# Impressions of Lexus IS350



## jatche1 (Nov 16, 2004)

I just got back from attending the "Taste of Lexus" event in NY. It was the first opportunity for a chance to drive the new IS, and Lexus made sure to have the 330i at the event as well. I drove the IS250, IS350 and 330i (no 325i at the event). It was my first experience with driving the new 3. 

The new IS is nice looking from the exterior with very smooth lines. The 330i is noticably more aggressive in its styling, and looks substantially larger than the IS from the outside. 

Inside, the IS is soft and cushy, with leather seats that are amongst the most comfortable I have sat it. The controls are user-friendly, and sound system was great. One thing I didnt like about the interior was the positioning of the seat and instrument cluster. I felt the gauges were somewhat distant and positioned too low, and I had a hard time finding the right seating position. 

The IS350 is definately quicker than the 250, as the car literally flys when you step on the gas. While the car has great pick up, and accelerates smoothly, it quickly loses its composure in the turns, with steering that feels quite loose and sloppy. If you're looking for a car quick off the line, and great for highway cruising, you would probably love the IS350. It's comfortable, pretty and quick, if not very involving from an interior design/handling standpoint.

After driving both IS models, I drove the 330i. First off, the exhaust note on the 330 is deep and throaty when compared to the almost silent IS models. A guy I spoke to said he has a 330i and the exhaust on his car is noticably deeper than the one at the event. Sounds like Lexus may have tampered with it a little to make the car seem more bland. 

The interior of the 330i is more stark looking than that of the IS, but the quality of the materials is a notch above the Lexus. The BMW's interior feels much more substantial and solid. While the seats in the Lexus were more comfortable, the dash looked a bit cheaper than that of the BMW. 

The BMW didnt have the pick up of the IS 350, but then again I dont know if Lexus might have done something to mellow out the 330 before the event. As I havent driven one before, I cant say. It was quick, but not nearly as fast as the 350. 

The 330i's handling is in a completely different league than that of the IS. When driving the 330i, you feel like the car is an extension of you. The sloppiness of the IS in curves wasnt apparent at all in the bimmer. 

In conclusion, I would say in my opinion I came away loving the way the 330i looked and drove. It's definately an exciting car. The Lexus is a really nice car for the money, and seems well designed, but it lacks the hardcore edge of the BMW; I can imagine getting bored with the IS after a period of time. Based on the limited time i spent in these cars, I would pick the BMW, hands down.


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## visor (Sep 7, 2002)

jatche1 said:


> The 330i's handling is in a completely different league than that of the IS. When driving the 330i, you feel like the car is an extension of you. The sloppiness of the IS in curves wasnt apparent at all in the bimmer.


That's why bimmers are the Ultimate Driving Machines!

BTW, were they automatics or manuals? And if they were autos, did you downshift for the turns? If you didn't, then that could explain for some of the sloppiness in the curves. :dunno:


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## willpooted (May 11, 2005)

Thanks! This post makes me happy that I didn't wait it out for the IS. :thumbup:


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## jatche1 (Nov 16, 2004)

visor said:


> That's why bimmers are the Ultimate Driving Machines!
> 
> BTW, were they automatics or manuals? And if they were autos, did you downshift for the turns? If you didn't, then that could explain for some of the sloppiness in the curves. :dunno:


They didnt have any manuals to drive. The IS 350 had paddles on the steering wheel to upshift/downshift. I only attempted to use them on the second time I drove the car, and I found the response to be kinda slow when shifting with them, so I left it in auto. The reps kept saying that these are pre-production cars and might not be up to par with the production model. So maybe that accounts for it.

The IS is a nice car, it just seems like Lexus has kept the dynamics pretty bland in order to appeal to the masses. I bet they'll sell tons of them.


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## Athos (May 20, 2005)

A well-written and thoughtful post. Thank you for giving a balanced presentation of both cars.


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## ase2dais (Aug 26, 2005)

*thnks for the writeup*

I know you explained very well the driving aspect, did yu get the pricing on the cars, 
like which is best value? any thoughts on that matter?


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## jatche1 (Nov 16, 2004)

ase2dais said:


> I know you explained very well the driving aspect, did yu get the pricing on the cars,
> like which is best value? any thoughts on that matter?


Lexus hasnt released pricing or gas mileage figures yet. I'm curious about that myself, but I would imagine both would be comparable to the BMW. We'll see.


