syzygy

Here's a quick run down on performance.

Zeroto60times IS350 0 to 60 = 4.8, 1/4 mile = 13.3
www.zeroto60times.com
http://www.zeroto60times.com/Lexus-0-60-mph-Times.html

Road and Track IS350 0 to 60 = 4.9, 1/4 mile = 13.5
http://www.roadandtrack.com/content/...S-350_data.pdf

Torquestats IS350 0 to 60 = 4.9, 1/4 mile = 13.5
www.torquestats.com

Car and Driver IS350 0 to 60 = 5.1, 1/4 mile = 13.7
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...s_is350_page_8
"You won’t be working too hard to repeat our 5.1-second 0-to-60-mph time,"

Edmunds Inside Line IS350 0 to 60 = 5.2, 1/4 mile = 13.8
http://www.insideline.com/bmw/3-seri...us-is-350.html

Lexus decreased their official 0 to 60 time from 5.6 to 5.3 (with absolutely no change in the power train) when they (probably) realized that 5.6 was too much of an understatement. 5.3 still remains an understatement, but not egregiously so.

As you can see, the range of 3rd party 0 to 60 times is from 4.8 to 5.2.

Edmunds had very positive things to say about the IS350 but their German car-pandering has been well documented for many years and so it should be no surprise that 1st place went to the 335i in this comparison -


Second Place
"We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the 15 which we do possess." — Mark Twain

The 2007 Lexus IS 350 is a fantastically rewarding sport sedan on many levels. It's a high-spirited luxury car in a low-impact sort of way. The IS 350 is a driver's car, just not the kind of sport sedan that goads you beyond your talent and into the guardrail. The Lexus demonstrates refinement in every molecule in way that a BMW never will. The IS 350 is defined by an easy, breezy nonchalance that can make you forget about communicative steering, slalom speeds and even more power.

First Place
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." — Henry David Thoreau

Once you get a sport sedan right, it shows a depth of engineering and design skill. Get it really right, and it will win widely publicized awards and bring enthusiasts to the showroom. The 2007 BMW 335i does both, and it's without a doubt the best-performing and yet most well-rounded 3 Series ever. The BMW 335i is still the best sport sedan money can buy, and you can quote us on that.





On average, the 335i is quicker by about .1 seconds in each and every comparison except for the insideline comparison where it is touted to be .3 seconds faster. Road and Track cites the 335i's 0 to 60 in 4.8 (versus the IS350's 4.9). Car and Driver cites the 335i's 0 to 60 in 5.0 (versus the IS350's 5.1), so on and so forth.

calvin2376 did a great job posting the pros and cons for each car. It is ultimately up to you to assess which factors matter most to you.

syzygy

Oh, and I should warn you that it still remains to be seen just how robust the BMW 335i turbos are when tuned with the variety of chips (juice box, vishnu, I'm sure there are others out now) over the course of many years for the simple reason that it has only been 4 years since the release of the 335i. Are there grave negative side effects to running on a jb3 (or other) tuned 12 second 335i for years? It's an important question to consider.

People purchasing brand new 335i's in 2007 did not have to worry much about this. Many decided to lease the car, run it into the ground, and move on. No harm (for their driving experience), no foul. They obviously would keep the fact that their 335i's were tuned a secret from BMW lest they void their warranty.

Anyways, that's just something to keep in mind when considering a used 335i.

With the IS350, you won't have to worry about electronic gremlins or major engine malfunctions. The worst you may possibly encounter with the IS350 as far as CELs go is for trivial things like "mal-installed gas caps". More generally, your day to day concerns about the IS350 will center around noise reduction. Creaks here, rattles there. These issues drive a lot of people crazy, sure, but it's a testament to the robustness of the IS350's power train that the most egregious way the IS350 will annoy you is with interior creaks and rattles.

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

That's another point I meant to mention regarding reliability and repair/maintenance costs. With the IS350, you get a V6 offering 277 ft-lbs of torque and 306 HP with no forced induction. With the 335i, you get a 6-cylinder as well offering 300 ft-lbs and 300 HP, but it needs TWO TURBOS. So you're deciding between a naturally aspirated V6 that gets 306 HP and a straight six that requires two turbos to get to the same 300 HP.

Threads on CL have talked at length about this comparison and what it means for performance, etc, but I mention it mainly with regard to reliability. Which will be costlier to repair and maintain and more likely to have issues - a 6-cyl with no forced induction or a 6-cyl with two turbos? If you go with the BMW, for the same power you're essentially just tacking on two extra very expensive, very complicated pieces of machinery to the engine.

My last car was a 2003 E55 and it was a reliability nightmare; and I know it's a very different car from the 335i, but I bring it up because all the issues I had with the E55 related specifically to the supercharger. I wanted the power and performance of the E55, but there wasn't a naturally-aspirated car that offered that performance. Clearly if the E500 had been able to manage the same performance, I'd have preferred to not undertake the risk of adding forced induction and therefore more expensive parts to the car for no performance benefit. Here, you can go with the IS350 which has a fairly bulletproof powertrain in general and no forced induction, or for the same performance get a BMW with less overall reliability as well as two extra turbos to service and maintain.

micel

If you want a car to track occasionally,have multiple aftermarket parts to choose from to increase performance and have a extra 15k+ go with the 335.If you want a beautiful car to drive everyday that's dependable with decent performance get the IS350.

micel

After thinking about it for a while, I think I would not get either car and I have a IS350.The Audi S4 has been on the market for a year and half and has proven itself in every area to be as good if not better than the competitors IMO.The area that it really shines is fuel economy and I do not mean published,I mean actual.On a 450 mile highway run we got 33mpg and then filled up again and ran around the city for three days and averaged almost 22mpg.My IS would of been lucky to get 27 hwy and 15 city.The Audi had a manual transmission,but it also had awd.Something alot of people over look when making their decision is the dealer,how close is it,what type of reputation do they have.Go back to the service dept. and talk customers and staff to see what kind of vibes you get.Making a bad car purchase can make your life miserable,good luck !

zeuolaxxx

iTrader: (1)

I would go for the 2011 IS350 F-sport

mikeho

335i. The is350 is front heavy and tends to exhibit more roll in the corners. It might be just as agile, but it won't feel that way. I don't think the IS will quite give you the same amount of confidence.

