Opinions Needed

MMEEDD1 · January 14, 2015

Hi all,

Now that the 3rd generation IS has been out for a while, I was hoping to get a sense of the likes and dislikes of the car. My mom has a 2012 Camry and I love the performance of the 6-speed transmission, which I believe is the same used in the IS. I know the engines are different, but is the shifting quality good? Do these have a lot of rattles and squeaks? Is the 250 model underpowered? Also, is the satellite radio a Sirius or XM unit? I know it's the same company, but the Sirius units seem to have awful sound quality whereas the XM units do not.

Thanks!

Mike

LEX-SV · January 15, 2015

Hi all,

Now that the 3rd generation IS has been out for a while, I was hoping to get a sense of the likes and dislikes of the car. My mom has a 2012 Camry and I love the performance of the 6-speed transmission, which I believe is the same used in the IS.

Mike

Not the case, transmissions are different because the drivetrain configurations are very different (FWD with transaxle and transverse engine versus IS with RWD with longitudinal engine placement).

13IS250C · January 15, 2015

Welcome Mike!!!!

Mine is a 13 and a convertible so I really can't help you much but to say that I love my car and have had almost 2 trouble free years of fun driving!!! Mine is a 250 too. I'm not sure if our engines are different or not. Since most of my cars have had 300 or more HP, the 250 is a bit sluggish. It isn't to the point that the car is not fun to drive or hard to pass or get around people. I guess the only place I really feel underpowered is entrance ramps that are uphill. My car is heavy with all the gear for the retractable top. Other than that, if it downshifts to the right gear, she will get up and go"

Our good buddy VBDenny has one. I'm sure he will chime in soon.

Let us know what you decide and post pics!!!!

VBdenny · February 2, 2015

And I will. Sirius and XM are the same. Had both individually at times but have had Sirius for the past 12 or so years. I have 4 Sirius subscriptions and they all sound fine.

Rattles? even my 1990 LS400 didn't have rattles after 25 years. As far as power, well maybe not quite as much as some would like but still has enough to get you in trouble should you desire. The biggest issue I have with the car as a whole is that it drives and handles so nice, it makes you drive like and a** sometimes.

I love the car. It is fun and handles great. I do like that it is primarily RWD (70%) and FWD (30%) on the AWD models. I suppose if I had it to do all over I probably would have gotten the 350 but I do still have my nice clean license so maybe I made the best choice.

LEX-SV · February 2, 2015

Mike - Did you get a chance to drive the IS?

My opinion is driving behavior is the main factor in keeping driving record clean. I see many low powered/gutless econo boxes receiving tickets.

Rattles and squeaks are not common problems with Lexus cars.

(I already explained the different transmissions above)

VBdenny · February 2, 2015

Well yes, driving behavior has everything to do with tickets. Problem is this car is so cool it can easily cause my restraint to fail.

13IS250C · February 2, 2015

Funny that we are on this topic. My new radar detector just halfway paid for itself. Nice sunny day, good song on the radio, trees overhanging a country road.....ahhhhhhh. Then all of a sudden, BEEP! Whew. I was doing 15 over.