rominl

iTrader: (4)

please, give me a break. i can understand about the clk55 hanging, coz' it's a mid 4 second car there, together with the m3. but when did i say that the m3 is a super fast car? no i didn't. but to say that the is350 can hang with the m3? i don't think so, not until i see one.

and btw, yes, i have driven the m3 is more than a few occasions, it's pretty obvious to me it's faster than the is350. also, some mods on the is350 to make it go with the m3? like what? intake, exhaust? i have yet to see any of those mods bringing the car 0.5 sec to the 60. changing the gear and tq converter might be more like it, but before i see one NA is350 going with m3, i am putting my money on m3

not that i am ditching the is350, it's a good car and it's surprising fast. but sometimes we just can't live in our dreams. that's why in all comparisons, you see it going with the 330i, NOT m3..

also, please leave the "driver's ability" out of the equation for god's sake. i have heard it so many times and i am tired of it. it's nothing different from saying putting my grandma in the porsche gt and i am sure i have no problem beating her in my gs400. what's the point? if you wanna talk, talk about the cars alone. put the driver in a m3 smg ii with launch control (euro spec i believe) and see if that car launches hard

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

It appears that so many of you here on CL discount the performance of the IS350 compared to the M3 without first hand knowledge. I see no reason why an IS350 could not stay with an M3 SMG with some mild mods. Especially the SMG M3 convertible which weighs in as much as a GS400 with a 1/4 of high 13's to 14's. Seriously have most of here even DRIVEN an M3? Some of you come so quick to defend the BMW the same as a few defend an LS1 as the holy grail of all things. The M3 is NOT that great of a car in performance. I drove several. Yes ,nicely balanced and feels good, but come on, get it off that artificial pedestal you placed it on and go drive one and then post from experience Now Rominl knows several people with M3's so I am sure he has experience, how about the rest of you? Granted the IS sits between the 330 and M3 in terms of overall performance, but the M3 is not light years ahead in performance and way behind in other areas as it should be, it's an older car.

I join others with the belief that Lexus should come out with an ,"L" brand and get serious about it. They have the $$$ and tech know how.
This is in response to several of the same posts as this one on CL .
Lee

rominl

iTrader: (4)

damn this sounds scary from lee but yeah, all i can do is to speak from my experience. i think i have driven about 4 or 5 m3? from around the corner test drive to drive it for friend coz' he's too tired to drive a stick shift that day to me the car is very amazing. i have to say though i have only driven one is350 so far, and while it was fast it wasn't as fast as the m3 i have driven.

and lee, i am curiously what you mean by mild mods? just to check in. i am really not sure if intake or exhaust will bring that much in? tq converter and gear ratio i think that will help a lot, but then at least personally i don't think they are mild mods

just my opinions of course. i just want everyone to be able to read everything and understand what everyone means so they can judge for themselves

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

LOL. of course apple to apples Henry. Auto to SMG, not 6 speed. Don't even think of the convertible M3 SMG as the IS350 should have no problem stock staying with one of those as they weigh more than 300 lbs vs the coupe M3. The IS may not win but it would get close and it would not be a runaway as others have expressed. Of course straight line is not everything.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

I guess everything is a mild mod to me nowadays Henry. Sad isn't it? But yes a 6 speed coupe M3 will no doubt lose an IS in it's mirrors. Not sure how many are 6 speeds vs SMG's which are a few ticks slower though still quick. Both nice cars, just different. Neither my cup of tea at the moment but you have to respect them.

Badman Forever

a few of yall also forget, the is350 stock is not geared at all for full track racing. no **** that the m3 will outhandle the stock 350 on corners. the lexus suspension is pretty soft when compared to the m3 or 350z/g35. it's geared more to comfort the older crowd on everyday roads that include potholes and crappy pavement. i've told myself i won't mod the is350, but if for some reason i did.. first thing would be the entire suspension setup so it could be used for occasional track purposes. spending a few grand on n/a bolt-ons and aftermarket suspension will turn the 350 into a current 'm' equivalent.

and for the other person posting the 0-60 for the m3.. the fastest i've seen posted for the is350 is 5.1 secs. that's not very far off partner.

Christian8

the m3 is also lighter than the 350 because it is a coupe and the 350 is a sedan. Sure it might be just a few hundred lbs but those few hundred lbs can make a difference. Please correct me if im wrong.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Weight does make a difference. If I finally lose 50lbs around the waist, man that would be great for my 0-60 time.

M3 convertible-3770lbs
M3 Coupe-3415lbs
IS350-3450

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well the fastest i have seen in m3 is around 4.6. so that's a good 0.5sec. you say that's not very far off?

the best stock gs400 speed i have seen is around 5.8 say. my friend's gs400 has intake, exhaust, tq converter, different gear ratio, valve body upgrade. and of all the runs he has done, the best he has had was like 5.2 or 5.3.

0.5 is not a lot in real time. but it's a lot in racing time i think

but i agree with you on the suspension. the is350 keeps both performance AND luxury in mind. m3 is more on the performance. the suspension on the is350 is definitely softer and more forgiving than that on the m3

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Same class of vehicle I may agree. Same class in the terms of actual buyers cross shopping the two I don't agree. I don't think buyers who are looking at buying cars like the M3 would be looking at the IS350 in its current form as an option. Cross shopping with the 330 I can see though.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Yes, like turbocharged and supercharged M3s. Yes, they are out there and they put Ferrari's to shame if we are just talking about speed and performance. So, While one may mod and IS350 to out perform a stock E46 M3, all it takes is a little mods to the M3 to put things back in order. T

Christian8

ooooo, thanx for the correction. For some reason i thought the M3 was lighter than that.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I know exactly the point you are making, but lets put things in perspective for those non believers. The E46 M3 is a super fast car. If we all agree the C5 Corvette Z06 was a super fast car running mid 4 second 0-60, the M3 clearly is right up in that category especially with a back seat. What is confusing here is members are calling the BMW 330i slow because the IS350 beats it by a good 0.5 seconds to 60. I agree, half a second is huge. But now when an E46 M3 can do a 0-60 in 4.8 compared to an IS350 best of 5.2 the difference is close and the M3 is not really that fast? As much as all us Lexus owners are enthusiastic about Lexus cars, lets keep it real. The IS350 is a great car but it is not in the M3 class yet.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

The one thing I do agree is that the IS350 surely can be modded to perform as well maybe even better than a stock E46 M3. I don't really think that is the point here though. Peter Cunningham took pole with a FWD Acura TSX against the likes of M3's Porsche 911s and such. Cars can always be modded to perform better than other cars. What will happen if you mod the M3 though? If we want to talk about apples to apples comparisons you have to talk stock for stock, or at the very least modded under class spec rules.

NINEZeRO

heh, my brother has a 2005 M3 and I have a G35 coupe auto. We raced each other once and I was right next to him until around 70-80 mph. And a G35 is much slower than a IS 350.

Its not that easy to achieve the best 0-60 times all the time with a manual.

And what makes you think 0-60 in 4.8 for M3 and 5.2 for IS 350 is such a big difference. I bet I will be able to beat most M3 drivers (when i get my IS 350) who aren't that great at shifting on straight aways.

Although I disagree that the M3 will burn the IS 350 on straight aways, at a track it definitely will. Since the IS 350 cannot out handle the 330 there is no way it will be able to keep up with an M3.

The IS 350 can be moded lightly and get much better:
intake, exhaust, springs/coilovers, struts, ecu and it will definitely get 5.0 on 0-60