Lexus IS350 vs BMW 335 vs Audi A4
05-17-13, 07:15 PM
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Lexus IS350 vs BMW 335 vs Audi A4
Here’s where I started. April 2013.
I owned and drove a 2003 Audi A4 Quattro for 3+ years, and simply got tired of the high maintenance costs and the ever-present turbo lag. So I started looking around for a new vehicle.
The Audi A4 is a great little car. It is nimble and tracks around a corner in a way that never complains or resists your willingness to go faster than really necessary. The car is a blast to drive. My only real driving dislike is the turbo lag in the 1.8T. At speed it is easy to manage by simply hitting the accelerator a little sooner than you normally would. However, the lag is horrifying when trying to scoot across a busy road from a stop sign.
I wanted a newer sedan that was AWD (I live in northeast USA), had the good handling of the Audi, but was more reliable and didn’t have significant turbo lag.
My first instinct was to look at a newer Audis and BMWs. I was trying to stay under $30K, so I was looking at mostly 2010-2011 vehicles with less than 40K miles.
Here is the list of vehicles I took for test drives:
Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Felt and handled just like the 2003 I was driving around, except the 2.0T had noticeably more pep, and seemed to have less turbo lag (but it may have been the larger displacement made it less noticeable). I liked the car, it stayed on my list for a while. But my primary reason for looking was reliability/cost, and this car just felt like a newer version of the same thing.
Vehicle: 2010 BMW 328i x-Drive
Impression: Handled nicely, but felt severely underpowered. In my mind, part of performance is quick acceleration and I don’t think this car has enough power.
Vehicle: 2010 BMW 335i x-Drive
Impression: Significantly stronger engine than the 328, and handled superbly. A very nice car. The steering felt a little ‘less-assisted’ than my Audi, but that wasn’t a bad thing. This specific vehicle had a rumble when coasting at 60MPH, like a drive shaft slightly out of balance.
Vehicle: 2011 Subaru Legacy AWD (4 cylinder)
Impression: Engine wasn't strong enough. Car was solid and a pretty nice utilitarian car – nothing special, and under-powered.
Vehicle: 2010 Subaru Legacy AWD (6 cylinder)
Impression: The 6-cylinder is a good engine for the car. It pulled well and was outfitted nicely. It is all-around solid car. It didn’t have sensational handling, but would be a solid commuter.
Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Very similar and consistent with the other A4’s – no surprises.
Vehicle: 2011 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Very similar and consistent with the other A4’s – no surprises.
At this point in time the BMW 335 is in the lead, with the Audi A4 2.0T close behind. So I started doing some research on-line for reoccurring issues. The 335 seemed to have a HPFP issue (I think is resolved now), but it reminded me of timing belts and water pumps on my A4 1.8T. Then I read that the average maintenance cost on a BMW is higher than on an Audi, and I was trying to get away from the higher maintenance cost. So at this point I feel like I’ve been a little too smitten on the German engineered vehicles, and open up my search.
My next set of test drives included:
Vehicle: 2011 Dodge Charger AWD
Impression: I’m a Dodge fan, I currently have three in my household (Caravan, Durango and ’07 Charger). However, this Charger didn’t do it for me. It felt like a bigger version of the Subaru – solid car that would be a great commuter, but nothing special.
Vehicle: 2011 Ford Taurus SHO AWD
Impression: Very nice car. If you are looking for a strong, solid mid-size sedan, you should take a look. However, the car was bigger than I wanted; I was thinking something smaller and a little more nimble.
Vehicle: 2011 BMW 335i x-Drive
Impression: On the Taurus test drive, I drove past a BMW dealer. So I stopped in and took a 335 out to ‘reset’ how the 335 felt. Handled great, felt solid; but this car just stayed ‘flat’ where the turbo should have kicked in. Something was not right, because the other 335 I drove had a significant hit once the RPMs where mid-range.
Two cars that I probably should have test drove, but didn’t were the Acura (too ugly) and Cadillac CTS. Most were FWD, and the few AWDs I could find were at a distance.
Well I was pretty set on the 335, and then my wife asked me if I had tried a Lexus. It wasn’t on my radar, and I really felt like I had done my due diligence but I know how to stay out of trouble with my wife, so I found one close by and went to take it for a test drive.
I just about fell in love with this car. It was a Lexus IS350 AWD, and it simply does everything well. It’s nice and compact, nimble and has lots of get up and go. While I was at the dealer (Carsense – so they have many makes and models), I also took an Infiniti G35x for a test drive.
Vehicle: 2011 Lexus IS350
Impression: Excellent compact car, with a very strong engine and lots of nice features, and it handles very well. It wasn’t quite as composed in the corners as an Audi or BMW, but it was pretty close.
