davlav

In case anyone's interested, I've been writing reviews on Epinions of all the cars I've driven in shopping for my new car (13 in all). I eventually chose the IS350 which can viewed here:

http://www.epinions.com/content_220405993092

Thanks to everyone for offering up pictures, opinions, etc on this board which all went into helping me make my choice. This review will have links to all the others in my search too, if you're interested in reading them.

David.

2006 IS350
Premium+ w/ Nav
Galcier Frost Mica/Black

Here's the full text of the review (the Epinions version also has links to all the reviews or the other cars):

My new car purchase: Lexus IS350
Feb 10 '06 (Updated Feb 21 '06)

Author's Product Rating: 5/5 stars

Pros
Styling (inside and out), refinement, power, reliability, technology

Cons
Could use more steering feedback, rear-seat space, fuel economy, voice recognition

The Bottom Line
Overall, I continue to be satisfied with my decision. This is one sweet ride.


Full Review
My Search:

Before I get to the actual review, I just want to give some context as to what kind of car I am looking for in terms of needs and preferences. This was you'll have a better basis for how my opinion may or may not fit with your own.

With my lease on my Saab 9-3 up in a few months, I am finally getting out to test drive the myriad of cars that are on my list as possible replacements. The car I purchase (or lease) will be my primary means of getting back and forth to work in L.A. traffic. I don't need to carry many other people in the car, so I just need it to be comfortable up front and enough space in back to hold one (or both) of my kid's car seats in a pinch. This will not be our main family car - that's what we bought our Honda Odyssey for, after all.

I'd like a car with decent performance; although I won't be racing it anytime soon and I do live in southern CA, so fuel economy is somewhat important. As far as handling goes, I'm not the kind of driver who is looking for a car that feels "toss-able" or allows me to induce oversteer. I think the best word to describe the handling characteristics I'm looking for would be "confidence". I want a car that feels like it can handle anything I can throw at it and still stay below its limits. And I'm getting old enough that I'm also willing to give up some handling capability for a little smoother ride.

As far as interior goes, I'd like an upscale interior with comfortable seats with good support. I'd also like some advanced technology available such as Bluetooth and MP3/iPod integration. A navigation system is not necessary, nor is a super upscale 15 speaker sound package. And, as I said before, I don't need a large amount or rear seat space or a voluminous trunk.

The cars that I've selected to test drive for my search can be divided into three groupings:
Compact sport sedans including the Acura TL, Audi A4 3.2, BMW 330i, Infiniti G35, Lexus IS350, Mercedes C350, and the Volvo S60 R. Mid-sized sport sedans such as the Audi A6 3.2, Infiniti M35, and Lexus GS300. And a few other odds and ends such as the Mazda RX-8 and the Subaru Legacy GT (both mostly due to stellar reviews on this site) as well as the Infiniti FX35 (which I think is one of the best looking vehicles on the road). As you can see, I plan on enjoying this go-round of car shopping.

----------------------------------------------------

As you can tell from the review title, the IS350 is the vehicle I ultimately purchased. In the end, the main contenders for me were the Subaru Legacy GT, the BMW 330i, and the IS350. For me, the IS offered the best mix of styling (exterior and interior), engine performance, amenities, and overall quality. Throughout the review I will give more details as try and compare/contrast with the other two vehicles, but mainly against the IS's key competitor, the BMW 3-series.

Trim Levels:

The IS comes in two main forms. The IS250 which is powered by a 2.5L V-6 and is available with the following drive/transmission combos: RWD/auto, RWD/manual, and AWD/auto. The IS350 is powered by a 3.5L V-6 engine and is only available as RWD with an automatic transmission.

Main options include the premium package (18" wheels, wood trim, heated/ventilated seats), luxury package (which adds seat memory, high-intensity headlights, rain sensing wipers, illuminated door plates, etc to the premium package), sport package (which has most of what the luxury package offers but lowers the car, tunes the suspension, and has aluminum rather than wood trim), navigation (includes Bluetooth, back-up camera), and the Mark Levinson audio package.

Lexus works differently than most other car companies in that they control the allocation that each region of dealers receive. In the region where I live, most of the IS350's come with the premium package and maybe navigation. Some luxury packaged cars were available but they were so rare that the dealers would not discount them at all. I did not even hear from any of the 3-4 dealers I worked with about any of them getting a single IS350 with the sport package.

For the record, my IS came with the premium package and navigation as well as the optional rear lip spoiler. Exterior color is Glacier Frost Mica (sort of a pearl-ish, silvery white) with a black leather interior.

