As an owner of a new 3 series I'm somewhat biased, but
in the metal the IS is a very dull car, it has the
road presence of a Nissan Altima. It's not a car that
you would say "WHAT WAS THAT?" about, in fact you
probably won't notice it at all. I spent nearly an
hour next to one (channel tunnel train carriage) at
Xmas and none of the party I was with (including the
yardstick for cool looking cars, an 11 year old boy)
was remotely interested.
I do like the chrono dish - but wonder how good it
will look 10 years from now.
Autocar magazine in the UK did a comparison test
between a 323Se and an IS200 last June or so (IIRC)
and favored the BMW's ride/handling dynamics. I
probably scanned this article for my archives - if
anyone's interested.
The IS range is as imporant as the MR-S, they keep BMW
and Mazda respectively on their toes.
Craig
(lots of opinions for somone that hasn't driven an IS)
--- Derek Butts <pnc1@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Since I work for Lexus I am somewhat biased. The
> specs on this car should make
> it a decent vehicle for daily use/autocrossing. I
> imagine its a G stock car
>
> The inline 6 cylinder has a wide torque band and
> good power. The engine is
> placed behind the front axle for better weight
> distribution (near 50/50) One
> down side is that the manual transmission won't be
> available until 2001.
> However the 5 speed automatic is pretty slick with
> the shifter built into the
> steering wheel (a la Formula 1)
>
> This car is dead on the 3 series BMW's. A turbo 2.0
> liter six-speed manual has
> been on sale in Europe as the Toyota Altezza for
> almost a year. So far it has
> held its own on the racing circuits overseas.
>
> TRD and many aftermarket suppliers already have a
> full variety of performance
> goodies too.
>
> We are currently taking orders on this car which is
> due to arrive 4th of July
> weekend. I am certain that most Lexus dealers won't
> add markup like thier
> Toyota counterparts.
>
> -Derek Butts
> CS MR2
> GS IS300?
>
> Nandaholz@aol.com wrote:
>
> > http://is300.net/
> > http://www.is200.co.uk/lexus.html
> >
> > i think its pretty sharp, rear wheel drive,
> independent suspension, Torsen,
> > in-line 6, sounds like a decent four door.
> > ~Nanda and UFO
>
>
>
>
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