@@RK1FX So a recall to fix the isolated issues a car has is being unreliable? If it has a CEL popping up every couple months that's a problem. A single isolated recall isn't an issue.
Toyota/Lexus have always made cars with less hp and torque than the rest. But in 20 years the engine will run just like how it was new. I rather have a great 300hp car over a cheap shitty 350hp car.
Great review! Sounds like you felt the car didn't need more power. The guys from The Fast Lane Car channel thought it needed 100 more hp. I thought your review was more thorough.
Those guys at TFL Car are reviewing cars at high altitude. The competitors with turbos and superchargers will feel a lot stronger in that situation. But toward the beginning of this video Matt says that it would be a lot better with a couple of turbos. Then later says that the engine matches the chassis perfectly. So I'm not really sure what he thinks. It kind of depends on if you are comparing the IS350 to the A4/328 or S4/335i. It sort of slots in between each of those when you look at horsepower, but on price it's toward the lower end of those models (A4/328). This IS350 seems like a pretty good value at $48k once you try to option the Audi and BMW to match on features.
I don't drift on public roads, ever. It's dangerous, disrespectful to the people who trust us to keep their cars in good working order, and a terrible example to set.
people always say "it's been so long" or things like that, and it has never, ever been that long. The longest it ever gets in between uploading either a TST or DRIVE video is like 2 weeks, maximum. It takes time to make these videos, especially if you have another job (I have four other jobs). We do them as fast as we can.
THIS is how all reviews should be - honest opinions about the character, feel, and soul of the car. Other reviews may as well just be ad-reels, spouting off specs and numbers but telling you nothing about DRIVING the car. Your description was so good that by the end I felt like I had ridden along with you. I've been watching since the early days of Garage 419, and will continue to do so - keep up the good work Matt!
I love the older is250, is350 and ISF body style. Less curves and more clean angles. True the dash doesn’t have much. But it looks smooth. But i will admit. I do like the air vents better on these new ones. I have a black 2007 is250 as my daily. Its not the fastest but i like the looks and the fact that it now has 240k miles and its still solid, reliable, smooth turns on with no hesitation no vibrations and very minor repairs. So eventually when my baby dies. If I don’t die first. Lol. IL b looking into another lexus sedans. I always loved the small sedans like my favorite was 3 series BMWs and A4 Audi. But now The is models stole my heart. Anyways for all the BMW, Lexus and Audi lovers. Keep loving and enjoy them. Be safe ✌🏼
If you're buying rather than leasing, I'd trust this car's long-term resale value, reliability, and Lexus's exceptional customer service over any one of the german competition, especially when it starts to get higher in miles. Remember, NO car in its class does anything exceptionally well; they are all designed to be well-rounders.
I went out and got the new FSport and love absolutely everything about it. Amazing car and unlike some people, I love the looks and especially the front end. I really do think you need to see it in person.
They always have something to bitch about no matter how great a Japanese car is. Don't even compare this to the overrated Audi A4. That car is so boring that I could only keep it for a year.
Alex i actually just test drove and audi A7 v6 and i was shocked at how weak it was relatively. when i drove the merc. E300 it was a beast on the road. right now my favourite in the class is the Lexus ES350. FWD? so what i dont care i dont drift. audi had more features than merc for less money. mercedes is ultimately the best but you have to pay for every little added feature. so if you want an E class thats a little less powerfull than the ES and with the same features you pay almost 25K dollars more. also the the ES cabin is quieter than anything else in the class.
Ahmed Nabil I mostly agree with you. Audi looks great and has the presence, but there is nothing special about its road manners and driving dynamics. It feels regular. It's only for show. The Lexus ES is the practical choice. It may cost less, but service costs is very high for Lexus even compared to Mercs. Yes, the ES is a quiet car indeed, but it does not feel as solid to drive as the Merc. And if you're unfortunate like I was, there might be rattling sounds in the cabin of a Lexus (quality control issues). But yes, I will choose the ES over an Audi any day. Merc and Bimmer is still my top choices though, with Lexus and Infiniti coming very close behind.
