I've owned 12 Acuras, and they all had the touch pad. Have 2 right now in garage. My wife and I have no issues
with Acura's touch pad. Just takes a little time getting used to, but, when you do, you are good with it.
Many have said the Acura one is better overall than Lexus's pad. I'll know in about a month when my IS500
is in my hands.

Problem with those doing testing of new cars spend little to close to zero time using the Acura touch pad, and thus say
terrible things about it, etc, etc. But, of the few who had one for long term testing they felt like I do. It's better overall than
reaching up to a touch screen, and you really spend less time with eyes off the road. I've had both and I think I have enough
expertise and time with Acura's pad to be...."an expert?" Wife too.

 

Yeah I feel the same way. I like a BMW, and the 2-series in general just seems like a great package for the money - let alone the M2. I especially like that it's one of the few "sporty" models on sale with silver wheels like the ones in that photo.

However... I needed to own a car with a naturally-aspirated V-8, and the 2UR is a damn good one. It was hard to turn it down - and plus, I am a serial Lexus customer, so I knew what I was getting into as far as overall ownership.

If I could have both cars, I would.

 

Yep...sold my '24 M2 to a dealer and waiting for my IS500. M2 engine/trans are amazing....but, overall, not an IS 500!! LOL! More
comfort, and other good things....outweigh the outdated 8 speed trans.

 

This is good to read. I was between the IS500 and the M2. I have two kids so I wanted 4 doors.

Thanks for posting you impressions of the two cars!

 

Really they are 2 different cars. The M2 would not have been good if you have 2 kids. IS 500 much better overall.

 

Agreed and hopefully mine is here end of next month!

I still have a coupe with a manual with almost 700 rwhp if I want to go real fast!

 

You are welcome!

 

As one of the first IS500 Owner/Fanboys, I have not forgotten how great an all-rounder it is… Mark of a great package in my opinion.

However, I absolutely l-o-v-e reading first impressions! I’m like, “Yep. Mmhmm. Right on!” 🤣

The 500 isn’t perfect, but it’s perfect for me, and I’m glad a few feel the same. It’s so damn good and puts a smile on my face every single day!

 

^^ this!!! 1000000000000000%

 

I'm totally with you on this. After reading all the reviews on the IS500 and what was mentioned about the transmission, I was hesitant to buy one. However, after driving it for a few minutes, I knew I was going to like it and it is a great daily.

 

Fellow OG! 👏🏽👏🏽

Right on. How long have you had the car? When I’ve gone to Lexus meetups, the transmission always comes up. Every person said the same thing, you adjust to the delay and when shenanigans are afoot, click click… (The sound of the paddles, everyone downshifts two gears it seems.) So when we see each other again, we say: “Click, Click!” as the greeting! 😈🤣

 

Not sure what car wife would be driving right now if IS500 had not been avaliable. Her previous ride was 2009 Infiniti G37S Coupe. She loved that car it gave us zero issue over 15 years and we parted with it at 140K miles. It was still 100% stock and in excellent condition. The nice young man that bought it was ecstatic. We avoid BMW as much as for reliability issue as how we were treated when we were younger at BMW dealer, also can't stand the new styling. Audi was out as front or all wheel drive and questions of reliability. Mercedes she just does not care for any of cars based on looks. Acura all front wheel drive. Hopefully the Lexus is 15 years of reliability and then who knows what we are going to get.

 

I don't think I've even touched the touch pad in a couple of years. I use the steering wheel controls for the stereo and car play for navigating. If I need to use the screen, its a touch screen.

 

It's the weak link and what kept me from upgrading from the 350 to the 500.

It's never in the right gear. When I floor the car on the highway, it's still at least one, usually two gears higher than it should be. My workaround is floor it and downshift twice.

The sport mode sucks. When left in that mode, you can't paddle shift higher than 6th gear. Seriously, WTF is up with that?

I love everything about my IS, but I loathe the transmission. Had they gone with the 10 speed, or better yet - a MANUAL - this car would have been a home run.

 

It’s the shift logic. If I remember correctly, the 7th & 8th gears are for fuel efficiency. In the 500 (and in Auto Mode), the transmission will shift into 7th, but not 8th.

In manual mode, you can shift into 8th gear regardless of the setting.