2015 Lexus Is 350 Awd F Sport Review
BMW moved over 140,000 iii-Series' last year in America. They didn't do this past beingness the nigh luxurious selection or by existence the best handling selection. (The truth is hard to hear, I'm lamentable.) Instead, BMW did this by doing exactly what shoppers asked for; luxury motorcar buyers desire a comfy ride with a luxury logo on the front, good fuel economic system and to read reviews that extol the rail-day virtues of their automobile of option. The average heir-apparent will never exist on a track, but information technology'southward critical to know your car belongs there.
What BMW dealers don't want you to know: at that place are two sedans in this segment that are arguably better on the track than a 328i or 335i and we're talking nigh 1 of them today, the IS 350 F Sport.
Outside
Lexus' outside styling used to strike me every bit graceful, sophisticated and reserved. Patently, however, the front stop got no respect on the Autobahn, and so the F Sport nose was created. While I can't say if information technology commands more respect in Germany, the ginormous grille on our IS 350 F Sport looked set up to devour small-scale children and subcompact cars alike. While some folks have said they dislike the gaping maw, I really like information technology. What I'm not a fan of are the separate headlamp and "Nike-swoosh" daytime running lamp modules; I find the wait a niggling discordant. Whether you lot similar information technology or not, y'all have to admit this forepart finish is more dramatic than anything on offer from BMW, Mercedes, Audi or Infiniti.
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Out back, less has changed, with the rear being more than reserved than the front. Merely information technology's the side profile where things actually divert. The IS is 3.5 inches longer than the concluding generation model and most of the increase goes to the rear seat area – although, some of it likewise goes to the body, making the IS look more balanced than before. Thanks to pedestrian bear on regulations in Europe, the front finish has become blunter (but every bit we take seen from the Europeans lately), which actually helps the front end three/4 view. I remember the Cadillac ATS is the about attractive sedan in this segment, but the IS in F Sport trim leaps up the calibration to number three, just behind the ATS and 3-Series.
Interior
While BMW and Audi have opted for an open and expansive interior theme, the IS feels tight and close to the driver by pattern with a loftier beltline and tall centre console. F Sport models become a configurable LCD disco dash instead of the white-on-blackness gauges we normally await from the brand. Like to Volvo'due south new LCD musical instrument cluster, the display can seem a little lost in the binnacle every bit the binnacle normally houses a wider traditional punch cluster. Since Cadillac has yet to move their large LCD musical instrument cluster down-market to the ATS, there really isn't any competition for this display at the moment.
As you'd expect from Lexus, one can withal become acres of stained forest and soft leather, but neither are standard. Like almost entries in this segment, leather is reserved for specific packages and wood is an optional upgrade. Front seat comfort proved fantabulous during my week. The sport seats easily bested the Audi A4, Cadillac ATS and the base of operations seats in the BMW 328i or Mercedes C300. Wider folks should know that the bolstering is pronounced and the F Sport trim doesn't have an option to delete the sport seats.
Cheers to the wheelbase stretch, combined legroom is upwards by two.half dozen inches inside which places the IS towards the top of the group in full legrooom. Nobody expected the BMW iii-Series to grow as much as it did in its latest incarnation, which becomes quite obvious when you run the numbers. The iii-Series boasts the 2nd best legroom figures backside the much larger Infiniti Q50. The Lexus offers a slightly larger trunk, but I plant the overall body dimensions to be more advantageous in the BMW.