Alex infinity sucks if you compare it to lexus. not driving wise ofcourse. rattling sound in the cabin? that's a travesty. btw where i live the lexus service is very cheap and insurance covers 1million kilometers. there is nothin that beats mercedes. C class and S class. the Eclass has the signature merc driving experience but the interior sucks. ofcourse mercedes is the best car there it. but i'd still chose lexus everytime. especially the es or the GS(depending on the need for RWD) over the Eclass.
And I also appreciate the fact that the reviewer does a great job of setting his biases aside to give the car a proper review. Although he's more of a V8/forced induction kind of guy, he judges the N/A V6 for what it is.
Depends on what you're looking for when you're comparing a BMW 3 series with M sport package to the Lexus IS f sport. If you're looking for performance? Then go with BMW. If you're looking for a long term reliable car that you'll drive longer than it'll be in a mechanic shop within the next few years? Then go with Lexus. Are you looking for a long several hour drive that's comfortable and it won't hurt your back after you go for that long drive? Then get a Lexus. Are you looking for the type of car manufacturer that doesn't fix what's not broken in terms of style? Then go for BMW Are you looking for a car manufacturer to do something different and refreshing and take a risk with a new design that they've never done before especially since Lexus is now looking to attract a younger buyer to compete with BMW/Mercedes/Audi? Then go for Lexus Are you looking to be the person that has a car that looks like a sports car but doesn't actually perform like one but you care more about looks? Then go for Lexus. It really depends on what you, the buyer is looking for when it comes to entry level sporty luxury sedans.
+jetliigor Not anymore. That's old BMW. New BMW has engineered all of the passion and feel out of their cars, even the 3 series. The IS350 and especially the Cadillac ATS are more engaging drives in the segment. The 3 series' only performance strength is its engine line up, which remains great. In everything else related to driving quality, e.g. steering feel, chassis feel, etc., the IS is now better. The superior reliability is icing on the cake. BMW's reputation as the performance brand is out of date. It's now a luxury brand.
+Wolvesq ,let me blow your doors with my 335i M od I beat a stupid in a IS 350 sleeper who had a I am the Stig on his back quarter window on the right ,I laughed so hard when he came twice at me and could not pass me as we were approaching a school bus in his lane...I got the Stig ,the idiot ,I laughed so hard!!I have a convertable on top of it!
Great review! You're starting to become my favorite car reviewer, love your humor, & your reviews of certain cars are exactly what I think of them. Also I like how you're extremely unbiased & give a good honest review
Excellent review video. This is one of the best review videos I've seen. I like how frank the reviewer is. He talks about the highs and lows of the car alike which is how reviews should be. I can't stand it when review videos are all one note (either overly gushing/positive or overly negative).
again, most people is not "you could never." It's the absolutism of your original statement that gets me, not that most people won't think the IS is fast enough. Too many people use absolutist statements in comments, and it's the absolutism itself that is incorrect, not the point they are trying to make.
That intake sound reminds me of the alfa 155, people dont know how much the intake sound resonating inside the cabin can be a turn on until they drive an NA, high revving engine to the red line... To me the sound is just great, there is something that reminds of the late 80's sport euro cars... but still, should have a manual
that's because i absolutely hated the car, but I didn't want to get banned from Hyundai for totally trashing it, so I just did the whole review without talking about the car at all. When I reviewed the second-gen Genesis Coupe, many of my complaints had been addressed and it's a much better car now.
Yes, you're supposed to be able to "tug" the lever to shift up, and "push" the lever to shift down. That's how race cars work; the action of the lever is in line with the G-forces on the car at the time. This is reversed. That is wrong.
that's a good point, and I certainly wouldn't buy a manual without driving it first. I think it also has to do with fuel economy; the 8-speed automatic will get better mileage than the 6-speed manual would, and they need those extra numbers for CAFE.
that's the thing, its the easiest thing in the world to make a car louder. So if you start with something that isn't overwhelmingly loud, but sounds nice, it's a good starting point to go as loud as you want later, while not bothering the people who want to buy a lexus for the refinement.
