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I had read the entire thread.
I was asking the poster (Albo) what options he thought were missing.
I've got heated/cooled/power/memory/leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, headlamp washers, park assist, cross traffic alert, etc.
And that's all on the first year model of the 3IS. I thought it was pretty impressive. Sure, it doesn't have massaging seats, but I wouldn't expect it on this class of car.
So the question was to Albo, what does he think is missing, that lowers the car's appeal?
Once again... did you bother to read the thread??? It literally says on his FIRST post what he thinks he's missing.
'It bothers me that the there is plastic where there should be aluminum, pleather seats, piano black trim, no auto-tilting mirrors, no memory seats, and no accessory outlet options or climate control for the rear. To be fair, I missed many of these on the test drive.'
What's funny is, the RC F seems to be getting more common on the used market, and thus, a little more affordable. Hence, I am planning on taking a look at one on Friday while getting the recently-announced navigation service campaign done.
I don't have any regrets. I just released my IS back in March after I went over miles on my 2016. I love the car, the power isn't as bad as people say, the handling is amazing IMO, for a 4 door sedan. I was driving a 2019 Mustang GT for about a week and sure it had power but man, it didn't handle as good and the feel driving wasn't as connected to the road as the IS. I know both cars are different but it's something I noticed and couldn't wait to get back to my IS.
Some things I wish it had is probably a bit more power, better stock tires, CarPlay (2019 and still no CarPlay??), and maybe auto-folding mirrors? Actually I don't really care about that. But honestly, that's all. If I want all that, I'll get an M3, unfortunately, it's a bit out of my price range. That will most likely be my next car.
My biggest regret was not getting the is 350 and got the 250 instead. At first, I thought a 250 would help me to not floor it as much on the road, but you just cant go against what you like..
With that said, I rented a m240i convertible for a whole day test drive last weekend. Definitely love the power and the top down but actually I end up appreciating the lexus a bit more somehow..
Once again... did you bother to read the thread??? It literally says on his FIRST post what he thinks he's missing.
'It bothers me that the there is plastic where there should be aluminum, pleather seats, piano black trim, no auto-tilting mirrors, no memory seats, and no accessory outlet options or climate control for the rear. To be fair, I missed many of these on the test drive.'
I’m not looking to start a pissing match here.
Yes I read the whole thread, and yes the OP (Settle4) listed some features he expected to see on his car. Sorry, that’s not how the industry works. Some stuff is left off ‘base’ model cars so the manufacturer can meet certain price points, so you need to do your due diligence and research what is or is not available on a particular car. My Jag, with a $86K price in 2007, did not come with every available option. You gotta pay to play. It’s why I didn’t buy an IS xxx F-Sport, the options that were important to me, were not available, whereas they were available on the non-F-Sport. Frustrating, yes.
If you read my first post, you’ll see that my question was to ‘Albo’, to see what items he thought were not available. His list may be entirely different than Settle4’s or yours.
I’m not looking to start a pissing match here.
Yes I read the whole thread, and yes the OP (Settle4) listed some features he expected to see on his car. Sorry, that’s not how the industry works. Some stuff is left off ‘base’ model cars so the manufacturer can meet certain price points, so you need to do your due diligence and research what is or is not available on a particular car. My Jag, with a $86K price in 2007, did not come with every available option. You gotta pay to play. It’s why I didn’t buy an IS xxx F-Sport, the options that were important to me, were not available, whereas they were available on the non-F-Sport. Frustrating, yes.
If you read my first post, you’ll see that my question was to ‘Albo’, to see what items he thought were not available. His list may be entirely different than Settle4’s or yours.
I just realized Albo was someones username lol. My misunderstanding, maybe I should of read! Thanks for clarifying.
I feel you, since my purchase, 2006 Lexus IS350 all of my of cars have been Lexus 3 year leases for my wife. IS250 convertible, CT,and RC350. Last 2 years we have been a one car family. My 2006 Lexus IS350. with over 182k miles has been a fairly reliable car. The interior is almost all brand new. Lexus replaced the dash and four side panels. My leather seats have no cracks.( post pictures later) Other than factory recalls. The water pump was replaced by extended warranty. The alternator has been replaced twice, headlamp ballast, and navigation screen.spark plugs twice and ignition wires and coils.The cars eats a quart of oil every 1k miles But like everything else in life Lexus, like cruises and chocolate chip cookies have been cutting corners, charging more and giving less. I was disappointed with the last 3 leases, power was anemic. Understandable with the CT but truly disappointed with the RC350. It is supposed to have the same 306Hp motor as my IS but it felt sluggish and heavy but did handled better. There is nothing in the current Lexus line up appeals to me. I really want a compact sporty SUV or a convertible. I have driven the NX and the turbo charge engine doesn't do it for me. There is a noticeable turbo lag and 240Hp for something that weights close to 4k pounds is deficient. I don't understand why Lexus vehicles are always more heavy than their competitors, even their sports cars, I love my 2006 Lexus IS350. I intend to replace the engine and transmission when the time comes. Which will be more than the car is worth but there doesn't seem to be anything out there worth what they are asking for.