Infotainment
The 2014 redesign of the IS brought a raft of new features from traffic maps on non-navigation equipped models to predictive traffic, improved voice recognition and smartphone integration. Alas, the lord giveth and he taketh away. Along with the new software comes Lexus' Remote Touch input device, or as I prefer to telephone call information technology: the Lexus joystick. I find piddling joy in the mouse-like controller, only it is better than the trackpad you find in the NX. The controller is the textbook example of the difference betwixt an intuitive input method and i that is optimized for use in a car. The joystick is intuitive, it's just not well suited to a vehicle as it requires much more heart-off-the-route fourth dimension. I grabbed a few friends and had them perform a few identical functions in the Lexus and a BMW with iDrive while I watched their eyes. Information technology simply takes longer for you to find what you need in the Lexus organisation. Oddly enough, the same Lexus software without a touchscreen is 1 of the least distracting available, but yous can but get that in the GX and LX. If you don't purchase navigation, you lot nonetheless get the 7-inch screen but trade the joystick for a rotary knob.
Lexus doesn't offer any sort of heads-upwardly display a la BMW, but you tin gadgets like radar cruise control, Mark Levinson branded audio system, blind spot monitoring and lane deviation warning.
Engine
Standing somewhat lone in this segment is a 100-percent naturally-aspirated engine lineup. While everyone but Infiniti has moved to a turbo four to fill the bottom finish, Lexus has stuck with their tiny V6. (I'm not counting the 2.5-liter four-banger in the base ATS. Why? Who would?) Displacing two.5 liters and sporting straight injection, the IS 250 is practiced for 204 ponies and 185 lb-ft of torque. [It'southward the to the lowest degree powerful V6 currently on auction. -Ed] While many in the industry would in one case have complained most a base luxury model without an inline-6 engine, this V6 at present competes with four-cylinder engines. Although a V6 isn't as counterbalanced as an I6, information technology's miles ahead of an I4. The model we tested is the three.v-liter V6 IS 350. Adding a liter bumps ability to 306 and torque to 277. For reasons known merely to Lexus' production planning team, the 220 horsepower IS 300h remains forbidden fruit on our shores.
Lexus tends to be a cautious company when it comes to adopting new technology and, equally a result, the 2.five-liter V6 and AWD models of the iii.5-liter have to make do with ye olde vi-speed automatic from Aisin. If y'all become the RWD version of the IS 350 that we tested, you get Aisin's new eight-speed auto, a variant of the transmission used in the Corvette and select Cadillacs.
Drive
The naturally aspirated engine lineup is the first thing you will discover about the IS out on the route. Much like the 3.6-liter V6 in the ATS and the three.7-liter V6 in the Q50, power builds in a linear fashion. This is quite different from the C400, 335i and other turbo entries which typically have torque and horsepower "plateaus" with sharp drops on either end. 0-60 dispatch in our F Sport tester came in at 5.vi seconds – non a bad time by any stretch. However, Volvo's front-wheel-drive S60 T6 Drive-e will exercise the same sprint in 5.4. The purist in me prefers the feel and unadulterated audio a naturally-aspirated engine delivers, simply the pragmatist in me realizes the C400, 335i, S4 and S60 T6 will all beat the IS to the freeway ramp. Opting for Lexus' AWD system improves grip, just the loss of two gears causes the 0-60 time to stretch to 5.vii seconds, getting close to the less powerful BMW 328xi. AWD shoppers also have to alive with an odd hump in the front foot-well acquired by the transfer case and driveshaft to the forepart axle.
The responsiveness of the IS in tight corners demonstrates how much time Lexus spent engineering the suspension. The onetime IS came across equally isolated, perhaps even sloppy, while this chassis is abrupt and crisp. Every system feels like a team player, from the interruption to the transmission shift logic and the revised double-wishbones up front. The IS quite just delivers the best feel in the corners and out on the rail with every organisation tuned to near perfection. (Bear in heed we still have electric ability steering, so it's all relative.) The IS really manages to feel a pilus more precise, although not as engaging, than the E90 three-Series (previous generation). The F30 (current generation) has traded treatment prowess for a softer ride and a ginormous back seat. And therein lies the rub: the alter has improved BMW's sales rather than stopping the gravy train. Meanwhile, the Audi and Volvo plow like a John Deere when they encounter a corner and the Mercedes feels just every bit y'all would await – heavy and soft. The purist in me prefers the well-baked handling and impeccable feel of the IS on a track. The pragmatist in me is keenly enlightened that feel doesn't actually get you around a rails. That'south where power comes in. Because of the power arrears, the 335i, S60 T6 AWD, C400 and S4 are all faster around your average runway. If you're talking autocross, the IS has a chance, merely even the Volvo will beat it around Laguna Seca.
