08IS-F

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...fications.html

thoughts?

timer00

wow pretty close between all 3

xioix

Wow, very surprising numbers, thought the C63 was going to blow the other 2 out of the water with acceleration

caymandive

iTrader: (2)

I personally don't see a clear winner. All of them are very impressive! The performance of the AMG with a curb weight of over 4000lbs is highly commendable and I love the look of the new M3 Sedan.

taylorjste

those number for the IS-F make me proud... does anyone else think that fuel economy for the 2G IS, including the IS-F, is outstanding? i mean how many 416 hp V8 engines offer 16/23?? heck in my IS 350 i average about 23.5 mpg with mixed city/hwy.. it seems like toyota hit the mark on fuel efficiency with the 2G IS..

TorontoIS

They state in the article that the NAV buttons come right out of the Prius. What are they talking about, I've sat in the Prius with the NAV and the buttons were different.

fritZman

Very good article. It covered all the points without getting too focused on personal tastes. The following are some of my thoughts.

BMW:

Personally, I love the way the new 4 door Bimmer looks (better than the 2 door coupe even) and as a package it seems to be the best of the three. Best profile exterior asthetics (shortest overhang and no exaggerated flared fenders), manual tranny, and a powerful engine WITH the lightest chassis of the 3.

BUT... take at look at the warranty coverage. Powertrain is 4 years and 50K miles - for a car of that price? BMW is obviously telling you something - that they don't even have faith in their product lasting into it's middle age. And that just about sums up BMW over the past few years. They'll make you pay to get power, but they can't guarantee you'll enjoy it reliably for years down the road.


IS-F:

I love the appearance of my is350 but I simply can't get past the enlarged and extended nose and the exaggerated flared fenders of the IS-F. I find it takes away a lot of the classyness and maturity of the regular chassis.

From a performance perspective I'm also not surprised the car understeers, putting such a large stagger on a front engined performance car (and one with a heavier engine compared to the is350) baffles me.

So what are they trying to accomplish with this car? Luxury and performance - the is350 pretty much does that. A powerful sports sedan - then why is there no manual option not a more balanced sophisticated suspension? Heck, they're still running steel control arms on the thing! Cars well under 1/2 that price have plenty of aluminum in the suspension.

From a cost point, I really don't know why they didn't create an is350R or something. Sunroof delete, manual option (you've got to incur crash tests costs for the IS-F anyway), and 200-300 lbs removed from the chassis. Add a little bit more tuning and 350 HP is certainly possible given the technology the engine has. Finally run mild flared fenders on the front only (handle 255 tires all round) and have a non-stagger setup for improved balance. Add a proper rear diff and aluminum control arms and you'd have a really sweet package and one deserving of a 'sport' title.

Benz:

Personally I find the C-class the best looking base sedan of the bunch. However, like the IS-F I really can't get past all the tacked on performance 'look'. Unfortunately, the power is a little too excessive and if you watched the Top Gear episode even the Stig found the power too agressive and actually upset the balance. Besides that, I was surprised to see the interior space comparable to the IS-F which is tiny (something that I like though).

INHOCJP

Based on the review, seems the cars are pretty evenly matched. Lots of great choices in this segment.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

that's how i see it too. to me it's great that lexus can hang so tight with these guys

CrazyMPG

iTrader: (4)

hm...very interesting...man...wish they had videos...