Well, one thing to consider is that it IS a glorified automatic. It's the best you can do if you are going to stick with a torque converter auto. The torque converter locks after second gear for faster shifts, but it's still an automatic. They want that low-speed smoothness that a dual clutch isn't quite as good at yet. It is fast enough to have fun in, and it rev-matches downshifts well, but it's not the fastest paddle trans you can buy.
podcasts go live every wednesday on iTunes. We've not done a live video one in a couple weeks because we were short handed. We're going to do another live video on Wednesday after filiming.
someone once told me that it's because people don't use the lever to shift the same way racing drivers do; they want to "tug" it to "grab a lower gear" to overtake someone or something like that. To me, that sounded stupid, but at least now we're at the point where paddles are getting pretty much standardized.
I must say, I was not a fan of this new styling when IS first came out, but now, after some time it has grown up on me. I even like the odd headlamps and the predator mouth grill. The only disappointing part of the car is the engine. As Matt pointed out, it's just not inspiring and special enough. Makes enough power, but the sound is not very nice. All in all, it's a great, unique car and I would definitely go for the IS over the Germans.
Povilas Svedas As you said. The spindle/preadator mouth starting to grow on me now. I still hate the F-sport grill (I will take the regular one over it anyday) but it is not as disgusting as I first saw it. The 2GR-FSE 3.5 V6 isn't a bad engine by any means; 306hp & 277lb/ft aren't bad numbers. My mother owns a W204 C350 which also has a 3.5 V6 and while newer 335i & C400 has turbos which give lots of low end shove you don't get a nice exhaust note or linear power delivery by the exhilaration of revving it up. While turbos are fun, I still enjoy NA engines.
man, i never get people who complain about a v6 engine! for one thing, i feel they lack the appreciation, the understanding and the history behind this iconic design. and this is quite an old design, with lancia pioneering the production in the 60s, if memory serves me correctly. i feel like people complaining over a v6 just lack that automotive and engineering appreciation. as a v6 is not a lesser v8, neither it is a larger i4. it is a superb configuration in its own right, balancing, weight, power and torque delivery. all of the v6s i've seen with aftermarket exhasts produce the most amazing of exhaust notes, quite recognizable and even more sophisticated sound than a v8. v8 just sounds brutal most of the time. the ability to appreciate the sound of a v6, of course, is almost completely down to the choice of the exhaust system.
While I can appreciate the sentiment, Greg, your channel has only 333 subscribers at the time of this writing. We have nothing to gain from giving you a shirt to wear for an audience that small, whereas if I plug your channel, that goes to nearly 100,000 subscribers. That's not a fair trade.
Pretty much spot on with my personal experiences as an owner. I was able to get my '14 IS350 F Sport for $41.9k with a great lease rate. At heart I still love Germany vehicles, but value wise this was too hard to pass on. Having said that, I've done 5 trackdays with my IS now and I have a feeling that the competitors are still more track-worthy from the factory. Keep the excellent videos coming!
I want one. Driven the IS250 and I enjoyed the chassis, the interior and the build quality. Lexus really has upped the game on this gen of IS. However I come from driving parent's C350. That car has 302hp, and the IS250 simply doesn't have enough to make me really enjoy it. I want the IS350 but unfortunately slightly out of price range :(
If you’re a regular everyday joe, get a Lexus. I even got the 250 because I knew I wasn’t gonna use all 300 hp with the 350 (I’m a college student, don’t want the urge to burn more fuel lol) Unless you’ve got the money and a knack for repairing automotive or know a good shop for German cars, stay away from their high performing vehicles. It’s never worth it.
I'd rather have the IS350 than the 328i or the ATS. The ATS has better steering feel, the BMW has a better MMI system and interior, but the Lexus (at least the 350) is a lot faster than either of the other options and the most practical use of a four-door car without being huge.
I'd say it's more customer mentalities than dealer mentalities. You can order basically any car from any dealer, you'll just have to wait for it. You may have to pay a little extra, but if I really wanted a manual transmission and the dealer didn't have one on the lot in a color i wanted, a good dealer would get the car I wanted for a fair price.
The 335i that I tested a few months back was $58k. I priced one out the way I'd want it, and it would be right up there in the high 50's. Plus, I like the 328 better than the 335. I like a 3-series in the $40k range. Once it gets over like $52k, they've lost me.
