My test drives
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Australia
If u think thats bad, you should try buying an IS in Australia.
We only get 2G IS250. Theres 3 levels available.
Base model, 16's, no ML, no nav, no moonroof, manual gears = $59000 out the stealers door (Approx $49000 USD) ML, nav & roof = $8000 extra on top
Middle model, 18's no ML, no nav, no moonroof, manual gears = $73000 out the stealers door (Approx $60000 USD), ML nav & roof = $8000 extra on top
Top model, 17's but ML, nav, roof & all extras = $85000 out the stealers door (Approx $71000 USD). State/fed taxes make up about $5-$6k of these.
Scary part is that these are still less than equivalent Benz or BMW prices.... 335 = $105000 + tax ($7-$8k)+ options...
We only get 2G IS250. Theres 3 levels available.
Base model, 16's, no ML, no nav, no moonroof, manual gears = $59000 out the stealers door (Approx $49000 USD) ML, nav & roof = $8000 extra on top
Middle model, 18's no ML, no nav, no moonroof, manual gears = $73000 out the stealers door (Approx $60000 USD), ML nav & roof = $8000 extra on top
Top model, 17's but ML, nav, roof & all extras = $85000 out the stealers door (Approx $71000 USD). State/fed taxes make up about $5-$6k of these.
Scary part is that these are still less than equivalent Benz or BMW prices.... 335 = $105000 + tax ($7-$8k)+ options...
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 499
Likes: 0
From: Saudi Arabia
nice write-up.
there is nice comparision between a C350,G35 and the IS300 in the latest Saudi Auto Magazine,if you don't know arabic just enjoy the pictures
and since the sound insulation is fine in my IS i would advice you to tell the dealer and they'll do something about it,they are so great.i had a problem in my rear left speaker and they somehow fixed it without replacing it(dunno how).
another thing you probably didn't notice in those car's you drove,the A/C will never be like the IS
.
BTW,i tried racing a 2006 GS300 ,, i won , just remember to turn off the A/C.
there is nice comparision between a C350,G35 and the IS300 in the latest Saudi Auto Magazine,if you don't know arabic just enjoy the pictures
and since the sound insulation is fine in my IS i would advice you to tell the dealer and they'll do something about it,they are so great.i had a problem in my rear left speaker and they somehow fixed it without replacing it(dunno how).
another thing you probably didn't notice in those car's you drove,the A/C will never be like the IS
.BTW,i tried racing a 2006 GS300 ,, i won
, just remember to turn off the A/C.
Pole Position
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: NV
Hi CL,
I was unhappy with certain aspects (mostly power and sound insulation) of my IS300 so I was looking for alternatives. I just test drove a 335 coupe and a C280 Sport (they didn’t have the C350 in stock) and would like to share with you that I am finally content with my car, out of the three cars, my Lexus IS300 made most sense. What I was looking for while driving was: ride comfort, interior cabin sound insulation, interior built quality, performance, exterior appeal, gadgetry, price and reliability.
Mercedes c280 sport fully loaded
Ride comfort: best
Interior cabin sound insulation: not as good as anticipated but better than the IS
Interior built quality: very very impressive
Performance: 228 bhp – identical to my is300 and it felt a tad heavier
exterior appeal: sexiest contest of them all imo!
Gadgetry: no rear view cam, sound system was good but not as good as the ml, no dvd player, has oem ipod integration kit
Price: 48k for the c280 and 61k for the c350!
Reliability: avg - not as good as lexus nor as bad as bmw
Others: the panorama is a big plus, this is a car that i would not change a thing about the way it looks (maybe wheels only and moderate drop), the driving control and precision is pure german – immaculate.
BMW 335 Coupe –fully loaded
Ride comfort: a bit too rigid to my liking
Interior cabin sound insulation: good, an improvement over the IS, I can’t remember if it was as good as the Mercedes though (I test drove at different areas with different surrounding noises)
Interior built quality: fair, a bit better than the IS but it feels way inferior to the mercedes
Performance: breath taking! So this is how the Mercedes C350 and IS350 feel like!!!