Exterior:

Ok, I really (no, I mean REALLY) like how the new IS looks and have since I saw the first pics last spring/summer. Of all the cars I tested, I think only the Infiniti FX was as appealing to me in exterior styling. I am a big fan of the new "L-Finesse" designs treatments and I think that Lexus really hit the nail on the head in applying it to the IS. One thing I've noticed is that while the new "L-Finesse" designs definitely have a large commonality among them, each car (IS, GS, and even the ES and LS which are due in 2007) retains some of the styling of their previous generation. And, although I didn't love the previous IS's styling, it really works well with the new "L-Finesse" skin.

The front of the IS resembles the front of the new GS to a very large extent - the front end seems to be a large part of the new design treatments. I liked it on the GS, and I like it as much if not more here. And the lines of the new IS just work better for me than on the GS. I think that it's because the GS has a slight curvature to its lines that the IS either eliminates are makes undetectable due to its smaller stature. And the rear end treatment on the IS is head and shoulders above the GS's back end.

This was one of the big drawbacks to the Legacy GT for me. I just couldn't get into its exterior styling (or lack thereof). And compared to the new 3-series, I think the IS's exterior, while more conservative (and perhaps a bit less distinctive), works better overall. It just plain looks good.

Interior:

This is another area where the IS exceeds the 3-series, in my opinion - by quite a bit. To me, Lexus has put the quality of the IS interior up towards the level of the larger sedans from Audi and Mercedes. By that I mean, the IS's interior is better than an A4 or C-class, and approaches/meets that of an A6 or E-class. The leather on the seats and steering wheel is super soft and feels of very high quality, the wood trim is simply gorgeous, and virtually every surface looks and feels top-notch. You have to start reaching down to waist level or below to find any hard materials. The seats themselves are comfortable and supported but not quite as good as the sport seats on the 3-series. And, although the IS's steering wheel is perfectly acceptable, I also preferred the thicker wheel on the 3-series, even if the leather on the IS's wheel feels better to the touch.

I like the overall design of the interior as well. I like how the center console wraps around the front passengers - very cockpit like. I know some people have complained that it feels a little too snug, but I personally prefer that. To me, the way the trim on the 3-series ran more horizontal across the dash took away from the feel from the driver's seat. I much prefer the more vertical alignment of the IS's interior. And the dash is much more attractive than that in the 3-series, in my opinion. I always enjoy getting in the car (via key-less entry - just walk up to the car and touch the sensor on the back of the door handle), putting my foot on the brake, and pressing the start button. The needles light up first and then spike to the top of the gauges before the rest of the instrument cluster lights up. Between the speedometer and the tach, an information screen will display outside temp, distance till empty, average mpg overall, average mpg for the current tank (which auto resets when you fill up), average speed, and current selected gear.

Overall, ergonomics are excellent - although there are a few minor things that I would change. The power window and door lock controls are just a little too far forward on the door. Also, the clock in the center console is a little too low - if my right hand is on the steering wheel my arm often blocks my view of the clock. And I'd prefer that the toggle switch for the transmission modes (more on this later) were by the shifter rather than tucked on the lower right side of the steering wheel - I often have to feel for the switch while driving because I can't see it at all.

I did not pony up (way up) the bucks for the Mark Levinson audio package. It's supposed to be very good, but I'm not enough of an audiophile to appreciate it. For me the stock audio system works just fine. It's got a 6-disc CD changer as well as an auxiliary input for an MP3 player tucked away in the center storage compartment (rather than in the glove box like Mercedes) that also has a power outlet for charging. Controls on the steering wheel let you set volume, select mode (radio, disc, etc), change disc, and change disc tracks. You cannot, however, scan forward or back within a disc track using the controls on the wheel. You have to use the buttons on the main audio panel for that.

Climate controls are fairly intuitive. The system can run in either single or dual zone modes. It has an auto control function like all luxury cars these days and also offers an auto smog detector that switches from external air to recalculating internal air - something BMW's offer as well. One capability that I didn't see in the 3-series that the IS offers is a pollen/air filter capability that cleans the cars internal air very well. Both front seats are offer both heating (which is optional on the BMW) and cooling (which is not available on a 3-series).

The navigation works well and also offers secondary control of the audio and climate systems. One gripe: there's a lot of stuff that you can't do while the car is moving (enter a destination, punch in a phone number to dial, etc). Along with the navigation comes Bluetooth capability which works very well. I have a Motorola RAZR and have had no problems with the hands-free capability in the IS. Alas, the voice recognition doesn't work quite as well - I think Lexus still has some work to do hear. The voice recognition in my wife's Odyssey works much better. With navigation, you also get a rear back-up camera that works well (although not nearly as well as the back camera in the Infiniti M). Combine the rear camera with side mirrors that are quite tall, and you get a very nice view of what obstacles are around the car.