Vehicle: 2011 Infiniti G35x
Impression: I really didn’t give this car a full open-minded test drive. It didn’t have the acceleration of the Lexus, and didn’t do anything that impressed me very much. After so many test drives, the car has to have a pretty immediate impact, or I already have a better option.
I ended up buying the Lexus IS350 AWD. I immediately purchased the F-Sport sway bars and put them on (an excellent option and they bridged much of the gap between the Lexus and the German crew). A quick side note on the sway bars. The front sway bar requires dropping the sub frame about an inch to remove/install, so I changed the rear one first to get a feel for the difficulty and give myself a week to decide if I wanted to pay my mechanic to do the front bar. The F-Sport rear sway bar adds some very noticeable stiffness to the rear; so much so that it felt awkwardly stiff is relation to the front. I put the front sway bars on the following weekend, and the car felt balanced again with noticeably better handling. Moral of the story is: if you’re going to put on F-Sport sway bars, do both front and back – there is no other option in my mind.
I really labored over buying the Lexus over the BMW, and I was afraid I would have regret. The BMW is on top of so many lists – can all those people be wrong? I really came down to the fact that both 335s I drove had something wrong with them, and the Lexus has a reliability rating on par or better than the Toyota brand (so it met one of my original objectives – more reliability). In addition the Lexus is a strong non-turbo 6 cylinder – no turbo lag!! I cannot tell you how much I do not miss the turbo lag.
I've been driving this vehicle for about 1500 miles, and so far have confirmed my decision. The Lexus IS350 is a great compact sport car, and it does so many things well that I am really pleased with the car. On top of all that, the seats are cooled. Driving home of hot summer days in leather seats will make you appreciate cooled seats. They are beautiful.
So maybe the Lexus isn't your cup of tea, maybe it is, but I certainly think it is worthy of a quick test drive to find out.
I owned and drove a 2003 Audi A4 Quattro for 3+ years, and simply got tired of the high maintenance costs and the ever-present turbo lag. So I started looking around for a new vehicle.
The Audi A4 is a great little car. It is nimble and tracks around a corner in a way that never complains or resists your willingness to go faster than really necessary. The car is a blast to drive. My only real driving dislike is the turbo lag in the 1.8T. At speed it is easy to manage by simply hitting the accelerator a little sooner than you normally would. However, the lag is horrifying when trying to scoot across a busy road from a stop sign.
I wanted a newer sedan that was AWD (I live in northeast USA), had the good handling of the Audi, but was more reliable and didn’t have significant turbo lag.
My first instinct was to look at a newer Audis and BMWs. I was trying to stay under $30K, so I was looking at mostly 2010-2011 vehicles with less than 40K miles.
Here is the list of vehicles I took for test drives:
Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Felt and handled just like the 2003 I was driving around, except the 2.0T had noticeably more pep, and seemed to have less turbo lag (but it may have been the larger displacement made it less noticeable). I liked the car, it stayed on my list for a while. But my primary reason for looking was reliability/cost, and this car just felt like a newer version of the same thing.
Vehicle: 2010 BMW 328i x-Drive
Impression: Handled nicely, but felt severely underpowered. In my mind, part of performance is quick acceleration and I don’t think this car has enough power.
Vehicle: 2010 BMW 335i x-Drive
Impression: Significantly stronger engine than the 328, and handled superbly. A very nice car. The steering felt a little ‘less-assisted’ than my Audi, but that wasn’t a bad thing. This specific vehicle had a rumble when coasting at 60MPH, like a drive shaft slightly out of balance.
Vehicle: 2011 Subaru Legacy AWD (4 cylinder)
Impression: Engine wasn't strong enough. Car was solid and a pretty nice utilitarian car – nothing special, and under-powered.
Vehicle: 2010 Subaru Legacy AWD (6 cylinder)
Impression: The 6-cylinder is a good engine for the car. It pulled well and was outfitted nicely. It is all-around solid car. It didn’t have sensational handling, but would be a solid commuter.
Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Very similar and consistent with the other A4’s – no surprises.
Vehicle: 2011 Audi A4 Quattro (2.0T)
Impression: Very similar and consistent with the other A4’s – no surprises.
At this point in time the BMW 335 is in the lead, with the Audi A4 2.0T close behind. So I started doing some research on-line for reoccurring issues. The 335 seemed to have a HPFP issue (I think is resolved now), but it reminded me of timing belts and water pumps on my A4 1.8T. Then I read that the average maintenance cost on a BMW is higher than on an Audi, and I was trying to get away from the higher maintenance cost. So at this point I feel like I’ve been a little too smitten on the German engineered vehicles, and open up my search.
