If anyone follows the Daytona Prototypes in the Rolex Sports Car Series that airs on the Speed Channel. The Lexus powered prototypes for the last 2 races haved used the new 5.0 liter V8 and just won yesterday at Watkins Glen in the Ganassi CompUsa Lexus Riley driven by Scott Pruett and Luis Diaz. This already shows that Toyota means business in the sports car arena. Now the question is will Team Lexus use the same power plant when they debut in American Lemans Series later this season. This is where all the questions will be answered: THE RACE TRACK!!! If the IS can out perform the M3 on the race track then maybe the journalist will give the IS more respect in their reviews. Since there has never been on track battles between the 2 in the same class. As for a 2 door version Lexus seriously should do it to show that this is meant to be the AMG & M killer and it has to have a manual transmission no slushamatics with sport shift for us SERIOUS DRIVERS period!!!!

 

I always thought BMWs were ugly until I drove one. My! Suddenly they were all beautiful.

I don't care what you think of Germans, or BMW or Europeans or whatever. There's no way *anyone* can some away from driving an M3 and not appreciate that it is an order of magnitude above most material things on earth.

 

i can appreciate a comment like that, because you drove it. even if you said you didnt like it, it's more credible that someone saying "i dont like eurocars..." can you drive them? did you even try to drive one? thanks.

but seriously, i hope is500 is actually given very aggressive suspension. lexus doesnt lack in power. they always lack in road feel and overall handling.

 

Will soon find out

Seeing if they want something to compete against a AMG tuned Mercedes or M from BMW, they for sure will have to tweak alot of other stuff (i.e) suspension and so on.

 

sickkkkkkkkk

 

If they did make a 2-door version hopefully it be a convertible. If they did that, they for sure would scrap the SC totally, which would make sense imho.

The manual stuff, not sure many people who drive Lexus would like the manual, but thats me, I can be wrong. Atleast they have the paddle shift now, which many car companies are putting in their high powered mini race cars for the road.

 

I'm gonna assume that they do the coupe version first, then later maybe offer a convertible.

Remember that the target audience for this car would be someone who's interested mainly in performance, and if it's to compete w/ the M3 coupe, then the added chassis rigidity of having a fixed room will be necessary in order to compete w/ the M3's chassis.

I think that Lexus should offer the manual--one of the many gripes that auto reviewers and car enthusiasts bemoan about Lexus' current IS offering (the 350 that is).

I don't think they'd scrap the SC-- that's intended for a completely different market segment (read: not performance oriented at all)

 

Does it matter which is better? Are any of you going to be disappointed with owning either cars because of opinions of people who most likely have never driven either one and never will?

 

Lexus should definitely offer a 6-speed manual for the IS500. It's truly pathetic they don't offer one for the IS350. If they want to compete with the BMW 3-series and do driver and performance oriented cars, they need to offer manuals.

Lexus needs to do more than just horsepower. They need good steering, good handling, and good transmissions. Hopefully the IS500 will have all of that.

If they can match BMW on all of the performance categories, they can beat them on reliability and looks.

 

Why are people still on BMW's styling?? This is about the IS500!! Toyota has planned on making the IS in Coupe, and Convertible variants, now what is taking them so long to release them?

 

One thing every industry people copy and tweak other people designs. Its for sure like that in the car industry, so no big deal. If you have a problem with it, deal with it.

 

^ Adding to the "slushamatics" comment ~ if it doesn't steer like a Formula1 car it must be stickshift - No Joke.
When we see the IS500 coupe, that's when we'll know for sure Toyota (TRD) means business.

 

no duh! I kno that, I wasn't talking about that, I was saying why is everyone still being off topic talking about BMW's styling when this thread is about the IS500. I don't want to get into an argument on my birthday so w/e.

 

happy bday

 

^thanks. I wasn't tryna to jump at ya throat, I was just trying to get my point across.

 

no worries.

One thing the IS500 might not get a coupe version

 

^ I hope not, because if thats the case I wouldn't classify it as a true "sports car" let alone a "performance car".

 

Cmon Toyota when r u gonna release the coupe n convertible versions of the IS??

 

Now I read somewhere that the engine for the IS500 is way to heavy for the car. Thats what someone said from Toyota. Which I find hard to believe seeing they are testing some sort of test mule already. IS500 hybrid wouldnt make sense but wtv, we will have to wait to find out if this stuff is really true, better not be. Thats what AutoWeek is reporting.

 

They've been testing a lot of test mules, and I'm guessing that they all came back and reported the car was too front heavy, no matter what they did. I'm sure Toyota will come up with something, since they seem to be hell bent on world domination. I'm sure one day they're gonna announce a Bentley/Maybach fighter or something.