Lexus IS350 Impressions
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From: fayetteville, nc
there is a pretty lengthy thread about what would it take for infiniti to beat bmw in a mag comparo...
and the typos in the opening statement made me chuckle a little. break = brake
"- Breaking: This was a close call, both cars break extremely well,"
funny... you'd think this statement would be better suited when discussing the bmw's.
and the typos in the opening statement made me chuckle a little. break = brake
"- Breaking: This was a close call, both cars break extremely well,"
funny... you'd think this statement would be better suited when discussing the bmw's.
Originally Posted by Sukairain
btw: can somebody explain to me why the Lexus 3.5L makes 306hp but their 4.3L V8 only makes 300hp? It will be interesting when the GS350 is released and people compare the package with the GS430.
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Originally Posted by Sukairain
btw: I just read through the Car & Driver $35k sport sedans comparo. I was left with a few questions in my mind.
1) How did they price a IS350 & BMW330i under $35k? Base model? I can't even built one on Lexus.com or bmwusa.com that will fit in the price range.
2) How did the BMW330i win the comparo after doing the unthinkable. The bimmer whipped out a wild 360 at a 70-0 emergency braking test. Hello~ that's an automatic disqualification for ANY vehicle let alone a performance sedan. The only vehicle that might kill you when tapped the brake too hard. Minor electronic problem? Understatement of the week.
3) I fail to see how the 2005 placed 3rd place in the comparo? It's the cheapest, most spacious, most proven, has the best resale value, and one of the best handling and the second fastest car. Huh~ After reading all that stuff, I simply don't understand why they placed BMW 1st and IS350 2nd.
1) How did they price a IS350 & BMW330i under $35k? Base model? I can't even built one on Lexus.com or bmwusa.com that will fit in the price range.
2) How did the BMW330i win the comparo after doing the unthinkable. The bimmer whipped out a wild 360 at a 70-0 emergency braking test. Hello~ that's an automatic disqualification for ANY vehicle let alone a performance sedan. The only vehicle that might kill you when tapped the brake too hard. Minor electronic problem? Understatement of the week.
3) I fail to see how the 2005 placed 3rd place in the comparo? It's the cheapest, most spacious, most proven, has the best resale value, and one of the best handling and the second fastest car. Huh~ After reading all that stuff, I simply don't understand why they placed BMW 1st and IS350 2nd.
Originally Posted by Sukairain
btw: I just read through the Car & Driver $35k sport sedans comparo. I was left with a few questions in my mind.
1) How did they price a IS350 & BMW330i under $35k? Base model? I can't even built one on Lexus.com or bmwusa.com that will fit in the price range.
2) How did the BMW330i win the comparo after doing the unthinkable. The bimmer whipped out a wild 360 at a 70-0 emergency braking test. Hello~ that's an automatic disqualification for ANY vehicle let alone a performance sedan. The only vehicle that might kill you when tapped the brake too hard. Minor electronic problem? Understatement of the week.
3) I fail to see how the 2005 placed 3rd place in the comparo? It's the cheapest, most spacious, most proven, has the best resale value, and one of the best handling and the second fastest car. Huh~ After reading all that stuff, I simply don't understand why they placed BMW 1st and IS350 2nd.
1) How did they price a IS350 & BMW330i under $35k? Base model? I can't even built one on Lexus.com or bmwusa.com that will fit in the price range.
2) How did the BMW330i win the comparo after doing the unthinkable. The bimmer whipped out a wild 360 at a 70-0 emergency braking test. Hello~ that's an automatic disqualification for ANY vehicle let alone a performance sedan. The only vehicle that might kill you when tapped the brake too hard. Minor electronic problem? Understatement of the week.
3) I fail to see how the 2005 placed 3rd place in the comparo? It's the cheapest, most spacious, most proven, has the best resale value, and one of the best handling and the second fastest car. Huh~ After reading all that stuff, I simply don't understand why they placed BMW 1st and IS350 2nd.
2) Who knows? There is a long thread about that. They used intangibles to rate it, such as "driving feel".
3) I don't know. I think the fact that a 3 year old model is hanging in there with brand new models says a lot for the G35.
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From: NC
Originally Posted by OCG35
Nice review (1st post) - thanks for taking the time.
I haven’t had time to test drive the IS350 yet, and to be honest I was afraid I might be tempted to switch. I've been hearing a lot of rumble about its performance. For me the "niceties" wouldn’t be enough to trade, but if performance was far superior I might consider it.
I'm glad to hear that (in your opinion) it doesn’t necessarily out perform the G35. I will however test-drive it eventually - although I don’t really like the looks of it.
