There is no comparison, ANY Camry will nowhere near stand in the same class as any Lexus. Although it's still Toyota engineering and reliability, they're still not the same. I thought a decent amount of the Lexus technology and solidity would have filtered down by now but it hasn't. Lexus is still keeping that for themselves, and it's a smart move honestly. I just rented a new Toyota for a trip and it was nowhere near my 2011 IS.
And since WHEN does a GTI offer good stuff for the money??? NO lol. Volkswagen has come a LONG way since their ****box starter cars hit our lands many years ago, they're still too expensive for Audi/Mercedes wannabees. HORRIBLE Audi wannabees at that. Not an original bone in their body. Those GTI's are really nice, but not for what you pay for them. NO WAY IN HELL. Honestly, if you want Lexus niceness and reliability, get yourself a pre-owned IS350 and be done with it. It'll still beat down any little 4 cylinder you buy, and be more affordable at the same time. A pre-owned Lexus is still way better than a new Toyota.

 

Yea. I've boiled it down to a 2015 IS 250 F-Sport for 28K OTD or a 2018 Camry XSE for 27K OTD. Will be heading back on Saturday to test drive both again to get a feel for both back to back.

 

Having owned a Camry SE before, I can understand how you would cross shop these cars. It's tough to decide whether you prioritize fun, the dealership experience, and premium look/feel or fuel economy, affordability, and space - a left brain/right brain problem. Best of luck.

 

Between those two cars, Camry hands down. especially cause that's an older IS vs a brand new car. Of course the IS will handle better but keep in mind a Civic has a larger interior. The IS compromises a lot to look the way that it does (which is nice) but after owning the IS a while, you realize how cramped it is. my next car will definitely have to be bigger. and no i'm not "large" but am tall.

also the new camry is leagues safer.

 

Appreciate the insight! The Camry being brand new is seemingly playing a role, feels like a better decision but.... I currently have the 2015 IS 250 F-Sport and love driving it hence why it feels like a hard decision. That's also not to say the 2018 Camry would suck or anything but just used to the IS.

 

I gotcha. Don't get me wrong I love my IS. But a newer car is always more satisfying overall. Also don't underestimate the Camry. I hear it's currently the class leader or at least up there in the top 3 in terms of fun/handling. (The Mazda 6 puts up a good fight)

 

As far as solidity, the new Camry is stronger structurally, more advanced, than the 3IS body. The next gen- IS is sure to be based on Toyota's newest platform. Currently, AFAIK, the new Prius and new Camry are the only Toyota products to use this new body. It's just a next generation platform. IS isn't bad but it's a bit stale.

In terms of overall, yes Lexus will have a bit more polish and than a Toyota product. But as far as underpinnings, structural rigidity, torsional rigidity, body materials, the Prius/Camry are superior to the IS.

The RC has a good strong platform but it's not efficient. It's hodge-podged and as a result, heavy. The RX, NX, and LS are pretty good. The IS and GS are a bit old with the GS being the flimsiest (body wise) of the bunch.

 

Gotcha. I've read quite a few reviews and have been lurking the Camry forums to see that people are unexpectedly talking about the Camry's handling and what not.. especially the 4 cylinder as it's not front heavy.

As far as the IS, I believe I read somewhere that the big refresh will be coming in 2020. The Camry might just do well in keeping me happy till 2021 with the biggest help coming financially as I'll be paying off student loans this year.

 

The IS/GS platform is a far better handler than any Camry. You cant beat the physics of a balanced RWd platform. The IS is still near the top of its class in handling feel. Just because its older doesnt mean any mainstream midsizer is remotely close to its capability. I urge the OP to go test drive a 350 F Sport with AVS back to back with a Camry and you will see some serious differences.

 

I'm talking about the unibody structure itself, not track times. The Camry and Prius is riding on Toyota's next gen platform. The Prius/Camry is the safer car in a crash vs. the 3IS.

 

i strongly suggest the IS300 AWD too that’s a lot more power than a 250 and will definitely keep you away from the camry. i drove the 2018 XSE V6 one day, and honestly it has way too much front wheel spin and the way it handles is so much worse than the IS AWD platform (from somebody who prefers a RWD biased chassis) plus, would you rather tell people you are driving a lexus or a camry i think driving the 250 and camry back to back that you’ll enjoy the camry more because the IS250 just doesn’t have any power to put down.

 

Yeah, I happened to find a 2016 IS 300 F-Sport with 37K miles. It's listed at at 29.9K but I'm attempting to get it lowered to 28K + taxes. Very much tiptoeing my budget line though.

Got a question for you since I someone mentioned this on reddit. Being that Lexus has changed the IS model numbers around a bit (Ex. IS 250, IS 200t and now IS 300), do the values for the 250 and 200t drop a bit because those numbers are "retired" so to speak?

 

Just checked out a 2018 Camry XSE V6 this past week for a family member that was cross shopping a used 2016 ES350.I know This is not what you are looking at but these two cars compare better to each other than an IS.
I feel like the Camry has a much better drivetrain compared to the ES350. The ES350 though is so buttery smooth and handles like a giant tank down the road. The Camry felt more harsh, the torque steer was so bad compared to my 2017 RX350 AWD. The handling on the Camry (cornering) had so much dead steering at the limit and reminds you it's not a sports sedan.
if you are comparing the cars because of the price range you will get more car from the Camry(body size , new drivetrain). But if you want to stay nimble and stand out you should at the very least consider a IS200t or IS300.
I do understand all of the IS250 owners with the lack of power that model has. I owned a 2is for 6 years so I know the growing pains when looking at other brands entry vehicles. When I debated about getting rid of my IS250 I told myself I would not make that decision again based on just looks. I crossed shop the IS200t vs a IS350 and the winner was a no brainer if you are trying to stick to a lexus brand. If not try looking at a used Q50S(the same body size as a Camry with a drivetrain of a similar IS350) the sedans depreciate a lot after 3 years.

good luck on your new vehicle.

 

You're wrong. As I said in my comparison the 2018 Camry is better equipped, it's missing absolutely nothing... and it even adds a panoramic sunroof which the 3IS probably will never get.
You didn't rent a 2018 Camry XSE but rather an entry-level Toyota. Rental companies have never had top of the line models.