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## wac77 (Jun 19, 2005)

I was at the same event. And I pretty much agree what your evaluation, although I would rate the IS handling higher than you did - still behind the 330, but close.

There are many things that I din't like about the Lexus: no stick with the larger engine or AWD, no hand brake, somewhat sterile design, pointy rear door, etc. But being nicely built, probably very reliable, and (with the larger engine) faster, it makes a formidable competitor to the new 3er. Maybe not for the full blown enthusiast, but for most people who prefer automatics.


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## akhbhaat (Apr 29, 2003)

This baffles me: Lexus just doesn't learn! People don't buy the 3 series in spite of the tight steering and sporty composure, they buy it BECAUSE of those things. What the 3 series has done so well over the past couple decades is offer a taste of luxury combined with sport and wrapped in a convenient four seat configuration.

The previous generation IS offered a sporty feel but the styling and interior quality/design were inadequate for the target market (contrary to popular belief, most of the buyers in the sport sedan market are NOT 17). The value was spot on for the money. While I still felt it lacked the "feel" of the 3, this in itself shouldn't have doomed the IS300...nevertheless, the car was a terrible sales failure, compared not only to the E46, but also to the other E46 competitors. I wrote some years ago that if Lexus toned down the boy racer exterior look on their car and offered a more "Lexus-like" interior (basically adjusting the car's aim towards a more mature audience) that the IS would be a truly legitimate 3 series competitor. I always felt that from a marketing standpiont, the first gen IS was more deserving of a Toyota badge and a mid-20's price tag.

At first glance, it had seemed they had done just that. I'll be the first to admit that the styling of the second gen IS didn't excite me much, but then again, none of Lexus' products do that (I actually like the older model better in this regard). Meanwhile, the interior appears to be fifteen steps beyond that of the first gen.

But then the first driving reports come in. It seems that in the process of toning down the car's appearance inside and out, Toyota's engineers also managed to tone down the car's driving excitement. No manual available on the larger engine model? Loose, sloppy steering? Even the suspension seems to have been tuned more for comfort than performance. I'm not suggesting that Lexus build a hard edged sports car out of a luxury shell - BMW doesn't do that, either. But BMW does offer the ultimate - some would say perfect - compromise between luxury and sport. That's what makes the 3 series such an enticing buy.

Has Lexus already conceeded defeat (hard as that may be to believe)? From what I've seen and read, the new IS seems more like a glorified ES than a Japanese 3 series. Who knows, though: maybe this one will sell. I know I won't be among the buyers, but then, I'm hardly a typical American when it comes to my automotive tastes.


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## fm_illuminatus (Jun 13, 2005)

jatche1 said:


> I just got back from attending the "Taste of Lexus" event in NY. It was the first opportunity for a chance to drive the new IS, and Lexus made sure to have the 330i at the event as well. I drove the IS250, IS350 and 330i (no 325i at the event). It was my first experience with driving the new 3.
> 
> The new IS is nice looking from the exterior with very smooth lines. The 330i is noticably more aggressive in its styling, and looks substantially larger than the IS from the outside.
> 
> ...


330i

3.0 liter, [email protected], 220 ft/lb'[email protected]

0-60 (auto): 6.1 (6.3)

3417 lbs

(www.bmwusa.com)

IS350

3.5 liter, [email protected], 277 ft/lt'[email protected]

0-60: 6.1 (manual)

3450 lbs

(www.edmunds.com)

Um, not sure what would be appropriate comment, given the strange disparity between engine power and 0-60 times. Unfortunately, I don't have quarter mile times. Maybe the torque at rpm's has something to do with it. I wonder if the lexus has 220ft/[email protected]


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

fm_illuminatus said:


> IS350
> 
> 3.5 liter, [email protected], 277 ft/lt'[email protected]
> 
> ...


Uh, you should try that again or they have a misprint. There is no such thing as an IS350 manual.


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## FenPhen (Jan 13, 2004)

fm_illuminatus said:


> Um, not sure what would be appropriate comment, given the strange disparity between engine power and 0-60 times. Unfortunately, I don't have quarter mile times. Maybe the torque at rpm's has something to do with it.


