2015 Lexus IS 350 F Sport

BMW confused over 140,000 3-Series’ endure year in America. They didn’t do this by accepting the a lot of comfortable advantage or by accepting the best administration option. (The accuracy is harder to hear, I’m sorry.) Instead Japanese Car Dealer in Dubai, BMW did this by accomplishing absolutely what shoppers asked for; affluence car buyers wish a comfortable ride with a affluence logo on the front, acceptable ammunition abridgement and to apprehend reviews that acclaim the track-day virtues of their car of choice. The boilerplate client will never be on a track, but it’s analytical to apperceive your car belongs there.
What BMW dealers don’t wish you to know: there are two sedans in this articulation that are arguably bigger on the clue than a 328i or 335i and we’re talking about one of them today, the IS 350 F Sport.

Exterior 

Lexus’ exoteric administration acclimated to bang me as graceful, adult and reserved. Apparently, however, the foreground end got no account on the Autobahn, so the F Action adenoids was created. While I can’t say if it commands added account in Germany, the ginormous grille on our IS 350 F Action looked accessible to absorb baby accouchement and auto cars alike. While some association accept said they animosity the broad maw, I in fact like it. What I’m not a fan of are the abstracted headlamp and “Nike-swoosh” daytime active lamp modules; I acquisition the attending a little discordant. Whether you like it or not, you accept to accept this foreground end is added affecting than annihilation on action from BMW, Mercedes, Audi or Infiniti.

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Out back, beneath has changed, with the rear accepting added aloof than the front. But it’s the ancillary contour breadth things absolutely divert. The IS is 3.5 inches best than the endure bearing archetypal and a lot of of the access goes to the rear bench breadth – although, some of it aswell goes to the trunk, authoritative the IS attending added counterbalanced than before. Thanks to banal appulse regulations in Europe, the foreground end has become blunter (just as we accept apparent from the Europeans lately), which in fact helps the foreground 3/4 view. I anticipate the Cadillac ATS is the a lot of adorable auto in this segment, but the IS in F Action trim leaps up the calibration to amount 3, just abaft the ATS and 3-Series.
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Interior

While BMW and Audi accept autonomous for an accessible and all-embracing autogenous theme, the IS feels bound and abutting to the disciplinarian by architecture with a top beltline and alpine centermost console. F Action models get a configurable LCD disco birr instead of the white-on-black gauges we commonly apprehend from the brand. Agnate to Volvo’s new LCD apparatus cluster Nissan used cars dealer, the affectation can assume a little absent in the binnacle as the binnacle commonly houses a added acceptable punch cluster. Since Cadillac has yet to move their ample LCD apparatus array down-market to the ATS, there absolutely isn’t any antagonism for this affectation at the moment.

As you’d apprehend from Lexus, one can still get acreage of decrepit copse and bendable leather, but neither are standard. Like a lot of entries in this segment, covering is aloof for specific bales and copse is an alternative upgrade. Foreground bench abundance accepted accomplished during my week. The action seats calmly baffled the Audi A4, Cadillac ATS and the abject seats in the BMW 328i or Mercedes C300. Added association should apperceive that the bolstering is arresting and the F Action trim doesn’t accept an advantage to annul the action seats.

Thanks to the wheelbase stretch, accumulated legroom is up by 2.6 inches central which places the IS appear the top of the accumulation in absolute legrooom. Nobody accepted the BMW 3-Series to abound as abundant as it did in its latest incarnation, which becomes absolutely accessible if you run the numbers. The 3-Series boasts the additional best legroom abstracts abaft the abundant beyond Infiniti Q50. The Lexus offers a hardly beyond trunk, but I begin the all-embracing block ambit to be added advantageous in the BMW.

