Well firstly, it sounds like luxury & creature comforts is more important to you, and less important is road worthiness & driving pleasure. My primary objective was the latter, and performance, so got the most powerful of the IS lot - 350 FSport RWD - with the understanding that some standard luxury features would sacrifice, but at the same time better quality, reliability, & longevity than BMW.

Secondly, almost all of the other cars you mentioned are (run of the mill) FWD - albeit all good cars - but not the greatest wrt performance, so it seems like there's some unbalance in the OP.

Like you I also did lotsa research beforehand and there's not as much remorse (wrt road worthiness & driving pleasure & performance) but you have to get the IS350 FSport RWD. Including luxury features & creature comforts, if you want a "driver's/performance/sports car" - whatever brand/model that may be - ALWAYS get RWD, regardless of torque and HP. I already had/have one RWD - a Lexus GS300. When I was recently in the market again for a new car my search started with EVERY brand/model RWD I could find, and everything else was secondary. I had a TINY BIT of remorse when the newer Camry was released, but again, it's FWD (maybe AWD in northern states & Canada).

 

If you live in a northern climate where winters are harsh and heavy snow is experienced, then AWD would be preferable not only for performance, but also for resale value.

 

idk if I can agree with you but I get your point I think. No matter how clean the car is or waxes, if you touch it with ANY towel you can see the scratches reoccurring. Literally paint corrected, polished, waxed, and the final light buffing was scratching it moments later.

And theres not enough clear coat to begin with so we only have so much correction we can do, says my detail guy. He said with German cars he can really lay into it and knows he has plenty of clear coat to dig into, not so with the Japanese cars. I believe him.

 

Well, in those northern climates that you speak of, in spring & summer months RWD is not an issue of course, and during snow &/or ice seasons winter tires are a no brainer affording better driving performance than AWD (IMO anyway).

As for resale value, RWD models are rare and hard to find in northern states, and especially more so in Canada where most manufacturers and especially Lexus offers ONLY AWD & FWD. There are hardly any newer generation IS & GS with RWD in Canada, and they're rare in northern states like Michigan, Minnesota, Washington, etc. Northern buyers are hard up for RWD and pay a lot, or even travel south, to buy an IS or GS in RWD (again IMO).

 

They're rare and hard to find, but they will also likely be hard to sell to people who live in climates that get snow. I have a co-worker who's shopping for a car and considering the IS. He seems to want something that's a lot of fun, but I can't convince him to go for a RWD IS. He says AWD is a requirement, even though we don't typically get a ton of snow here in KC. Case in point.

 

Major towns in southern Ontario & BC, and northern New York state, also don't get tons of snow, even if they do it doesn't last very long, and with a set snow tires it's a no brainer. But all of this applies more so if you really want, and ONLY want RWD, like me!! On a related note, it's not only performance related, AWD adds more: mechanism, weight (sometimes several hundred pounds), and (new car) cost $$$$.

 

It was pretty clear to me that the buyer will only consider AWD cars, i.e. it is his personal requirement of the car he buys.

 

i own an is 250 non f sport (the least desirable IS) and i have no regrets.. best car i drove and all the ladies are always impressed

 

I own a 2014 IS250 - first Lexus and best car I have ever owned - no regrets at all - zilch, nada, zero, none......

 

Great to hear. I just may be getting a 2014 250 F Sport in the next week or so

 

Ok, just be sure to not test drive a 350, or you might change your mind. (I did.)

 

while that may be true, his wallet may not be in alignment with his emotional perception of the two cars. while new, the price difference may not be very much, but 350s on the used market command a much higher price tag than the 250s or even the 200t/300s.

 

Living in Vancouver, RWD's are like hitting gold. I searched for a while to get mine and having driven the AWD version several times, I would never give up my RWD! The 8 speed is silky smooth and it drives like a dream.

 

hahaha point proved! You got the IS350 FSport? And what Year? Depending on the year was it "originally shipped" much further south? Don't think any Lexus Dealers in Canada get new RWD IS, GS, etc.

 

It's a 2014 originally from Vancouver. Only has 76k kms. It's like new 🙂