No I feel bad for them though. It doesnt make me happy when others have car problems. Been there a bunch of times.

I picked up an S4 because I wanted more power. I really like the IS350 still. Its nice to have something reliable when the S4 is in the shop In reality the S4 has been pretty reliable but time will tell. I'm probably going to get rid of the IS and maybe i'll pick up another one when the update the engine or come out with the ISF sedan.

Mike

 

I'm late to the party, but for the IS350 you should take a look at the Luxury/Tech package. After looking at the FSport and the Luxury package, I went with the luxury package. The cars are equal performance wise, but I was happy to give up the gauge cluster on the F sport for memory seats, and the power telescoping steering wheel.

 

I disagree on the performance aspect. Engine power is equal but the Sport+ makes the car more capable on the turns. The power telescoping wheel is also available on F-sport with VGRS. The only thing the F-sport lacks now is the memory seats. I think a lot of people also find the F-sport more attractive from an exterior perspective but that is subjective.

 

True, the non F lacks the adjustable suspension, but it's every bit as fast as the F Sport. I'll take the memory seats over Sport+

 

A good example of picking Luxury vs Performance. List goes on.

 

Good catch. I have to admit the exact opposite of what we (me and reyo) were trying to advocate took place to our personal cars. I admitted it on audizine and praised Lexus.

But lets look at the bigger picture here. If you did not notice I hate radically polar discussions. For whatever reason I feel inclined to bring the balance into a discussion that bashes other makes. When I owned my A6 and when Audi forum members bashed Lexus for being boring reliable appliances I would have to disagree with them. Same here when members stereotype German cars for being extremely unreliable and significantly more expensive to maintain I just feel this is being very unfair. My opinion is that those members that tend to critisize/stereotype other makes are either representatives of those makes (or have some form of economic affiliation) or just fan boys. These extreme opinions never create constructive and healthy discussions. Lets have balanced discussions.

 

FWD is the "norm" in cheaper cars, yes. The front-heaviness is a drawback, despite what magic can be done with torque-vectoring differentials and such.

Speaking of differentials, the S3 does not use a Torsen center differential - it uses the much-inferior Haldex design, which means that it drives like a front-drive vehicle, until there is significant wheel slippage, at which point the rear wheels will help propulsion.

That all said, the S3 is a nice little package. It's sportier-driving than the 3IS, and (IMO) looks great inside and out. If I thought that it would be as trouble-free to own as the 3IS, I probably would have bought one.

 

The S3 is no more a "sissy" car than the 3IS is. What, you think "real men" drive Lexus?

They are both good cars, with differing design trade-offs.

 

Audi reliability is awful... go for the Lex