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Infotainment 

The 2014 redesign of the IS brought a bulk of new appearance from cartage maps on non-navigation able models to predictive traffic, bigger articulation acceptance and smartphone integration. Alas, the aristocrat giveth and he taketh away. Along with the new software comes Lexus’ Remote Touch ascribe device, or as I adopt to alarm it: the Lexus joystick. I acquisition little joy in the mouse-like controller, but it is bigger than the trackpad you acquisition in the NX. The ambassador is the arbiter archetype of the aberration amid an automated ascribe adjustment and one that is optimized for use in a car. The joystick is intuitive, it’s just not able-bodied ill-fitted to a car as it requires abundant added eye-off-the-road time. I affective a few accompany and had them accomplish a few identical functions in the Lexus and a BMW with iDrive while I watched their eyes. It artlessly takes best for you to acquisition what you charge in the Lexus system. Oddly enough, the aforementioned Lexus software afterwards a touchscreen is one of the atomic confusing available, but you can abandoned get that in the GX and LX. If you don’t buy navigation, you still get the 7-inch awning but barter the joystick for a rotary knob.

Lexus doesn’t action any array of heads-up affectation a la BMW, but you can accessories like alarm cruise control, Mark Levinson branded audio system, dark atom ecology and lane abandonment warning.

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Engine
Standing somewhat abandoned in this articulation is a 100-percent naturally-aspirated engine lineup. While anybody but Infiniti has confused to a turbo four to ample the basal end, Lexus has ashore with their tiny V6. (I’m not counting the 2.5-liter four-banger in the abject ATS. Why? Who would?) Displacing 2.5 liters and antic absolute injection, the IS 250 is acceptable for 204 ponies and 185 lb-ft of torque. [It’s the atomic able V6 currently on sale. -Ed] While abounding in the industry would already accept complained about a abject affluence archetypal afterwards an inline-6 engine, this V6 now competes with four-cylinder engines. Although a V6 isn’t as counterbalanced as an I6, it’s afar advanced of an I4. The archetypal we activated is the 3.5-liter V6 IS 350. Adding a liter bumps ability to 306 and torque to 277. For affidavit accepted abandoned to Lexus’ artefact planning team, the 220 application IS 300h charcoal banned bake-apple on our shores.

Lexus tends to be a alert aggregation if it comes to adopting new technology and, as a result, the 2.5-liter V6 and AWD models of the 3.5-liter accept to accomplish do with ye olde 6-speed automated from Aisin. If you get the RWD adaptation of the IS 350 that we tested, you get Aisin’s new 8-speed auto, a alternative of the manual acclimated in the Corvette and baddest Cadillacs.

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Drive
The by itself aspirated engine calendar is the aboriginal affair you will apprehension about the IS out on the road. Abundant like the 3.6-liter V6 in the ATS and the 3.7-liter V6 in the Q50, ability builds in a beeline fashion. This is absolutely altered from the C400, 335i and added turbo entries which about accept torque and application “plateaus” with aciculate drops on either end. 0-60 dispatch in our F Action tester came in at 5.6 abnormal – not a bad time by any stretch. However, Volvo’s front-wheel-drive S60 T6 Drive-e will do the aforementioned dart in 5.4. The purist in me prefers the feel and complete complete a naturally-aspirated engine delivers, but the pragmatist in me realizes the C400, 335i, S4 and S60 T6 will all exhausted the IS to the freeway ramp. Opting for Lexus’ AWD arrangement improves grip, but the accident of two apparatus causes the 0-60 time to amplitude to 5.7 seconds, accepting abutting to the beneath able BMW 328xi. AWD shoppers aswell accept to reside with an odd bulge in the foreground foot-well acquired by the alteration case and driveshaft to the foreground axle.

The admiration of the IS in bound corners demonstrates how abundant time Lexus spent engineering the suspension. The old IS came beyond as isolated, conceivably even sloppy, while this anatomy is aciculate and crisp. Every arrangement feels like a aggregation player, from the abeyance to the manual about-face argumentation and the revised double-wishbones up front. The IS absolutely artlessly delivers the best feel in the corners and out on the clue with every arrangement acquainted to abreast perfection. (Bear in apperception we still accept electric ability steering, so it’s all relative.) The IS in fact manages to feel a hair added precise, although not as engaging, than the E90 3-Series (previous generation). The F30 (current generation) has traded administration accomplishment for a softer ride and a ginormous aback seat. And therein lies the rub: the change has bigger BMW’s sales rather than endlessly the gravy train. Meanwhile, the Audi and Volvo break like a John Deere if they appointment a bend and the Mercedes feels just as you would apprehend – abundant and soft. The purist in me prefers the brittle administration and categorical feel of the IS on a track. The pragmatist in me is actively acquainted that feel doesn’t in fact get you about a track. That’s breadth ability comes in. Because of the ability deficit, the 335i, S60 T6 AWD, C400 and S4 are all faster about your boilerplate track. If you’re talking autocross, the IS has a chance, but even the Volvo will exhausted it about Laguna Seca.

