Greetings fellow NSXers.
These are my impression on the Lexus IS 300 that I test drove a few days ago. Warning: it's long and rather rambling.
I've looked through NSXPrime search engine and couldn't find much on what fellow NSXers thought about the Lexus IS 300 as a daily driver. I am all too familiar with the argument that the NSX makes a great daily driver, but for me, I need a replacement for my aging '95 Integra SE with something sporty, 4 door, reliable and moddable.
I looked at the competition, the new Acura TSX & TL, BMW 325, Infinity G35, Audi A4, etc, but for some reason the Lexus IS 300 (at least from reading the specs, blogs, reviews) has the right combination of sportiness (RWD is a plus), 4 doors, rock solid reliability, and an impressively tunable engine that I was searching for.
From the IS300.Net forums, I understand that the engine block is essentially the same as the non turbocharged Supra engine and with minor modifications, the turbocharged Supra block/parts (GTE) can be easily installed. There are several "tuner" shops now gaining more and more experience doing mild to heavy mods and the competition is starting to bring the price of modding down. I've also read and seen video of the 5 speed IS 300 reliably putting down 400+ HP via supercharger or turbocharger, with videos of a 11.09 sec 1/4 mile run! . This along with tons of prior development from the Japanese Altezza market makes for a rather cheaply and reliably moddable vehicle.
Another huge bonus is the competition in the ~$30K sport/luxury vehicle market. With the recent releases of so many good ~$30K range cars, and announcement of the potential IS replacement (~2006 model year) in the NY autoshow, the price of a low milage IS 300 in 5 speed manual trim is approaching ~$21k. This is how I got interested in test driving this sucker.
On a sunny day, the money (AKA wife) and I went to a local dealership for a test drive. The following observation is strictly subjective and is in comparison to my current vehicles, NSX, Mazda Tribute LX-V6, and Integra SE. I'm not claiming to be an auto authority, so please take it for what it's worth.
Looks: The mica blue and graphite gray are my favorite. It's clean, a but subdued and paint quality was excellent. The shape of the car reminded me of a circa '94 Accord, but I kind of liked the old Accord anyways. The car is pretty small overall with relatively short overhang. I think lowering it an inch would help it look more muscular and aggressive.
Interior: The door shuts with a solid thud. Not much reverberations or rattling. The escaine (sp?) pseudo suede feels not that much different than a high quality cloth seats but was comfortable and supportive. The steering wheel was much smaller than any of my previous vehicles, but the reach and visibility to the controls and gauges were just fine. Back seats were a bit cramped, and I would hate to be the biaotch that has to ride the middle hump in the rear seat. I don't know what the rippled dash was all about... is it to cut glare? Or is it to hold the cell phone better? Whatever it was, it detracted from the otherwise clean lines of the interior.
Engine: Very quiet and isolated. No vibrations, no mean noises. Also very slow revving compared to the NSX, Integra, but surprisingly even slower to pick up the RPMs than the Mazda Tribute V6. Decent low end grunt but by no means a torque monster. Just smooth, quiet and builds speed without much fanfare. Looks like a lighter flywheel and more aggressive header/exhaust should help with the rev / sound department.
Transmission: I couldn't tell if the car had the optional LSD (it was a used 2002, without the original window sticker) but when I took off from a gravel parking lot, the TCS and/or LSD system came on briefly. It wasn't even under hard acceleration so it might be a bit too obtrusive... I don't know of a way to switch it off either. The chrome ball shifter knob has to go... in a Texas summer it's liable to leave a burn mark similar to the Nazi treasure hunter in the Raiders of the Lost Ark! The gates were way too far spaced and the transitions were clunkier than the Honda 5 speed manuals. The clutch engagement is soooo light! This was most likely jaundiced by the NSX's quadmaster 2000 clutch, but makes me wonder what kind of clutchplate/mechanism is behind such a nancy pants clutch action. So, some kind of "chip", a shorter shift arm and different shift knob and clutch upgrade may improve, but not totally fix the problems.
Chassis: Solid with minimal flex... similar to a friend's BMW 3 series. Little too much lean angle on the sweepers and onramp. But the ride was nicely damped and controlled. Swaybars and over shock stuts should help.
Brakes: Didn't test them too much. A bit light on the pedal feel, but ABS engages smoothly with minimal pulse modulation.
Overall, my impression if the Lexus IS 300 was tepid. The car has great potential and the engine is a sweet-heart. Add to that a cheap used market and I think you can have a 350+ HP and decent handling ride for ~$30K. The problem I see is mainly in the ergonomic and transmission standpoint.
I'd be interested in your observations and your experiences with the Lexus IS 300 / Toyota Altezza. It goes to show you once again how good a 13 year old supercar can be.