IF you drive more than 30 minutes highway to work and there's the potential winter potholes this is the most reasonably fast and comfortable ride you can get.
Just picked my IS350 up yesterday. Very happy so far! I chose this over a CLA45. At the end of the day the Mercedes was overpriced IMO. After I equipped the CLA with what a fully loaded Lexus had, the price was $73k; that wasn't even fully loaded!! Now remember, the starting price is $49k; I might as well go and buy a Porsche at that price! I was able to get to every option on the IS350 for $53k! Both cars are fun to drive, the Mercedes was a little faster; but that increase in power wasn't worth $20k.
People forget that the IS had the straight six mated to a manual transmission with LSD in the IS300 5spd from 2002-2005. No one bought it because Lexus wasn't making performance cars at the time so they didn't have the audience. If you can find one drive it, they are brilliant. Great dual purpose Auto-X/Daily Driver. One of these day a RUclips car channel will do a review of that car.
People in their 20's and 30's buy this type of car. People in this age range, either also either married or just looking to get laid. If you're looking to get laid, F sport IS is the car to get. My friend just bought a 2015 F sport 250 model and yesterday we went out for his first drive in it and everywhere we parked hot girls would come up to us and say the car looks so hot. That aggressive looking sporty and edgy and unique design for the F sport is a great ice breaker to attract hot women.
+Lam Bro My dad won an 2015 is250, and when we brought it home, people would always sneak into our drive way to take a look at the car!! and when we go shopping with it, people walking by would always stare and give it a thumbs up! puts a smile on not just my face, but everyone who looks at it as well!
calling you out for being a moron isn't "talking shit." It's reminding you that if you're going to try to be a smartass, it helps if you actually have the correct facts. And I don't know what you mean by "fighting," because I haven't been a fight since the 4th grade. But since you offer nothing of value to me or the rest of the audience here, you're banned from speaking here again.
AutoStick was terrible too. If you want to make the car feel sporty by choosing your own gears in an automatic transmission, the correct way is pull to upshift, push to downshift. Any other method, side to side, push to upshift, fuckin spin it in a circle, that's all wrong. Pull, up, Push down. There is only one correct way and that's it. Any other method goes against the natural G-forces of the car.
good catch. Being a pre-production car, this particular car's fit and finish wasn't exactly perfect in a few areas, and that's to be expected. The gas cap was the most obvious one, it didn't sit quite flush when closed.
I like Inline sixes and flat sixes (as long as they are in a Porsche, not a subaru). The charger is faster and handles better than you'd think. That 5-speed transmission sucks but if you get the new one with the 8-speed youre good to go.
well that's not exactly true. The fastest accelerating car I've ever driven to this day was a 1974 Pontiac GTO that ran 8.90's and did wheelies, but that was just in quarter mile. I'm not saying the V6 is a terrible engine, but compared to other configurations, don't sound very "sporting." The inline sixes sound much better.
You can make any car fast as hell. You can't make a car un-shitty. The 1993-2002 F-body cars are just garbage in terms of build quality, and all the power, brakes, and suspension in the world can't un-shittify that cabin.
Lexus offered manual transmissions in the first and second generation IS. Because nobody bought them, they didn't bother continuing it. When people complain about manufacturers not offering manual, they really should be complaining about people not buying the manual when it's offered.
Another great review Matt. Seems like you answer more questions and mention more things that real world drivers actually care about, as opposed to figure eight times and Laguna Seca lap times in cars that almost nobody is going to track, or if they do they aren't going to reach even 85% of the car's potential. I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that the front end of the car looks like a deep sea fish though
there's no point to doing a review of a car that hasn't been produced in 8 years. we'd go through all the effort of shooting it, editing it, etc, and about 6 people would watch it.
I'm in love with the looks of this car and this is coming from someone who really didn't like Lexus that much. Such a shame they're not going to sell a diesel version in Europe, it could have been a real 3 series contender here too..