Rear seat space is one of the main weaknesses of the IS. The 3-series really exceeds the Lexus in this regard. The trunks are about equal size, with the Lexus having a small advantage of 13 cu.ft. versus the BMW's 12 cu.ft. - in other words, both are about average for this class of car.

Performance:

The 3.5L V-6 in the IS350 makes 306 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 277 lb-ft of torque at 4800 rpm. These numbers exceed the 330's output by 52 horsepower and 57 lb-ft, respectively. Although numbers don't always reflect the true feel of a car, the IS does feel that much faster to me. The Legacy adds that nice turbo kick around 3000 rpm that makes up for its lack of horsepower but the Subaru's 4-cylinder is no where near as smooth as the IS or 330i. The Lexus engine definitely has a sweet spot up around 3500 rpm but is very smooth throughout its whole range. The car is very quiet, but the engine can be heard at high revs but has a nice high-pitched note to it that I like. Much different than the more American tenor of the Infiniti cars - more German in character I would say.

The transmission is a six-speed automatic that has three drive modes: normal, power, and snow. Obviously, I don't use the snow mode much in Southern CA, but I must admit to indulging in the power mode quite frequently. The difference is significant. Odd thing is, I did not know about the different modes until after I bought the car (the salesman never mentioned it - not even sure he knew). In normal mode the engine pulls strongly, you just have to get the engine up into its sweet spot for the real power. The power mode fires the car off the line with much more urgency. Not only does it affect the up-shift timings (like the sport mode on the BMW transmission), but it seems to open up the throttle as well. When I switch from power to normal, it always feels like the throttle gets constrained a little. The sacrifice is poorer fuel economy. Also, in power mode you can really feel the car downshifting through the gears when you brake. It's a little disquieting at first but I've gotten used to it.

In normal mode, the transmission is very smooth and doesn't really draw any attention to itself. If definitely looks to up-shift as much as possible. When ever I scroll through the info display on the instrument cluster, I'm often surprised at how high a gear the IS is running in. Frequently, it will shift all the way into its sixth gear by the time I'm doing 45 mph.

The transmission also has a manual shift capability that is separate from the different mode settings. By pushing the shifter to the left, you move out of "drive" and into "shift-able" mode. The driver can then use paddles on the steering wheel or an up and down motion with the shifter to change gears. However, you don't really get to choose the exact gear the car is in. What you're actually setting is the highest gear that the car can be in. For example, if you're driving along with the gear selection on 4 as you stop the car the transmission will automatically downshift. Then when you start moving again it will automatically shift until it reaches 4 and won't go any higher. If while at stop you downshift to 3, 2, or 1 then that gear would be the highest available to the transmission. This operation works well enough. The shifts are relatively quick (about 1.5 seconds). Much faster than I could do it in a true manual, but it just seems longer since I'm waiting on the car to do the work.

Handling:

Historically, handling is the area where the BMW 3-series has distinguished itself from its competitors. And this continues to be the case. And the Subaru Legacy GT also equipped itself very well in this area. The IS just doesn't have the capabilities of the BMW or the Legacy when the roads get curvy. Does it come close? I'd say yes, very close in terms of its capabilities. I think the main differentiator is that the IS doesn't FEEL as if it's as capable when turning. The problem, to me, seems to be lack of feedback. When you put the 330 into a corner it goes where you want and the car tells you, through the steering wheel/seat/etc, that everything's fine. With the IS, it will go where you want, but it just doesn't give you the same feedback (or "status report", if you like) as to what's going on. So I've found I need to rely more on my eyes and ears rather than the feel from the wheel or seat.

(Note: I should also point out that my test drives of the 330 and Legacy GT were always in a car equipped with the sport package while my IS (and every other IS I've driven) does not have a sport suspension. Perhaps that makes up some of the difference in the feedback and handling capabilities.)

Many reviewers have complained about the level of electronic assistance that Lexus puts in the IS via its "Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management" (aka VDIM). While this is a problem if you're driving the IS on a track or through some cones slalom, I haven't noticed it in any of my driving. Sometimes, when trying to accelerate out of a corner, the IS doesn't seem to want to downshift if I have the transmission in normal mode. Maybe that's the VDIM or traction control kicking in, I'm not sure. But if I'm in power mode it seems to behave fine.

(Note: Many of the Lexus forums post a mechanism for turning off the VDIM. It involves pumping the brake and parking brake (which is a foot brake rather than a hand lever) in some obscure order. The instructions kinda reminded me of entering a cheat code for a Playstation game: square, square, circle, triangle, square...)

