I heard there were some '02 Manuals at JM Lexus so I went by after work and took a test drive...
Dark Tails (on darker colors, not on the yellow, silver or white) - I like them. They make a subtle but definite difference.
New Grill - another definite improvement. The darker color better matches the lower grill and gives the front a much more aggresive look.
Armrest - I like it. My arm fell onto it like it had always been there. I just think it's wierd that it leaves that comparment half open
New Interior - VERY nice. One of the best improvements. The dark gray plastic has been changed to a black rubbery plastic. I think it makes a HUGE difference in the upscale-ness of the interior. The chrome speaker ring is nice too, helps breakup some of the solid color on the door. The Leather/Escaine package now gets the piping from last year's Premium package. I have no opinion on that. The auto dimming / compass mirror is a nice addition.
As for the Manual: It makes the car so much more fun (You can break the rear end loose without dropping to L!).
Except for the lack of a shift knob (!), it was a nice shifter. The clutch had a weird return spring/clunk at the top of the pedal, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the clutch - just the pedal. But it was easy and smooth. I regularly drive a Miata with short throws and a hipo clutch, so I'm not the best person to gauge the feel compared to mere mortal cars.
But I have no complaints. The gearing was nice too. Makes me hate my automatic now.
The handling changes were subtle but are there. The steering is a bit tighter and the body seems to roll just a bit less. I got to throw the car around some nice curves and it felt very good. Again, just a bit tighter everywhere, but I could feel it when I got back in my car afterwards. That handling change, plus the 5-speed will make a big difference in my autox times next year!
What I want to see for '03:
225/45 on 17x7.5 wheels - I'd like these all around (they're on the back of the SportCross), standard for the Manual and optional for the Auto. After all, the 3 Series has 17x8's on the Sport Package.
CD-Text Support on the Stereo - this is a small thing, but it would be nice. I'm not even asking for MP3 support yet!
Included or at least Pre-Paid Maintenance - especially for leased vehicles.
[ August 15, 2001: Message edited by: webmaster ]
Dark Tails (on darker colors, not on the yellow, silver or white) - I like them. They make a subtle but definite difference.
New Grill - another definite improvement. The darker color better matches the lower grill and gives the front a much more aggresive look.
Armrest - I like it. My arm fell onto it like it had always been there. I just think it's wierd that it leaves that comparment half open
New Interior - VERY nice. One of the best improvements. The dark gray plastic has been changed to a black rubbery plastic. I think it makes a HUGE difference in the upscale-ness of the interior. The chrome speaker ring is nice too, helps breakup some of the solid color on the door. The Leather/Escaine package now gets the piping from last year's Premium package. I have no opinion on that. The auto dimming / compass mirror is a nice addition.
As for the Manual: It makes the car so much more fun (You can break the rear end loose without dropping to L!).
The handling changes were subtle but are there. The steering is a bit tighter and the body seems to roll just a bit less. I got to throw the car around some nice curves and it felt very good. Again, just a bit tighter everywhere, but I could feel it when I got back in my car afterwards. That handling change, plus the 5-speed will make a big difference in my autox times next year!
What I want to see for '03:
225/45 on 17x7.5 wheels - I'd like these all around (they're on the back of the SportCross), standard for the Manual and optional for the Auto. After all, the 3 Series has 17x8's on the Sport Package.
CD-Text Support on the Stereo - this is a small thing, but it would be nice. I'm not even asking for MP3 support yet!
Included or at least Pre-Paid Maintenance - especially for leased vehicles.
[ August 15, 2001: Message edited by: webmaster ]