CD Article: 2006 Lexus IS 250/350

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
First Drive:

With two new V6 engines, "one conservative, one killer", a choice of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, and a design that closely resumbles the 2006 GS, the Lexus IS "no longer resembles a German ideal," says Managing Editor Grant Yoxon. "Lexus has instead chosen to create a car that more closely resembles it's own identity. In that sense, the new IS is as different from the old IS as it is from a BMW."   More...

[a4_tom]

IS250 Sport with 6-speed stick would be my choice of the range.

IS > G anyday!

[genetik_freak]

Lexus has rocked the automotive foundation.  BMW 3 series killer is here.

[mdxtasy]

I've always liked the GS series more than the IS.  This one is nice...MUCH better than the original.  The rear end is kinda odd looking with that top portion of the trunklid and how the taillights are shaped.

[Bullet Blue]

Lexus has rocked the automotive foundation. BMW 3 series killer is here.

Don't know if I'd go that far. The IS may take some sales away from the 3 series, but the 3 series will still walk away as being the benchmark and THE car to beat in the compact luxury sedan segment. I mean, you can at least get a 330i with a stick. IS350 with a stick? Too much to ask apparently.

Although it is a vast improvement. The styling isn't bad. Good effort from Lexus all around though.

[mark]

Good well-written article by Grant.  I like the perspective of Lexus branching away from the direct 3 Series comparison.  It's an interesting take on the car's positioning.  Seems like it will have broad appeal.

[safristi]

 Decent review BUT he kinda skirted around the "PRICING" woes we have ALL been detailing here...BIG "L" on that point.....

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Good well-written article by Grant.  I like the perspective of Lexus branching away from the direct 3 Series comparison.  It's an interesting take on the car's positioning.  Seems like it will have broad appeal.

I thought his article was interestingly written as well.

However, I disagree that people will think the car is less like a BMW. Based on looks alone, and the way the car sits on it's wheels with a nice and low 'n wide hood and more pronouced wheel arches and curves, it screams BMW and sport sedan much louder than before. Furthermore, I think it DOES look more impressive and sporty than the original. It's a very dynamic look, and will stand out sharply on the road because it's so well proportioned, and not gimmicky to achieve that attention. Once inside, the car is so vastly improved it's in a whole other league. It IS now worthy of the Lexus luxury badge.

75% of 3-Series buyers wouldn't be able to tell the handling difference between a 3-Series and an IS. Nor would they push the limits of the car. For them, the Lexus experience might be a better one! Coupled with higher reliability ratings, it's probably the better pick for most as well. Lexus lacks as comprehensive a dealer network and in Canada isn't at the same level of prestige as BMW tho. More stand-alone stores, sales, and earned respect from cars like the IS might cure that tho.

I think the car is decently priced. Find it quite ironic that the original IS had HIDs standard (along with amber fogs, which were later optional clear or deleted for base cars), whereas the new one doesn't and included only with top packages. But overall, it's a great effort which I think will pay dividends.

Also, the rear seat may be very tight, but in a way I see a lot of buyers with sporty pretentions liking a smaller car. The wifes may not, and with kids it's hard to justify, but for younger buyers with coinage or couples, it's nice to have something with 4 doors but that doesn't say 'family sedan' on it and is more intimate inside. I'm sure they'll lose more buyers than they'll gain from this approach, but it may focus the car on the target traditional 3-Series customer more. That is still the benchmark, no matter the claim.

[wing]

No more BMW dealers in Ottawa than there are Lexus dealers.....  And I suspect if you were in a bind a toyota dealer could help you out.

[Shnak]

Anyone knows what proportion of BMWs (especially 3-series) sold in north america are manuals vs. automatics? I suspect quite a big portion of them are sold as automatics... which would explain why Lexus went with automatic only for the IS 350...

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Well, Lexus has added a few new ones in the last few years in BC and the Toronto area. Right now there are 29 dealers.

By comparison, BMW has less than I thought but still more - 38.

Benz has 60-61 I believe.

[Drivesideways]

IMO...the old IS300 was an anomaly.  In most other offerings, Lexus seems to have gone after MB aesthetic rather than a BMW one.  But the "IS" fell somewhere in between.  The new one seems to fall back into line with the rest of their products.  No more straight six...no more MT for the bigger engine.   But, as Grant suggests, maybe it will have broader appeal than the last one...which, after all, is what Toyota is ALL about.

[davidm]

On the manual question, remember that the first year IS300 was auto only, and stick didn't show up until the second year of production.  Could we see that here?

As for rear seat size, I'm in one of those annoying couples who doesn't care about rear seat size and wants a slightly smaller car while still wanting the practicality (and chasis stiffness) of a sedan.  I prefer the 3-series sedan to coupe in looks and chasis feel even though I probably use the back seats for more than my briefcase less than 5% of the time.

Option packages are the killer here for me.  Also, no AWD/350 with manual tells me where their heads are at.

[Bullet Blue]

Good point davidm. Hopefully a 5 or 6 speed manual will be available within the next couple of years on the 350.

[johngenx]

I think Lexus has all kids of makers in it's sights with this line.  Acura, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Audi, and so on...

The $36,900 base IS250 RWD 6M is a serious competitor to the TSX.  RWD!  About the same HP.  Now, the Lexus has a fewer goodies, but it has the ace of RWD and the Lexus cache.  I really like the look of the new IS.

The $41,900 AWD model might take a bite from Subaru GT Ltd. sales and steal some G35X customers too.  The Subaru wagon might be immune thanks to it's wagon bod.

The list goes on.  The new IS has such a range of trim and pricing, it's possible to pitch an IS against most any car that sells in the $36-55K range.

[mdxtasy]

Expect some TL sales go away too.  With Infiniti's M35 going bang on with the RL, and the IS250 going into TSX and the IS350 going into TL territory.....things might get interesting at Acura.  We now see that other car makers are also matching the Acura bang for buck.  You don't get the car loaded, but you get some things that Acura can't offer. 

[inco]

Yes there are lots of cars to compare the IS with, but for sure it will attract more propeller people if for no other reason than it's a Lexus.

Die hards won't bother, but honestly the reputation Lexus built for itself makes it very attractive.

Seems like the price spread fits many markets too - not unlike the '3' approach. Hmmn.

[safristi]

well if the TL goes an tha IS comes it would give the M35 stick but the G35x on the other hand would seemingly nix the RL,overshadowing the TSX and leaving the M3 the Go-ahead.....Hell I'm Phooked on 'honics..alphabet soup..give me a nice CLAM CHOWDER wif a Vouvray.....!!!!!!!

[Traum]

Wasn't there a 2nd opinion piece to the IS article by Lawrance Yap? How come it's gone now?

-Rick

[picard]

will this Lexus IS250 be more reliable than BMW or MB? I heard horror stories of Lexus on other boards.