Lexus IS 350 versus BMW 335i
Maria and I are in the market for a new car in the next two to three weeks. After much research, we narrowed down our choices to the Lexus IS 350, Infiniti G35, BMW 335i and Audi A4.
The Audi A4 was quickly crossed off the list. Even with the 3.2 liter V6, its 255 hp at a base price of $36K, while the IS350, G35 and 335i offer 306 hp for similar to slightly higher pricing. quattro is nice but won't be neccessary in sunny SoCal (yes we're moving to SoCal soon - more on that later).
Our local Infiniti dealer didn't have the new G35 Sedan yet so that is off the list. Its too bad, I would have liked to really compare the new G against the IS.
For fun, we stopped by Acura and briefly looked at the new RDX. The exterior of Acura's new SUV already looks dated and its overpriced. Very disappointing. And as an observation, the showroom was empty, devoid of customers while Lexus and Infiniti were packed.
The Lexus IS 350. I've always liked the first generation IS, and the second generation IS is even better. I look at it as the boy racer that finally matured. Its also one of the few cars that Maria likes, besides the Mini Cooper S, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lotus Elise and Land Rover LR3.
The exterior design is a nice mix between elegant to aggressive depending on what angle you look at it from. The front is angular and muscular and smoothes out towards the rear. My only complaint is the big side mirrors - can we say Dumbo ears? The interior is refined and luxurious. All of the controls are easily within view and reach. The mix between aluminum and wood trim is a little strange but fine. Although I'm not much of a lover for wood in my cars, it doesn't look that bad in the IS. I can't believe I just wrote that, maybe I'm getting old? We would have preferred all aluminum trim. The Navigation unit is fun to play with and is a must-have option, especially living in a new city. And the gauge start sequence is definitely cool.
Now comes the real fun part... the test drive. We went for an extended test drive in the IS350. I drove it in S mode for the entire test drive so I can use the paddle shifters. Surprisingly, unlike most tiptronic transmissions, the version in the new IS shifts remarkably quick. Its no SMG or DSG but its definitely better than the normal tiptronic that take a full two seconds from pressing the lever to actually changing gears. The downshifts are a little jerky though. On a performance level, this car can definitely perform. 0 tp 60 in about five and a half seconds. The power delivery was smooth and linear. As we entered and joined the expressway, I got up to 120 mph without much effort. After the quick run on the expressway, we went to a side street called Lexus Blvd. I guess its their own private little test drive course. It featured a few curves to really test out the handling. Again, I was suprisingly impressed about how well the IS handles and the demo model that we drove wasn't even equipped with the sports suspension option. The response from steering input is quick and sharp. There isn't much body roll. Going through a high speed sweeping turn at 80 mph, the car felt well planted. During the test drive, I noticed a couple of cool features. First, the gauge light rings. There are orange/red light rings in the tachometer and speedometer that acts as a shift light and speed warning light respectively. Second, the exhaust note. Upon spirited acceleration, it produces a nice, slightly aggressive growl.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the IS 350.
The Good.
- Exterior design
- Interior luxury
- Cool technological gadgets and features for the geek in you
- Strong acceleration
- Great handling
The Bad.
- Wood trim, unless we order the Sports Package which would take months and we need the car immediately
- Maria hates the talking navigation system, I think she sounds sexy
The Ugly.
- The enormous side mirros / Dumbo ears (The salesman told me that the mirrors are inspired from Formula 1. ROFL!)
The BMW 335i Coupe. First off, Maria hates BMW. I like BMW, mostly for its M cars. Nevertheless I wanted to compare the IS350 to the new 335i but getting this car would have took a lot of convincing.
The exterior is nicely designed and smooth. While it has some hint of Bangle-ism, the design isn't all over the place like the Z4. The interior of the new 335i had all of regular BMW luxury refinements. However I found myself preferring the dash layout of the E46 more. And if you get the navigation system with the infamous iDrive, the dash will have two ugly humps. The seats can be adjusted to hug you tighter from the sides and the seatbelts are now deployed by feeders so its within easy reach, both cool touches. The paddle shifters takes some getting used to. A paddle pull upshifts, a thumb press downshifts.
