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My first impressions

5956 Views 20 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  henry zzzz, 
mondo540
I've had my '08 SGM F for several days...still getting to know the car and haven't driven it a lot, maybe 400 miles, but, thought I'd give my very initial impressions...yours may vary considerably from mine and that's o.k. As a reference, I am coming from a VW GTI that has the DSG tranny.

Nits
- The interior lighting is very dim...at night with black interior, hard to see inside the car.
- Would like to have a feature that my VW has, courtesy 3 blinks of the signal when you flick the turn signal stalk up or down. Really nice when switching lanes and I've gotten very used to it.
- Turn signals in mirror would be nice....
- Steering wheel seems a bit thin to me...I'd like slightly thicker and less slippery. Not sure if the leather on my wheel was hit with armor all or something as part of a detail before me getting the car, but it feels slick.
- The mark levinson so far has not impressed me like I thought it would...I admit that my adjustments have been made while driving the car with one eye on the road...I really need to sit down and fine tune this I guess.
- I think the springs could be lightened up by 20-30% for a little more compliance...would really like to see an EDC option on the next iteration of the car...give us comfort, normal or sport with the push of a button.
- Parking assist...the warning sensors work more to the side/front and there are none for directly ahead on either side of license plate...seems odd....I was messing around testing these in my garage to see when they would go off and nothing happened directly ahead...
- Rattle may be developing....need to listen more intently.. Hey, it's a Lexus...no rattles ever, right? :)

Picks
- Motor is awesome, v8 burble at idle is awesome, and above 3600 is STUPENDOUS. I can't keep my foot out of it.
- Brakes seem robust.
- Like the 8 speeds...2K rpm at 75 on freeway is nice.
- Sport mode and paddles work well together. I like what Lexus has done with the tranny and I am coming from a car that has a really good DSG.
- I can check the oil level via an old fashioned dipstick. Don't laugh (look at a new 3 series lately?)
- Interior is gorgeous IMO. Simplified beauty, not overdone, and classy.
- Seats are very comfortable and supportive.
- Gauges at night seem like artwork to me. Best of any car I've been in so far.
- Love the adaptive headlights.
- I like all the standard features that are options on many other cars.
- Wheels are some of the best looking factory jobs I've ever seen.
- Don't see these on every corner, ala TL, etc.

Price/performance/features/quality - this car has it over many others in the class. I am impressed with what lexus has been able to accomplish on their first try. I bought this car because I wanted a reliable, quality built, adult muscle car that could hold more than 2 people (and came with a great reputation for service and a quality dealership network.) The pricing and financing on the '08's make it a bargain IMO. I can't wait to see what they do for the next chapter on this one.
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Jeff Taylor
I agree almost totally with your nits and picks. I'm good with the diameter of the steering wheel and mine doesn't seem slippery. Maybe they did Armor All yours. Or maybe it is just similar to my previous car so I didn't notice :)

I really like the Mark Levinson system a lot. When I test drove the F for the first time and put in "I Know It's You" by the Crystal Method, it sent shivers down my spine. It's definitely superior to the ELS system in my 04 TL. Hopefully you can dial it in to your preference and it will sound better.

Thanks for posting your thoughts. I always like hearing other people's impressions of the F.

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS-F
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Flipside909
Well said with the EDC option. That was one of the biggest things I wish we had was an adjustable suspension option.
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lowrider
Yep, well said. I agree with everything - except:

The interior lighting is fine for me, no problems at night here.
The steering wheel is the right thickness for me, and is not slippery. However, I would rather the wheel be covered in smooth leather rather than perforated leather. My wife's ES is covered in smooth leather, and to me it has a nicer feel.

Lou
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I
You're making me like this car more than the others on my list!!
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BigMikeISF
Wow, great list! I agree with most things from both lists! :cool:
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B
ya, the front park assist mainly only works for front/side objects... i tested it out too for directly in front and it didnt go off for me... if you look at the sensors, there isnt one in the middle, just on the sides of the front bumper. i didn't get the ml sound system on mine and think it sounds great (was thinking of getting it but my cousin told me the difference between the ml and non didn't warrant the increase in price). i guess it would have been cool to be able to watch a dvd with the ml system tho. great list!
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isflojo
Yes, the ML system sounds and looks great with dvds! The surround sound is just like my Bose home theater! Although, I prefer watching movies on a big screen. One good thing about it, though, is that it won't let you watch while driving. Safety first!
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isflojo said:
Yes, the ML system sounds and looks great with dvds! The surround sound is just like my Bose home theater! Although, I prefer watching movies on a big screen. One good thing about it, though, is that it won't let you watch while driving. Safety first!
Click to expand...
you can actually get an over-ride to bypass the restriction of not being able to watch dvds while driving... i think cost is around $400 bucks or so
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mondo540
One other thing I should mention is the car I bought was purchased from a supporting vendor on this forum (Doug Greenup - Lexus of Dayton). I live in OH so it was only a 70 mile drive from where I live...not too bad. I started talking to Doug via PM's on this forum, then calls and then went there to check things out, see the car, and meet him.

