|
I was originally going to go for the 2006 IS350, but I opted for the E90 325i instead. The new Lexus really looks great, even though A LOT of people on different IS forums were complaining about how drastic the change was from the first generation IS300. I didn't go for the new IS because I too didn't think it was sporty enough. In my opinion, it looks like a mini GS.
I was really hoping Lexus would have kept a lot of the same lines as the old IS, but I think in a way, they basically took away every interesting aspect of the car that made it unique, such as the chronograph style dash, or (getting rid of the clear altezza lights was a good idea) but I really liked the round rear brake lights, and even the chrome ball shifter is gone now. People said the old IS looked like a Civic, but I really think the old IS really stood out from the rest and didn't look like any other on the road...period. Sure it was starting to show its age, but I think Lexus could have done a better transition between models.
The designers at Lexus took a more conservative direction in restyling the car, what I assume to be in the hope of attracting not only rich high school kids, but also young professionals and those right out of college, as well as those maybe in their 40s-50s? That's just a guess, but that's what a lot of different IS forums are saying.
I'll admit, a big reason why I didn't go for the IS is because I wanted a new sports sedan for the summer, and I didn't want to wait until the IS came out. I looked around and as soon as I saw the spy pics for the new BMW, it was love at first sight. I must say, though, Lexus did a fine job with the interior styling, especially with the DVD/Navi, but I went with BMW anyway.
My own personal experience with Lexus wasn't that great, either. I really wanted to buy a 2005 IS300 about this time last year, and they told me I couldn't get the DVD navi, and also I couldn't get the Sports package, either. They said the only way I could get it the way I wanted it was to order it directly from the factory. I waited nearly three months thinking my car was on order. When I finally did get to talk to the dealer, he said it couldn't be done, not even at the factory, and I should to go with what they had on the lot. I called around to nearly 10 different dealers and they all told me the same.
Let's just say I didn't have a problem in the world when I went to special order my E90. I'm not sure if anyone else had this problem with lexus, but that's just a story that happened to me.
|