So my lease is coming to an end with a 16 Is300 and I wanted to know a few things. Should I get an IS350 F sport next or a BMW 340xi M sport. And what tune can I get on both. Also what is the biggest tire size for the Is300 I am driving now.

 

You're asking this on a Lexus forum...what do you think most people will say?

 

BMW

 

Easy answer, get the BMW.

The performance options for the 3rd gen IS are an absolute joke.

You can get a slight improvement from an intake, all exhaust options are only slightly larger pipe sizing over stock and tuning is still being figured out.

My lease is up in March and I absolutely intend on getting an M2 or at the very least a 340i/440i M Sport. To keep mods under warranty, you can pick up a DINAN Elite tune, exhaust of your choice and BMS intake and you will have a killer turbo daily driver that gets comparable gas mileage and much, much better performance.

 

Bmw. Lexus/toyota even went to bmw for they're powertrain and turbocharging developing the supra while lexus exchanged the favor for helping bmw with equipment technology. However i wouldn't undermine lexus performance they've proven great things via reliability while at the same time providing great power. Reliability equals strong engines, just a matter of time before we will see these engines really perform. I just watched a supercharged rcf beat a hellcat? thats pretty fast..

 

New to this forum, I've always had BMW, and I always did preventative maintenance, but still it was one issus after another then the fun was over. The engine was solid tho, everything else wasn't. Just my 2¢.

 

i mean you could get the IS & add the RR Racing supercharger for extra power, but honestly wait for the G20 3 series before getting in one

 

Yeah wait for next gen if you can. 340 will obviously be night and day performance vs is350. Even stock, 340 does 1/4 mile just as fast, most times faster, than an RC-F.

Add Jb4 on stock car? high 11s.

 

 

Yup except people like JB4 becuase you don't risk bricking your $5,000 DME by jerking it off by altering tables. Plus it costs fractions less. For a stock car, good enough, especially if leased.

 

You know that the tune is out and done for the 3IS, right? I got it done and have driven almost 15k miles since install and it's running great with huge powergains.

 

The reliability of BMWs are an absolute joke. Never going back.

 

 

Well, if you want to be on a 1st name basis with an Mr. ASE certified Tony, and you want a door named after you at the shop, go BMW. If you're OK with extremely expensive repairs, again BMW. If you want pure enjoyment/fun while driving, plus sexy, smooth as butter, looks, BMW again. If you want excellent reliability, 60-70% as fun to drive as a BMW, sexy/smooth looks, and don't want to have a door named after you at the shop, then Lexus.

On the BMW blog, they have BMW as #11 and Lexus as #1 in car reliability ratings based on Consumer Reports.
https://www.bmwblog.com/2015/10/22/b...sumer-reports/

A great warranty doesn't really resolve another issue, your car in the shop means you're driving a loner a lot more than you imagined. So, it's all about values and appeal...there's no science to this!!

 

Old thread but, the M-series is really the only BMWs that have anything going for themselves in regard to looks imo... the IS anyday as far as looks and reliability.

The BMWs are really a boring car with exterior/interior. No lines or creativity, not aggressive at all and just...dated rounded curves.

Yes they have tunes and performance options which dont even compare because they're much better, and I do realize this is posted in "performance" thread. But I just sat in my friends new M235i and it's really fast...but in comparison to my 14 IS350 it just doesn't have much to say for design and comfort. Not to mention I remember working on these when I was in a shop and it's as if BMW TRIED to keep us from getting even the simplest job done in less that 2 hours. Such a pain.

For what is worth, car and driver preferred BMW 3 series over IS on the track.