nslac

I finally had the opportunity to test drive 2015 IS250 & IS350 F Sport last Saturday. I have spent countless months doing research on the 3IS.

Coming from a family that mostly drives German cars; I wanted something different and at the same time wanted something that was reliable and fun to drive.

First impression of the IS250 is as follows:

• Very quite engine
• Noisy electric seats: adjusting the seats forward or back, you could actually hear the motor turning. I understand it’s a demo car and seats are adjusted and re-adjusted countless times everyday but it’s not an excuse.

• Needs for bottom end torque: The vehicle was struggling to go uphill with 3 people until I got more towards the top of the rev range

• 6 speed gear: The paddle shift didn’t appear to be that responsive in manual mode, there was a delay of a second maybe two. I didn’t spend too much time with the IS250 as my main goal was to compare the performance aspects only.

First impression of IS350 F Sport:

• Very loud engine: Noticed the noisy injectors straight away as soon as the vehicle started up. Inside the car you can’t really hear the motor but outside is a different story.

• Very powerful motor: Driving in Sports+ mode, you really get to experience the full potential of the engine and transmission. The torque of the vehicle is really impressive, it really pulls you back into your seat.

• 8 speed gearbox: Driving in manual mode appears to be really responsive. First gear will change automatically however from 2nd gear onwards, you can hit the rev limiter which is freaking cool. All the modern Mercs and Audi’s I have driven will not let you hit redline/limiter. Even though I don’t recommend doing this but knowing the fact this is do-able, it’s cool.

• Ride Quality: This actually impressed me very much. 3IS appeared to be more grounded and didn’t float when going around corners. The IS definitely handled better then 2015 C Class and 2014 Audi A4.

• Lexus Infotainment: I have read a lot of bad reviews about this. Coming from Mercs and Audis which have rotary type selector that drives the main menu, it took some getting used to. However it’s not as bad as what people say, it took me about 5 mins to get used to the movements of the “mouse” by the 6th minute, it became second nature. The graphics on the Infotainment does look quite outdated though, which I am surprised was even released by Lexus. E.g. My dad’s 2015 C Class, the infotainment graphics looks like your Ipad/Android tablet graphics. It looks nicely designed and coloured. My brother’s 2014 Audi A4, even though most of the icons and graphics are made to look more greyscale / red, it still looks a lot better then Lexus.

• Mark Levinson Premium Sound system: I have read a lot of negative feedback about this so I was keen to test it out. Mark Levinson is definitely a winner. The low end, mids and bass levels are all quite good however it was not as refined as Mercedes’s Burmester or Audi’s Bang & Olufsen sound system. I could hear clear distortion with the subs when pumping the system. I have never experienced this with Burmester or Bang & Olufsen sound systems.

• Storage space: IS has been given quite a bit slack regarding this and it was true. The centre console storage is quite tight. For e.g. there is no place to put your phone or wallet. From experience my centre consoles on my other vehicle’s are always packed so to temporary put my phone and wallet in some form of storage space while driving would have been great. However I do understand the designers didn’t have much space to play around with. Both Audi and Merc ave wallet and phone holder.

• Sunglass Holder: There is none WTF?. I wear reading glasses so I utilize this fair bit with my current car. I am not sure where Lexus expects me to put my reading glasses or sun glasses.

• Interior Build Quality: It interior is nice but it still does not feel expensive or well made like an Audi or Merc however keep in mind the IS is $20-30k AUD cheaper (at least). All the buttons just appear to have too much of a plastic feel/look even though it is of good quality. There was no excessive movements in the buttons, ***** etc.

• Steering Wheel Feel: I don’t know about you guys but I like the feel of the steering wheel when it fills up the palm of your hands when you grab it. It just seems the steering wheel is lacking padding. Again comparing it to Audi and Merc steering wheels, the Lexus feels nice but….not that nice . The F Sport logo on the steering wheel just looked freaking dodgy, it appeared to be put on in a rush. Audi has a similar S-Line logo wheel which just looks completely different in terms of looks (looks more quality).