I found the braking on both the IS and the 330 to be very good and about equal. Ride quality on each was also about the same. You feel the bumps but they are well muted and don't seem to upset the car any.

Fuel Economy:

The IS350 is rated at an EPA estimated 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. Yeah, right. I tend to average about 16-17 mpg in pure city driving with the transmission in normal mode. If I move it into power mode that number drops by 1-2 mpg. I'm just coming to the end of my break-in period (about 625 miles), so these numbers may improve a little.

Reliability:

The previous generation of the IS, as with many other Lexus/Toyota products, has had stellar reliability ratings. I'm expecting this to continue for the new generation IS (please!).

This is one of the things that pushed me towards the IS rather than the 3-series. Even though the previous generation of the 3-series was rated about average in reliability, we still had several small, annoying issues with my wife's 325 wagon. And since both the 7-series and 5-series reliability ratings dropped significantly when they were redesigned, my hopes for keeping a new 3-series out of the shop were slim.

If I were leasing it would not be as big a deal. But since I want to keep this car for 5-7 years, I'd rather not being incurring those BMW repair bills once the warranty expires.

Safety:

There are no safety ratings available for the 2006 IS. The previous IS received vary good front impact scores from the IIHS, but no side and rear impact results are available. In NHTSA testing, the previous IS received five-star ratings for side impact and rollover avoidance.

Summary (Why I bought the IS350):

So I made my choice. For me, the choice of the IS350 over the Subaru and the BMW was a very tough one. I waffled back and forth for weeks (just ask my wife, I regularly got a "so which is the favorite today?" question). And, unfortunately, no one car clearly stood out as THE choice. Each had some compromises. To a certain extent, by picking the IS, I picked styling, interior refinement, practicality (reliability, resale), and engine power over the most fun-to-drive. Also, when compared to the 3-series, the IS offers more features for the money - to get a similarly equipped 330 would have cost me about $4000-5000 more.

Sometimes, when I get the rare chance (1-2 times per week) to take a corner a little faster on my drive to work, do I wish I was in a 3-series or Legacy GT rather than the IS? Maybe. More likely I wish I was driving an RX-8. So everything is relative. Overall, I continue to be satisfied with my decision. This is one sweet ride.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

excellent article you mustve put a LOT of time into this, this should be stickied or put in a FAQ for people interested in the IS350. Thanks a lot

I believe the Lexus warranty is better than BMW also, both offer 4 year warranties but lexus has some 7 year powertrain warranty, dont think BMW has that

dfw350

awesome review man, mucho gracias!
enjoy your car!

Redpaste

iTrader: (4)

Congrats on the new car!! Very nice review as well!

upbull340

Thank you for sharing your comments. I own an S60R and love the manual and AWD. But I want something new and while I can really use the awd I went with the 350 and will get snow tires come next winter.

Enjoy.

casey225

Thanks for the awesome writeup. I am glad someone has the time to test and compare all those cars, since I don't. Kudos! While I wait for mine to arrive, are the different power modes easy to switch? I am new to the forum and haven't come across anything other than how to disable the VDIM (or at least certain parts of it).

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Very thorough. Very accurate. Very precise. Thank you.

davlav

There's a small toggle switch just to the right of the steering wheel that allows you to switch between normal, power, and snow modes on the transmission. You can change the setting any time, even while moving. My only complaint is that the switch is hard to see while driving - I'd rather it was down by the shifter.

davlav

There are actually several good reviews of the IS over at Epinions:

http://www.epinions.com/pr-2006_Lexus_IS

Chi-town

That review has to be one of the best reviews that I have read on the IS. I agree with everything that you wrote. The steering wheel feel and thickness, the placement of the window up/down buttons, the ect buttons, etc., everything was spot on. Your my hero, you ROCK. Preach on brother, preach on.

accelerate

I couldn't have said it any better, thanks for the review and good luck with your new IS.

davlav

Wow, thanks. I'll keep writing car reviews on Epinions - so check in from time to time to check those out as well.

e-man

Wow. Great write-ups. That's too bad about all the typos.

























Just kidding. Your wife must think you're nuts (I know mine thinks I'm nuts for all the time I spend on CL with who she calls my "Lexus croanies"). Enjoy the IS.

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tzu911

I love the fact that the opinion is based on another So. Cal. resident.

diablo1

Great review. One question for you - you mentioned that the Infiniti SUV has a better rear backup camera than the IS. Why is that? I've never driven another car with backup camera, so I'm just wondering what they do better. Thanks!