Sonata N reminds of the Pontiac Grand Prix Supercharged or the Bonneville Of that era

 

Saw the Type S today. Sharp car. I think I like it a little better than the Lexus IS

 

It's a good looking car overall. Though, I don't like the tail lights. It is definitely better looking than the last-gen TLX. The red there sorta reminds me of Infrared from Lexus, which is also a good thing.

 

now you mention it. I don’t recall ever seeing a red Lexus. I’m gonna have to look. Certainly a rare sight

 

Well, now that I really look at them, I'd say the Lexus color has a bit more metallic flake.






Of course I still think the IS is better-looking. However, I do find myself looking at TLXes from time to time when I see them out of sheer curiosity. I think it's an interesting car. Though, I like the smaller size of the IS more and trust Lexus as a brand a bit more than Acura. That said I can't say I never thought about looking at the TLX before getting my IS.

 

Yeah IS is definetely a lot more sophisticatedly sculpted than TLX, that's the difference between full on luxury automaker and a tweaner such as Acura. Red paint is also on the next level. Unfortunately interior is not as well as the technology. If I was in the market I would get IS350 over vanilla TLX even in A-Spec but also I would pick Type-S over loaded IS350 F-sport. IS500 is whole different level on terms of performance but 15 year old engine does nothng for me despite being the last of it's kind (and it shows it).

 

I don't think people pay MSRP for the IS350 so I bet its really only a mid-high $40k car fully loaded. The Type S is a mid $50k car and the IS500 will be $60k+ car. All different price levels. At this point, I'd pick a Type S over an IS350 but would personally splurge a little more and get the IS500. If the Is500 is near $70k, its not worth it as the performance won't be worth the coin at that price.

 

Can you explain why the age of the motor matters? It makes good power for its displacement, little low on torque, still gets decent mileage... what is the downside? Are you comparing it to the newer twin turbo motors?
Agreed. At $70k I'd give Cadillac a try, or spend a little more and wait for a C8 or even a used C7Z and daily a little Civic or Tacoma or something.

 

Bottom line...it's a disappointing performance car. It's the slowest in its competitive segment and only good at 8/10ths and below. However, it's a good car from a non-performance standpoint. Throttle House has track times in its comparisons so you can see how some of its competitors stack up.

 

Thats kind of how TL always was, but on the other hand it was, and is, always cheaper and roomier than it's German rivals, and far better built than the more performance oriented Infiniti G35/Q50.

 

The M340 is roomier. TLX is bigger and fatter, but less room inside. Bad packaging.

 

Maybe, I forgot how porky the 3 series got, and I haven't been in a TL since early/mid 2000s.

 

Go back to back dealerships and sit in both of them. TLX has midsize sedan room in front row.
Btw the slowest car in the six cylinder segment is IS350 F-Sport either in AWD or RWD.

 

In Canada, the Type S starts at $60K versus about $63K for M340i. I know which car I would get if it was my own money.