I feel you, since my purchase, 2006 Lexus IS350 all of my of cars have been Lexus 3 year leases for my wife. IS250 convertible, CT,and RC350. Last 2 years we have been a one car family. My 2006 Lexus IS350. with over 182k miles has been a fairly reliable car. The interior is almost all brand new. Lexus replaced the dash and four side panels. My leather seats have no cracks.( post pictures later) Other than factory recalls. The water pump was replaced by extended warranty. The alternator has been replaced twice, headlamp ballast, and navigation screen.spark plugs twice and ignition wires and coils.The cars eats a quart of oil every 1k miles But like everything else in life Lexus, like cruises and chocolate chip cookies have been cutting corners, charging more and giving less. I was disappointed with the last 3 leases, power was anemic. Understandable with the CT but truly disappointed with the RC350. It is supposed to have the same 306Hp motor as my IS but it felt sluggish and heavy but did handled better. There is nothing in the current Lexus line up appeals to me. I really want a compact sporty SUV or a convertible. I have driven the NX and the turbo charge engine doesn't do it for me. There is a noticeable turbo lag and 240Hp for something that weights close to 4k pounds is deficient. I don't understand why Lexus vehicles are always more heavy than their competitors, even their sports cars, I love my 2006 Lexus IS350. I intend to replace the engine and transmission when the time comes. Which will be more than the car is worth but there doesn't seem to be anything out there worth what they are asking for.
You make me miss my 2006 IS350 more... Mine had 117,000 miles and was going through a quart of oil between oil changes, but otherwise was sound. My interior was also near new with no rips or tears in the leather. I think Lexus really nailed it the first year of the IS350.
Most of my gripes are similar to the OP. I understand this car not having rear climate control, as that is pretty rare and expensive, not even standard in a GS let alone an IS. The lack of memory driver seat at least is an oversight. I can't seem to find any in my area with the ML system that everyone seems to enjoy. The safety features are much more common in 2017+ models I've looked at. The piano black trim I have in my ES and I absolutely despise it. The ventilated seats don't do anything in my opinion that make it worth installing in these vehicles. I have only seen a couple with a heated steering wheel, which should be standard at least on AWD models sold in cold climates. Overall the interior to me just does not give me a satisfying feeling, and I am not someone that comes from a competitor. My car is a '15 ES and I really enjoy the interior in that car(other than the piano black trim pieces). Anyway I think best way for her to make up her mind is to rent both cars and give them a thorough drive unlike the 5 min test drives most dealers like to offer.
Most of my gripes are similar to the OP. I understand this car not having rear climate control, as that is pretty rare and expensive, not even standard in a GS let alone an IS. The lack of memory driver seat at least is an oversight. I can't seem to find any in my area with the ML system that everyone seems to enjoy. The safety features are much more common in 2017+ models I've looked at. The piano black trim I have in my ES and I absolutely despise it. The ventilated seats don't do anything in my opinion that make it worth installing in these vehicles. I have only seen a couple with a heated steering wheel, which should be standard at least on AWD models sold in cold climates. Overall the interior to me just does not give me a satisfying feeling, and I am not someone that comes from a competitor. My car is a '15 ES and I really enjoy the interior in that car(other than the piano black trim pieces). Anyway I think best way for her to make up her mind is to rent both cars and give them a thorough drive unlike the 5 min test drives most dealers like to offer.
The 3 memory driver’s seat comes in the luxury package, and heated steering wheel in the winter package.
Picking a random car and expecting it to have everything you want, is not likely to happen.
Yes, get something local for an extended test drive, then use the web to find the car that meets your needs. Did that with my last two car purchases, and had the cars shipped to me. Happy with both.
It gave me some perspective on how lucky we are to have the IS F Sport. Two main things stood out that reminded me of my IS during my test drive.
First off, the steering and overall feeling of agility in the RC F isn't all that different from the IS. I think the feel is somewhat better, particularly in Sport+ with the TVD in Slalom mode, which makes the car more willing to turn-in. However, steering response itself, as well as the overall damping of the suspension, ride comfort, and seating position felt essentially identical to what I am used to in my IS F Sport. That means, in effect, you're not going to get beaten up in an RC F on the daily commute, but is also means it's not significantly dialing up the "edge" of the driving experience from a feel perspective. Grip, however, seemed to be in no short supply, as the twisty roads we drove on were quite fun in the RC F, and even getting on the gas early, there seemed to be plenty of traction. I think that's thanks to the much wider tires and suspension tuning of the car.
