Hey guys, new to the forums. I've been in the market for a new car and the IS350 is on the list. I'm looking at 08-10 models but more geared towards a 2010. Are there any known issues that I should be concerned about or anything I should look for while looking at the cars?

Also, i'm in Ottawa, Canada and our winters can be pretty rough, should I look for the awd models or has anyone had experience with the rwd (paired with good winter tires) in the snow?

Thanks

 

Look at the 2IS FAQ sticky thread.

 

You gotta pick your poison man.. a RWD 350 with snows will handle decently well (if you know what your doin) on snowy roads.. going uphill might be a different story.. I'm out of Toronto and i opted for the is250 awd just for the sake of having those front wheels moving as well... I can tell you with fairly new all seasons and all wheels driving.. the 250 just crawls right through the snow.. after driving it i wouldn't want a rwd car with snows

Just a note - stick with 09 + models for the "newer" generation of is's (newest gen being the all new 2014 IS)

 

here is a link that Mag is referring too

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...iy-thread.html

 

For an AWD you'll have to look at '11+ for the IS350. It's when they started to make them. I also happen to have one.

Snow tires (good ones) will do wonders on any car so it's possible to get by with RWD + snow tires. However, I personally can't imagine driving anything other than AWD (I'm in Omaha, NE and we can get quite a bit of snow). The majority of the IS's in my area are AWD, very few RWDs.

Check out the 2IS FAQ, one of the big differences with the 2011+ is the LED headlights (with the Lexus swoosh). You can save yourself some money buying it with the car instead of upgrading later. Styling isn't all that different starting in 2011 but the side mirrors did change as well (to include lights), some led taill lights (which are cool).

Lastly, think long and hard when it comes to nav vs non-nav. I opted for non-nav because I honestly didnt' care for it but I know others would go bonkers using the (in my opinion) sub-par standard stereo with no nav.

 

Hey, I'm also in Ottawa and have a 2012 IS350 AWD. I too would recommend you look at 2011+ IS350 AWD or 2009+ IS250 AWD.

There was a big snowstorm with whiteout conditions on the 417 this past January/Februrary. Bad enough that there was snow drifts on the highway and the OPP closed the section I was on (east towards Montreal). It was pretty scary but the car handled great with some Gislaved Nordfrost 5 tires.

Also, the navigation system was a LIFE SAVER. At one point I had to leave the highway and
use side roads. Because of the whiteout, I couldn't see the sides of the road or INTERSECTIONS. At least with the nav, I knew where the intersetions were.

In normal winter driving (not snowing, roads plowed), I only had one incident where I needed AWD to help me get up a slight incline that had a layer of ice on it. As soon as the front wheels have more power sent to them, I suddenly shot up that incline with ease !

 

I should have looked at the FAQ sticky first, sorry about that.

Thanks for the replies, I did notice that the 350's only came with awd in 11+, i'm pretty set on the 350, mainly beause of the hp differenece. I'm sure I could get away with a rwd + snows, but we never know how much snow we're gonna get here and Flavious knows what i'm talking about. It's just an ease of mind thing.

As for nav, it seems as though the majority of the used 350's for sale have it equipped, so chances are i'd get one with it.

 

I got a 2012 IS 250 in december of last year and I'm from Cali. It only rains a lot here during the winter (whereas in Canada, I know it rains a lot more often) and I like playing around in my car so I floor it through corners on wet surfaces and force the car to slide. If you're a safe driver and don't floor it through corners, you should be fine with the RWD model but I wouldn't advise RWD on slippery surfaces especially if you plan on getting the 350 even if you are a safe driver so I'd recommend getting the AWD model.

 

the way I see it, getting a is350 in a place that snows a lot seems a bit of a waste because other than the spring/summer season, you really wont get to use the full potential of the car. Im from NY I got a 250 AWD because snowy conditions lasted almost 5 and a half months this past winter. I can tell you that you are not driving fast anywhere. I would get a 250 AWD and save your self the money and headache in the long run.