Doug was the ultimate professional and even though I just test drove my first visit, there was no pressure whatsoever to buy RIGHT THEN. I liked that....we talked cars, etc. for quite a while and I enjoyed the country club atmosphere. (My first time in a Lexus dealer). Doug is quite the car guy.

Things got more serious the following days and a week later I was a new owner. I like to try and support vendors who support these forums when possible and are "car guys"...

Just thought I'd share this info as well....had a good experience buying the car. Not to take anything away from any other supporting vendor on this forum....
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kingpreetham
Steering thickness

Has anyone gotten a custom leather job on the steering wheel to get it a little thicker. I like the feel of the BMW M3 steering wheel which is thicker than the ISF.
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B
if you push the footbrake in to the first click only, the light comes on but the brake isn't really on....so you can fool the system and watch dvds while you drive.

i would def NOT recommend this for safety reasons...but just felt like throwing it out there.
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M
i read on my.is that foot brake is only one of the two safety kill for DVD. once the speed picks up, DVD will be cut off. not sure if it is ture. never tried myself.
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Fig
bchoi27 said:
you can actually get an over-ride to bypass the restriction of not being able to watch dvds while driving... i think cost is around $400 bucks or so
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Or an hour your time at most. Pretty simple to mod.
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T
I also agree with pretty much everything, pro and con, that you listed. I sat inside a BMW 135 a couple of days ago and longed for its steering wheel. My GTI's steering wheel was far superior as well. The Lexus is too thin, too slippery and worst of all, too hard on the hands.

I would only add that there needs to be an option for a true manual 6-speed tranny. It's simply a more involving driving experience when one is racing through the gears the old fashioned way.
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mondo540
TomsterF said:
I also agree with pretty much everything, pro and con, that you listed. I sat inside a BMW 135 a couple of days ago and longed for its steering wheel. My GTI's steering wheel was far superior as well. The Lexus is too thin, too slippery and worst of all, too hard on the hands.

I would only add that there needs to be an option for a true manual 6-speed tranny. It's simply a more involving driving experience when one is racing through the gears the old fashioned way.
Click to expand...

Yep, if I never had my GTI I prob. would not have noticed the steering wheel, etc....but the GTI wheel is really much better in thickness and the flat bottom is nice...my hands fall to it much more readily than the Lex....

One other thing I noticed is the dead pedal seems either too far away or angled wrong.....maybe it's my short alligator legs but I can't seem to find a good position for my left foot.

Don't get me wrong guys...I love my F but since I still have and drive the GTI, I notice these little differences a lot more between the 2 cars.
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H
tomsterf u got that right, in my opinion the manual is old fasion,before the f my last 3cars were stick and theres no way to shift that fast with a stick ,on the track or street im a much more competive driver im never going back to stick!
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kingpreetham
8-speed

I wonder if the 8-speed has anything to do with the low rev engine that the ISF has...compared to the high revs of the M3 to make more torque available at all times,
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Jeff Taylor
I don't know if it is true or not, but in one of the magazine reviews of the IS-F, I remember reading that the redline was kept fairly low for reliability reasons keeping in line with Lexus/Toyota's conservative nature.

Again not sure if it is true, but it makes sense.

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS-F
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henry zzzz said:
tomsterf u got that right, in my opinion the manual is old fasion,before the f my last 3cars were stick and theres no way to shift that fast with a stick ,on the track or street im a much more competive driver im never going back to stick!
Click to expand...
Not sure if you got the intent of my post. In it, I longed for the option of shifting the "old fashioned" way. As I'm never gonna take this car to the race track and as I will infrequently endanger fellow commuters by racing some 18 year old down a crowded highway, I would rather have the ability to shift manually. You can call the ISF tranny a true manual but it simply isn't . Tapping a wheel lever is about as automatic a thing as one can do so you might as well just leave the thing in automatic anyway. Give me a foot clutch and shift stick and let me downshift and accelerate into corners while delicately balancing it sliding into and out of gear with my foot. Now THAT'S driver interaction with his car!
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