Car And Driver's comparison test put the 330i's weight at 3460 lbs. and the IS350's weight at 3600 lbs. They got the 330i MT to 60 in 6.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.8 s @ 97 mph. They got the IS350 AT to 60 in 5.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.7 s @ 104 mph.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

FenPhen said:


> Car And Driver's comparison test put the 330i's weight at 3460 lbs. and the IS350's weight at 3600 lbs. They got the 330i MT to 60 in 6.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.8 s @ 97 mph. They got the IS350 AT to 60 in 5.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.7 s @ 104 mph.


well if straightline acceleration is all that matters then get a Mustang and save yourself big $$$


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

TeamM3 said:


> well if straightline acceleration is all that matters then get a Mustang and save yourself big $$$


The IS350 is faster than a Mustang and it handles better. Plus it's got a few things absent from Fords...reliability, high resale, better gas mileage, luxury, xenons.


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## FenPhen (Jan 13, 2004)

TeamM3 said:


> well if straightline acceleration is all that matters then get a Mustang and save yourself big $$$


Well straight-line acceleration isn't all that matters to me, which is why I like what I drive. I was just offering numbers from another source in response to fm_illuminatus' numbers.


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## fm_illuminatus (Jun 13, 2005)

FenPhen said:


> Car And Driver's comparison test put the 330i's weight at 3460 lbs. and the IS350's weight at 3600 lbs. They got the 330i MT to 60 in 6.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.8 s @ 97 mph. They got the IS350 AT to 60 in 5.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.7 s @ 104 mph.


Wow, then edmunds is way off.


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## E39spd (Mar 4, 2004)

I also went to the taste of Lexus in NY, last Saturday.

I agree with most of the things you said, and had the write up below in anouther forum:

All cars had A/T and the IS's were the hand built prototypes that magazine reviewers have driven, 5 in total, all pre-production prototypes.

The IS250 AWD was with a standard suspension/tire package
The IS350 was with the sport package
The 330i was with the sport package

They had an autocross style setup with some pretty quick runs, with an emergency lane change maneuver, followed by a right then left, a 270-degree turn, then a few esses and then the finish line.

First and last I drove the IS250, it had good power, but was not the point and shoot performance of the 330i, with soft steering and a little too much of the nanny factor kicking in during the drive.

The 330i was smooth and transitioned without fuss, steering was right on, including steering feel and effort and quick on it’s feet.

The IS350 was about raw power, you could tell immediately that it had a bigger kick in the pants, but, transitions were choppy as the Lexus nanny kicked in way too early, and changed smooth transitions into abruptly computer controlled corrections. The car at time felt like the car was hopping as brakes applied and released in the turns. Power was always ready and on tap though.

Back seat room in the IS was small, nowhere near the size of the current Acura TL, and smaller than the 330i (and I think a steeper angle rear seat back).

To the credit of all the cars, they stood up after a hard day of testing (plenty of cars were put off course and had the VDIM kick in plenty of times, including some what appeared to be fishtailing on the IS350’s).

Overall, I came away with the feeling that if you want to corner to the limit, the 330i is your car, if stop light to stop light straight line runs are your thing, the IS350 is your car. However, in terms of gadgetry and electronics, the IS had the BMW beat.

Overall, I left with a better appreciation of the ultimate driving machine, while I was shunning the new E90, I am now embracing it for the driving experiance. Too bad for Lexus, they missed the mark again, but what would you expect from Lexus, as they put Luxury before sport on all their cars.

I am still going to give BMW another year to work out a few bugs, but will be giving the E90 (with sport package) a hard look when I replace my 01 530ia sport


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## E39spd (Mar 4, 2004)

jatche1 said:


> Lexus hasnt released pricing or gas mileage figures yet. I'm curious about that myself, but I would imagine both would be comparable to the BMW. We'll see.


While no hard pricing, Lexus did release the offical fuel millage numbers:

The IS 250 rear-wheel drive 27 mpg ave (24 mpg city/32 mpg highway)
The IS 250 all-wheel drive 25 mph ave (22 mpg city/28 mpg highway)
The IS 350 rwd - 24 mpg ave (21 mpg city/28 mpg highway)
The IS 250 manual transmission 23 mpg ave (20 mpg city/29 mpg highway)


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## DaKine (Aug 17, 2005)

Lexus does seem to have a one-up on BMW in terms of customer service.... I know thats a bit irrelevant to this thread, but its the truth. My friend has an is300, and when he takes his car in, they treat him like a king.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

even the best BMW service sucks toilet bowl water, Lexus service is more than a leg up over BMW, it's in a whole different realm


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