My wife has a BMW with 170K miles on it. The maintenance is not bad; I honestly spend more on my IS250 than she does with her BMW. I think either way, these luxury cars are going to cost more in maintenance.

I'm also biased because I think that they made the IS ugly after 2008. So much chrome and glitz on the outside. To me, the inside of the BMW seems much cleaner and nicer; the IS has a lot of plastic that fits well, but always feels cheap under my fingers.

Besides, the 335i is relatively new. The 2011 IS is a 5 year old car now; it's getting dated.

kumquatism

iTrader: (10)

^ ??? The 3 series body has been around since 2006 (335i engine came in '07). But that's not relevant to the car's looks. The IS and 335i are current generations...with the 3 series most likely being updated first, therefore it will be the more dated model earlier.

micel

The Audi s4 has a '10 body, so it will be cur.rent for 3+ years.The Audi only costs 10k more where the bimmer is ready for a new model and it costs 15k more than the IS350.If money is a issue get a infinity g37.For the car with lowest cost to own over a five year period,Lexus IS350!

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I've never really understood using the "newness" of a car's looks or how recent a refresh/redesign was done as an argument between two cars. That's because I couldn't care less how "new" a particular car's design is, or for how much longer it will be around. I think as far as appearance goes, you should choose cars based on how you like the appearance, not how much longer that particular design will be manufactured. That to me has no bearing whatsoever on anything.

As an example, when I was looking at buying a new car I was considering the E39 (1998-2003) BMW M5. Of course as far as design and appearance is concerned, this was a much "older" car than the newer Bangle-ized 5er. However, I didn't care whatsoever because I much preferred the E39 styling to the newer 5er styling.

So if you have an IS whose design has been around longer than a 3-Series, but you prefer the IS's design and looks to the BMW, who cares how "old" the design is? Go with what you personally prefer appearance-wise. If you care about resale value, unless you're going to turn the car over in just a couple years then this consideration should have no bearing, since both cars will be refreshed relatively soon anyway.

And kumquatism is right; if you're concerned about how "dated" your car looks, you should focus more on how soon you expect the model to be refreshed, as opposed to how long the current design's been around.

I agree with you partially on disliking some of the exterior changes to the post-'08 IS. However, when I was considering cars I tried every variety/trim level of 3-Series there was, and not a single one came close to the 2IS in terms of interior quality, both from a materials- and build-quality standpoint as well as an ergonomic and functional standpoint. The BMW interior felt cold and bland, and there was also plenty of plastic to be found..

It was actually one of the main reasons I picked the IS over the 3-Series. The IS interior was such an enormous step up from the BMW (and every journalistic comparison review I've seen has borne this sentiment out) that I couldn't settle for the BMW interior after I sat in the IS. Even if the BMW outperformed it in some performance respects, I spend much more time inside the car than on the track, so interior quality outweighed some performance measures in making my decision.

kumquatism

iTrader: (10)

How are you getting that the 335i is 15k more than an IS350? Last I checked, they were just a few thousand apart. MSRP of the IS350 $39,700 + F-Sport $2,500 makes just over $42k. MSRP of the 335i (sedan) is $42,000 (just 2k over the IS350) and M Package is $3,700. The difference is nowhere near double digits. Coupe is slightly more expensive, but not nearly that much.

PS: Why is the S4 even in this conversation? However underpowered it is, it's still designed to be a competitor to the M3/IS-F/C63.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

The price difference is about $9000 when you actually equip them similarly.

I ran the numbers on a 350 vs. a 335i with similar equipment a year or two ago, you should still be able to find the thread if you search.

9k is actually more of a difference going 350->335i than there was going 335i->IS-F

And it's awful near double digits indeed.

kumquatism

iTrader: (10)

Ah okay. I wasn't going into all the options and stuff, as I have no idea what the BMW comes with. What does the IS350 come with (no packages or options, base model) that the 335i doesn't have?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Here's my older post content:

Invoice on a stripped car is already $3500 more for BMW... and that's with a lot less standard features... BMW needs to add the comfort access package, the ipod/usb package, and the premium package to even be comparable to a BASE IS350. That already puts you spending nearly $8000 more on the BMW.

Oh, wait, I forgot to add the automatic and the sport steering wheel with paddle shifters... that's another ~$1400...

So $42,850 INVOICE for the BMW... the Lexus is $33,833. About $9000 more for the BMW.

It gets worse if you want climate seats... about $500 for just heated on the BMW... $236 for heated and vented on the lexus... (and woodgrain too, which BMW wants more for).


That's from early 2010... so if BMW changed pricing or options since it might've changed, but was accurate at the time.

MyIS350G

iTrader: (6)

I like the 335i coupe with red/orange seats, especially the hard top convertible one. Those are sweet! If u wanna keep the car for long term and easy to sell with better resale value then go with the 350, gonna be hard to sell the twin turbo car at 100k miles. With the 350 u can keep it longer and lower maintenances.