Contest
Comparison the IS 350 with the 335i seems like the natural thing to do – later all, they both have "3" in the model number – but a more apt comparison is the 328i. The IS 350 slots between the 328i and the 335i in both toll and performance, but cost is critical. Meanwhile IS 250 performs more than like the 320i than the 328i.
The IS 350 F Sport manages to be a pilus less than a comparably equipped 328i Thou-Sport, which is an excellent start. Despite costing a fraction less, the Lexus delivers considerably more refinement under the hood, ameliorate acceleration and more driving feel in the twisties. Our F Sport was notably less expensive than a Mercedes C300, and fifty-fifty when you add AWD to the Lexus, it's still the more than willing partner on your favorite mountain highway.
Audi's A4 ends up being around the same toll as the IS 350 while Volvo's S60 is the discount choice. Both the Audi and the Volvo offset as FWD vehicles but add AWD to recoup for their front heavy designs. Unless you step up to the considerably more expensive S4, the Audi comes across as underpowered and all versions of the A4 experience nose heavy in comparison. The Volvo has a like weight issue up front just the Swedes will happily drop a powerful turbo engine under the hood, mate information technology to AWD and sell information technology for less than the Lexus. The resulting S60 R-Design volition out-step the IS 350 F Sport but the feel volition be much different. The Volvo will be understeering like mad in the corners; the IS will feel balanced and poised. Unfortunately, the Lexus' commuter will accept to enjoy the feel while looking at the S60's tail lamps.
The Infiniti Q50 is the ofttimes forgotten competitor. Nissan'south luxury arm has never quite reached the same condition as Lexus as far every bit brand perception – perhaps that's why. Never the less, the Infiniti has good looks and a low price tag on its side. Fifty-fifty the $37,150 base model starts with a 328 horsepower 3.7-liter V6. Information technology'south still slower than BMW's 335i, but at 5.ii seconds to threescore, it is among the faster options. If you want more power and better economy, Infiniti will sell you their hybrid version that scoots to highway speed in 4.nine. Comparably equipped, the Q50 is about $2,000 less than the F Sport we tested, making it the best RWD bargain in this segment.
Subsequently a week with the IS 350, I'll admit I was torn. The way the IS drives and feels on my mount road commute is incredible. The mode the IS feels on a rail is alluring. And the value proposition is undeniable. Lexus' well deserved reliability reputation and generally lower operating costs ways the IS volition cost less to ain. All these things should mean my purist and pragmatic boxes will be well and truly checked. The Lexus has the luxury and rail-solar day-diary cred to compete with the contest, but the infotainment system in the IS and slower 0-60 fourth dimension keep the Lexus from being my selection in this segment. If my money were on the line, I'd live with Infiniti'due south questionable steer-by-wire arrangement and get the Q50S hybrid instead. You become more than room inside, a 0-60 time matching the 335i and 31 MPG. While the IS 350 F Sport represents a skilful value against BMW's volume iii-Serial model, they still take cipher to compete properly with the 335i. Yes, the IS 350 F Sport feels meliorate and road holds ameliorate than a comparably equipped 335i. But, every bit BMW has recently shown, peradventure going around a corner perfectly isn't all that of import after all.
Lexus provided the vehicle, insurance and one tank of gas for this review
Specifications as tested
0-30: 2.ii Seconds
0-sixty: v.6 Seconds
1/4 Mile: 14.viii Seconds at 100 MPH
Average Observed Economic system: 20 MPG over 674 miles
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Source: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/05/2015-lexus-350-f-sport-review-video/