Surprisingly happy to hear the IS AWD handles as well as mentioned in some of the other posts. I am from New Engleand and thinking of a future purchase - so would be interested in others experiences. Specifically, winter driving and the front bumper grill ground clearance. I think I read it's somewhere around 6 inches? Does this cause any abnormal snow covered street issues? As one member in jest called the car a "luxury snow plow"?

 

There is no question that there is not great ground clearance on unplowed streets.But in reality,unless you live in the country and are travelling on unmaintained roads, it is not a big deal.I live in a city where there is snow for 5 months a year,and so far it has been a minor annoyance only, to clear a little bit of snow.

 

I live in Montreal and our streets are plowed at least 2 times during a snow storm and completely cleared within 24 hours, so I haven't had any issues. Exception : I had to drive one time in an badly plowed street (you know when you only have 2 tire tracks and the middle is a mess?). Thankfully it was powdery snow, nothing damaging, but I could hear snow on the undercarriage. I'm sure I suffered more than the car

On the other hand my brother works at a Lexus dealership and tells me they keep getting IS's with broken (literally) front grills because of snow/ice.

Bottom line : drive carefully and avoid bad streets if possible. That's the price to pay. If that's too much for you or if you live in a rural area, then consider another car.

 

Whereas most vehicles clear a sidewalk or parking lot curb without concern, the IS doesn't so stay away from these and hard compacted snow.

 

Thank you all. Yeah, I suppose it's only those who live in this kind of climate that consider worrying about such things. I had a feeling a broken grill could be a possibility. Of course, it's awesome design is so worth the risk.
And no curbs!

 

I driven through 30 cm of fresh, powdery snow with no damage. Any snow that has been sitting around for a few days even could partially melt or densify into real hard stuff, which I avoid.

As for the curbs, I found myself backing into spots much more often to avoid this. The front is notoriously low and doesn't clear typical curbs. Luckily, my office has the new half height curbs.

 

Are there any black plastic flaps under the front bumper for F-Sport IS?

For regular IS, there are two and I suspect some noise may occur when you exit or enter a mall/plaza where there is a deep curb/pavement joint. Those flaps may be noisy when they hit some compact snow.

 

I have an IS F-Sport and I drive carefully It's all about being careful when you park or drive. Mind you that mine isn't lowered - yet I see you're in CT. What part of CT are you in? I'm in the New Haven area!

 

And I'm in Avon. We get a lot of snow up here.
Where did you guys make your purchase, McDermott? I was down there the other day, spoke with Rob the general manager. Hoffman Lexus is closer to me, have to take trip out there. How was your experience with your dealer?

 

I see! Avon does get decent amounts of snow. Regarding McDermott Lexus, I will PM you.

Thanks

 

I just drove my car on some unplowed CT hilly roads after the recent snow storms here. No problems of any kind.

I did like the Contis on my old BMW better than the Bridgestones though (better stopping).

 

We get a lot of snow here, but even then I've had no real issues with scraping or anything, the rims usually fills up with snow, but there's not much in the grill. I'm assuming you get lots of wet snow, so it shouldn't be much of a problem, however, don't do any off-roading once the snow freezes over.


And from one New England fan to another:

 

Yes, my cousin who owns a '14 IS350 F-Sport swapped his tires for some Contis. He says they're great in the snow!