I drove a G37 sedan last week, and was shocked at how fast it felt. It had a 7-speed transmission and always felt like it was in "perf" mode. I had a grin on my face the entire day. My IS350 is by no means slow, but it felt sluggish in comparison when I got back in it the next day. C'mon Lexus, bump the hp a bit to keep up with the competition!

On a related note, the interior of the G is vastly improved in comparison with the last G35 I drove. Very solid, no rattles, real brushed aluminum trim everywhere (in comparison with our "painted aluminum"), and the seats were fantastic. It felt like it always wanted to GO.

I'm seriously considering one next year when my lease is up. I'm always glad to see cars improving...it gives Lexus the push they desperately need to get rid of interior rattles and compete in a more favorable way.

 

Or at least source a decent 6 speed manual for the Is350. I'm really considering a 335i. I'm nervous about bmw's reliability, but I need more go than my 'lil Is250 and want a manual. Does anyone have any insight on the future Is.(2012?)

 

Most tests I've read say the IS350 is faster than the G37 sedan, so either Lexus masks this performance well or your but dyno got fooled by the extra cog in the tranny. Personally, I love that the G37 can be had with a stick and third pedal, irrespective, of the meager take rate by luxury-minded buyers. To me that shows commitment to making a real sport sedan.

 

Agreed - they only sell about 15% of them with manual transmissions, but it's nice that the option exists.

I checked the 0-60 times, and I think it must be the extra gear that "feels" faster due to gear ratios. I floored it on an on-ramp, and the thing threatened to lose traction shifting into second, and again into 3rd.

The other thing that I liked was that manual shifting with the auto actually shifts when you ask it to. I bumped it up a gear, and it immediately complied. And - get this - if I put it in 5th, 7th, or whatever and floored it, it stayed in the selected gear and bogged rather than taking over and choosing a different gear. WHY in the hell won't our transmission work like this? I have to tap the paddle at least a second before I actually want it to shift, which negates the whole point of having it there.

Between that and the rattles, I'm spending too much time shaking my head and not enough time enjoying the ride. Lexus - are you listening? FIX THIS.

 

if they bump the hp up are you going to trade just for that few HPs???

 

Nope. They'd have to increase the horsepower, match seats with the competition, upgrade the trim, get rid of the rattles, allow me to actually control the transmission with the paddles, and add a cog to the transmission. That's just to get parity with the competition...nevermind what they need to do to be even better.

I'm leasing, btw, so in a year I have to decide what to do. Despite this comparison post, I like many things about the IS. It's just not keeping up with the competition IMO, and Toyota has gotten fat and lazy compared with their pre-2006 QC.

 

The G37 despite the extra hp still has less torque, and still isn't faster than the IS350... while I agree the infiniti has closed a lot of ground the IS still has a nicer interior too... and an auto's faster than a manual while you're at it (and offers better mileage if done right)

Apart from one odd creek it'll make, once, from the center dash area while cooling down if the interior was very hot when I got it, mine doesn't rattle either.

The G does have better lateral support in the seats, but doesn't offer cooled seats last I checked...and I agree it'd be nice if the IS350 had shift logic like the IS-Fs, but that's about the only criticisms I've got.

Oh, and Infiniti offers a WAY better value as far as the technology stuff... their Nav system actually offered real-time traffic years ago and isn't as overpriced either compared to the 90s-era system Lexus offers in the 2IS... but both offerings suck for value compared to an aftermarket garmin anyway.

 

I don't know how the G37 feels but we had a 2007 Infiniti FX35 and that thing was awesome. The driving experience was amazing, except that it was a really pointless vehicle overall. But that's not the point. It's just that I remember the tranny was superb for an auto. It did blips on downshifts and always seemed to be in the right gear, very responsive.

And yes, the IS really needs a dual clutch tranny...their current auto should never come with paddle shifters.

One more thing that all cars should have though - make the shifter go forward for downshifts and back for upshifts like on BMW M cars and racing sequential gearboxes.

 

Just buy and IS-F. Problem solved..

 

bear in mind, this was a car that debuted in late 2005 as a 2006 model. obviously the competition has caught up. even by 2009 standards, the 2is is still a very capable car, even though the competition has gotten a lot more fierce.

between the japanese brands, the older 2is is still worlds better than the new G37 and the new TL - though not by much now. i imagine the next gen is will raise the bar for this segment again.

also, bear in mind that the is350 was the first in its class to boast 300+ hp. everyone else was playing catch-up.

 

Good thing you said Japanese brands...

2is is not worlds better than the new G37 and/or new TL (in 2006 as well as 2009). Have you have any personal experience with them at all?

Bear in mind that way back in 2003 when the G35 debut they had a 280 hp engine while the IS300 had what 215 hp? Look at stats as to which was the better buy.

The G is just a better driver's car than the IS.

 

How? I drove both G35/G37 before I bought my IS350. The interior on the G35/G37 feels rough compared to the IS350. I found the seats very uncomfortable. The low end was lacking on the G35/37.

You state a point but yet don't provide any evidence.

 

i hope u'r not mistaking the "sensitivity/touchiness" of the pedal for power...

when i test drove the g35 sedan/g37 coupe, the throttle is very very sensitive to pedal input. everything about the powertrain on that car was a bit nervous, and the steering was a bit heavy to my liking. altho the lexus is a little on the light side.

luv their birds-eye/3d view on the nav.

 

all except the 80s "digital" clock on the is..

 

then you might need to consider the IS-F.....