Having driven both the IS350 and 335i, the 335i has great hp and handling; the IS350 has gobs of power, good handling, and a smoother tranny. I'd say if power and road feel is the most important factor in your buying decision, the 335i has an edge. Is it worth $15K? If it's that important to you, then go ahead; it's your money, not mine. Honestly, I'm rarely in a situation where I could drive the 335 hard enough to really appreciate the difference between it and the IS350. I've donated my share to the CHP & local PDs and Bay Area traffic limits my "*****-to-the-wall" driving.

What I do notice every single time I drive the 335 is the horrible interior. As I've said before, I find the interior has all the beauty and comfort of a Panzer tank. The seats don't provide me with sufficient shoulder or upper back support, controls aren't well laid-out, and the I-drive sends me into a fit of Tourette Syndrome. Yeah, I could use I-drive's NAV while I'm driving (actually it was too distracting and I still had to pull over to look up an address), but I could also drive a rusty nail into my groin while I'm driving too. Would I want to? No.

Long term reliability? That's still up in the air. But as noted in my previous posts, I haven't been very impressed with the short term.

While I think the 335 drives great, the drawbacks I've noted prevent me from saying that it's better than the IS350. While I like the IS350, the sad truth is that the interior is too small for me. There are many aspects to consider when purchasing/leasing a car, some more important to others. Drive the cars and pick the one that's best for you. Speaking only for myself, I'd rather be driving my GS4 over both the IS and 335. YMMV

 

there's only 1600+ on autotrader.com

 

call me in 4 years and let's compare how many times I have to take my IS into the shop versus the 335i for mechanical or electrical problems.

 

I'm up for that.

 

thread bookmarked

 

The BMW is the best all-around car in the world. Read it here http://www.caranddriver.com/features...35i-coupe.html Remember, this comes from those that drive different cars everyday for a living. Enough said.