falcon_on

Caraveli, yes, I'm looking at the 330i as well and can't wait for the introduction of the 335 to see what it's all about. 330i is the benchmark for all sports sedans, but I'm just looking at alternatives to see whether it is worth to consider something else - whether from the price standpoint,performance, or feature wise. I've almost concluded my test drives and will be taking the 330i for a spin on Saturday. Rx330driver, I am a family man. But, this time around, I want a sports sedan with good power. It's not that I will race it, but from time to time you want to rev the vehicle a bit and know that the power is there if you need it. SW03ES, I'm a bit confused by Lexus' marketing. The 350 is being marketed as a sports sedan and to me a sports sedan should definately have a six speed available. I think they are betting on some assumptions when they brought the 350 out with an auto. I hope they are right. I don't think it would cost them anything to put a manual in the 350. 250 has it, and these are basically the same cars. I'm sure if they wanted to offer a better tranny they could've borrowed it from the SC or some other vehicle. Besides, quite a few car makers put out flagship vehicles to represent the brand even though they don't make any money on them or even lose money for the brand. In Lexus case, I don't think that the 350 will be a money maker so why not backup their performance claims and marketing in regards to the vehicle and offer a manual transmission. Does not make business sense to me. Were they afraid that with the manual, the vehicle wouldn't stand up to competition?

Because 95% of the public has no interest in a manual, and Toyota doesn't like marketing to niches. They sell so few IS350s compared to IS250s anyways designing a manual for the 350 doesn't make any sense for them. Yes, I understand your point but I still think a true sports sedan should have a six speed manual and none of those silly paddle shifters. What, did Lexus think that 'true' sports enthusiasts would want less power? That small v6 in the 250 felt a bit pitchy at higher rpm. I was more impressed with the nsx' transmission and power. Well, I'm taking out the 350 for a test drive on Wednesday to compare the power. But I'm sure I couldn't settle for auto tranny. Maybe I'll have to test drive the 250 again, just to compare.

Well, I test drove the IS250 today. Overall, I like the vehicle but I think it is underpowered. I test drove it in 6 speed manual. When you rev it to around 4k, it get a bit loud. Comparing to audi 2.0T or Acura TSX with same horspower, the Luxus feel much slower and underpowered. The solution is the 350 with the nice 300hp engine. The only problem that it comes only as automatic. Are there any plans for a 6speed? Can't understand why they only offered auto if the competition offers manual (BMW, Audi, Infiniti, etc.). Because of this, I might have to cross IS out from my shopping list.