My next set of test drives included:
Vehicle: 2011 Dodge Charger AWD
Impression: I’m a Dodge fan, I currently have three in my household (Caravan, Durango and ’07 Charger). However, this Charger didn’t do it for me. It felt like a bigger version of the Subaru – solid car that would be a great commuter, but nothing special.
Vehicle: 2011 Ford Taurus SHO AWD
Impression: Very nice car. If you are looking for a strong, solid mid-size sedan, you should take a look. However, the car was bigger than I wanted; I was thinking something smaller and a little more nimble.
Vehicle: 2011 BMW 335i x-Drive
Impression: On the Taurus test drive, I drove past a BMW dealer. So I stopped in and took a 335 out to ‘reset’ how the 335 felt. Handled great, felt solid; but this car just stayed ‘flat’ where the turbo should have kicked in. Something was not right, because the other 335 I drove had a significant hit once the RPMs where mid-range.
Two cars that I probably should have test drove, but didn’t were the Acura (too ugly) and Cadillac CTS. Most were FWD, and the few AWDs I could find were at a distance.
Well I was pretty set on the 335, and then my wife asked me if I had tried a Lexus. It wasn’t on my radar, and I really felt like I had done my due diligence but I know how to stay out of trouble with my wife, so I found one close by and went to take it for a test drive.
I just about fell in love with this car. It was a Lexus IS350 AWD, and it simply does everything well. It’s nice and compact, nimble and has lots of get up and go. While I was at the dealer (Carsense – so they have many makes and models), I also took an Infiniti G35x for a test drive.
Vehicle: 2011 Lexus IS350
Impression: Excellent compact car, with a very strong engine and lots of nice features, and it handles very well. It wasn’t quite as composed in the corners as an Audi or BMW, but it was pretty close.
Vehicle: 2011 Infiniti G35x
Impression: I really didn’t give this car a full open-minded test drive. It didn’t have the acceleration of the Lexus, and didn’t do anything that impressed me very much. After so many test drives, the car has to have a pretty immediate impact, or I already have a better option.
I ended up buying the Lexus IS350 AWD. I immediately purchased the F-Sport sway bars and put them on (an excellent option and they bridged much of the gap between the Lexus and the German crew). A quick side note on the sway bars. The front sway bar requires dropping the sub frame about an inch to remove/install, so I changed the rear one first to get a feel for the difficulty and give myself a week to decide if I wanted to pay my mechanic to do the front bar. The F-Sport rear sway bar adds some very noticeable stiffness to the rear; so much so that it felt awkwardly stiff is relation to the front. I put the front sway bars on the following weekend, and the car felt balanced again with noticeably better handling. Moral of the story is: if you’re going to put on F-Sport sway bars, do both front and back – there is no other option in my mind.
I really labored over buying the Lexus over the BMW, and I was afraid I would have regret. The BMW is on top of so many lists – can all those people be wrong? I really came down to the fact that both 335s I drove had something wrong with them, and the Lexus has a reliability rating on par or better than the Toyota brand (so it met one of my original objectives – more reliability). In addition the Lexus is a strong non-turbo 6 cylinder – no turbo lag!! I cannot tell you how much I do not miss the turbo lag.
I've been driving this vehicle for about 1500 miles, and so far have confirmed my decision. The Lexus IS350 is a great compact sport car, and it does so many things well that I am really pleased with the car. On top of all that, the seats are cooled. Driving home of hot summer days in leather seats will make you appreciate cooled seats. They are beautiful.
So maybe the Lexus isn't your cup of tea, maybe it is, but I certainly think it is worthy of a quick test drive to find out.
Last edited by scuffer; 05-18-13 at 05:56 AM. Reason: Corrected Subaru model to "Legacy".
05-17-13, 07:25 PM
#2
Nice write up you had there. Judging from your demands you made the best decision ever. I had both the 335i and IS350, (sold the 335), it was a nice car, but reliability issues were horrible. The only thing it had over the lexus was the steering feel being more sporty and responsive, thats it. Glad you took the IS! Good choice! You won't regret!
05-17-13, 08:08 PM
#3
Great review. I'm currently in a 250 and looking to replace it with something more power. Test drove an Audi S4 last weekend and going to try out the 335xi this weekend. Was leaning towards the S4 but after your review might just give the 350 a try. Best part is, most of the mods are transferable from the 250 to 350!
Can you elaborate on your A4 maintenance costs? I did some research on the S4/335 and it looks like fuel pump was the biggest issue.
Can you elaborate on your A4 maintenance costs? I did some research on the S4/335 and it looks like fuel pump was the biggest issue.
