Today was happy test dirving day.

The dealer had a black on tan 350 with the performance package.

What a blast and my wife said okay to the car to boot.

Power is so much better than the 250. I knew this but finally got to feel it.

We got to do a mix of highway and side roads and soon into the drive I knew this is the car to get.

I found the ride to be quite good but with me coming from an S2000 you may want to look for another opinion.

Braking is also much stronger than in the 250 without that diving on hard braking.

On the highway the car was going 80 before I knew it and feels great in hard cross winds.

Tires are super and the Dunlop Sport Maxx get high ratings from Tirerack users.

Regarding the toys, the back up camera with park assist was much more fun than I expected.

Also the cooled seats were fun to use.

The dealer was only willing to know $500 of an incoming unit in November. I will hunt around for a better deal and quicker delivery.

For the folks getting the 350, happy motoring lies ahead for you.

 

One of the major decisions new buyers have to make is whether to go with the luxury vs. the sport package. If you don't care about the wood vs. silver and sills, then it's all about sport tuned suspension. Have you (or anyone else) driven both and have a definite opinion on it?

I am about to buyer the luxury and am afraid that the sport drives a whole lot better (having never seen or driven the sport), can anyone shed any more light please?

 

There are some threads here, one from FlipSide that say you might be better off going sport in the aftermarket. I'm going sport because I'm worried that an aftermarket suspension mod might screw with the VDIM, and I don't need anything more than stock.

I do sort of like the wood, but I don't need it. 18" wheels are a must.

I havent driven either of those packages, so I can't make a comparison, but I'm definately going with the Performance Package.

 

I like the wood too and might try to get that retrofitted.

The plastic inserts used in the performance package are not as nice as the wood for me.

Regarding the aftermarket suspension, I always have big plans for a car and tend to only do a couple of things.

That being said, I usually try to get the car as close to "done" as I can at delivery.

Now I just need to find a crystal white on sterling unit.

 

Premium Plus has wood AND 18" wheels.

 

Premium Plus is pretty bare though. I personally wouldnt take anything but performance or luxury.

I'm curious what people's thoughts are on modifying suspension in the after-market when considering the potential impact to VDIM.

 

How is the overall stance and the wheel gaps of IS with 18'' and performance package(sport suspension, 1/2'' drop) compare to IS with 18'' without sport suspension?