Lexus IS250 Has Landed in SG

[DarkLord]

err.. i still want a piece of mind lah. Thats y Germans make the best cars, character with reliability.

But these are made in Africa..

[Duckduck]

dun care. made in thailand also can. as long as they are reliable n nice.

 

Its like my Nikon DSLR, made in thailand, but performs as well as Canon DSLRs made in japan. no diff ah..

[Ahbengdriver]

Heh Miketow - I roughly how the 318i was, my friend had one. He paid more than 170k cos he was the first few stupid fellas who cheong-ed to buy that, he long to owned a bimmer once in his life. At that time that was considered cheap, bcos the COE then were all above $50k. I didnt noticed my friend's E46 318i having that simple interior, maybe I was driving my toyota then and wasnt interested. As I didnt own a E46, I cannot share any real life experience kinda comment on the E46 318i. Anyway thts history.

 

haha...if PML had packaged their entry level model of mine[and other brothers here] with 15inchers n plastic accesories, I dont think I will buy it unless they offer an extra 10 to 15k discount. To me, No car maker or any businessmen of the sound mind, who want to make less $$ if they can without losing market share. Styling is a matter of taste lah, interior or exterior. i find it skimpy, others may not.

 

Anyway thanks for the pointers, I will certainly do a item for item comparison before I decide which one to get, LEXUS or BMW. I will also test drive the IS this weekend, and if I like it, maybe will buy it like I did for my current entry level model BMW. Else, buy something else, BMW 323 or Audi A4 or Integra Type-R. I think test driving is very important, cos before I bot my current car I read frightening stories abt it but hvg used it for sometime I didnt experience any of those so called problems I read on some threads. Come to think, could those fellas be sellers of competitor makes?

 

disclaimer: I am not a car seller

[Muddie]

But seriously, to start an alternative fire in this thread, why pay upwards of $120k for an is250 when for a touch over $90k vould get you a IS- (or GS-, whichever, I won't argue here) platform-based, IS250-engined Toyota Mark X? Because it's a Toyota? Well, until recently, Lexus didn't exist in Japan. It's from a PI? Maybe that'll mean some of us will actually not get ignored when we look at the car. Better specs ? For a $30k premium I'd expect no less, but....

 

And, oh, btw, I am NOT a car dealer, just an alternative thinker

that's been something i've told a fren of mine who is looking at the is250, and immediately he knew what i was driving at. like you rightly pointed out, is that 30k premium worth paying for. for me, it's no, but for some, the lexus name may be worth the 30k.

[Vinothan]

and u got to admit that a BMW has more prestige and is considered more upmarket than a lexus. Many people still see the lexus as a toyota! And many people buy cars for their brand...

You have to drive a Toyota to appreciate a Lexus dude..

 

 

i drive a toyota and i've not driven but sat in a lexus. but when i compare the IS250 and 320i, i feel that the IS is better la.. dunno why but i nvr fancied the 3 series. but the 5 series.. what i would not do to own one.. lol

[Fluffy]

the IS250 loses the nice "watch" design dash and it tight in the rear quarters.

 

 

why not buy the similar engined TOYOTA MARK X 2.5 V6 at $95k g'teed COE ???

 

cos it got that "X" symbol instead of that "L" on the front lah !!! (

Edited March 7, 2006 by Fluffy

[Muddie]

Ahbeng -You mentioned that the IS250 base model came pretty skimpy on options that isnt reflective of a LuxoSedan. Well, in all honesty, when Performance Motors first released the E46 in 1997, the 318i (E90 320i equivalent) cost a whopping 170K and came with economysized 15inched tyres and Kia cheap plastic hubcaps. The interior was barebones, all manual seats, no foglights, no reverse sensors, no color coding, cheap black plastic trim all over the exterior.

 

So if the Lexus never existed, its likely your current base model 320i would have come with 15inch hubcaps and econofittings

 

The New 3 series does have questionable styling and a dodgy looking interior that doesnt seem like it can grow on you like the E46 did. Nevertheless, the BMW is unbeatable for build quality, drive dynamics and badge prestige - no matter what Lexus proponents say.

