The hump started to get unnoticed after about 2 months of driving. It only came back after I returned from a week vacation driving an eco car, but the hump feeling went away after a week or two.

 

I felt the same about the hump in my 2016. It never bothered me, and I forgot it was there over time. I have a RWD car now with no hump, which I must say does feel a bit more natural to sit in.

Sometimes I wonder whether I should've gone dynamic handling package. I was talking with another owner at the meet who said he didn't get it because he knew he was going to change the wheels anyway, so why pay for them? I think I agree with that, though my car will most likely be stock or at least mostly stock... But, I figure outside of the occasional mountain run, I won't be pushing this car hard. Still, it is tempting to imagine having the DHP.

 

I don't even notice the hump on my AWD model. What I do notice is that the full-time 30/70 AWD system makes short work of snow. I always use winter wheels and tires, and the combination is perfect for Canadian winters.

As for the original question, no regrets. I could have gotten a faster car like an M340i, or a G70 3.3T, but I didn't think the resulting 1s difference in 0 - 100 kmh was worth the BS I would have to put up with after the warranty is done. I've looked at some of the details of the BMW B58 turbo I6 and it turned me off, same for the G70's engine and AWD system (with the non-serviceable transfer case). Those are just not long term cars.

The IS350 isn't slow by any means, I can get it moving pretty quickly once the revs are around 3k ~ 3.5k, and I like how it handles confidently in the turns and around curves. It's a great and solid year-round DD with enough street power, top notch build quality and reliability, and it looks good.

It is not considered 'fast', but speed isn't my only criteria for picking a car. I wanted that Lexus reliability more than I did a faster 0 - 100 kmh.

Hopefully the 4th gen IS will improve its times when it replaces the V6 with the 2.4T. It will suck to lose the V6 and all of its advantages (not least of which is engine sound), but if Lexus can tune the engine to throw down 317+ lb-ft at a low rpm (ex. 2k+), it should dramatically improve the perceived speed, maybe dropping it from the current 5.5s~ down to 5s or even high 4s.

 

^^ Totally agree. On my '18 IS350 AWD, my legs never even touch the hump.

Yes, the infotainment system is dated and pales in comparison with other cars that have more 'tech' in it. But even so no regrets here, bought the car knowing it's not the fastest, but well balanced all around. Definitely the style and reliability is there, which to me goes a long way.

 

I agree, I had a few IS and an RC and I never felt the hump. I have never regretted my IS' - The interior size, looks, reliability are all things I enjoy about the vehicle....

 

Suddenly, one more option for sporty compacts.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a3...xTYULO02W0o0B8

 

If you own a '21 IS 350 AWD, I know it's probably difficult to listen to this review. They are pretty hard on this car for being expensive yet using an older transmission. However, I have to say, it is hard to argue against them. They seem to think highly of the IS 300, going so far as to say it feels the most nimble of the IS lineup. They criticize the upper 350 trims in general, but especially the AWD car, for being too expensive and dated.

Here's my thoughts on this.

I have mentioned repeatedly that the 330i we've got was roughly the same price as our IS 350 was, yet it lacks some of the features. However, it can't be ignored that the 330i has a far more modern feeling drivetrain, with good torque down low and a transmission that always does what I want, and quickly. Those things alone can make any reviewer put down the spreadsheet and give up on the IS immediately. That's just reality, and I think Lexus will update the IS's drivetrains for the next generation simply due to emissions regulations if not for perception reasons. Ignoring that, the BMW simply feels like a fresher car. The IS feels old-school, but fortunately, it's in a charming or positive way.

I think the reality of driving an IS 350 AWD gets overshadowed by "Oh noes, 16-year-old transmission!" In practice, I found my '16 IS 300 AWD to be very pleasant to drive every day, and when back roads appeared, it was not out of its element there, either. In spite of the transmission, once I had good tires on the car, it could keep up with other sport sedans just fine (see my thread on attacking some twisties in MO in my signature for that). It felt a bit heavy at times, but thankfully, my '21 IS 350 RWD does not have this problem, or at least not to the extent of the other car.

