BMW 318? No thanks... (Lexus IS200 Sport)

Member Name: patmoocat

Product:	Lexus IS200 Sport
Date:	14/08/01 (3646 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Solid and robust, Safety and security features, High spec as standard

Disadvantages: Average fuel consumption, Underpowered, Boot space

More extras than Eastenders, and a load more fun...

I'm 27, have a reasonable job in the city, a motorbike as an expensive toy and go on nice holidays twice a year. However, the last (and most expensive) car I've ever owned is a 1989 Escort 1.3 Bonus costing £1200. What's going on??

After much deliberation and a nice big loan I decided the time was right to make that purchase - a car where I didn't have to worry about it breaking down or where rain wouldn't leak through the sunroof / drivers door.

With 20k to spend (inc. insurance) and a height problem (6ft 5) I set off to achieve a goal I probably set myself when I was about 16 years old. That goal was to be able to walk into a car showroom, with cash, and be able to test drive and buy a nice car that I wanted... That's when the problems began.

I almost crippled myself getting into the MX5, and the roof was too low. Same with the new mini, the Alfa GTV - Nooooo! It was becoming clear - I was going to have to buy a ‘sensible’ car...

I like BMWs. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the spec or age of car that I wanted. I wanted a 330ci, or even better the new M3 – so you can see I was stuffed from the word go. I’d been to Alfa garages (the 156 2.5 V6 is great, but reliability and residual value worried me, and it's just not as solid as some of its competitors). Ford, Vauxhall and the French brands didn't really have a model that really grabbed me, and the Audi’s and VWs that I liked were again just too expensive for my budget... Lexus was last on the list.

I knew what one looked like, I walk past one every day to work. I've looked in the car window several times, I've seen some weird dashboard thing going on. I've noticed the tinted rear windows (sport version), I've thought 'not quite sure about that'. But I knew early on that I needed to investigate this car a little fur
ther, and I'm glad I saved the best till last.

Using the excellent Lexus web site I'd found a car that met my specification. I wanted Granite Sky (charcoal colour) with Exmoor leather (black), no more than £20k, less than 20 thousand miles and with Satellite Navigation (a costly £2,300 option when bought new). The approved used car search searches all of the UK to find a second hand car that meets your needs. Brighton had one, it was 18k and that Saturday with girlfriend in tow off we went.

As soon as I walked into the show room I felt like this is a car I want to be associated with. The showroom was friendly and upmarket, not pretentious like many BMW / Merc garages. They were even serving up coffee. 10 years I've been waiting for this moment. 10 years!

I'd already spotted the used car on the forecourt that I'd found using the web search. It looked nice, and I wasn't on the forecourt looking at others thinking 'well, if only I had another 5 - 10k then I could get one of those'. That's something that was always going on in my head when I was at the BMW / Saab / Audi / VW / Alfa garages. I always want that one thing better. With Lexus, everything is pretty much standard so you can afford to have the goodies you want. The SE and Sport have ABS, traction control, front loading 8 speaker 6 CD stereo, Front / side airbags, Air con / Climate control, electric seats / windows / mirrors/ sunroof, 17" alloys etc). I wanted top-of-the-range boyracer version - so Sport it had to be.

Mr friendly car sales man got the car ready and off we went. The inside of the car was leather clad and totally solid. The instruments were a little erratic but hey - I'm 27, not 37! I want something a little different! The clocks are designed to look like a chronograph watch. They're certainly different from the standard round dials - it's a nice bit of Japanese styling if you know what I mean. The button
s and switches on the central console are a bit cluttered and not too easy on the eye. I think they could have been done better and made it a little more subtle – bit of a shame.

The six-speed box was sweet and tight. It's pretty close in there and needs a lot of changing to get the car going. But I like things to do when I'm driving. The straight 6 two litre engine made a hearty roar at higher revs, though could have done with more power. The variable valve timing meant there was a noticeable pickup at around 4,500 revs, although still not seat hugging stuff. The overall feel to the car was that of understated quality. If I wasn't sold already, then up stepped the Satellite Navigation system. As soon as the screen popped up I knew that a purchase was imminent. You enter in where you’re going, or maybe ask it to guide you to points of interest or the local pubs (soft drinks only of course). The screen is bright and being in a technology driven industry I know what to expect from systems. I was really surprised about how good the graphical user interface was. The people who designed this actually cared. Entering in the destinations can be a little time consuming, but it does well to guess at the earliest opportunity and with a bit of practice I'm sure I'll get used to it. It uses a CD to get the map information, you can update the CD if you want to the latest release for around 70 quid. If you go abroad Lexus will lend you an international CD of your destination for free. I like that level of service. It's not directly linked to traffic conditions which is a shame, but apparently that's in the pipeline. It also has petrol stations marked which is handy. I would still want a map in the car, but for most journeys the Sat Nav will easily cope.

Did I need satellite navigation to find my way home or to my girlfriends house? No. Did I want it? Yes yes yes! So what if I don't need it, it's enough to impress
my friends - what more justification do you need??