Exactly, I didn't mention the traction control because Matt covered it and it can be switched off. Yes, it would be even better if it had a forgiving "sport" mode, but turning it off works too :)
That would be me lol... I'll work on it. Tom has been so busy with other work that I edit the "one take" videos myself now, and I'm still kind of a beginner at it.
The grille takes some getting used to for sure, BUT like anything that gets a radical change; it takes some time to get used to it. I liken it to a Led Zeppelin album each was so different from the other. At first I didn't "get it" but after awhile I did and who doesn't like all LZ albums now??
Really? That's rare to hear a comment like yours. All i can say is you are missing out. You remind me of the rock critics when Zeppelin cam on the scene. They didn't like Zeppelin...the reason was Zep was so different that they "didn't get it." They have all since c hanged their minds. Go to a video of Zep and read the comment. All these years later Zeppelin is still front and center. Sorry that you don't get it.
Great review Matt. What I could not get over during watching the review was the shift delay between pulling the paddle to shift and the gear engaging. Seamed to me like a glorified automatic rather than a sporty transmission. Maybe it's just the audio dubbing that creates that lag. Great car nonetheless. .
That's a really cool gauge cluster. I'm optimistic about the new IS-F. Hopefully they ironed out the kinks from the first IS-F model which kept it just behind the M3 in many areas.
Matt, another great video. You may want to let whomever is editing your videos know that they often cut off your audio level too early when doing transitions.
right, but "plenty of power to be decently fast and fun" is wildly different from "can never be called underpowered," and is certainly different from "fast." It's quick, but to someone who is used to a fast car, it's not fast.
Yes, this transmission is the same as the old IS-F's, which locks the torque converter above second gear for faster shifts. It's much better than before. I don't like G37's, way too far in the guido department for me.
I like that the engine is overriding the exhaust, I know most people like exhausts but personally I find a lot of appeal in the sound of bits of metal clanking about. You can get a loud exhaust noise by switching out some pipes but a nice engine note is ingrained into the car.
That's great news. I was disappointed when I heard they were going to discontinue the IS-F. I certainly hope the RC-F will make it through to production.
I love the new interior - not just the gauge cluster, the rest looks great too. I just wish Lexus had also introduced a new flagship IS-F, there's a lot of conflicting information out there currently - they're bringing the ISF back, they're not bringing it back, etc.
Interior looks great, engine has that good sound that you wanna here. I went to the lexus dealership and tesr drove one and it is a beauty, but I do agree with the exhaust part
Lexus is way better and way more reliable. It will run forever and have a good resale value, unlike German competitors.
JDM Toyota sadly its not that reliable anymore... rcf, gsf have a huge recall now for the fuel pumps
Yes
@@RK1FX So a recall to fix the isolated issues a car has is being unreliable? If it has a CEL popping up every couple months that's a problem. A single isolated recall isn't an issue.
@@d1sturb3d119 Right! Bmw just had to recall all the Zupras due to faulty welds... The saga continues.
Totally agreed German car is becoming a joke on reliability
Lexus listened to you have added a sports exhaust and better tire options.
Ultimate driving machine with the ultimate reliability
Toyota/Lexus have always made cars with less hp and torque than the rest. But in 20 years the engine will run just like how it was new. I rather have a great 300hp car over a cheap shitty 350hp car.
Turbo Turbo truuu. and like my old. sc400 the is350 handles
a 100 shot very well
Whether the BMW is faster or not, I'd take the F any day.
Why?
Kreal911 Because I love the IS F cars. They look awesome and have great mods available.
Jared Moore is350 F isnt isF yo
Frankie Cheang My bad, I just meant it in an all encompassing way(each of the F cars 250, 350, etc.).
more like Is250/350 with F sport package
Great review! Sounds like you felt the car didn't need more power. The guys from The Fast Lane Car channel thought it needed 100 more hp. I thought your review was more thorough.
Those guys at TFL Car are reviewing cars at high altitude. The competitors with turbos and superchargers will feel a lot stronger in that situation.
But toward the beginning of this video Matt says that it would be a lot better with a couple of turbos. Then later says that the engine matches the chassis perfectly. So I'm not really sure what he thinks.
