Yeah this car doesn't behave consistently. I noticed after break in period that my Sport+ mode was more aggressive, but again this is probably the adaptive logic learning my driving style.

Even the way it rev match downshifts is all over the place. Most other cars will blip revs for every down shift if in Sport mode. But the Lexus needs to have g-forces, speed or throttle position to blip it.

 

I noticed the same thing on downshifts as well. I hope the car continues to learn and improve. If it will just downshift to the correct gear when I got WOT I will be happy. I Fred Flintstone'd the pedal through the floor board and couldn't get 3rd gear from a 60 roll lol

 

Well, there is no denying, and pretty much everyone knows this, that the IS 500's tranny is far from being the shining star of this car. This tranny is still in an RC F, GS F and the former IS F so even the F cars don't have the best possible tranny. I am not looking for a lightning fast blip because of how I drive mine. In the end, I am more concerned about a reliable car over a razor sharp handling vehicle and how fast the car shifts. That being said, I know that I am not a true enthusiast and somewhat conservative and that my view don't reflect the views of all here

 

As far as I can tell from the not even 500km i've driven mine, that tranny is still way faster than the 6 spd we had in our 350's!

 

^^ LMAO - I thought we had a 4 speed?!?! (J/K) - That is true, the 6 speed was far from the most modern tranny but I never had any particular objections to it because of the way I drive

 

You keep making reference to being a non-enthusiast and conservative driver... So I need to ask, what compelled you to purchase a car with over 470 HP? Lol

 

Well, I am a passionate about cars but I am not a guy who will track my car, will attempt the fastest 0-60 and things of that nature. I like owning an exclusive car and where the whole world is now shifting toward driving sewing machines, I wanted to own a car that sounds like a car. Furthermore, I like the esthetic changes also of the car with the bulge on the hood, the stacked quad tips and such.

Oh don't get me wrong, I still enjoy driving spirited at times so have the ability to occasionally feel a bit more power is cool, and finally, where I drive his car in the summer, I wanted to own a RWD car and in Canada, the only Lexus you can buy is an AWD. I can't get a IS 350 RWD. So the fact this car is rare, has a great sounding V8, has the practically of a sedan, handles well, is reliable and such are the reason I decided to go this route.

 

The exclusivity and sound of internal combustion over electric aspect I understand and respect. But do you even drive it above 3000rpm and hear the secondary intake flap open? Lol. In all seriousness, this isn't a track car so you've made the right choice!
There are very few 2021+ Lexus IS in my city so I'm pretty sure nobody really notices the different hood of my IS500 compared to IS300 or IS350s. Maybe the quad exhausts are more noticeable (which I too, love) but even then I find that the IS500 is pretty inconspicuous.

 

^^ I totally get that the hood is a subtle cue but for a connaisseur, it will be noticeable. That being said, I am not buying the car for what others sees or think of it but for what it does to me visually. I am pretty sure that many people would look at my wife and feels she is not a stand out in a crowd, but I would certainly pick her out of a crowd of a gazillion because of how she makes me feel and that is the same things with cars. In fact, that is what I like about it, only the real people that knows car will know what I drive. If I wanted to be flashy and look at me, I'd be driving a Corvette or something like that

I will say that it will be getting some spirited driving, but I am not the type that will be upset because it doesn't shift like a ZF unit or corners like a BMW. I mean I drive a Chevy Spark as one of my daily driver and that cars puts tons of smile on my face (lol)

I am glad you asked the question and I could explain but I am also pretty sure that many forum members who bought their IS 500 would be similar to me too

(side note - I am sure you guys wished I would have not come back eh?! (LMAO)

 

I think the wheels are the biggest clue it is something different. I've had people taking pics of my car already!

Back on topic of the transmission, I was driving "briskly" on the way home from work again to see if it would learn to be more aggressive and it is helping! I actually got 2nd gear from a 40 mph pull and 3rd from a 60 mph pull. Well, technically it dropped to 3rd for like 40-50 mph then went to 2nd for 50+ mph. Same thing at 60, it dropped to 4th for a bit then went down to 3rd.

it is getting better! Just gotta use up some more $6.10 gas to get the car to learn to be aggressive in Sport+ mode.

 

Good thing is with the V8 you can outrun their cameras lol

 

Yeah the adaptive logic is good at least! Here's hoping there is no firmware update to the car needed in the next while. That usually resets anything your car has adapted to.