05-17-13, 09:09 PM
#4
Lexus Test Driver
NIce review. It's pretty much the experience I had a little over a month ago. I wanted to get a german car, that was my goal, I was coming from a very reliable 2000 Acura TL (over 140k miles only changing the alternator and going strong). I test drove Audi, BMW, Volvo, Acura and got the Lexus. From all I liked Acura and Lexus but the only reason I got the Lexus is that I wanted a change and I am in love with the Lexus design plus I hated the size the new TL it's. unnecessary BIG.
I really think German cars are a bit overated and japonese (acura, lexus, infinity) are strong competitors.
I really think German cars are a bit overated and japonese (acura, lexus, infinity) are strong competitors.
05-17-13, 10:00 PM
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+1 here,
Before I bought my is250 I was looking around at the 335i, and the 2013 a4. I test drove all three and I liked the a4 but it has so much electronic equipment that I knew one of them would have failed one time or another, Plus I hated the turbo lag which was only resolved by using the s mode on the shifter. The 335i is also a great car performance wise, but reliability is also another factor. My family has had a range of BMWs and only one lasted 2 years because we only had it for 2 years, but all the others had some sort of issue electronically or mechanically.
The IS has the reliability of a toyota, the ease to service your own car (if you knew how), and the performance capability it has for a luxury sports car is priceless.
Great choice on the IS, you won't regret it. They will last you decades.
Before I bought my is250 I was looking around at the 335i, and the 2013 a4. I test drove all three and I liked the a4 but it has so much electronic equipment that I knew one of them would have failed one time or another, Plus I hated the turbo lag which was only resolved by using the s mode on the shifter. The 335i is also a great car performance wise, but reliability is also another factor. My family has had a range of BMWs and only one lasted 2 years because we only had it for 2 years, but all the others had some sort of issue electronically or mechanically.
The IS has the reliability of a toyota, the ease to service your own car (if you knew how), and the performance capability it has for a luxury sports car is priceless.
Great choice on the IS, you won't regret it. They will last you decades.
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Congrats on the purchase and the sway additions already...
05-18-13, 06:51 AM
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When I originally purchased the Audi, it had around 50K miles.
Normal ongoing maintenance like bulbs (one taillight bulb connection was intermittent, and I would randomly get a taillight alarm)
I went through about 6 ignition coils (one per cylinder, and they seemed to fail frequently, so much so I kept a spare ignition coil in the trunk).
At 65K replaced timing belt. It is expensive for a timing belt because the whole front of the car has to come off.
At 80K miles it overheated. Had to get towed home from airport. water pump disintegrated - front of the car has to come off again (first mechanic should have replaced pump with timing belt, but I didn't know that then). Towing plus thermostat, and water pump + labor to pull front of car apart.
At 82K miles intercooler started leaking lots of oil - which apparently means turbo replacement soon, and I was told it requires the front of the car to come off....again.
It had gotten to the point that I was often listening/watching for a warning that something was about to fail. The turbo lag and maintenance had me looking around, and the pending turbo failure was the last straw.
Normal ongoing maintenance like bulbs (one taillight bulb connection was intermittent, and I would randomly get a taillight alarm)
I went through about 6 ignition coils (one per cylinder, and they seemed to fail frequently, so much so I kept a spare ignition coil in the trunk).
At 65K replaced timing belt. It is expensive for a timing belt because the whole front of the car has to come off.
At 80K miles it overheated. Had to get towed home from airport. water pump disintegrated - front of the car has to come off again (first mechanic should have replaced pump with timing belt, but I didn't know that then). Towing plus thermostat, and water pump + labor to pull front of car apart.
At 82K miles intercooler started leaking lots of oil - which apparently means turbo replacement soon, and I was told it requires the front of the car to come off....again.
It had gotten to the point that I was often listening/watching for a warning that something was about to fail. The turbo lag and maintenance had me looking around, and the pending turbo failure was the last straw.
05-18-13, 08:01 AM
#13
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congrats, the seats are not cooled, they are vented (cabin air gets blown thru the seats) so they don't get very cold unless you rig them as stated in a write up in this forum.
The handling is very dependent on the type of tires. After I replaced the original tires with Michellins, I don't like the way my car handles any more, its dull.
I recommend to replace your tires with the recommended brands sold at the dealer. Lexus will price match their tires (unknown little secret).
Good choice over all though.
The handling is very dependent on the type of tires. After I replaced the original tires with Michellins, I don't like the way my car handles any more, its dull.
I recommend to replace your tires with the recommended brands sold at the dealer. Lexus will price match their tires (unknown little secret).
Good choice over all though.
