Recently bought a KIA Forte Koup SX model fully equipped for 23k after some negotiating. Fantastic car so far with bunch of features and a joy to drive around as a daily driver. Aesthetics of the interior is absolutely gorgeous compared to any competitions in the same segment(compact) and I also think it is a leader in the segment when it comes to the exterior design especially with those led head and tail lights glaring in the darkness. So far I am satisfied with what it is. A compact, affordable car with many features and a bang for the buck. But recently I've been thinking of replacing it with the higher priced upper class cars. I've been attracted to sharp edgy designs these days and the Is caught my eye.

The IS is significantly more expansive(36k) than my current ride. How do you like yours so far? I heard many times that IS is a leader in its segment among many other great things. The design is definitely the best compared to Acura and Infiniti(I don't even consider getting a euro car because of all the unreliability rumors that are going around and the maintenance cost nightmares) but it is also the most expensive. IS 36k, Acura TLX 31k and the Infiniti Q40 33k. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of IS and how does it compare to the two mentioned above?

I believe the 2016 IS is due soon. I read some articles in which they stated the new IS will get a slight remodeling, like a refresh. I read some things about the LED's being modified and such but from what I remember, the overall design is said to be maintained. What are the facts and what are just speculations?

Which IS model do you consider the best when factoring in the cost(bang for the buck), reliability, looks and the features it comes with? How is the IS cost to own budget look like? How fast does this car depreciate if I were to buy new from a dealer and if I were to buy used? I know Lexus is known for their ability to keep the value like no other brands so I'm not really worried about this but knowing the statistics would be nice nonetheless.

Thanks all.

 

TLX is a bigger car, slightly worse driving dynamics than the IS. it's still pretty nice, but it's either FWD or FWD based AWD. SH-AWD was very nice in the previous gen TL, but I haven't driven the AWD version of the TLX. is the Q40 the infiniti G37? if so then it's a great performance car for the price. it's an older generation and been out for a long time now and you'd be better off buying it used IMO. the newer gen is the Q50 which is good, but I didn't like the interior as much and i preferred the IS's styling. performance wise the G37/Q40 and Q50 have about 30 horses more than the IS350, including the base models of those vehicles too.

 

I own both 2014 IS350 F-sport and 2015 TLX 2.4L Tech. The TLX is inferior for me, but my wife does not agree lol. Quality wise, sportiness, driving experience, speed (yes i test drove the v6), backup camera, IS is hands down better. The TLX interior feels larger, the seat is not as snug, and is by far way more equipped for the price, with a working and non laggy Nav! It has more features than my IS even though it cost $14k more.

 

Here's a pic for comparison.

 

Wow. Didn't realize that the TLX was so much larger. Shouldn't be surprised because it's built on the Accord platform. Btw, the v6 TLX currently has a pretty bad transmission issue. Go look it up on the Acura forums.

 

Yup, interior space feels a notch bigger, but not by a lot, the car just looks much larger exterior wise, and it rides taller cause it has regular non low profile tires that you can buy at costco. Since it is FWD, the TLX rear middle seat can actual fit a human older than 8 years old comfortably. One funky thing i noticed about TLX is the lack of support for trunk net, you have option to add a trunk hook lol.

 

That's a distorted photo (I assume from a cell phone). The IS and ILX are nearly identical in size.

IS350 width: 71.3 in (with mirrors folded)
ILX width: 73.0 in

IS350 length: 183.7 in
ILX length: 190.3 in

IS350 height: 56.3 in
ILX length: 57.0 in

 

I assume you mean TLX, as those are the dimensions of the TLX, not the ILX. The ILX is much smaller. The size of the IS fits right between the ILX and TLX. The TLX, being wider than the IS and almost 7 inches longer, is a bigger car than the IS.

For reference, here are the interior volumes:

ILX - 101.6 cu ft
TLX - 106.5 cu ft
IS - 104.0 cu ft

 

You call 7 inches longer the same size? They aren't in the same category. The IS is a compact and the TLX is a midsize.

 

My comment was in regards to the distorted photo where the OP stated the TLX was "so much larger". The 1.7" width difference, if any depending on the mirrors, is negligible.

7" length difference doesn't bother me a bit. I look at headroom, legroom, wheel-base, cargo space, among other things to determine what to buy. The length of the vehicle is at the bottom of the list when shopping, regardless of vehicle class.

 

I took the pic with my phone, and the picture is a little skewed but the distortion doesn't affect the size of the car, believe me the TLX actually looks that much bigger in real life compared to IS.