i'm surprised that none of you guys has said anything about the program on speedvision about the SC430 test drive and the 2002 IS300 manual test drive jimmy vasser from cart and the host were racing the SC430 and the2002 IS300 around some track ...the IS actually kept up!!! jimmy vasser had nothing but good things to say about the IS as far as i could tell wheels are the same size and horsepower is the same as well as torque...the nav looked pretty cool....mr vasser said that the tranny was smooth and he loved the power throughout the powerband : ) as far as looks the car has no exterior changes and is due out in september ....it was a silver in case anybody wanted to know ...he said he got it up to 126 on the banked track and he also said that the car handles very well at high speeds : ) he said that it actually "sucked down" on the banked track the program was on at 10:30 pm eastern it was "speedvision showcase"....oh yeah he liked the sc430 too lol...there was no mention of 1/4 mile times or 0-60 times for the manual...i had the idea that the show was lexus' idea they had some company spokesman there pimpin the two cars ........does it piss anybody else off that this car has no problem breaking the wheels loose in reverse but it is very hard to break them loose going forward ?...oh and another thing ...traction control doesn't work in reverse ...lol CIAO for now
the 20002 manual test drive on speedvision tonight!!!
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The reason it's harder to break wheels loose going forward is the weight shifting to the rear when accelerating. When going in reverse, same rules apply - weight shift into front, leaving less for the rear wheels, therefore, letting them spin. That's why we drive RWD cars.
Traction control DOES work in reverse. Trust me, we had a long snowy winter around here. Backing into my driveway was a challenge at times.
Traction control DOES work in reverse. Trust me, we had a long snowy winter around here. Backing into my driveway was a challenge at times.
I am watching the show right now. They just finished the segment where Jimmy was racing Tommy. Did you see how close they get to that infield wall? That is way too close for my comfort, but I still won't mind driving it. That looks so fun, and the IS looks pretty good when pushed to the limit.
Just watched it! They were having a blast with the SC and IS on that track. And you're right, they seemed to be very impressed with the 2002 IS, not to mention how well the SC handles for a luxury convertible. Did I see a little lip spoiler on the back of the IS? Hmmm...
What a blast to watch. Makes me want to pull out of the garage right now and find a deserted road to open up on.
What a blast to watch. Makes me want to pull out of the garage right now and find a deserted road to open up on.
I saw the end of it.. I'll catch it later on. Damn thats like the first time I seen a silver IS like mine that wasn't mine. Im scuuured to push mine like that, I always seem to spin out when im playing around. Or over steer and then spin out
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The 5speed was hot. Hey isn't the SC a 4.3 v8? Why did it seem like the IS was keep up? Too bad I can't roll with a 5speed. the only thing I want out of that car is the NAV. Maybe I can hook my on DVD/NAV system to the dash monitor....
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Remember, that was Jimmy Vasser driving it. And they were playing it around and try to be around each other. That looks more fun to audience than one pulling way ahead of the other. BTW, the IS300M should actually be faster since they wereon road course with lots of tight turns.
This is what they need to use for commercial for the 2002 IS comes out. Not the wacky nerdy stuff, but this.
This is what they need to use for commercial for the 2002 IS comes out. Not the wacky nerdy stuff, but this.
I saw the show, don't know why people say it's a long throw shifter - looks short to me - just a long lever. Car seems to still roll a fair amount, but so do most sports sedans. I think the SC430 looks pretty ordinary, wonder if it'll sell. I'd rather have a 911 for only $8000 more, or a Boxster S for less, but for cruising the Lexus would be ideal.
To me it seemed like a glorified infomercial. The comments seem scripted. They had nothing negative to say whatsoever. They didn't do any measurements on the vehicles, rather they just drove them and told them how much fun they were having.
Jimmy didn't have any trouble burning rubber in the pits with the manual IS300...
Some of their comments seemed a bit "off" to me - like they were praising how Lexus managed to get 215hp out of that "small" 3 liter engine. And how the small engine keeps the weight down and the fuel economy up.
What car were they talking about? To me (even in the USA) the 3 liter engine is not "small", and 215hp is not a huge amount of power to get from 3 liters. Also the IS300 fuel economy isn't ~that~ great. If they were talking about a 240hp S2000 (2 liter) or a 1.8liter 180hp Celica GT-S I might agree, but the IS300 doesn't have a "small, light engine".
Jimmy didn't have any trouble burning rubber in the pits with the manual IS300...
Some of their comments seemed a bit "off" to me - like they were praising how Lexus managed to get 215hp out of that "small" 3 liter engine. And how the small engine keeps the weight down and the fuel economy up.
What car were they talking about? To me (even in the USA) the 3 liter engine is not "small", and 215hp is not a huge amount of power to get from 3 liters. Also the IS300 fuel economy isn't ~that~ great. If they were talking about a 240hp S2000 (2 liter) or a 1.8liter 180hp Celica GT-S I might agree, but the IS300 doesn't have a "small, light engine".
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