It kind of depends on if you are comparing the IS350 to the A4/328 or S4/335i. It sort of slots in between each of those when you look at horsepower, but on price it's toward the lower end of those models (A4/328). This IS350 seems like a pretty good value at $48k once you try to option the Audi and BMW to match on features.
I don't drift on public roads, ever. It's dangerous, disrespectful to the people who trust us to keep their cars in good working order, and a terrible example to set.
people always say "it's been so long" or things like that, and it has never, ever been that long. The longest it ever gets in between uploading either a TST or DRIVE video is like 2 weeks, maximum. It takes time to make these videos, especially if you have another job (I have four other jobs). We do them as fast as we can.
Had the option of a 5 series or the IS 350. Bought the Lexus. Want reliability.
THIS is how all reviews should be - honest opinions about the character, feel, and soul of the car. Other reviews may as well just be ad-reels, spouting off specs and numbers but telling you nothing about DRIVING the car. Your description was so good that by the end I felt like I had ridden along with you.
I've been watching since the early days of Garage 419, and will continue to do so - keep up the good work Matt!
I love the older is250, is350 and ISF body style. Less curves and more clean angles. True the dash doesn’t have much. But it looks smooth. But i will admit. I do like the air vents better on these new ones. I have a black 2007 is250 as my daily. Its not the fastest but i like the looks and the fact that it now has 240k miles and its still solid, reliable, smooth turns on with no hesitation no vibrations and very minor repairs. So eventually when my baby dies. If I don’t die first. Lol. IL b looking into another lexus sedans. I always loved the small sedans like my favorite was 3 series BMWs and A4 Audi. But now The is models stole my heart. Anyways for all the BMW, Lexus and Audi lovers. Keep loving and enjoy them. Be safe ✌🏼
If you're buying rather than leasing, I'd trust this car's long-term resale value, reliability, and Lexus's exceptional customer service over any one of the german competition, especially when it starts to get higher in miles. Remember, NO car in its class does anything exceptionally well; they are all designed to be well-rounders.
I went out and got the new FSport and love absolutely everything about it. Amazing car and unlike some people, I love the looks and especially the front end. I really do think you need to see it in person.
They always have something to bitch about no matter how great a Japanese car is. Don't even compare this to the overrated Audi A4. That car is so boring that I could only keep it for a year.
But did it last a year? Those 2.0T motors are such trash, Audi is ready to send out a recall on those just like they did for the 1.8Trash.
Lol I have the B8 A4, it's trash compared to the new IS.
Alex i actually just test drove and audi A7 v6 and i was shocked at how weak it was relatively. when i drove the merc. E300 it was a beast on the road. right now my favourite in the class is the Lexus ES350. FWD? so what i dont care i dont drift. audi had more features than merc for less money. mercedes is ultimately the best but you have to pay for every little added feature. so if you want an E class thats a little less powerfull than the ES and with the same features you pay almost 25K dollars more. also the the ES cabin is quieter than anything else in the class.
Ahmed Nabil I mostly agree with you. Audi looks great and has the presence, but there is nothing special about its road manners and driving dynamics. It feels regular. It's only for show. The Lexus ES is the practical choice. It may cost less, but service costs is very high for Lexus even compared to Mercs. Yes, the ES is a quiet car indeed, but it does not feel as solid to drive as the Merc. And if you're unfortunate like I was, there might be rattling sounds in the cabin of a Lexus (quality control issues). But yes, I will choose the ES over an Audi any day. Merc and Bimmer is still my top choices though, with Lexus and Infiniti coming very close behind.
Alex infinity sucks if you compare it to lexus. not driving wise ofcourse. rattling sound in the cabin? that's a travesty. btw where i live the lexus service is very cheap and insurance covers 1million kilometers. there is nothin that beats mercedes. C class and S class. the Eclass has the signature merc driving experience but the interior sucks. ofcourse mercedes is the best car there it. but i'd still chose lexus everytime. especially the es or the GS(depending on the need for RWD) over the Eclass.
And I also appreciate the fact that the reviewer does a great job of setting his biases aside to give the car a proper review. Although he's more of a V8/forced induction kind of guy, he judges the N/A V6 for what it is.
