Spagolli94

I recently test drove an IS350 and IS350 F-Sport. I thought I'd post my impressions and post a few questions.

I've been driving a E90 335i for the past couple years. Before that, I had the privilege of owning an RS4, so I'm used to some fairly powerful cars. Nowadays I spend the majority of my time sitting in traffic, so I'm finally looking to ditch the manual transmission.

I took the IS350 out for a spin first. I noticed a distinct lack of torque down low, but power did build nicely with higher revs. I was pleasantly surprised to feel the steering firm up at speed. This happened without me putting the car into sport mode, which I wasn't expecting. I guess the steering adapts to speed regardless of which mode you're in? Honestly, in the IS350, I didn't notice a huge difference in the modes, other than transmission shift points. I spent the majority of the drive using the paddles, so the different modes didn't do much for me. Am I missing something? What was supposed to be changing in the modes other than the shift points.

The color of the IS350 was beautiful. Deep Sea Mica with parchment interior. Looking at the brochure, there are a lot more color options available on non-Fsport cars. And I like the grill of the non-Fsport better too. The seats were great too. Not quite as good as the FSport, but VERY good for the non-sport model. With BMWs and Audis, you get crap seats unless you get the sport package.

Then, on to the FSport. Wow, cool gauges. Seats were amazing but not cooled - I hear cooled seats are coming to the FSport in 2015, along with a heated steering wheel. Nice to have. Driven at a leisurely pace, there really wasn't much of a difference between the two. Even when I put it in Sport+, I didn't feel much of a difference until we hit some turns. I was having more fun. While the IS350 was nice and relaxing, the FSport in Sport+ mode was asking to be driven. Even the sales guy noticed I was having more fun and pointed out I was attacking the turns, rather than just cruising down the road. Something about the car was more engaging. I guess the firmer suspension made the car feel more lively? Then we hit some rough pavement. I expected a rough ride but was surprised in that the suspension felt just as compliant as it did in the other modes.

Anyway, here are a few questions I was hoping you guys might know...

What exactly is changing between the modes with the IS350? Steering? Suspension? Engine sound? Gearing? Throttle response?

What exactly is changing between the modes with the IS350 FSport?

Is the IS350 not available in RWD in the North East? Everything seems to be AWD.

I'm leaning towards the FSport, but am concerned about the lack of colors. The brochure says I can get Nebula Gray or Silver with a Red interior. I'd be happy with either combo. But all I see in dealer's inventories is Black or White with Red interior. All of the gray and silver cars have black interiors. These color combos are in the brochure, so why don't they seem to exist? Do you have to special order them? If you special order, isn't the dealer going to charge a premium because they aren't motivated to move an existing car off their lot?

The base stereo sounded pretty good. In line with the HK system I have on my 335i. Is the Mark Levison system that much better? The ML system seems hard to find. None of my local dealers seem to have it in stock. See question about special ordering above.

I'm currently thinking of waiting for a few months for the 2015 model because I want the cooled seats and heated steering wheel, which will be standard on the 2015 FSport. Now I just hope I can find my preferred color and options at a decent price. My warranty on my BMW doesn't expire until June, 2015, so I have plenty of time to shop for the right car.

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks in advance to anybody who can help.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

RWD IS350 gets the 8 speed transmission its much better than the 6 speed, pretty much the ISF transmission. The transmission shifts the most aggressive in M mode, blips on throttle downshifts.

Sport - more responsive throttle
Sport+ - tighter steering, even more responsive throttle, suspension gets stiffer.

Spagolli94

Thanks for the response. I've been scouring these forums as well as the interwebs. I think my preferred color is Silver Lining Metallic with Rioja Red interior. Although it's listed in the brochure, this seems to be a phantom car - nowhere to be found. I know a lot of guys custom order packages from BMW. They have to wait a few months, but they get the exact car they want. Can this be done with Lexus as well?

Oh, I forgot to mention. The F-Sport seemed loader/throatier. Maybe this was my imagination because I was pushing it harder? Is there any intake/exhaust difference between the two cars? I know there's an optional F-Sport exhaust, etc. This car didn't have it - just seemed a bit louder.

CtSFox

Yes, you can order your car. It takes 3-4 months. If you want ML with AWD in the Northeast, you will have to special order.

BlueIS05

RWD IS350 F-Sport is available in the Northeast though rare, as most cars get shipped here with AWD. My dealer allocated me a 2015 RWD F-Sport destined for the Northeast and I didn't have to special order. The dealer should be able to show you all the RWD with the color combo you're looking for and the anticipated build/ship date. Good luck on the search!

wednesday

The 2015 is getting Atomic silver with rioja on the F sport. My 2015 IS250 is that combo, I'm picking it up next week. It is a very nice color.

