Daily Slideshow: Forum Member arentz07 Reviews His IS300 F Sport
Forum Member arentz07 recently put together a fantastic review of his 2016 IS 300 F Sport. The following are some of the more highlight-worthy points he makes following the first 18 months of his owning/driving the vehicle.
Exterior
arentz07 writes:
The exterior design of the IS F Sport is an interesting one, with lots of elements which mostly work together to create an appearance that people either love or hate. For me, I wouldn't have this vehicle any other way. Though I've had a couple of individuals refer to the spindle grille up front as being "weird" or "looks like an oversized shield-thingy" (real quote), the car undeniably has visual interest.
He then goes on to speak about the color: Atomic Silver. It’s certainly distinct and a bit of an eye-catcher, writing that the “paint emphasizes the creases and lines of the car without shouting.”
Overall, he likes the look of the car because it's a car he looks back at after a good drive, and also due to the fact that most people he gives a ride to pay him many compliments on it.
Interior
arentz07 writes:
The IS F Sport has a tight, cockpit-like seating environment, with some stylized touches scattered throughout. One of the first features I noticed when test-driving the IS was the seat. To this day, after 18 months of ownership, I still admire the supportive yet comfortable seats, which are soft enough for a day's worth of driving but well-bolstered enough for warm, if not hot, driving.
He goes on to point that there are some soft-touch plastics in places where metal or vinyl wouldn't have gone amiss; specifically, he points out the majority of the dashboard and center console. Fortunately, though, arentz07 writes that a majority of the interior is attractive to the eyes, overall. This attractiveness is helped out in part by the uniquely-colored Rioja Red seating.
arentz07 then expounds upon this point: As far as comfort features, such as automatic two-zone climate control, power lumbar support for the driver, and heated and ventilated seats along with a heated steering wheel. While the seat temperature controls are welcome features, I often wish they would operate somewhat more quickly. In addition, the ventilation sometimes blows warm air instead of cool when the ambient temp is high. Included on every IS is also a power sunroof, which definitely enhances the boulevard cruising side of driving this car.
Overall, the interior gets a solid thumbs up: It isn't the highest-quality interior in the class, but it stands out in terms of appearance and has some unique touches.
Infotainment and UX
arentz07 writes that he wasn’t too impressed with the car’s Remote Touch Interface; specifically, using the joystick/mouse-like mechanism to make menu selections can take some practice, but within a couple of weeks, he was able to figure it out.
As for the actual program, it features visual previews of road signs for exits and not-terribly-annoying narration. Menus are not hard to understand, if a bit slow to navigate, and there are a surprising number of features, such as a 3-D rendering of buildings and an "Areas to Avoid" setting.
arentz07 then goes to describe some of the car’s other features:
The temperature controls are nifty touch-sensitive metal sliders which are a big wow-factor for new passengers. They work well enough, but most of the time set it and forget it is my approach to climate control. I rarely have to touch the temperature or direction of the air except when turning it completely off or forcing the defroster to operate. When I do have to make said adjustments, thank the Lexus gods that they included physical buttons for everything climate-related.
And of course, we have to mention the F-Sport instrument cluster. Is it a silly inclusion on this not-an-LFA? Probably. But, "It's still cool" as one of my friends said. As far as actual information, it doesn't offer much over a standard multi-information display, but it presents it in a crisp, stylized format. The sliding tachometer ring is a nifty touch, even if it adds nearly nothing functionally.
Overall though, arentz07 was not disappointed by the car’s infotainment system. While it had its faults, it was generally pleasing to operate the car's gadgets.
Driving Experience
arentz07 writes:
The real star of the IS show is how it drives. From the moment I test-drove the car, I knew it was going to be a special car to drive in many different scenarios. After testing out a 328i and an A4 Premium Plus, I was convinced the IS was the most special of the three. Here's why.
He then gets into the steering, which is described as “nice and heavy”. Specifically, it didn't feel unnaturally heavy but rather gave the sense that I was making something happen when turning the wheel. The steering ratio is quick enough to make most turns less laborious than other cars, but this one never felt “darty”, if you will. Out on the highway, the car felt stable, but not reluctant to change lanes. Sport mode increases the feeling of stability by removing some of the electric power assistance. The steering wheel itself, too, is wrapped in a decently soft leather and is a good size for some sporty driving. The steering may well be the part of the car that drew me to it the most initially.
As for the engine and power, arentz07 writes:
The 2016 IS 300 AWD uses a nerfed version of the IS 350's 3.5-liter direct- and port-injected V-6 engine, producing 255 horsepower compared with the 350's 306 horsepower. However, at the end of the day, it's still the same engine, and it should drive mostly the same, except for the power at the top of the tachometer. In "normal" sedate driving, it's a smooth operator, with no grainy sounds at low RPMs or unwanted loudness. There was a slight whine from the engine, which has been supposed to be normal for IS, RC, and GS models with this engine, but otherwise, it's refined. When the gas pedal gets used, the engine responds quickly. Thanks to only having six gears, it takes no time at all for the transmission to find the proper gear for passing. While this car won't prepare you for NASA with its levels of G-forces, it does have enough power to satisfy once in a while and won't embarrass itself versus a modded diesel F-250.
Overall, arentz07 was pleased with the car’s driving experience.
Gear box
Diving into the gearbox, arentz07 writes:
The six-speed transmission is quite an interesting one, with some quirks that take a bit of getting used to. It tends to hold the first gear a bit longer than second, which can make the car feel somewhat sluggish if you try to drive it like every other car. I usually will gradually press the pedal farther as second gear engages to even out the acceleration. When my wife drives, it always feels a bit jerky through first gear, since she hasn't adjusted to it yet. However, the transmission's gearing helps to make the car feel like it is eager from a stop. The manual shift mode contributes to this less so. When driving in a relaxed manner, manual shifts are delayed and not smooth. For trundling the streets, automatic shifting is the best way to go. However, if you plan to really flog the IS on some fun roads, manual mode works well. Overall, he found the gearbox seemed to respond more quickly when the engine RPMs are higher, and the shifts are executed more quickly as well.
Conclusion
So, would arentz07 buy this car again? Surprisingly, he writes probably not!
To clarify, arentz07 likes this car a lot, but it does feel somewhat held-back. He believes the IS 350, in either AWD or RWD form, would offer a more complete experience. He would especially prefer the RWD model, given its eight-speed transmission and lower weight, but he’s also likely to be realistic about its usability in deep snow. Nonetheless, he likes the car enough to go all-in on a fully loaded model, but that's assuming some of the competition doesn't woo him first. There are some really compelling, higher-performing, more luxurious options out there... In a vacuum, the IS is amazing, but it has some great alternatives which he is already considering for its replacement.
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