dunno i drove the 330 at taste of lexus a while back, steering just felt like the lack of power steering, annoying in everyday driving IMO. Wouldnt call IS steering numb. Drove my car on a track about 50 laps with an instructor he had no complaints and he tracks a Z06

 

Its sad that they (car magazines) never focus on the bigger picture..

Luxury, Sporty & Reliable.. The last being most important to ME..

In seven years of owning my IS300, it never left me stranded on the side of the road and it never visited the dealership for a Mechanical Malfunction of any kind..
Besides, out here is Los Angeles I see Beamers on the side of the road or freeway with hazards ON all too often.....

Why don't they realize that their "free maintenance" is to get the car in the shop to take care of warranty or quality control issues for the 1st few years of the cars life..

Again just my opinion...

Jz

 

I think the car rags are more concerned with 'fun to drive' than 'point a to point b, everytime'.

Don't get me wrong, I love my IS: It has been flawless so far, is very comfortable, and has loads of neat gizmos and gadgets. But my base 330 with no options but sport package was in a different league, different sport, and different world as far as 'fun to drive'.

This is why the IS-F gives me hope for the brand. If they can create a niche that upholds what Lexus stands for while offering similar or better driving dynamics than the competition, it will be something special.

 

I totally agree...

Have you driven a Sport Package IS350 lately???
(i'm not sure which model / pkg IS you own)

 

All the '08's I've seen so far are coming with the Bridgestone Turanzas - also featured on the ES's, which should tell you something...

I've had several sets of Dunlops as well, and I've generally been happy with them. The SportMaxx-A's on my IS have behaved well, and I'm actually getting ready to buy another set.

Javier

 

Drove one before I bought mine (without SP) and was not impressed. I felt like I could do better with my own suspension mods.

 

Biggest reason I went with SP was I thought it was a better deal than the Lux pkg w/18s... $500 less and you gain a couple things in exchange for losing the (IMHO useless) rear sunshade... and I prefered the AL trim to the woodgrain...

I'm unlikely to mess with the ride height anyway, though I'd probably put on beefier sway bars if anyone ever gets around to making any.

 

And just to show I'm not completely makng stuff up, Edmunds says they changed the steering for 08 too :P

http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/is350/2008/review.html

What's New for 2008
For the 2008 Lexus IS 350, a handful of minor changes take place, including a new "Liquid Graphite" finish for the wheels, recalibrated steering for better feel, a new coin holder and revised front seatbacks that provide more rear legroom.