2015 Lexus IS 350 F-Sport Headlamps

Competition 

Comparing the IS 350 with the 335i seems like the accustomed affair to do – afterwards all, they both accept “3” in the archetypal amount – but a added apt allegory is the 328i. The IS 350 slots amid the 328i and the 335i in both amount and performance, but amount is critical. Meanwhile IS 250 performs added like the 320i than the 328i.

The IS 350 F Action manages to be a hair beneath than a analogously able 328i M-Sport, which is an accomplished start. Despite costing a atom less, the Lexus delivers appreciably added clarification beneath the hood, bigger dispatch and added active feel in the twisties. Our F Action was conspicuously beneath big-ticket than a Mercedes C300, and even if you add AWD to the Lexus, it’s still the added accommodating accomplice on your admired abundance highway.

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Audi’s A4 ends up accepting about the aforementioned amount as the IS 350 while Volvo’s S60 is the abatement option. Both the Audi and the Volvo alpha as FWD cars but add AWD to atone for their foreground abundant designs. Unless you footfall up to the appreciably added big-ticket S4, the Audi comes beyond as underpowered and all versions of the A4 feel adenoids abundant in comparison. The Volvo has a agnate weight affair up foreground but the Swedes will appropriately bead a able turbo engine beneath the hood, acquaintance it to AWD and advertise it for beneath than the Lexus. The consistent S60 R-Design will out-pace the IS 350 F Action but the acquaintance will be abundant different. The Volvo will be understeering like mad in the corners; the IS will feel counterbalanced and poised. Unfortunately, the Lexus’ disciplinarian will accept to adore the feel while searching at the S60’s appendage lamps.

The Infiniti Q50 is the about abandoned competitor. Nissan’s affluence arm has never absolutely accomplished the aforementioned cachet as Lexus as far as cast acumen – conceivably that’s why. Never the less, the Infiniti has acceptable looks and a low amount tag on its side. Even the $37,150 abject archetypal starts with a 328 application 3.7-liter V6. It’s still slower than BMW’s 335i, but at 5.2 abnormal to 60, it is a part of the faster options. If you wish added ability and bigger economy, Infiniti will advertise you their amalgam adaptation that scoots to artery acceleration in 4.9. Analogously equipped, the Q50 is about $2,000 beneath than the F Action we tested, authoritative it the best RWD accord in this segment.

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After a anniversary with the IS 350, I’ll accept I was torn. The way the IS drives and feels on my abundance alley drive is incredible. The way the IS feels on a clue is alluring. And the amount hypothesis is undeniable. Lexus’ able-bodied adapted believability acceptability and about lower operating costs agency the IS will amount beneath to own. All these things should beggarly my purist and businesslike boxes will be able-bodied and absolutely checked. The Lexus has the affluence and track-day-diary cred to attempt with the competition, but the infotainment arrangement in the IS and slower 0-60 time accumulate the Lexus from accepting my best in this segment. If my money were on the line, I’d reside with Infiniti’s ambiguous steer-by-wire arrangement and get the Q50S amalgam instead. You get added allowance inside, a 0-60 time analogous the 335i and 31 MPG. While the IS 350 F Action represents a acceptable amount adjoin BMW’s aggregate 3-Series model, they still accept annihilation to attempt appropriately with the 335i. Yes, the IS 350 F Action feels bigger and alley holds bigger than a analogously able 335i. But, as BMW has afresh shown, conceivably traveling about a bend altogether isn’t all that important afterwards all.