LEXtegra

If you think that injector tick that the US IS's have is bad. I have heard the IS220d and trust me, it just doesn't sound right coming from a Lexus. My wife was the one who brought it to my attention initially. She thought something was wrong with the guys Lexus. And I said its suppose to sound like that....... I think. Lol

p0lo8

And why would you like to drive diesel when diesel is more expensive (yes u get better mpg but still) and gasoline cars cost less plus you get better performance??

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

For most diesel owners, the MPG boost and the extra Torque is probably enough lol.

jmsharp02

iTrader: (2)

Diesel varies in price throughout the year, often it's cheaper than good premium gas. And yah-the torque rocks. How often do most people really get their cars up to their max speed? Maybe on this forum there are exceptions but I'd say most people drag to 80 mph or so...maybe. It's all about the torques at the lower speeds!

e46

My best friends father just bought a 335d. That's has some serious torque. And gets great mileage also. He told me he loves the diesel, this is coming from a guy that has owned a M5 and M6 recently. Traded the M6 for the 335d and a Mini for the wife.

Alantjai

You dont even want that engine and drivetrain...

It is not cheaper and it burns a lot of diesel for a diesel engine/car and therefore the engine has too many problems....

I am from Europe, so I know how many ppl complain about the reliability...

PetesSweet

The twin turbo'd 3series also suffers a lot of overheating issues, I've seen them do track driving between a g37 coupe and 335, the 335 overheated and stalled in the heat

ecr527

Diesel powered cars don't sell well in the US mainly due to the following reasons:

1) I'm not too sure about European countries, but in a lot of Asian countries, diesel is a LOT cheaper than gasoline. Here it's usually about the same price (if not more at times) than premium unleaded.

2) Just like hybrids, auto manufacturers charge more money for the diesel models. So most people figure they may as well just buy a hybrid and they could use regular unleaded.

If diesel prices were in line with other countries, I'm sure diesels would be more popular here IMO.

e46

Haven't heard about overheating with the 335d, most normal people aren't going to track their car so I don't think it's much of an issue for the general population. I really wanted a 335i before I bought my IS, I just couldn't find one in my price range. I've always had good luck with BMWs, a lot of people on this board put BMWs down saying they're unreliable, but I've never had any major issues. Love my Lexus though, and will probably be a long term owner, liked mine so much that I bought the wife a RX350.

PetesSweet

The people that say euro cars are unreliable is because they just expect to drive a vehicle and if a warning light goes on they just take it to mechanic, with euro card your must plan and expect maintenance,

For instance most ppl don't realize that turbos consume oil, so you must do oil changes more frequently because of that

And it was the BMW 335i that overheated
It was a YouTube video of a g37 coupe vs 335i review

miLanIS250

iTrader: (1)

The savings you do incur with a diesel are essentially nullified when you take the car in for service - beyond the premium you paid when you purchased the car as compared to the unleaded fuel variant of the same vehicle. My buddy with an E-Class Mercedes-Benz diesel learned this the hard way when his BlueTEC catalytic system required replacement.

miLanIS250

iTrader: (1)

A car is only as reliable as it is maintained. I could make a Toyota/Lexus burn oil, overheat, blow pistons/rods, etc. etc. if I don't maintain it properly and abuse it on a daily. Sure a Lexus is much more reliable than a BMW, even if it is poorly maintained, but the difference lies in the cost associated with regular maintenance - beyond regular oil changes.

dgsx1997

@PetesSweet - Can you qualify your statement as it relates to turbo's consuming oil?

I've owned turbo cars my entire life and can say that it is a closed environment when it comes to the turbos oil feed and return. Yeah, it causes the oil to break down faster due to the hot side of the turbo heating the oil to exhaust gas temperatures, but oil consumption on a properly working turbo isn't a statement I can conceive as being true.

I think there are two reasons why Diesel fuel hasn't taken hold in the United States.

First, refining of Diesel fuel outside of trucks wasn't a priority and thus wasn't focused on.

Second, the recent increase in consumer based diesel fuel consumption caused diesel fuel prices to exceed high octane fuel.

Given my first and second points there are no cost benefits.

richkan

Hey, I am from Europe as well and have a 220d with 110k kms in the odometer (68k miles).

Tough I had only one serious issue with the car at about 100k kms I think you are right, the 220d has a few issues, but I would not say it is unreliable. You just have to take care of the car and give the car what it needs.

This is not true at all, diesel cars last long.

Gasoline and Diesel are at about the same price in most Europen countries at the moment. In my country Diesel is more expensive:

Gasoline: 1.9$/liter -->7.23$/US Gallons
Diesel Liter: 1.79$/liter --> 6.8$/US Gallons

Consumption is better in a diesel tough. I usually drive at around 110mph on the freeway and get around 9liter/100 which is quite good on that speed (that must be 20-25% better compared to the IS250)



[QUOTE=LEXtegra;6801273]^That is true. I think the average european drives a longer commute to and from work, via the autobahn. So I makes sense for those that do to have a diesel. /QUOTE]

I think this is not true, there are some people in the EU who travel long distances every day but I guess an average European citizen drives much less in a day than people in the US. The reason why diesel cars are so popular in Europe is that the price of the fuel is like twice as much than in the US. A consumption of a diesel is like 20-25% better so people go for it...


[QUOTE=LEXtegra;6801313I have heard the IS220d and trust me, it just doesn't sound right coming from a Lexus. My wife was the one who brought it to my attention initially. She thought something was wrong with the guys Lexus. And I said its suppose to sound like that....... I think. Lol[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is loud But if you are in the inside of the car it is silent tough and silent at high speeds as well. Look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbqMMhAto24

Car revs 2500rpm at 110mph.