there is no substitute
 

Last week I bought my wife an IS250 Lexus, 205HP, 6 speed, paddle shifter. So I have been driving it Friday, Sat and Sunday and it is all nice, great speed, good F1 paddle, sporty, good suspension, even rear wheel drive. Then, Monday morning I got back into the 911SC and blasted up I-280 to go to the gym. It certainly hit me, with less power, and less weight, the 911SC was more fun, more raw, and more involvement.

There is no substitute !!!

Not really fair to compare the SC to the relatively underpowered (185 lb/ft torque), slushbox equipped IS250.

An IS350 would be a fun car if they put the manual trans in it.

Yelcab1, You go brother! Spoken like a true enthusiast. I feel the same way. A driver should feel connected to his car, not isolated from it by a multitude of safety systems and soundproofing. I truly believe there are drivers out there who are so dampened from their surroundings by their vehicles, that they lose situational awareness and are more prone to causing an accident.