The words of the police my very first night driving (passed on the 23rd of May 2005)... as I mentioned, I'm 18 and drive one of these. Now I don't own it, it is a company car since 2002 and it has served myself and my dad well. Our previous car was also a Lexus IS200 so really, we have had one of these for 6 years.
Firstly, the looks of the car are brilliant for such an old design. This car was released in 1998 and has not had a yearly facelift like the BMWs and Audis you see... this is either Lexus being lazy (very doubtful from the Japanese) or the fact that the design is timeless and always admired. Don't forget that this car started the whole "lexus lights" craze with boy racers which you may or may not like but it means that you always get people looking at your car as it is seen as a bit of an icon by younger people. From my experience this car also brings some unwanted attention from people wanting to overtake you all the time (particularly BMW 3 Series drivers) and I also have troubles from the police but that is due to my age I suppose.
The equipment in the car is brilliant, I particularly appreciate the design of the 6CD multichanger which is all integrated into the centre console. This saves so much effort as most CD changers are stored in the boot but this system keeps all 6 CDs in the console! The stereo is clear all the way to the highes volume level and produces fantastic bass, many people comment on how powerful the standard system is. Other items include the usual electric windows, ABS, traction control which can be turned on or off which is handy when you want to be silly, heated front seats, electric mirrors which fold inwards to thwart off people kicking or hitting them off when your car is unattended, electric seats, reach and rake steering wheel, the automatic also has the gears optional for your pleasure 1st 2nd and 3rd and this is useful for overtaking when kickdown just isn't enough.
Performance is also, to me, fantastic.... the car pulls very hard if it is put into sport mode which takes all gears to the redline for maximum acceleration. My IS200 ( a 2002 IS200 SE) went all the way to 134mph which I find to be quite impressive and this isn't really important because who really goes that fast? The car does eat a LOT of petrol if you are doing any city driving and it can often use around a quarter of a tank just cruising around for maybe 2 hours in town. Our car uses shell optimax and a full tank of this costs around £60 in the IS! But the car is rather good on the motorway and it does accelerate very fast for only a 2 litre with 150bhp...
The cabin is fine for me in the drivers seat (I'm 6ft 3") but the space in the back isn't great for anyone 6ft or above thanks to the car being a compact executive... however, it is by no means terrible and would be fine for a long journey... you jus't cant exactly stretch your legs in the back... seats are very comfortable and provide great support in the front as they really keep you in your seat even when taking corners a bit too fast.
So, although a bit vague, I think this review should answer most questions people must have about this car... another aspect to think about if you are privately buying is the fact that the all new look Lexus IS comes out in the UK on the 19th of November so you will have many top spec ISs to get huge discounts on... and also, these cars keep their value well! I often see 1998 examples go for £10000 due to it being seen as a prestige and reliable car... mine is at 82,000 miles after around 3 years and it still drives like new... definitely a well built and beautiful looking car!
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sounds a great car, Great review, hope mine will get as good with time!
darkangelwing 05.09.2005 20:03
Great second review, very thorough and detailed and well structured hehe i love these cars on Alan Partrige 'is that a lexus' 'no a lexi' hehe ,sounds like a powerful machine,well done(-:
Advantages: Lexus is good looking, jam packed with extras as standard, quite exclusive Disadvantages: Not as fast as a BMW323, doesn't have quite the Snob Factor
Sep 5th, 2005
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