First let me say that this isn't one of the features that led me to buy the car so it doesn't really bother me, but.....

You have basically no control over gear selection when in S mode. If you mash the gas it downshifts anyway and upshifts for you too when you accelerate.

 

I use it so I can get the car ready to go when I am at 4k and up. Or when I need engine braking.

 

I think S mode only limits the automatic box to the first four gears so it's a bit sportier I guess... the whole auto box in the IS is a joke anyway.

 

yes. because you don't know how to use it properly, it's a joke. lol

 

I use it to stay under 4th around town. It does minimaze gear hunting.

 

The S mode is more a "top gear" limiter. It is not perfect; but think of it this way: The timing of the shifts are done a little more conservative, so if you are driving a little more agressive, one would expect the driver to downshift earlier than the computer and the upshifts (i.e., holding the gear longer for higher rpms) later than the computer. If you approach it this way, it does give you a little more control over the car, but overall I do believe it is more of a "fun" feature than anything else.

 

Exactly....

 

^^ i agreee also...if you wanted a fun sport car then get the manual too bad 350 dont have it

 

S mode a joke? Not really. It is functional.

Hoever, I think S mode is more of a gimmick than anything else. I don't know of anyone who uses it all the time. I use it once in a while for peppy acceleration, but nonetheless, it's only a gimmick...

 

Joke, gimmick, whatever. Bottom line is that the top gear limiter design on the IS provides much less control of the selected gear than most people expect. I think most would prefer a system that operates like Porsche/Audi Tiptronic, where pushing the lever causes a near immediate upshift or downshift, and the computer only intercedes if the driver tries to do something that could cause mechanical damage.

 

I drove manual before, yup it was fun. But This is not bad at all. I use it everyday. Once you know how to use it, I think it's very functional and not a joke at all. I use it when I enter corners, or want it to downshift faster without forcing on the gas pedal to make it downshift.

 

Wow. I tend to drive my cars like they are designed to be driven which means that In the past 7000 miles in my IS350 I've managed 17mpg. In my Sti and S2000's it was 14 mpg. That being said, my car is always in Sport mode and I couldn’t imagine driving in regular mode, its WAY to passive and keeps the car in WAY to high of gears with no engine breaking.

Massive difference in the 2 if you drive the car like its supposed to be driven. Aka, why buy a 300 HP car and drive it like grandma?

I also find the Auto in the IS350 by far the best one I have ever driven for performance. Its extremely snappy. You should go drive a TL Type S Auto (with sports shift), that’s considered a sports tranny and it doesn’t hold a candle to the IS350's auto in any way
.

 

I have no idea why Lexus engineers designed the paddle shifters to work the way they do. Maybe the aftermarket can come up with a fix???

 

Hehe, i drive my is350 like a grandma, when i take my mom to Daie (don quioxe***w/e) on senior discount day She even told me, no camry when i told her i was gonna buy a new car, yes a old japanese lady in hawaii said emphatically, 'NO CAMRY' ITS A MIRACLE!!!

 

I used S mode when on the dragon in NC. It was great for locking out the top gears when on the mountains. I stayed in 2nd most of the time and occasionally hit 4th. But I didn't want the car shifting on its own. When I would enter a corner, I would hit the paddle shifter down to 2 or even 1 at times(rarely) and it allowed me to concentrate on the exit. Its no DSG or SMG with auto rev matching, but I did find it very useful. The drive would not have been nearly as fun in full auto mode, where I would let the computer do all the shifting. It works for specific situations but not really for real world driving. It would work great on the track to keep the car in gear though as well.