Secondly, the transmission feels quite similar to how it does in the IS 350 RWD. I was quite surprised by this, frankly. Sure, the shifts are just a touch quicker and harder when in Sport+ mode, but the responsiveness is mostly the same as a 350 model. The response when using the paddles was a solid "meh" for me - no better or worse than what I am used to, which is somewhat of a bummer. However, I will say the shifts were very quick, and transmission engagement was abrupt and hard, just like you'd want in a sporty vehicle.
I had a ton of fun with the RC F. I went out for two different test drives with different salespeople, and tried out different things. I was largely grinning the whole time, but there were moments where, when just coasting along, I almost forgot I was in an RC F and not my normal IS. That's a compliment as well as a demerit. On one hand, I could totally see daily-driving it. On the other, this car could really be a dedicated fun machine if it were a little more sporty. Thankfully, it was sporty enough to quell any fears I had of it being "heavy", as it felt just as agile as the IS, if not more so with the help of Sport+ mode. Naturally, lighting up the rear tires thanks to the somewhat damp conditions yesterday was a lot of fun as well. I turned to the sales guy in the car with me, as we were stuck behind a pickup truck trying to make a left turn on a busy street. "Mind if we do something slightly illegal?", I say to him. He says, "Well, go for it I guess." So I floored it as the truck turned, and the RC spun tires pretty nicely in first gear, before hooking up and pulling into second gear, where it briefly chirped the tires on shifting. That was definitely the highlight of the test drive, and it even had my sales guy giggling.
It's a great car. This one was too low-mileage and high-price for my budget, but I'm on the hunt for the right one. I'm told another higher-mileage one is coming in the next month or so - and it's orange.
It gave me some perspective on how lucky we are to have the IS F Sport. Two main things stood out that reminded me of my IS during my test drive.
First off, the steering and overall feeling of agility in the RC F isn't all that different from the IS. I think the feel is somewhat better, particularly in Sport+ with the TVD in Slalom mode, which makes the car more willing to turn-in. However, steering response itself, as well as the overall damping of the suspension, ride comfort, and seating position felt essentially identical to what I am used to in my IS F Sport. That means, in effect, you're not going to get beaten up in an RC F on the daily commute, but is also means it's not significantly dialing up the "edge" of the driving experience from a feel perspective. Grip, however, seemed to be in no short supply, as the twisty roads we drove on were quite fun in the RC F, and even getting on the gas early, there seemed to be plenty of traction. I think that's thanks to the much wider tires and suspension tuning of the car.
Secondly, the transmission feels quite similar to how it does in the IS 350 RWD. I was quite surprised by this, frankly. Sure, the shifts are just a touch quicker and harder when in Sport+ mode, but the responsiveness is mostly the same as a 350 model. The response when using the paddles was a solid "meh" for me - no better or worse than what I am used to, which is somewhat of a bummer. However, I will say the shifts were very quick, and transmission engagement was abrupt and hard, just like you'd want in a sporty vehicle.
I had a ton of fun with the RC F. I went out for two different test drives with different salespeople, and tried out different things. I was largely grinning the whole time, but there were moments where, when just coasting along, I almost forgot I was in an RC F and not my normal IS. That's a compliment as well as a demerit. On one hand, I could totally see daily-driving it. On the other, this car could really be a dedicated fun machine if it were a little more sporty. Thankfully, it was sporty enough to quell any fears I had of it being "heavy", as it felt just as agile as the IS, if not more so with the help of Sport+ mode. Naturally, lighting up the rear tires thanks to the somewhat damp conditions yesterday was a lot of fun as well. I turned to the sales guy in the car with me, as we were stuck behind a pickup truck trying to make a left turn on a busy street. "Mind if we do something slightly illegal?", I say to him. He says, "Well, go for it I guess." So I floored it as the truck turned, and the RC spun tires pretty nicely in first gear, before hooking up and pulling into second gear, where it briefly chirped the tires on shifting. That was definitely the highlight of the test drive, and it even had my sales guy giggling.
It's a great car. This one was too low-mileage and high-price for my budget, but I'm on the hunt for the right one. I'm told another higher-mileage one is coming in the next month or so - and it's orange.
I had the pleasure of riding in @mjeds RC-F a while back ago, and I must say the car is extremely comfortable and..... pretty quick lol. The interior feels just like the IS, but the power is on another level
He did have some fun flooring it at one point lol and the tires spun out just like you mentioned, but they locked right back on and caused absolutely no issues. The RC-F is many times compared to the BMW M4, but the 2 are in no direct competition with each other from what I've seen and heard. Great car nonetheless
You in the market to purchase one now? What about the IS lease you still have?
10-02-19 | 07:48 PM
Mine had 117,000 miles and was going through a quart of oil between oil changes, but otherwise was sound. My interior was also near new with no rips or tears in the leather. I think Lexus really nailed it the first year of the IS350.
