UncleSpud

I placed a deposit on a 2014 IS 350 this evening after a lengthy test drive. Financially, we stretched pretty far to get this car. It may take a few days before I take delivery since the dealer is trying to get the color combination we want. This will be my wife's car--she's not into performance, so she's satisfied living without the F-Sport, so we can save $$.

I've not driven the F-Sport--there seems little reason to since she won't budge. OTOH, I hate to think exactly what I'm sacrificing by going with the base model, but I'd like to know even at the risk of losing peace of mind. She's okay with popping for the 18" staggered wheel/tire combo with summer rubber, so that helps somewhat.

So, is there a night/day difference between the cars?

TIA

SonyHome

If your wife doesn't care about performance you could also go with IS250 to save more. Way Lexus set these trims up you have to sacrifice something to go one way or other and it sounds like you did the right thing for your wife so I wouldn't worry about it.

Not sure if you know but F Sport doesn't have a lot of the luxury features like memory feature, tilting side mirrors on reverse, cooled seats ect...

CtSFox

Sounds like you made the right choice for you. Your wife has made it clear that the reasons you might be attracted to the F Sport, are not important to HER. In fact, I'd be willing to guess that you would be sowing the seeds for some marital strife if you were successful in pressuring her to spend more money on options she does not care about... "no, we can't get this or go there because you made me spend all that mony on that car."

I have a 350 F Sport on order for myself. I took my wife on a test drive with me. Like your wife, mine does not care much about driving dynamics. Her reaction after the test drive: "It's more comfortable than your old BMW 3 series, but not as nice a ride as our RX 300 (1999 with 200,000 miles on it)."

So different strokes for different folks. The 3IS is a wonderful car regarless of trim selected. As SonyHome noted, she will probably enjoy the "luxury" options in her car more than the performance enhancements found in the F Sport.

corradoMR2

From the reviews and tests I read over the months, the difference in comfort and handling between the non-F-Sport and F-Sport is noticeable on the track but not as significant in daily driving.

KeyserS

For any car that rarely if ever will be taken on a track, it makes sense to empasize ride comfort so long as the handling isn't overtly sloppy. When you test drove the car you did not notice that the handling was overtly sloppy, so you have nothing to be concerned about. Look forward to the fact that you will be able to take the car on long trips arrive without feeling like you need a spinal adjustment.

UncleSpud

Sony, I had no idea the F-Sport had fewer luxury features than the IS 350. As for memory (I assume you mean driver's seat memory), our salesman told us that it wasn't available on either car in 2014. I'm partially to blame for not doing my homework on the car. We started the day driving a BMW X1 (a small SUV that she had expressed interest in). I've driven E 36 Bimmers in the past and was sure that she'd go for it--she didn't. Overpriced she said, plus she felt the suspension was too rough, and the seats were too hard. I disagreed on everything but pricing, but we moved on.

Next up was an Infiniti Q50 (a base model without the drive-by-wire steering). She liked the car better than the X1, but she disliked the seats and found the suspension to be harsh (I attributed the punishing ride to the mandatory run-flats).

Then came the Lexus. The seats felt perfect to both of us, the ride quality was great, the car had good power and the build quality was exceptional. She was in love. I began to push for the F-Sport, because of the upgraded suspension and steering, but she held firm for reasons of price. For me, I thought the suspension was good and I loved the steering (a surprise, since I'm not a fan of EPS).

So, I started the day thinking Bimmer SUV, but the IS 350 won the day. Were there things to like about the X1 and Q50? Sure: IMO, the AWD versions of the X1 still have great hydraulic steering, and BMW's I-6 N55 motor is phenomenal (300 lb/ft of torque available at 1250 RPM). The Q50's 3.7 V6 had greater mid-range punch than the Lexus, and the car is easy on the eyes.

The IS 350 though, is a better balanced car. I had intended to also drive the Caddy ATS, but after driving the IS 350, there was no need to go further. Still, I wished my wife would have been open the F-Sport....

natnut

If it makes you feel any better, the non F-Sport IS already handles very well. This reviewer certainly seems to think so :


The IS being the base RWD sedan in Lexus' line-up, there will be a TON of after-market suspension/chassis/handling parts made available in the next few months. You could always modify the car if after some time driving it, the base suspension doesn't satisfy you.

That being said, there are TWO features in the 350 F-Sport that can't be easily added as after-market : the active adaptive variable shock absorbers ( AVS) and the LFA-inspired gauges.

Ironically, the AVS not only improves handling but due to its ability to automatically adjust shock stiffness to road conditions, when left in normal/Sport mode, it might actually improve ride comfort.

UncleSpud

Natnut, I'm happy to say that my wife relented, and said "yes" to the F-Sport. My new challenge is finding a car with a color combination that will make her happy (we live in the desert and she doesn't want a black exterior/interior--I'm not as picky).

LexFather

Both handle well, F-sport in Sport + really makes it a likely and entertaining car when pushed.

Skinnyfats

RS-R is getting their shipment of suspension components in mid November. Dropping it 1" will make it handle a little better and you will still maintain most of the factory ride.

For now I am going to order a set of RS-R down springs they are 279 plus shipping through RS-R directly.

Stitch626

iTrader: (2)

Website please? Is it specifically for our 3IS model?

SonyHome

Memory feature (seats, mirrors, radio ect...), cooled seats ect... are options on the non F-sport models but you can not get that with F-Sport in US at all. Also if your local dealers are not willing to negotiate on price you are close enough to CA where dealers are selling at invoice pricing. I think even an lower offer from CA dealer will motivate your local dealer to give you better pricing.

I forgot to mention that F-Sport also don't have leather.

Congratz on F-Sport! I don't think either option would be bad choice.