GeNSX
These are my impression on the Lexus IS 300 that I test drove a few days ago. Warning: it's long and rather rambling.
I've looked through NSXPrime search engine and couldn't find much on what fellow NSXers thought about the Lexus IS 300 as a daily driver. I am all too familiar with the argument that the NSX makes a great daily driver, but for me, I need a replacement for my aging '95 Integra SE with something sporty, 4 door, reliable and moddable.
I looked at the competition, the new Acura TSX & TL, BMW 325, Infinity G35, Audi A4, etc, but for some reason the Lexus IS 300 (at least from reading the specs, blogs, reviews) has the right combination of sportiness (RWD is a plus), 4 doors, rock solid reliability, and an impressively tunable engine that I was searching for.
From the IS300.Net forums, I understand that the engine block is essentially the same as the non turbocharged Supra engine and with minor modifications, the turbocharged Supra block/parts (GTE) can be easily installed. There are several "tuner" shops now gaining more and more experience doing mild to heavy mods and the competition is starting to bring the price of modding down. I've also read and seen video of the 5 speed IS 300 reliably putting down 400+ HP via supercharger or turbocharger, with videos of a 11.09 sec 1/4 mile run! . This along with tons of prior development from the Japanese Altezza market makes for a rather cheaply and reliably moddable vehicle.
Another huge bonus is the competition in the ~$30K sport/luxury vehicle market. With the recent releases of so many good ~$30K range cars, and announcement of the potential IS replacement (~2006 model year) in the NY autoshow, the price of a low milage IS 300 in 5 speed manual trim is approaching ~$21k. This is how I got interested in test driving this sucker.
On a sunny day, the money (AKA wife) and I went to a local dealership for a test drive. The following observation is strictly subjective and is in comparison to my current vehicles, NSX, Mazda Tribute LX-V6, and Integra SE. I'm not claiming to be an auto authority, so please take it for what it's worth.
Looks: The mica blue and graphite gray are my favorite. It's clean, a but subdued and paint quality was excellent. The shape of the car reminded me of a circa '94 Accord, but I kind of liked the old Accord anyways. The car is pretty small overall with relatively short overhang. I think lowering it an inch would help it look more muscular and aggressive.
Interior: The door shuts with a solid thud. Not much reverberations or rattling. The escaine (sp?) pseudo suede feels not that much different than a high quality cloth seats but was comfortable and supportive. The steering wheel was much smaller than any of my previous vehicles, but the reach and visibility to the controls and gauges were just fine. Back seats were a bit cramped, and I would hate to be the biaotch that has to ride the middle hump in the rear seat. I don't know what the rippled dash was all about... is it to cut glare? Or is it to hold the cell phone better? Whatever it was, it detracted from the otherwise clean lines of the interior.
Engine: Very quiet and isolated. No vibrations, no mean noises. Also very slow revving compared to the NSX, Integra, but surprisingly even slower to pick up the RPMs than the Mazda Tribute V6. Decent low end grunt but by no means a torque monster. Just smooth, quiet and builds speed without much fanfare. Looks like a lighter flywheel and more aggressive header/exhaust should help with the rev / sound department.
Transmission: I couldn't tell if the car had the optional LSD (it was a used 2002, without the original window sticker) but when I took off from a gravel parking lot, the TCS and/or LSD system came on briefly. It wasn't even under hard acceleration so it might be a bit too obtrusive... I don't know of a way to switch it off either. The chrome ball shifter knob has to go... in a Texas summer it's liable to leave a burn mark similar to the Nazi treasure hunter in the Raiders of the Lost Ark! The gates were way too far spaced and the transitions were clunkier than the Honda 5 speed manuals. The clutch engagement is soooo light! This was most likely jaundiced by the NSX's quadmaster 2000 clutch, but makes me wonder what kind of clutchplate/mechanism is behind such a nancy pants clutch action. So, some kind of "chip", a shorter shift arm and different shift knob and clutch upgrade may improve, but not totally fix the problems.
Chassis: Solid with minimal flex... similar to a friend's BMW 3 series. Little too much lean angle on the sweepers and onramp. But the ride was nicely damped and controlled. Swaybars and over shock stuts should help.
Brakes: Didn't test them too much. A bit light on the pedal feel, but ABS engages smoothly with minimal pulse modulation.
Overall, my impression if the Lexus IS 300 was tepid. The car has great potential and the engine is a sweet-heart. Add to that a cheap used market and I think you can have a 350+ HP and decent handling ride for ~$30K. The problem I see is mainly in the ergonomic and transmission standpoint.
I'd be interested in your observations and your experiences with the Lexus IS 300 / Toyota Altezza. It goes to show you once again how good a 13 year old supercar can be.
GeNSX