At the end of the day, IS350 F Sport is a very good value for money and it’s a type of car that will bring a smile to your face every time you jump behind the wheel.

I bought the IS350 F Sport in Nova White\ Black Interior with Enhancement Pack 2 the same day. The only down side is the dealer has advised that I have to wait till July 2015 to receive the car . Apparently due to surge in demand, Japan is unable to keep up with manufacturing.

Depending on feedback from this post, I will do an in depth review once I receive the vehicle and have used it for couple of months.

I am glad to join the Lexus family .

P.S FYI to my yank brothers, fully optioned IS350 F Sport will cost about $87k (RRP) in Australia so we pay *****loads more then you guys.

Sefo

I expected different end of your story after your review, when you described almost everything to be less valuable than in Merc or Audi....good final decision! .)

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Hi there my Australian friend. $87K australian dollar equals around $68K USD per today's conversation rate. It is still a lot more than what we pay here.

Good review though buddy. But I kinda feel skeptical about Lexus not being able to keep up with a demand on 3IS.

cp2

iTrader: (1)

I'm surprised you said that the motor on the is350 is powerful...haha. I have one and compared to 335 (almost bought that mug), it's nothing to talk about; granted the 335 is turbo. but like 90+% of Japanese cars, low end torque is nothing to write mom about, but it does pick up in the higher bands. there are things here and there that lexus lacks compared to benzos and bimmers but, imo, they get checked when it comes to style and reliability! you will have yourself a nice piece of machinery my friend! enjoy it.

beyno

Congratulations on the new car!

How are you finding it so far?

I'm about to go through with a order, and from what a few of the dealerships in Sydney (Chatswood, Sydney City, Parramatta) are telling me stock is tight. I'm having trouble getting a white with red interior F Sport is350 EP1.
I'm getting a good price on the car, $69 500 AUD for a ep1 MY15. Down from $81 000 RRP.
Did you pay full price?

I'm also thinking this may have to do with the MY16 model year that could possibly be announced in August/September. Considering some dealerships are telling me there might be a couple month wait, which aligns with the new model year coming out.

I'm thinking best bet would be to wait for the MY16 to be announced.
Lexus had just informed dealers of the end of financial year deals that will be starting from May.

nslac

I didn't mean 3IS has a powerful motor when compared to your performance built vehicles but it has a powerful motor in it's own right. Considering it's NA V6, it goes pretty good for what it is. In terms of performance cars, I wouldn't really say IS is one of them.

Growing up I used to own a few Jap imports such as Turbo 180sx, Attesa, Pulsar GTiRs, Skylines etc; 3IS has nothing on them in terms of performance however when it comes to comfort and luxury, it's a different ball game altogether.

I guess all I want now is to have enough power to overtake without too much trouble and giving it a hit every now and then.

Truth be told, my IS will never see a track day. Even though Lexus passes it's off as a track car, I don't think it is one. If I wanted a track thrasher, I would get a rexy, evo or gtr for that.

nslac

I still haven't received it. I got told by the dealer yesterday afternoon that I have to wait until July to take delivery.

There is currently only 1 White 2015 IS350 EP2 (Red Interior) in Australia and it's with Parramatta dealership. Managed to knock it down to $78K but got a better deal from Chatswood.

I don't think there will be any significant savings with end of financial year deals with 3IS due to high demand. White 3IS are selling like hot cakes and customers are paying more then RRP to get sooner!.

2015 IS has few minor additions to the 2014 models such as rear traffic monitor (for backing out of a driveway), and 2 other things which I can't remember at this stage.

I reckon if you wait till June, you will be waiting a lot longer to receive the car.

On a side note, Chatswood / Parra initially told there there was only 1 White IS350 FS (Black Interior) scheduled to arrive to Brisbane in 3 weeks and there was no more scheduled for the next 3 months! (wtf!). Plan was to get that vehicle from another dealer but the dealer declined because they can get a lot more money for it.