JDR76

The intakes/exhausts of the 350s are the same F Sport or not.

Sport mode on F Sport and base models change throttle responsiveness, steering effort, and transmission settings. Sport+ on F Sport does everything that's in Sport mode, plus tightens the suspension.

Good luck with your decision!

nova123

I've got a 350 rwd F-Sport and I actually think the modes make a noticeable difference.

Eco - slow, lazy gearing & throttle response with softest suspension.
Normal - similar to eco but throttle response isn't so sleepy

Dial to sport and instantly the steering tightens up, so does throttle, suspense and gearing. Tends to hold gear up to 3-4K RPM and everything feels better lol

Sport + tightens steering and throttle a little further, don't think I noticed much suspension differences between sport/sport+ though

I'm surprised you don't notice the change in throttle response & suspension!

Spagolli94

Thanks for all the responses - very helpful indeed.

I'm torn in that I'm afraid I'm going to miss the raw power of my 335 as there was a very noticeable difference in torque. I'm also afraid that there will be times when I miss the engaging experience of the 6 MT.

On the other hand, I rarely get to play with the 335 and spend most of the time in city traffic where the MT isn't engaging, rather it's exhausting.

And styling wise, the E90 looks very dated compared to the IS. Especially the interior.

Has anbody here jumped from a 335 to an IS350? If so, where you happy with your decision or did you have buyer's remorse?

Aeromotive

I was comparing the F30 335 and the IS350 last year and finally my wife got the F30 335 and I got the IS. As I always say, the engine on the F30 is a monster with a scary acceleration at low RPM's.

However the IS is much more agile/nimble and has better steering response. It has much less body roll and feels like nothing can move it from its trajectory at highway speeds. The F30, on the other hand, feels like a boat at times!

I give credit to BMW for their new turbocharged engine and credit to Lexus for overcoming that grandpa's car image and finally making a true sports sedan out of the IS. If it wasn't for that dated engine...

Spagolli94

From everything I've read, the F30 is a step back from my E90 - at least when it comes to handling. During my drive I was pleasantly surprised with how great the IS350 handled and how planted it felt, yet at the same time providing better ride quality than my 335. But you're right. The engine is definitely a step behind the 335.

I'm also going to check out the S4 as it's been a couple years since I've driven one of those. However, I find its interior styling to be a bit dated as well. And it's quite a bit more expensive. If only the IS350 had about 30% more torque down low, it could be a real winner and compete against cars costing significantly more.

Aeromotive

You're absolutely right about the low-end torque... it's the only missing thing in the IS, but that's the downside of naturally aspirated engines.

About the S4 : I agree the interior styling is way below the F30 and the IS, and (I might get stoned for this) in my opinion it still looks like the Jetta!

Why don't you look at the new C class? It's a serious threat to anything in its category. I was blown away by the reviews.

Trish67

I spent a lot of time test driving the BMW 3 series and the Lexus IS 350 and finally settled on the Lexus. The BMW was certainly fun to drive but the Lexus seemed to be more comfortable. All the instruments just felt right and it was the perfect blend of a fun-to-drive sports car with a smooth luxury experience. You can buy a sportier car, and you can also buy a bigger more luxurious car, but I think you'd be very hard pressed to find another car that blends sporty and luxurious together so well...certainly not anything in the 3-series price range. I've been really happy with my choice.

IS3F

+1 on the above comment. I test drove the 335/435 and loved the engine. The fact that in Canada there's a significant price difference (over $10k) to get a fully optioned bmw vs the Lexus with similar options steered me to Lexus. On top of this, the IS is new, fresh and more unique. Reliability was another big motivation for me to come to Lexus. All in all I love my car so far and the only diff to the bmw is that I'll be .5 seconds or so behind it. The M sport BMWs were what I was looking at, although more performance oriented, I didn't feel it was as luxurious. The IS found a great balance.

jkonquer

I did look at A4, S4, 335i, and even Q50. And In the end,
BMW had too much problems, price was above $15k with similar options of is350, and hated the fact that maximum peak HP between 4-5K rpm. However, I was looking for the new M235i and I couldn't find a single one in the dealership.
A4 and S4 are due for an update, interior and exterior were outdated, again too expensive for S4 model and A4 wasn't cutting it in the performance department.
Q50 is probbably is350's best competitor. But for me it came down to the interior, IS felt more sporty.

Also, although Cadilla ATS has an awesome handling, everything else is just poor quality. And the new C-class is a different class of vehicle, not much of sport sedan but more towards the luxury side and price shows it (60k for fully loaded version)

None of the cars above have that 'Sporty" feeling, the seating position and engagement of Is350 is far superior to other competitors. IS does feel like a 2 seater car. And i believe the price of IS is still the lowest of all others.