Unlike the extended test drive in the IS, we only did the classic test drive in the 335i. Four right turns and back to the dealer. Oh well, I tried to make the most of our limited time together. Right out of the dealer, I stepped on it and the 335i's straight six cylinder 3.0 liter twin turbo engine immediately came alive. The torque is instant and the power delivery is very smooth. Turbo lag is virtually nonexistent. In fact, if BMW would have never told me that its a twin turbo, I would have never even known it. There are no signs of turbo technology, no whine or blowoff valve whooshing sound. The handling is outstanding and I would say even better than the E46 M3. There is very little body roll, steering feel is excellent and the car feels well connected to the road. The paddle shifting, like the IS, is better than most tiptronic transmissions on the market. Very responsive and quick shifts. Both upshifting and downshifting are smooth.
Overall, I like the 335i. Its a driver's car.
The Good.
- The engine
- Excellent performance
- Excellent handling
- Exterior design
The Bad.
- Not a big fan of the interior
The Ugly.
- Navi + iDrive = yuck
- Dual dash hump
The Decision.
We both love the IS350. It has a nice design, exterior and interior, performs and handles well and is loaded with cool features. I prefer the design and features of the IS 350 over the 335i. However I liked how the 335i handles and performs. Without a doubt, it is slightly better than the IS. The 335i is a driver's car. Maria loves the IS350 and is neutral about the 335i. Its a tough choice, but once we take price and availability into consideration, the choice become blantantly clear - the Lexus IS 350.
Most 335i's are already ordered and pre-sold so finding one configured to how we want it would be nearly impossible unless we order it. Once configured, our 335i comes out to $48,720 while the IS350 is $43,142. Getting a discount on the newly released 335i would be impossible but getting a discount on the one year old new IS is easy. I already negotiated with one dealer in the SoCal area and we agreed on $500 over invoice. It took one email and a phone call - done.
So if all goes well, we will be picking up our new 2007 Lexus IS350 on Oct. 13 in sunny Southern California. It will be our first new car together.
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The Audi A4 was quickly crossed off the list. Even with the 3.2 liter V6, its 255 hp at a base price of $36K, while the IS350, G35 and 335i offer 306 hp for similar to slightly higher pricing. quattro is nice but won't be neccessary in sunny SoCal (yes we're moving to SoCal soon - more on that later).
Our local Infiniti dealer didn't have the new G35 Sedan yet so that is off the list. Its too bad, I would have liked to really compare the new G against the IS.
For fun, we stopped by Acura and briefly looked at the new RDX. The exterior of Acura's new SUV already looks dated and its overpriced. Very disappointing. And as an observation, the showroom was empty, devoid of customers while Lexus and Infiniti were packed.
The Lexus IS 350. I've always liked the first generation IS, and the second generation IS is even better. I look at it as the boy racer that finally matured. Its also one of the few cars that Maria likes, besides the Mini Cooper S, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lotus Elise and Land Rover LR3.
The exterior design is a nice mix between elegant to aggressive depending on what angle you look at it from. The front is angular and muscular and smoothes out towards the rear. My only complaint is the big side mirrors - can we say Dumbo ears? The interior is refined and luxurious. All of the controls are easily within view and reach. The mix between aluminum and wood trim is a little strange but fine. Although I'm not much of a lover for wood in my cars, it doesn't look that bad in the IS. I can't believe I just wrote that, maybe I'm getting old? We would have preferred all aluminum trim. The Navigation unit is fun to play with and is a must-have option, especially living in a new city. And the gauge start sequence is definitely cool.