The IS 200 comes in three guises and all the goodies are pretty much standard. No messing around, you just choose whether you want standard (S), executive (SE) or executive boy racer (Sport). I would avoid the 'S' to be honest if you can - you miss out on some great stuff. The SE is exactly the same as the sport apart from a few cheesy extras. I like the cheesy extras on the sport version, like drilled aluminum peddles, alloy scuff plates, tiny rear spoiler, lowered rear suspension and limited slip differential for messing around when the traction control is switched off. It also has heavily tinted rear windows which are not exactly to my liking. The last time I was in a car with tinted windows that dark I was in Manila feeling a little vulnerable.

Insurance is group 12, and being the most secure car in its class helps keep that premium down (£700 Fully comprehensive with girlfriend, five years no claims and 3 points living in London).

And that's about the size of it. The car is impressive but not in your face. It's reliable, it's safe, it's not going to be high on peoples list to steal. But it's got that character and style and to a certain degree exclusivity that means you're not a BMW driver always wishing you had the M3 as opposed to the 318. Only 3,500 IS 200s are sold by dealers a year due to deliberate restricted supply. There are 15,000 BMW 3 series sold in comparison. Keeps used prices high and also makes you a little different from the rest.

From all the independent reviews and research that I did prior to the purchase I know I've made the right choice. I just know it's going to be a good weekend :)


UPDATE – 2,500 miles 2 Jan 2002

I've had the car for six months and I'm extremely happy with it. The Satellite Navigation is a godsend in London. I've been driving North to South for variou
s reasons recently, and the Sat Nav does well to get you from A - B. On the whole the information is accurate and the zoomed in view of junctions as you approach is enough to send you in the right direction. I generally have the voice turned off unless I'm really unsure of where I am, it can get a little unnecessary and a little annoying.

I would say the car has average fuel consumption, with prices appearing to vary randomly at fill ups. Some times it’s about 30 quid for 250 miles, another time it may be nearer 35 quid, or at the other end of the scale around 25 quid. Obviously it depends on driving conditions, gunning it down motorways can still get the car very thirsty even though it’s six-speed. I guess it’s reasonable for a 2.0 liter six-cylinder car, I was just hoping for a little more high tech Japanese fuel economy technology...

The car is slow for it’s spec, you have to really work it when overtaking (you can just hear the petrol getting chewed up). You find yourself having to work up to overtaking speed when on faster roads, as opposed to just pulling out and accelerating hard. Not much you can do about this, although in more sedate moods the engine is fine with enough power to keep you happy. It does get a little noisy in the cabin but nothing that upsets me.

The car does have a substantial presence. In London where you have to be aggressive sometimes just to survive, the car has a big enough foot print and an aggressive enough stance to get peoples attention. When you have to poke the nose out at a junction or force your way into a narrow, horrible lane while every other car is guarding their space the Lexus gives you that presence you need to make progress. The balance of the car is perfect, with the low profile tyres, nice power steering and an excellent turning circle giving you a very precise driving experience around tight city streets. Every time I catch a glimpse of the aggressive hump
built into the bonnet I have a little smile to myself... I was concerned when I bought it that it was a bit 'boring'. But I'm happy to say it's no more boring than a nice 3 series BMW, take from that what you will.

One grumble I do have is with the boot. It's pretty small in there with the rear wheels taking up a lot of room at the sides. Even worse are two massive hinges attached to the underside of the boot that are used for the boot lid. Try putting anything big either side of the middle and when you come to close the boot you'll carve it in half with the hinge. All seems a bit lazy on the design front to me. I feel ashamed for bringing up ‘boot space’ as a consideration, but now I’m getting on a bit these things start to become important… sad…

Every switch on the dash is solid, but they give you a headache if you look at them too long. The white markings for the switches is way too bold, it makes them look really cluttered. The centre console is a big let down, one of the worst parts about the car in my humble opinion. Still, it’s not a good enough reason to stop you buying it, that’s for sure. The stalks off the lovely leather steering wheel are very well done mind, and I haven’t grown tired of the chronograph watch-style dash. I actually really like it, it has to be said.

The automatic folding wing mirrors are also proving very useful for street parking, a nice feature I didn't realise I had until I pressed a mysterious small button on the drivers door some weeks back. You can also lock yourself in and lock the rear windows, as well as operate all the windows from the drivers door console. These are nice features to have, as well as the boot release / Fuel cap levers on the drivers side floor. The boot release button on the key fob is also very handy.

Don’t get me wrong – I would have a nice BMW 3 series over the Lexus any day. But w
hen you’re talking about a nice BMW costing in excess of 30K... and then, if you’re like me, you’re not going to be happy until you have a M3… pound for pound the Lexus stuffs the deadly common / boring lower spec 3 series BMW’s. I love the Lexus kudos, although I am seeing more and more on the road these days.

Looking at the Lexus approved used car page on their (excellent) web site, I see that a car of similar age and spec to mine is still the same price that I paid six months ago. Long may this continue, that’s all I say!

I'm looking forward to more miles, preferably outside of London. Great car, a lot of fun to drive and so far (touch chrome gear nob) hasn't missed a beat. It's no 330 ci or M3, but I’d still have it over the ubiquitous mid-range BMW 3 series any day of the week.

Summary: