Hello, everyone. My last Lexus was 2009 GS350AWD, I loved that car and had it for 10 years. In 2019 I switched to a '18 CPO Porsche Macan S. What can I say, Macan was definitely the best driving car I've ever had. But with the CPO warranty running out later this year it was time to get out of it. As great as Macan was, I am neither rich enough, nor crazy enough to own a Porsche with no warranty. Anyway, Macan is sold and I went to a Lexus dealer today, intending to buy a '22-23 NX350. But as soon as I saw a '23 IS350, I knew that it was exactly what I wanted. Plus, my wife still has a '17 NX200t AWD, so one is enough.

I test drove a IS350 F-Sport, and loved it. But I want to have an AWD, and those are hard to find in Dallas, TX area. So, I started looking farther north and found a few of IS300 and IS350, all AWD. I noticed that the 300s are $3-4K cheaper, despite having the same, but detuned, 3.5L engine. I read a lot of threads on the subject here, most of the people say that the power difference between the two is barely noticeable.

So, here is the question: Is it possible to un-detune a 300, to bring it back to 350 specs without doing something irreversible? I mean, change a ECM, or some chip, or something like that. I wanna be able to make it OEM in case there is any work needs to be done at a dealer, so they don't void the warranty because of the modifications.

Sorry for the lengthy post and any information much appreciated.

 

Wow! 95 views and not a single reply? So, is it safe to assume that it can't be done?

 

It would appear no one has been able to do it yet:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...l#post11369830
Maybe if you loan them your car they’d make some headway.

 

you’re better off just going for a 350. unfortunately, the 300s after the 2018 model year were getting harder to tune and crack the ecu because of the newer version of the 3.5 v6 engine, plus i think the f sport styling on the new models are a lot more agressive than the 300s!

 

I am just curious as to what the need for AWD is in Texas. I honestly think RWD is going to be better in terms of driving dynamics and fuel economy.

I would highly recommend RWD especially if you drove one and "loved it".

 

The gas mileage AWD vs RWD is nearly the same. I had a couple of powerful RWD cars, they tend to oversteer around the curves, especially on wet of icy roads. While we are lucky enough not to have too much ice or snow, the rain can be an issue. Plus, I've been driving AWD vehicles since 2009, and I love driving them.

 

Understandable. When I got my first IS, it was AWD. I lived in Kansas City, MO at the time, where we had frequent snow in the winter. That was my main justification. However, now, I live in the Atlanta, GA area. We get some colder temperatures, but no snow most years. I have driven on wet roads many times in my RWD IS 350, and it is extremely well-behaved. I can be a total goon, and it will all be fine as long as I leave traction control on.

And I flat-out disagree with you on the fuel economy. My RWD IS 350 will easily get over 30 MPG on the highway. My IS 300 AWD never managed to crack 30 even on multi-hour highway drives. I've averaged about 22 MPG over the lifetime I've had my IS 350, whereas I only got about 19 over the time I had the 300 AWD. It's a pretty significant difference - over 10%.

Up to you, obviously, as this is your car. I'm just saying maybe having an open mind is good in this situation. If you look around, I am not the only one saying the RWD IS 350 is the best way to go. If you want AWD, maybe other brands like BMW and Audi will offer fewer compromises to their AWD variants of their sedans than the IS. The IS 300 AWD (or the 350 AWD, for that matter) has to make do with the old 6-speed auto and has a hump in the floor to make space for the drivetrain. The 8-speed is a much more modern transmission - it has its quirks, but it keeps the revs down better when I am driving slowly, while allowing for lower RPM at highway cruising speeds, while also providing faster shifts.

Not to mention, it will probably be far easier to locate a RWD IS 350. Just saying.

 

I finally found the car I wanted: 2023 IS350 F-Sport AWD, Cloudburst Gray exterior, Black interior, Moonroof, Memory Package, Accessory Package, Intuitive Parking Assist with Auto Braking and Rear-Cross Traffic Braking. MSRP $49,965 and that's what I am paying, plus $175 documentation fee and sales tax. I am flying to NYC next week to pick it up, and driving it back to Dallas. I couldn't find an AWD with those options and color combo anywhere in the South. All of them around here were RWD only. I saw a couple of white ones (my Plan B) not too far, but they were loaded with options that I didn't care about, with MSRPs of north of $56K. So, I am happy.

 

I have been driving a is350 RWD in KS area just fine (but I do have good winter tires). Not that it matters since you are already finalizing it, but getting a AWD car in Tx seems like a super safe bet. You will still need good tires to support that awd, and awd will get lower fuel economy and the awd version is also heavier as well. rotation in corner is not gonna be as eager as with RWD (big negative for me). The biggest let down for me in this config other than no 100% rear wheel drive bias would be 6 speed older tranny.. Also, awd weight distribution is even more toward the front, which is not ideal at all.

But, again, to each - their own. Enjoy your new car!!

ps. As far as removing detune, it was done on older versions (14-17). People are still figuring out software protection/obfuscation on the new engine, soo, you might get it (eventually), but right now it is not available.

 

Thank you for your input and suggestions. Believe me, I was thinking long and hard RWD vs AWD. I understand that there is a price to pay for the AWD. Not being able to rotate the tires is a definite minus, but my Macan had staggered tires too, and it wasn't bad, I put set of Pirellis on it and 35K later they still had a lot of life left in them when I sold it. One of the biggest factor in my decision was the fact that every car I had since 2009 was AWD, and I got spoiled and didn't want to change it.

 

Awesome, let us know how it goes! What matters most is you are buying the car you really want. And I do like the AWD system on these cars. It is rear-biased and pretty predictable to drive in snow, while making it super easy to get traction off the line in the rain. Definitely not a bad way to go! Also, +1 for Cloudburst Gray, it was what I originally wanted on my IS 350 before I got the Iridium one I had.

 

I flew to NYC and picked up my new car at a dealership on Long Island. Two things somewhat surprised me. First, they gave me two metal key inserts but only one fob. They told me that due to pandemic-related chip shortage the second fob will be issued in April-May at my local Lexus dealership. Second thing that was different, from reading forums here, I understand the front turns signal bulbs on IS350s are LED and the rear are incandescent. My car had all bulbs incandescent. But thats an easy fix, I already ordered LED bulbs for all 4 turn signals.

So, wife and I drove it back, covering almost 1600 miles in 2 days, spending the night in Nashville. The car drives so nice. From Wa D.C. to about Knoxville TN it was raining like crazy. The AWD sure felt good on very wet roads.

My car has no navigation package, just as I wanted, so I used CarPlay. I had some music saved on a USB drive, which I played. I noticed that as soon as I would plug in the CarPlay, it would override the music USB and kill it. I could listen to the radio while in CarPlay mode, but not the USB. So, what's the solution? I haven't tried downloading music into the phone and see it it would play from the phone along with the CarPlay.

Otherwise, I love the car. It is so much nimbler than my 2008 GS350 AWD was. Now I am gonna have to spend some money on tinted windows and clear bra. And them manufacture some sort of mud guards as well.

 

Congrats! I had the same experience regarding the key fob. I only got one when taking my IS 500 home.

Enjoy it and stay safe.

 

Did you ever get the second fob? If not, did they give you an ETA? In my case it was "Maybe between March and May".

 

If I recall correctly, they said it would be 2-3 months, so that tracks.