause I was always waiting on the RSX to reach redline to get that jolt of power.

And it's hard to feel how fast you're going in an IS cause everything is so smooth. My RSX felt like a go-cart compared to the IS. I guess that's why I feel the RSX was more fun to drive than the IS cause it was like a roller coaster ride

insider

Exactly

ff_

It's because the car is so isolated from external inputs, which is different than being smooth. Smooth is an inline 6 or V12 that is extremely well-balanced by nature, without having to resort to balance shafts and extra-absorbant engine mounts. I'm going to be black-balled again for saying this, but I find the IS's engine to be rather rough, actually. It's completely isolated and numb at lower RPMs, but is crude and starts "coming apart at the seams", so to speak, at mid and higher RPMs. Our ES330 is the same way.

And I can always feel how fast I'm going by how the car is becoming more and more unstable. And wandering all over the road.

Belmont

Maybe you should take your car in for service, because I don't have any of these issues.

ff_

The IS250 I drove a month before I bought mine was the same way. That's 3-for-3 for me.

It's not a defect in materials or workmanship. It's just not a smooth engine.

MLevinson

Go drive an over-rated Nissan VQ and you'll be wishing for the IS350 - the IS 3.5L is vastly smoother then the VQ [and quicker] and was very-very close it the 335i IMO.

I thought I was into this "feeling everything is better" BS, but after feeling every vibration, hum, drive train lash, ect ect, in my G35 - I have to say I'm tired of it. Some call it raw, others call it unrefined - guess that depends on your disposition. I'll give you that the 335i has class leading steering and the best sport suspension I've driven in terms of ride quality/handling - and the Septronic is one tick short of DSG [amazing rev matches - seamless RIGHT NOW shifts], but I still think the IS350 is the better all-around machine.

You must really have a bad apple.

...man my nice avator is gone [what's up w/that Mr. Ms. administrator...?]

Belmont

Either that or just a troll, based on some of his previous posts.

ff_

Yeah, how dare someone have a viewpoint different than your own? How dare someone compare a lexus to other cars in the same class that they've owned? The nerve of some people.

The solution is always a simple one: just call the person a troll, immediately dismissing that the person's opinions might actually be valid.


Honestly, I've never driven a Nissan G. Just never had any interest in the car, so I couldn't really vouch for the engine.