I wonder how the e90 m3 fares with a rear facing child safety seat As much as I love the e92/e93 m3 2-doors, I really dislike the e90 m3 sedan on the other end however............................


I have determined it's a NO GO for the bay seat with the IS-F....haha

 

Here's are a video for you to watch HEWIT...

Jeremy Clarkson -- m3 vs isf

 

I drove a 335i coupe for two years and my best friend just picked up a 4-door M3 DCT. When it was time to choose since i wanted a 4-door car this time as a daily driver i chose the ISF. I think that the ISF looks better than the 4-door M3, but the M3 coupe is gorgeous but not a fair comparison to ISF. If had driven the ISF for two years i might have chosen the M3 instead. I just wanted to try something different.

I really dont believe all this "reliability" stuff with BMW or Lexus. I had a 1997 BMW 540 that i purchased with 30k miles and drove and sold it with 247K miles on it. During that entire time, the valve cover gaskets had to be changed at 100K and 200K, water pump went out at 140K and that is about it. I drove my 335i for two years and 30K without a single issue. My best friend that got the M3 had a 2006 M6 for three years and drove it from new till 51k miles without a single problem.

I personally think the seats in the M3 are sportier with a better lateral support. The ISF might get a slight edge in interior but it is nothing dramatic. I also dont think that ISF is so much more unique than the M3. There are so many IS250s running around that some people mistake mine for a regular IS. And the "F" brand is so new that most people dont know what it is vs. everybody knows when they see the "M" badge.

Overall i am still happy with my decision and love the ISF. I think the decision to choose one over the other is very personal and nothing that can be carved in stone.

 

X10 about mistaking the F for a regular IS and the "F" brand being new. I tell people I just bought an IS-F and they are like what is that and I have to explain it's the v8 version of the IS series. Most are still like so then I tell them it's the Lexus equivalent to the BMW M3 and then it all makes sense.

 

Yep exactly. I have tried it different ways and i always have to give a long version. When you say M3 there is nothing you have to qualify, lol. Here is a typical conversation.

Them: "What kind of car did you get?"
Me: "an ISF"
Them: "What is that"
Me: "A Lexus"
Them: "Hmmmm"
Me: "It competes with the M3"
Them: "Ahhhhh"

 

to me the only downfall for the F is its automatic. i really wish they made them in a 6spd.

 

same conversation for me also, except sometimes the 2nd question is "...so, it's a hybrid?"

big difference between people wishing for a manual and people buying a manual.

 

i agree a lot with the video. not all, especially the styling and the last part about bmw doing everything right.

hahaha i like the hybrid part, that's funny

but i can also say i know more than a few people who simply wrote off isf and c63 because of no manual. they wrote off dct right the way too

 

I can understand the C63 but the DCT is light years ahead. I have driven my buddys a few times now and thoroughly impressed. The fat that you can go from 5th to 2nd and it does not row thru the gears like the ISF and perfectly blips the throttle for you is a bliss.

 

So many threads on this already...

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...vs-f-long.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...f-sort-of.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...vs-e92-m3.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...nd-5002-a.html

 

hehe you can sort of do this in the F but you have to be in D. . not sure why they did it this way. .

 

Well you have to remember that the DCT is a manual tranny with dual computer controlled clutches while the ISF still is basically an auto. I know it has that torque converter bypass feature but I believe that is only in manual mode? Either way I've heard some friends say people were complaining about problems with the DCT's?

 

don't get me wrong, i am not talking about performance at all. i have driven plenty of dct and it shifts extremely fast. but sometimes speed just isn't everything. i very much prefer all the manual work and connection with the car. not trying to open up another can of worm here, but some people just prefer to have manual so they feel more involved and have the control. that's what i meant when i said some people didn't even think about dct when they got their 6mt m3

mostly initial batch. later ones have been very solid in general

 

Honestly if I were looking for a pure performance 4door I would pick the M3 all day, everyday over the ISF.

The ISF lacks in so many areas:

1-Transmission- This is probably the ISF's worse part. Lexus tries to market it like it is a DCT trans and shifts like a manual but it fails here. Also it has to many gears. Driving the car in manual mode is chore with all these gears. Its hard to find the right gear for anything. Lexus should have made it a DCT and a true manual 6speed trans as a option.
2-Suspension- suspension wise Lexus really didnt tune this car for track use they tuned it for regular driving which it does well but when pushed its nothing special. I think Lexus made the suspension to hard/harse rather than tuning it for sport.
3-Engine- This car's engine is good but I hate the variable valve that opens at 3500rpm. This is not a Honda V-tec is it? It kinda makes the displacement of 5 liters a waste. There is no useable power down low at all. I guess this is one reason we have good gas mileage.

The ISF kinda reminds me of when Mercedes started selling the AMG's. They thought they could just stick a big engine in there and call it a day.
But the ISF does some things well. Interior is great and comfortable. The car will just soak up the miles and would be a great autobahn cruiser. Also gets great gas mileage and doesnt have gas guz tax.

If I were a track junkie and needed a car to both drive on the street and the track the M3 wins all day. The ISF is not ready for the track without some modification to its suspension. After being here on the boards since I got the ISF which is about 2 years I have not seen or heard of anyone that tracks their car on a regular basis. Instead what I see is a lot people modding their car to look good which is cool

 

sorry but i disagree with almost every point in this last post

1. i love it, just wait until more cars get 8 speeds, its good for gas
and i have no problem finding the right gear for everything, i know my car well and just like everything in this world, u get use to it
a 6 speed manual is old tech, i shift faster without it
2. the suspension is stiff FOR track use
the only thing i agree with is that it is a tad harsh, but id imagine thats for added balance
3. this is one of the best features, its a beast when u want it to be, its easily controllable too, or u can mod for it to be open all the time
"It kinda makes the displacement of 5 liters a waste"
im pretty sure the valve dosnt have anything to do with that

i see people on here all the time tracking on a reg basis