Now comes the real fun part... the test drive. We went for an extended test drive in the IS350. I drove it in S mode for the entire test drive so I can use the paddle shifters. Surprisingly, unlike most tiptronic transmissions, the version in the new IS shifts remarkably quick. Its no SMG or DSG but its definitely better than the normal tiptronic that take a full two seconds from pressing the lever to actually changing gears. The downshifts are a little jerky though. On a performance level, this car can definitely perform. 0 tp 60 in about five and a half seconds. The power delivery was smooth and linear. As we entered and joined the expressway, I got up to 120 mph without much effort. After the quick run on the expressway, we went to a side street called Lexus Blvd. I guess its their own private little test drive course. It featured a few curves to really test out the handling. Again, I was suprisingly impressed about how well the IS handles and the demo model that we drove wasn't even equipped with the sports suspension option. The response from steering input is quick and sharp. There isn't much body roll. Going through a high speed sweeping turn at 80 mph, the car felt well planted. During the test drive, I noticed a couple of cool features. First, the gauge light rings. There are orange/red light rings in the tachometer and speedometer that acts as a shift light and speed warning light respectively. Second, the exhaust note. Upon spirited acceleration, it produces a nice, slightly aggressive growl.
Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the IS 350.
The Good.
- Exterior design
- Interior luxury
- Cool technological gadgets and features for the geek in you
- Strong acceleration
- Great handling
The Bad.
- Wood trim, unless we order the Sports Package which would take months and we need the car immediately
- Maria hates the talking navigation system, I think she sounds sexy
The Ugly.
- The enormous side mirros / Dumbo ears (The salesman told me that the mirrors are inspired from Formula 1. ROFL!)
The BMW 335i Coupe. First off, Maria hates BMW. I like BMW, mostly for its M cars. Nevertheless I wanted to compare the IS350 to the new 335i but getting this car would have took a lot of convincing.
The exterior is nicely designed and smooth. While it has some hint of Bangle-ism, the design isn't all over the place like the Z4. The interior of the new 335i had all of regular BMW luxury refinements. However I found myself preferring the dash layout of the E46 more. And if you get the navigation system with the infamous iDrive, the dash will have two ugly humps. The seats can be adjusted to hug you tighter from the sides and the seatbelts are now deployed by feeders so its within easy reach, both cool touches. The paddle shifters takes some getting used to. A paddle pull upshifts, a thumb press downshifts.
Unlike the extended test drive in the IS, we only did the classic test drive in the 335i. Four right turns and back to the dealer. Oh well, I tried to make the most of our limited time together. Right out of the dealer, I stepped on it and the 335i's straight six cylinder 3.0 liter twin turbo engine immediately came alive. The torque is instant and the power delivery is very smooth. Turbo lag is virtually nonexistent. In fact, if BMW would have never told me that its a twin turbo, I would have never even known it. There are no signs of turbo technology, no whine or blowoff valve whooshing sound. The handling is outstanding and I would say even better than the E46 M3. There is very little body roll, steering feel is excellent and the car feels well connected to the road. The paddle shifting, like the IS, is better than most tiptronic transmissions on the market. Very responsive and quick shifts. Both upshifting and downshifting are smooth.
Overall, I like the 335i. Its a driver's car.
The Good.
- The engine
- Excellent performance
- Excellent handling
- Exterior design
The Bad.
- Not a big fan of the interior
The Ugly.
- Navi + iDrive = yuck
- Dual dash hump
The Decision.
We both love the IS350. It has a nice design, exterior and interior, performs and handles well and is loaded with cool features. I prefer the design and features of the IS 350 over the 335i. However I liked how the 335i handles and performs. Without a doubt, it is slightly better than the IS. The 335i is a driver's car. Maria loves the IS350 and is neutral about the 335i. Its a tough choice, but once we take price and availability into consideration, the choice become blantantly clear - the Lexus IS 350.
Most 335i's are already ordered and pre-sold so finding one configured to how we want it would be nearly impossible unless we order it. Once configured, our 335i comes out to $48,720 while the IS350 is $43,142. Getting a discount on the newly released 335i would be impossible but getting a discount on the one year old new IS is easy. I already negotiated with one dealer in the SoCal area and we agreed on $500 over invoice. It took one email and a phone call - done.
So if all goes well, we will be picking up our new 2007 Lexus IS350 on Oct. 13 in sunny Southern California. It will be our first new car together.
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written by Tommy at 3:37 AM |
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