So to sum up, yes, I agree, the IS 350 AWD is a hard sell if only based on price. The RWD cars are far more appealing. However, I don't think it's a bad idea to get AWD if you live in an area that sees snow. Do you need AWD? No, and you could just put on a set of winter tires and simply drive appropriately to the conditions. However, driving in the snow was fun and worry-free thanks to the AWD system in my car, so I wouldn't say it's a bad decision. My two cents? Unless you need F Sport in your life, just get the 300 AWD. It has the same engine and is about as fast as a 350 RWD from 0-60 anyway.

 

^^ wouldn't the IS300 AWD have the same tranny and engine with less power? I think you want the IS300 RWD that had the 4 cylinder and 8 speed tranny, lighter and a tranny with more cogs?

While I love SavageGeese, in the end, how we measure what a successful car is will vary from people to people. I would much prefer a 6 speed tranny than the 9 speed that the old 9 speed that the TLX used for example, so more gears is not always better,

 

That's the issue right there. More isn't always more. I guess my point was, if you need AWD, but don't need F Sport, the 300 AWD is a good option.

 

Wish this post was setup as a poll, I think the no regret: regret ratio would be something like 1,000:2

 

^^ I agree...And while we are talking about the tranny - I find ironic that car reviewers drool over a 6 speed manual transmission but a 6 speed automatic is archaic. I mean 6 speed is 6 speed (lol)

 

I can understand why. In my GTI, I had the 6-speed DSG. It was a phenomenal transmission. It had decent programming in automatic mode and was very quick to shift. I mean, just look and listen to how fast the shifts happen: https://photos.app.goo.gl/AjMbVYUFPUu8YCa68

No one is going to complain about having only 6 speeds in a hot hatch when the gearbox is that quick to shift.

However, I would say the shift speed in the 6-speed in the IS is not there. That's probably what most people would say "dates" a transmission. In reality, the 8-speed isn't lightning-quick compared to the 6-speed, but it is in fact a little quicker and has more tightly-spaced gears which makes it a little more dramatic to accelerate in. For comparison, here's my 2016 IS 300 AWD: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CESqW4wKco6Fcj4CA

So not all 6-speeds are made equally. Sure, the DSG is a dual-clutch, which isn't exactly a fair comparison... Until it is. Today's torque-converter autos are really good. I have to look no further than my wife's BMW to see what a torque converter auto can do... it's smooth, but also can be lightning fast if I want it to.

What I will say is that, in daily driving, the 6-speed is great. It is very smooth and easy to get along with.

 

I’m pretty sure it’s not the number of gears they’re drooling over

 

I can't tell, but were you manually shifting in the GTI? The DSG is lightning quick, for sure.

This just proves that the IS350 AWD and IS300 AWD are virtually the same car, and there is some slight difference in HP at the top end (and probably in the later gears like 4th - 6th). That 0 - 60 run in your IS300 AWD seems to be just as quick as on an IS350 AWD.

The 6 speed doesn't gear hunt, and it still has a kickdown where you can floor it at around 84 kmh (and below) and it'll drop to 2nd in an instant. The IS can go from cruising around at 50 - 60 kmh to instant and powerful acceleration, with no turbo lag or hesitation, in utter smoothness.

 

Over 2 years of owning my 2019 IS 300 F sport. Slight regret. These would be my cons
- The turbo lag is annoying. Need to shift the car to sport mode when getting on the freeway
- No Carplay for a 2019 vehicle
- No coin holder, sunglasses holder
- Eats gas, brakes pretty fast. 91 Octane currently cost about $4.50-$4.80 per gallon now here in CA.

I think if I were to go back in time and do it over again in 2019 I would have gotten a Tesla Model 3 long range. But either way I still love how the Lexus IS looks on the outside and in. Always look back at my car after parking lol.