I Hope Nissan/Infiniti comes out with a stunner in '07! (besides the 70K GTR)
I haven’t had time to test drive the IS350 yet, and to be honest I was afraid I might be tempted to switch. I've been hearing a lot of rumble about its performance. For me the "niceties" wouldn’t be enough to trade, but if performance was far superior I might consider it.
I'm glad to hear that (in your opinion) it doesn’t necessarily out perform the G35. I will however test-drive it eventually - although I don’t really like the looks of it.
I Hope Nissan/Infiniti comes out with a stunner in '07! (besides the 70K GTR)
My review is really based on the AWD version which were one of the reasons why I purchased the G35x, for I was looking for an AWD car. This AWD system is clearly superior to any other offering, and I find it funny that BMW's X drive is a mere copy of the system. - not sure what people see in BMW's...
Anyway, It is something to say that this is really still the 1st iteration of the G35, and this is going against the 2nd generation IS350 and how many iterations of the 330...? Not bad at all even if some magazine place it 3rd or whatever. Again, if the IS350 had a comparable AWD system like the G35x, it would have been really close for me. Granted the IS350 is small, but there is always a give-and-take which is different for all of us. Give it a drive to see for yourself, I'm sure you'll still be happy w/your G35.
Speaking of 2nd generations, look at the M - this goes head-to-head with the GS430 which also a new generation and the BMW5. I’ve drove them all and if I was in the market to drop $60K on a car, the M is the clear winner. This car gives up nothing in performance, interior design, ect, ect, ect. If this is any indication of what is in store for the G35, look out
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Toronto, GTA north
Originally Posted by RLampke
.......
Speaking of 2nd generations, look at the M - this goes head-to-head with the GS430 which also a new generation and the BMW5. I’ve drove them all and if I was in the market to drop $60K on a car, the M is the clear winner. This car gives up nothing in performance, interior design, ect, ect, ect. If this is any indication of what is in store for the G35, look out
Speaking of 2nd generations, look at the M - this goes head-to-head with the GS430 which also a new generation and the BMW5. I’ve drove them all and if I was in the market to drop $60K on a car, the M is the clear winner. This car gives up nothing in performance, interior design, ect, ect, ect. If this is any indication of what is in store for the G35, look out
I think is exactly what's in store for the G
Last edited by InTgr8r; Oct 28, 2005 at 10:45 AM.
I agree fully with that review. The IS350 is a really nice car. It does some things better than the G35 but not all. I love the feel of the seats and the look of the interior. Performance wise, the G35 is better hands down. If they cost the same, I would have a hard time chosing. Since the Lexus costs more, you should expect more.
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From: Santa Clara, CA
Originally Posted by yassy
maybe you should read this article folks.
lexus still beat g35 (although by margin). I would still opt for g35.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=8
lexus still beat g35 (although by margin). I would still opt for g35.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=8
whoever is thinkin about trading to the is..take tat 7 grand you gonna pay extra for it..and buy urself something nice..7 grand nice..hahaha
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From: Houston, TX
I test drove the IS350. In fact I was going to buy one. After driving the G35 I was torn between the two cars.
Bottomline for me.
You get MORE car for less money if you go Infiniti. At the base level. For 35k on the G35 you get more options. The base price of the IS350 is around $36,900 and you get less options than what the G offers.
For me the winner was clear. G35.
Bottomline for me.
You get MORE car for less money if you go Infiniti. At the base level. For 35k on the G35 you get more options. The base price of the IS350 is around $36,900 and you get less options than what the G offers.
For me the winner was clear. G35.
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From: East Bay Area, California
Originally Posted by Nickk6
I heard they are making a bigger V8 for the GS430 when the GS350 comes out. So it will get upped as well.
Not saying they won't make a larger engine, but they can obviously pull a lot more horsepower per liter out of the 430 if they use the same technology they've used in the 350 motor. Maybe the 430 design won't allow it to be upgraded/modified, so they're designing a new engine? Anybody know ??
i love the way the new lexus IS looks, especially in photos... but the more i look at it in person, the less I like it, but i still like it. the only thing is that the rear isn't as attractive as the body line and front end.
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Originally Posted by IP05G35
How does the IS350 trap 98mph in the 1/4 mile in one mag and 104mph in another? That is a difference of about 60hp, seems like it was a "ringer" to me.
That is straight bull****. It will not trap 104 stock. Part of the marketing hype that Lexus can come back and quote upon in the future. Again kick backs to magazines. All magazines do it from cars to cosmetics. Why does the magazine care? There are no regulators of magazine reviews other than a few intellingent readers all they care about is getting paid via adverstising or bs reviews.
don't know about this happening again, but last night I smoked an is350 off the line (rolling start) by about 3 car lengths. We both had passengers; I'm 05 6mt w/ stillen gen 2.