As a fellow G35x owner, I was intrigued by the Lexus IS350 offering as a direct competitor, so I finally got around to test drive one. I actually got the dealer to release one for a full day as I'm a current Lexus owner as well ['05 RX 330], and I wanted to see what it was like to "live" w/the car in my everyday life. Driving around the block and expecting someone to shell out $44K is not my idea of a real test. Nevertheless, here are my impressions:

- Acceleration: 1st off the IS350 is really fast, make no mistake. But for some reason it "seemed" slower then it was, most likely because of the extremely quiet interior. It was almost Honda Gold wing quiet if you know-what-I-mean. This car is much quieter than my RX330, but I think it's too quiet if there is such a statement to be made.

- Handling: Clearly Lexus decided to setup the suspension on the soft side, even on the sport model and let the tires do most of the work. It works well but again I did not feel like I was "part" of the driving experience. It's no where near say, a Lexus ES330, but it was not as involving as my G35x - but it was still better than most offerings. My G35x handles w/precision and soaks up imperfections nicely, but I'm running Michelin MXM4's so I'm sure that makes a difference also. What I did like is the absence of the "spring recoil" that I feel sometimes on my G35x, but overall my G35x is more controlled, but the IS350 is not that far behind.

- Interior /Telematics /sounds system: IS350 is the clear winner, hands down - this was the most dramatic differences between the two cars for me. Going back into my G35 felt like I was sitting in a GM design interior. A strong statement and maybe not deserved, but it was that different. The execution of the DVD Navi, Mark Levinson audio, flawless fit and finish and attention to detain was stunning. It was refreshing not to see orange The beltline was also low like my G35x, so that was refreshing also for I hate a high beltline.

- Breaking: This was a close call, both cars break extremely well, but for some reason, panic stops are more confident in my G35x than it was in the IS350. Perhaps it was due to the softer suspension setup in the IS350, but whatever it was I did not feel as secure. Kind of disappointing for the IS350 wears some massive brakes.

- Drivetrain: Even though the IS350 is ultra smooth, my G35s just executes this better. I experienced some delay shifting in the IS350 that I did not care for [is this not why one would put shift paddles on a car for..?], where as my G35x never skips a beat - the transmission always feels ready for my input immediately, and executes those commands flawlessly. Again, it’s not that the IS350 is bad, it's just felt that the IS350 was deciding on what to do and not letting me make the decisions.

And let’s not forget the lack of AWD in the IS350 - this was very disappointing for a $44K car. Although one can hardly tell the difference between the IS350 RWD and the AWD setup of the G35x on everyday dry roads - it will make a huge difference once the snow starts flying as it will soon where I live. In my opinion, this is a clear miss-execution on Lexus's part. No way I'm going to "dumb-down" to the IS250 when I have a 280 HP+ machine w/AWD now.

There is more that I could write, so if you need more information, let me know, but in conclusion, there is just not enough of the IS350 that I liked other than the interior that would make me trade up. If the IS350 has AWD, I might have signed the papers.

 

nice

 

Nice detailed report

 

so you like G35x over IS350?
only if they make coupe version. i'd be interested.
also a quick question for shifting.
you know how it looks like SMG shifting.
how fast does it shift compare to MM of nissan?

 

I test drove the IS350 and i would agree with your opinons fully.

One thing i should mention is how amazing the lexus navigation system is:

when searching for a restaurant just simply command it and all the restaurants will appear, then if its a major chain an icon will appear for the restaurant ie. the golden arches for mcdonalds....then if you hit the icon it will bring up the address and number for the planc and then simply tell the car to call and it will....seemless integration....and the screen resoluation was unbelievable!!!! so damn clear and modern looking....it makes my navi look like crap interms of user interface and visual display....

The back seats were very small....we're talking g35 coupe small....there was no room for my legs back there and im only 5'10"

to me it flet like there was too much going on in the car at once, i like the simplicity of the G...

Great car, but not worth the price IMO

 

It's not an "SMG" Tranny - it's just an manumatic w/shift paddles. There is a noticable delay in shifting compared to the G35 Tranny. If you ever driven a Lexus product, you know what I'm talking about. Again, it's like it's making the decision to shift itself and ignoring my driving habits - not so w/the G35.

 

Could not agree w/you more, that display is absolutely stunning and is actually running @ 1280x1024 if I'm not mistaken - laptop quality. Again, the whole execution of the interor minus the rear seat room is something that must be seen in person to fully appreciate; totally in another league over the G35 or any other car I've sat in including BMW and Mercedes.

Again, if the IS350 was AWD, I most likely would have traded in for it - but no way I'm paying $44K and no AWD.

 

It all sounds nice...BUT the car looks like an Acura TSX (slightly bigger). I saw it in person and no performance or luxury inside the car will change that. JMHO.

 

Checkout the latest Speed Magazine(R &T publication). It shows a comparison of the G(6MT), BMW330i(6MT) and the I350(auto) with the BMW first, G second and the IS350 third. It also shows the the G as the fastest of the 3 in both 0-60 and Q mile!
0-60 G35 = 5.8; IS 350 = 6.0
1/4 Mile G35 14.4 @ 99mph; IS 350 14.5 @ 98mph
Have a great Day

 

Was this the newest 330?

 

I saw one today and looked in my rear view to see if it was a 250 or 350 and I thought it looked like a Mazda 6 Sedan.

 

It all depends on what you like - there are more issues here than speed, at least for me. Granted I'm not going to be satisified w/the likes of the TSX or the IS250 for that matter, but if speed was all that was at hand, I'd be in a Z06 or something along thoes lines instead of a G35.

Again I do like my G35x overall considering all the factors over the IS350, at least until they install and comparable AWD sytem as the G35x has. Then I think you'll see more G35x owners seriously considering the IS350, but not until then.

 

I agree, drove the is350, 250awd, and 330i (go taste of lexus) and I think coming out of the event I prefered the 330i, out of everything else there.

 

where can i get the Speed Mag, with that comparo...is it a fairly common mag? i dont recognize it

i have called 5 stores 'round here....anyone have scans?

 

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