I have now owned my silver IS300 for one week and I thought a would do a bit of a mini-review detailing my initial impressions. Here goes:
BACKGROUND:
I purchased a silver IS300 here in Toronto, Canada. In Canada the car is sold with different option packages than in the USA. They are as follows:
A - Base Package: IS300 fabric, TRAC, 6 Disc CD, 8 Speaker, 16" Wheels
B - Appearance Package (adds 17" Wheels, Roof, LSD, Heated Seats to above)
C - B Package plus Leather, Power Seats
D - C Package plus Premium leather, Wood, Headlamp Washers
E - C Package plus Premium Leather, Wood, Headlamp Washers, Titanium Look Wheels
I purchased the B package.
INITIAL ISSUES:
After I picked up the car I gave it a good going over to see if I could find any factory defects, etc. The car was delivered in a flawless condition. The only small issue that I have noticed is that the headlight level warning light comes on when you first start the car. Sometimes the light stays on for a couple of minutes before going out. Not sure if there is a problem with the autoleveling system or not but I will have it checked out during the first service. The car also hestitates (as some people have reported) when you stomp down on the gas between 1rst and 2nd gears. Its almost like the computer isn't sure whether to upshift or downshift.
EXTERIOR:
All I am going to say is that this car looks damn good. Pure understated good looks. The headlights are awesome.
INTERIOR:
The like the overall design of the car. The interior is well thought out and all the controls are within easy reach. There seems to be a lot of clever design details. An example of this is that the automatic climate control is smart enough to wait until the engine has warmed before turning on the fan. This prevents you from getting blasted with cold air when you first start up the car in the winter. All the buttons, knobs and controls have a real solid feel about them. This car oozes quality. The only real oversight is the lack of a good armrest. Perhaps this was done intentionally (to allow skiis to fit or to keep both hands on the wheel...not sure). The cup holders are kinda cheesey but I don't like people eating and drinking in my car anyways. I really like the stock radio/CD. The sound quality is quite good and it is quite powerful for those who like to crank it up loud.
DRIVING:
This car is the smoothest car I have ever driven. The engine and transmission are so oily smooth that you wonder how it could be any better. The handling is perfect and not a single rattle can be heard under any driving conditions. Some might think that the steering is a little too light but I think that it is a welcome change compared to my previous car (Volvo). The throttle is slightly different than my previous cars. Every now and then you can sense a slight hesitation when you stomp down on the gas. Given that the throttle is fly-by-wire you wonder a bit about what the computer is adding and/or subtracting to your pedal commands...hehehehehe. The car has lots of power and pulling away from traffic is effortless. I find the car to be very quiet on the road even with my new snow tires installed.
WINTER HANDLING:
The car was a nightmare in the snow with the stock Bridgestone Potenza summer tires. What do you expect for summer tires? I installed a set of 16" Yokohama Guardex 600 tires and the car is now almost as good as my wife's old all wheel drive Subaru. My tire guy mounted the tires on a new set of aftermarket RX300 aluminum rims. If you want to drive it in the snow...get new snow tires. It is much safer and you will extend the life of your summer tires cause you will be using them less each year. After driving in the snow with the car and the new snow tires, I am now wondering why I neglected to purchase snow tires for my previous cars.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This car is soooo much fun to drive. I suspect it will be even more fun in the dry summer months. I suspect that everyone is enjoying th
BACKGROUND:
I purchased a silver IS300 here in Toronto, Canada. In Canada the car is sold with different option packages than in the USA. They are as follows:
A - Base Package: IS300 fabric, TRAC, 6 Disc CD, 8 Speaker, 16" Wheels
B - Appearance Package (adds 17" Wheels, Roof, LSD, Heated Seats to above)
C - B Package plus Leather, Power Seats
D - C Package plus Premium leather, Wood, Headlamp Washers
E - C Package plus Premium Leather, Wood, Headlamp Washers, Titanium Look Wheels
I purchased the B package.
INITIAL ISSUES:
After I picked up the car I gave it a good going over to see if I could find any factory defects, etc. The car was delivered in a flawless condition. The only small issue that I have noticed is that the headlight level warning light comes on when you first start the car. Sometimes the light stays on for a couple of minutes before going out. Not sure if there is a problem with the autoleveling system or not but I will have it checked out during the first service. The car also hestitates (as some people have reported) when you stomp down on the gas between 1rst and 2nd gears. Its almost like the computer isn't sure whether to upshift or downshift.
EXTERIOR:
All I am going to say is that this car looks damn good. Pure understated good looks. The headlights are awesome.
INTERIOR:
The like the overall design of the car. The interior is well thought out and all the controls are within easy reach. There seems to be a lot of clever design details. An example of this is that the automatic climate control is smart enough to wait until the engine has warmed before turning on the fan. This prevents you from getting blasted with cold air when you first start up the car in the winter. All the buttons, knobs and controls have a real solid feel about them. This car oozes quality. The only real oversight is the lack of a good armrest. Perhaps this was done intentionally (to allow skiis to fit or to keep both hands on the wheel...not sure). The cup holders are kinda cheesey but I don't like people eating and drinking in my car anyways. I really like the stock radio/CD. The sound quality is quite good and it is quite powerful for those who like to crank it up loud.
DRIVING:
This car is the smoothest car I have ever driven. The engine and transmission are so oily smooth that you wonder how it could be any better. The handling is perfect and not a single rattle can be heard under any driving conditions. Some might think that the steering is a little too light but I think that it is a welcome change compared to my previous car (Volvo). The throttle is slightly different than my previous cars. Every now and then you can sense a slight hesitation when you stomp down on the gas. Given that the throttle is fly-by-wire you wonder a bit about what the computer is adding and/or subtracting to your pedal commands...hehehehehe. The car has lots of power and pulling away from traffic is effortless. I find the car to be very quiet on the road even with my new snow tires installed.
WINTER HANDLING:
The car was a nightmare in the snow with the stock Bridgestone Potenza summer tires. What do you expect for summer tires? I installed a set of 16" Yokohama Guardex 600 tires and the car is now almost as good as my wife's old all wheel drive Subaru. My tire guy mounted the tires on a new set of aftermarket RX300 aluminum rims. If you want to drive it in the snow...get new snow tires. It is much safer and you will extend the life of your summer tires cause you will be using them less each year. After driving in the snow with the car and the new snow tires, I am now wondering why I neglected to purchase snow tires for my previous cars.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This car is soooo much fun to drive. I suspect it will be even more fun in the dry summer months. I suspect that everyone is enjoying th
