That's the Canadian specs right? USA better get IS350 with 18s... I do like the ventilated seats though that is an excellent feature.

 

Both the 18s and the ventilated seats will be optional on all the 2006 ISs everywhere, including the 350.

 

Well my concerns would be unfounded then. This car sounds better and better with every bit of news that comes out.

And as far as me 'liking it or not', the only stake I have in this battle is getting the best car for me. If the Lexus is better than the BMW, great. If not, oh well. No dirt off my shoulder.

 

Yes I'm sure. Even though I don't read Japanese, the characters for "5 second level" are written in Kanji (Chinese-originated characters) in the original Japanese text and are also often seen used in Taiwanese automotive articles (Taiwanese people have copied a lot of Japanese lingo into their daily language), and it does mean "level" as in "range". So "5 second level" means 5.0-5.99 sec.

 

Wrong. The GS430 has a curb weight of 3,748 lbs. The GS300 RWD has a curb weight of 3,536 lbs. The IS350 will be more in line with the GS300's weight, although I'm still hoping that those Lexus weight estimates were very generous, and that the IS350 should weigh a bit less.

Plus, do not forget that significant underbody aerodynamic work was done to the new IS ... it's probably more aerodynamic underneath than even the new GS. Coupled with practically the same drag coefficient as the new GS (0.27), the same 6 speed tranny, and less weight than the GS430, I realistically can see the IS350 hitting 0 - 60 in about 5.5 - 5.2 sec. Who knows, the 5.0 sec flat thing, although sounding outlandish, could actually prove to be true

 

The IS350 will probably run to 60 in about the same time as the GS430. It weighs 200 pounds less, but also has 45 less torque.

It should definitely be the fastest among auto cars in its class, and about equal to the manual 330i and G35 6MT.

 

SC was on C&D's "10 best " list from 92-94, so 3 years. It really hasn't done much lately in the auto press. GS I think was on that list for 2 years. Generally Lexus doesn't fair too well in C&D; BMW usually tops.

Anyway, I look forward to test driving the new IS. I'm surprised how wide the gap is between 250 and 350, and that 250 doesn't match the 325 (at least on paper). For many consumers it won't matter - it looks so much better than the cousin ES; Lexus should sell them really well - it's definitely on a roll. It may not eat much into 325 sales, but should definitely impact the sales of MB, Acura, Infiniti, and maybe Volvo.

By the way, BMW is among the top firms that MBA graduates want to work for - there's some cool factor with that company that others surely envy.

 

Equal 330i? I doubt it, that would mean it is fairly "slow" :-).

IS350 compared to 330i
+ 2.1% more weight
+ 27.2% more torque
+ 25.4% more hp.

At speed, it should run circles around 330i, even more so than what C350 did in that German test. I think ze germans summed it up quite nicely - 330i's engine is good for tests, but slow at real life from below 4,500 rpm.

Dont get me wrong, 90% of people wont even care about the differences BUT everyone makes an great deal about how 530i's engine is "much stronger" with only 10hp more than GS300's, and M45's that is much faster than GS430 (which non of the tests have shown - at speed, only 0.1 sec difference) even though torque is only slightly up - if we apply same kind of reasoning with IS350 vs 330i, then 330i is one slow car and IS350 is an Ferrari.

 

Both the 330i 6MT and the G35 6MT have been clocked to 60 in 5.6s. I was just saying that I expect the IS350 to be about the same.

For the record, the fastest that the M45 has been clocked to 60 is 5.3s and the GS430's fastest time is 5.7s (R&T comparo).

 

That definitely would be astonishing. The IS350 having at this point an auto tranny making the same times or even better than it's competitor's manual counterparts.

 

Just don't forget the 330i was tested with a manual and IS350 doesn't have one. An auto IS350 equaling a manual 330i doesn't sound slow to me at all.

 

Lexus should offer their own manual transmission for the the IS350 soon though . . .

 

That, and also a real SMG option as well.

 

You and me both. That will drop the 0-60 times at least by half a second if not more. Putting it into the 4 second range. C55 AMG & M3 guys...watch out.

 

So far, everything I've heard/seen about the IS350 sounds promising. Exterior design, interior design, power, and features are all there.

If they make VDIM less intrusive than the one in the GS430, or at least give the driver the ability to shut it off or tone it down, I might just spring for one.