I wanted to write about my 2016 IS200t for anyone searching the internet looking for owner reviews on this particular model of car. I recently hit 100k miles this past labor day weekend, and I've never owned a car more reliable. For anyone skeptical about the new 2.0T from Lexus/Toyota, the 8AR-FTS motor, it has been a fantastic, trouble free car, in line with the typical Lexus reputation. The car has been serviced religiously at the Lexus dealership every 10k miles. I don't do the 5k services as I'll be at the dealer every 6 weeks if so. I recently had Lexus of Orlando replace all fluids (Engine oil/filter, brake fluid, engine coolant, intercooler coolant, rear differential fluid, transmission fluid) and I will continue to drive this car at the same pace I currently am. The power steering is electric so no fluids there.

I've had literally 0 repairs ever. I haven't had the boost solenoid issue, door locks issues or any other issue. My center armrest developed a tear in the fabric and I had that repaired. Other than wear and tear items (brakes, tires, fluids), literally everything else on the car is still original, including the battery, windshield wipers, and shocks. On a BMW for example, by now I'd have to overhaul the cooling system and suspension. I asked for a quote for 4 new shocks from the dealer, and was told they don't recommend new shocks until they leak. This is unheard of on a BMW. This car has also had several passes down the 1/4 mile track, and has been OVTuned since about 80k miles, however the car ran no faster with the tune and I currently have nothing good to say about OVTuning.

For anyone interested in purchasing one of these cars, I would highly recommend. This is my first Lexus product after owning Mercedes/BMW/VW's which will never go 100k miles without issue. I will probably buy another rwd Lexus if anything happened to this car, and I'm looking forward to to the next gen 4IS and hopefully I can snag an IS-F if they do produce one. I absolutely love this car, and unlike the european cars, I'm never fearful of driving it any distance, anywhere. Next month this car will be in service for 3 years so I plan on having a professional detail with ceramic coating performed, it def. needs it.

Also, the Lexus dealerships are amazing and provide much better service than either Mercedes or BMW, in my experience. 10/10 would recommend a Lexus product to anyone looking for a reliable luxury brand.

 

nice!! I have a 16 is200t as well and I was really skeptical about the turbod engine since the last one Toyota made was 2jz I think? but anyway im glad to hear about your 100k mark and im hyped to get there and put many more miles

 

Do your maintenance as prescribed by Lexus and you'll have nothing to worry about. Also, the 40k mile spark plug interval seems often but its legit. I ran the original set to about 70k miles, changed the spark plugs and knocked .4 seconds off my 1/4 mile time (before the OVTune). Went from 15.5 to 15.1 in the 1/4 mile. You don't notice the degrade in performance as its soo gradual, but I noticed the improvement immediately after and verified at the track.

 

Nice to hear that this engine is holding up. I’ll be very interested to see how many miles you hit before you do run into an issue. I just hit 15k and I feel confident I won’t have any real issues (I did have the turbo regulator issue). I read somewhere they expected the engine life of this engine to be 150k, but I highly doubt that with it being a Toyota product.

 

Surprised your battery lasted till now. I have the same 2016 IS200t, no issues with the vacuum regulator so far as well (touch wood), but the battery had to be replaced six months in, granted i installed front and back dashcam and aftermarket audio stuffs. You must be on the road ALOT! lol.... I would really like to see the 2.4 turbo in the 4IS that is supposed to replace the IS350.

 

Woot, this is what I like to hear!
Mine is also living up to the Toyota/Lexus reputation.
Currently at 36K and the boost solenoid was my only issue ($120 fix).

Hopefully my next upgrade will be the next-gen IS-F.
Lexus has me as a lifelong customer, from this experience.

 

Here's some pics, time slips and dynos. These are all stock numbers and times, because like mentioned earlier, it ran worse times after the OVTune.
100k Milestone

Orlando Speedway 1/4 Mile Dragstrip Stock: 15.1 @ 91 mph

Stock Dyno 218 whp @ 5700 rpms 247 ft lbs

 

I'm hoping to get at least 200k miles out of this car, which is why I've been so **** about maintenance. I don't necessarily baby this car, but I do keep certain things in mind like let the car idle for a bit after a hard drive.

 

100k miles and you don't have window tint lol?

 

All windows including the windshield and sunroof have LLumar 80 Clear UV Film applied. Basically blocks out all the UV rays while still being clear. Tinting changes the way a car looks and I like the look of a brand new car as it left the factory, with no tint. I go more for performance mods than appearance mods.

 

This is awesome to hear!

I’m nearing 9,000 miles on my 2019 IS. The reasons you listed are why I left BMW. My suspension on the BMW because so floaty that once the shocks were removed from the car, I could compress them easily with my hands. Oil leak before 60k miles. Steering rack went out. Interior door handles melted off. Electrical gremlins over and over.

I plan to keep the IS as long as it will keep driving so here’s hoping I have the same experience you did.

 

Yup, typical BMW. I don't trust a BMW once past 50k miles, anything is suspect to fail at that point. Peace-of-mind in a Lexus is a luxury that gets taken for granted unless you've owned a european car before. I still have my BMW Z4 M coupe but that car is for fun only.

I WILL say that if I were into leasing cars, I would probably not lease a Lexus as the european cars are generally good through the lease/warranty period, and they are nicer cars to drive and sit in. However for long term or high mileage low cost ownership, they cannot beat Lexus.

 

My IS200t had a failed water pump and coolant leak at 25k miles. Replaced under warranty.

Also remember shocks aren't an on and off switch. They degrade and have half-lifes. So "leaking" isn't exactly the point where it fails. On a performance car, reduced performance is failure in my book.

Components made to perform don't last in miles, but hours. Such as on race cars or jets. BMW dampers tend to be very very good and light, but the downside is this lightness means they're more fragile so they're prone to failure earlier.

That superior feel you get from german engineering doesn't come as a coincidence and certainly doesn't come for free. It's the result of an overall engineering package designed with a purposeful bias towards performance/athleticism more than reliability/longevity.

Basically you have to pay to play. Nothing comes for free.

That being said, I choose to drive a Lexus despite this, because i'm at a point in my life now where I don't really care about cars too much. I just want to have something reliable and long lasting, at the expense of outright performance and/or feel.

 

Agreed, there is no perfect car for every situation. But I still have my BMW when I want some fun, and it does come at a cost haha.

 

Thanks for the review. I bought mine 2 weeks ago just for daily drive,reliability and comfort. My only regret is not getting the fsport trim!!