The French car magazine L'Équipe Auto tested the Lexus IS220d in this months issue.
Below are the major performance figures given by Lexus Europe and the actually tested performance figures. L'Équipe Auto tested the car with the engine fully warmed up and with three individual tests for each category, mainly acceleration and fuel economy.
Official Lexus Factory Performance Figures:
Max. Speed: 220 km/h
0-100 km/h: 8.9 seconds
Average Fuel Economy: 6.9 L / 100 km
L'Équipe Auto Tested Performance Figures:
Max. Speed: 222 km/h
0-100 km/h Test 1: 9.1 seconds
0-100 km/h Test 2: 9.1 seconds
0-100 km/h Test 3: 9.3 seconds
Average Fuel Economy Test 1: 9.0 L / 100 km
Average Fuel Economy Test 2: 8.7 L / 100 km
Average Fuel Economy Test 3: 8.9 L / 100 km
The IS220d dissapointed the reviewers with a lackluster engine (the engine comes from the Toyota Avensis) and and poor fuel economy. The engine is noisy and vibrates heavily when cold. When warm, the engine is still noisy though the vibrations have settled down. The engine response is sluggish and the under 2000 RPM the engine is not rev-happy. The torque rating of 400 Nm is normal for this class but they can't be felt in the IS220d as the car accelerates quite sleepishly and the torque band is too short.
The testers could never achieve the claimed 8.9 second 0-100 km/h time and the claimed average fuel economy of 6.9 L / 100 km was never achieved, even with docile driving methods. Even more alarming in this day and age is the lack of a particulate filter, which is standard on most European diesels. The IS220d is actually faster than the claimed 220 km/h top speed. The testers measured 222 km/h.
The testers felt that the gear ratios were too high resulting in slow acceleration and poor fuel economy. The manual transmission was described as unrefined with long shift patterns. The lack of an automatic transmission as an option means a lack of competitiveness with Europeans rivals.
The inside brought about mixed feelings. The interior was rated as good but with poor ergonomics and too many confusing buttons. An area where every tester complained was the interior space of the IS. Here the car received very poor marks. There is no useable rear seat space if the passengers infront are tall, as they need all the space they can get. The transmission tunnel is unusually wide and takes away precious leg space upfront and in the back. Out of the four testers who drove the car, none of them gave the IS high marks for interior comfort and long distance cruising ability. Guy Helané said, "The interior is probably the weakest part of the car. It's simply to small to seat four people of average height comfortable and the downward sloping roofline means headspace is virtually non-existent at the back."
The handling is confident and the steering feedback is generally good but the suspension feels nervous and does a poor job of filtering out road noise and vibrations on unsmooth roads. It was difficult for the testers to ascertain whether or not the suspension was tuned for sport or comfort since the car didn't feel very sporty or comfortable.
The reviewers complained about the removal of certain safety features which the IS250 offers. Jean-Pierre Lucrouc, the head reviewer, explained how he couldn't understand the logic behind this move. Indeed, the IS220d comes with less than half the safety features of the IS250. Lexus of France was questioned about this but didn't respond with an answer.
On the positive side the car is stable at all speeds, has a good interior and comes well equipped. The exterior design is fresh and dynamic. The price is decent but despite this getting you a well equipped car the IS220d still lacks the general appeal of the European brands, which do everything better. Lucrouc reminds us of a test done a few months ago, in which the IS220d placed last as it took on the BMW 320d, Audi A4 2.0 TDI and Mercedes C220 CDI.
Overall score: 3.5 / 5
-The Newsbot-