Exterior appeal: looks hot
Gadgetry: similar to the Mercedes, inferior to the IS
Price: 60k
Reliability: from my perception, this might be an issue
Other: it had shift paddles that work both ways (press/pull). The car felt plain, dull and boring from the inside
Lexus IS300–fully loaded
Ride comfort: let's say it didn't feel that bad to ride away with my car after the test drives
Interior cabin sound insulation: not satisfactory
Interior built quality: could do better - it feels cheaper and i know that it is, that's why i got mine in black which makes this aspect less detectable IMO
Performance: 228hp, i need more! perhaps i should clarify that my previous cars were a CL600, a SL500, S500 and a mini cooper S lol
Exterior appeal: least of all three cars but it is not ugly by all means
Gadgetry: rear view camera, dvd player, mp3 player, ML, navi, Bluetooth…etc you know it all
Price: 36.5k
Reliability: excellent
Other: shift paddles, interior map-light and the gauge rings are cool features
Verdict:
Mercedes: I would buy this car in a heartbeat if I was living in a nicer place with more civilized roads and surroundings
BMW: looks good from the outside, i am sure it is a good car but I met the Mercedes prior to this car and the merc has lifted the bar with a leap… the BMW didn’t excite me as much.
Lexus: best of all three, the price makes a lot of sense, the gadgets are more high-tech than a space ship. The sound insulation was not that much better in the other cars. Only drawback is the power
I can only imagine what the IS350 must be like with the performance closer to the 335
Thank you all for reading, please note that this is not a rant, i am just sharing my experience so no need for critiques on the way i judged the cars or on my criteria
Hammy
I was unhappy with certain aspects (mostly power and sound insulation) of my IS300 so I was looking for alternatives. I just test drove a 335 coupe and a C280 Sport (they didn’t have the C350 in stock) and would like to share with you that I am finally content with my car, out of the three cars, my Lexus IS300 made most sense. What I was looking for while driving was: ride comfort, interior cabin sound insulation, interior built quality, performance, exterior appeal, gadgetry, price and reliability.
Mercedes c280 sport fully loaded
Ride comfort: best
Interior cabin sound insulation: not as good as anticipated but better than the IS
Interior built quality: very very impressive
Performance: 228 bhp – identical to my is300 and it felt a tad heavier
exterior appeal: sexiest contest of them all imo!
Gadgetry: no rear view cam, sound system was good but not as good as the ml, no dvd player, has oem ipod integration kit
Price: 48k for the c280 and 61k for the c350!
Reliability: avg - not as good as lexus nor as bad as bmw
Others: the panorama is a big plus, this is a car that i would not change a thing about the way it looks (maybe wheels only and moderate drop), the driving control and precision is pure german – immaculate.
BMW 335 Coupe –fully loaded
Ride comfort: a bit too rigid to my liking
Interior cabin sound insulation: good, an improvement over the IS, I can’t remember if it was as good as the Mercedes though (I test drove at different areas with different surrounding noises)
Interior built quality: fair, a bit better than the IS but it feels way inferior to the mercedes
Performance: breath taking! So this is how the Mercedes C350 and IS350 feel like!!!
Exterior appeal: looks hot
Gadgetry: similar to the Mercedes, inferior to the IS
Price: 60k
Reliability: from my perception, this might be an issue
Other: it had shift paddles that work both ways (press/pull). The car felt plain, dull and boring from the inside
Lexus IS300–fully loaded
Ride comfort: let's say it didn't feel that bad to ride away with my car after the test drives
Interior cabin sound insulation: not satisfactory
Interior built quality: could do better - it feels cheaper and i know that it is, that's why i got mine in black which makes this aspect less detectable IMO
Performance: 228hp, i need more! perhaps i should clarify that my previous cars were a CL600, a SL500, S500 and a mini cooper S lol
Exterior appeal: least of all three cars but it is not ugly by all means
Gadgetry: rear view camera, dvd player, mp3 player, ML, navi, Bluetooth…etc you know it all
Price: 36.5k
Reliability: excellent
Other: shift paddles, interior map-light and the gauge rings are cool features
Verdict:
Mercedes: I would buy this car in a heartbeat if I was living in a nicer place with more civilized roads and surroundings
BMW: looks good from the outside, i am sure it is a good car but I met the Mercedes prior to this car and the merc has lifted the bar with a leap… the BMW didn’t excite me as much.
Lexus: best of all three, the price makes a lot of sense, the gadgets are more high-tech than a space ship. The sound insulation was not that much better in the other cars. Only drawback is the power
I can only imagine what the IS350 must be like with the performance closer to the 335
Thank you all for reading, please note that this is not a rant, i am just sharing my experience so no need for critiques on the way i judged the cars or on my criteria
Hammy
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 991
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From: PA
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