 

PS - Except maybe in badge whoring Singapore - where 3Series quantities can rival the humble Corolla - id rather go for a IS250 and look smarter for it.

hi miketow, i actually thought the 3series styling is nice, this is definitely a personal thing. cos i was comparing the a4 to the 3series, and i told myself i'd rather be seen in the beemer. but i have to say it was a close contest. just to be objective, for the interior, i have frens who are driving the e46 saying it is nice, so maybe you should let have the opportunity to grow on you.

[Vinothan]

point taken tho from what I've been told, the 250 isn't exactly that generous in the rear seats either

 

is it true that the lexus cars are NEVER generous in rear seat space? i sat in the GS300, the front seats are heavenly, the boot shd comfortably slp a couple who badly need it BUT the backseats... damn they are a disappointment definitely.

[Seansene]

cos it got that "X" symbol instead of that "L" on the front lah !!! (

 

Well "X" Marks the spot!

[Fluffy]

"L" held up with you hand usually means "LOSER" .......hmmm

[Ahbengdriver]

oh the LEXUS SE whom I lost his namecard called me just So who is joining me at BM to test test IS250? this w/e. I asked him if the cheapo rims can be replcaed with better ones on the std model, he says anything 'can be discussed', except GPS system .

[Ahbengdriver]

if you are as big as me, any car 's rear is unspacious

[Decibel]

Hahaha ok bros, my mistake and apologies for calling the 320 a joke, but as far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't buy one, especially the 4cyl 320. Believe me I love BMWs esp the Inline6s, but the E90 is just a major let down to me in many aspects, not least of all its dowdy looks.

 

I'm a performance orientated driver, hence you can understand why in the same price range, I would personally consider buying the 320 over the IS a "joke". The badge means nothing to me at this level, anyone who knows anything about cars would respect the driver of the IS for choosing it over the 320, and these are the opinions which matter to me.

 

 

Cheers

[Whitepowder]

Mark X has almost no center legroom. Pls goto a showroom n see how huge the transmission tunnel in the rear leg area is. Its actually a 4 seater, not 5!

 

For $130k, id top up abit to get a merc C class...

 

 

Seen the IS liao,

 

Although Mark X has very little leg room compared with Camry, the diff with IS is marginal. My personal feeling is tat Mark X is more elegance in both interior and exterior.

 

Ha, Ha, wait no more, going to book Mark X this afternoon. 30K is big money.

[Linus]

went to see it on sunday.

 

test drive available ard mid april.

[Ahbengdriver]

Halo Decibel, u a bit like me lah.

To tell u the truth I almost cancelled my order with PML for the 320i after I read all the bad posts abt it on the BMW.sg forum. But then I trust my judgement, so I went for 3 test drives, one at alexandra, one at sime and one at K arang. shhh, keep it to yrself Ok?

After that I am convinced, buy lah ! I also tested the 523i before making this big investment so I know what an inline 6 feels like. But then bro, in any marque there is always a bigger car. Just take camry and accords, they come in 2L and 2.4L right? Now surely they feel different isnt it? So how to compare. All Ah bengs like me are borned poor, so the 325i was outta my affordability, buy 320i. after learning from ADT and friends, I ve learnt how to drive it to its best now, anyone with a E46 or E90 or IS can put down NRIC, name, time and place and we can wag it out ...just a joke.

 

Yeap LEXUS is not bad, but unfortunately I prefer western babes more bcos they are more volupcious, I like to hold on to the 2 kidney grilles with my hand.

 

So u talk so much are you gonna meet me at the LEXUS showroom this w/e or not. I going with my bro in law, he has an old IS200. I know u lexus saleman, its alright.

[W210k]

Low end IS250 only $120K+ discounted, that's equivalent to 320i @ AA discount.

 

323i really no fight lah - I just test drove that. Not impressed with the 177 horses. And 323i is $20K more costly, albeit with a slightly higher OMV.

 

IMO, the 325i is the only 3-series that can pip the IS250, ... but 325i costs a whopping $178K. %50K over-priced.

 

Don't even talk about 320i lah (4-pot, miserable 150 BHP). Under-powered.

[W210k]

OMV estimated by BM is $36K for the lower-end IS250 model.