I appreciate that these "one take" videos are very well done and don't seem at all like something that was thrown together last minute.
Lexus anyway of the week. Looks so much better, in my opinion.
Depends on what you're looking for when you're comparing a BMW 3 series with M sport package to the Lexus IS f sport.
If you're looking for performance? Then go with BMW.
If you're looking for a long term reliable car that you'll drive longer than it'll be in a mechanic shop within the next few years? Then go with Lexus.
Are you looking for a long several hour drive that's comfortable and it won't hurt your back after you go for that long drive? Then get a Lexus.
Are you looking for the type of car manufacturer that doesn't fix what's not broken in terms of style? Then go for BMW
Are you looking for a car manufacturer to do something different and refreshing and take a risk with a new design that they've never done before especially since Lexus is now looking to attract a younger buyer to compete with BMW/Mercedes/Audi? Then go for Lexus
Are you looking to be the person that has a car that looks like a sports car but doesn't actually perform like one but you care more about looks? Then go for Lexus.
It really depends on what you, the buyer is looking for when it comes to entry level sporty luxury sedans.
+jetliigor Not anymore. That's old BMW. New BMW has engineered all of the passion and feel out of their cars, even the 3 series. The IS350 and especially the Cadillac ATS are more engaging drives in the segment. The 3 series' only performance strength is its engine line up, which remains great. In everything else related to driving quality, e.g. steering feel, chassis feel, etc., the IS is now better. The superior reliability is icing on the cake. BMW's reputation as the performance brand is out of date. It's now a luxury brand.
+Wolvesq The BMW is better but it still will have more issues than a Lexus.
+Sonic_1000 Could not agree more!
+Wolvesq ,let me blow your doors with my 335i M od I beat a stupid in a IS 350 sleeper who had a I am the Stig on his back quarter window on the right ,I laughed so hard when he came twice at me and could not pass me as we were approaching a school bus in his lane...I got the Stig ,the idiot ,I laughed so hard!!I have a convertable on top of it!
What a passive aggressive comment lol
Great review! You're starting to become my favorite car reviewer, love your humor, & your reviews of certain cars are exactly what I think of them. Also I like how you're extremely unbiased & give a good honest review
What do you mean? We uploaded videos pretty regularly over the last couple months.
Excellent review video. This is one of the best review videos I've seen. I like how frank the reviewer is. He talks about the highs and lows of the car alike which is how reviews should be. I can't stand it when review videos are all one note (either overly gushing/positive or overly negative).
again, most people is not "you could never." It's the absolutism of your original statement that gets me, not that most people won't think the IS is fast enough. Too many people use absolutist statements in comments, and it's the absolutism itself that is incorrect, not the point they are trying to make.
That intake sound reminds me of the alfa 155, people dont know how much the intake sound resonating inside the cabin can be a turn on until they drive an NA, high revving engine to the red line...
To me the sound is just great, there is something that reminds of the late 80's sport euro cars... but still, should have a manual
that's because i absolutely hated the car, but I didn't want to get banned from Hyundai for totally trashing it, so I just did the whole review without talking about the car at all. When I reviewed the second-gen Genesis Coupe, many of my complaints had been addressed and it's a much better car now.
I enjoy these One Take videos. I can't imagine how difficult it is to drive and explain what you are experiencing at the same time. Keep it up!
Yes, you're supposed to be able to "tug" the lever to shift up, and "push" the lever to shift down. That's how race cars work; the action of the lever is in line with the G-forces on the car at the time. This is reversed. That is wrong.
that's a good point, and I certainly wouldn't buy a manual without driving it first. I think it also has to do with fuel economy; the 8-speed automatic will get better mileage than the 6-speed manual would, and they need those extra numbers for CAFE.
Can the 2014 BMW 3er reliability catch the 2014 Lexus IS350 F Sport ?
that's the thing, its the easiest thing in the world to make a car louder. So if you start with something that isn't overwhelmingly loud, but sounds nice, it's a good starting point to go as loud as you want later, while not bothering the people who want to buy a lexus for the refinement.
Well, one thing to consider is that it IS a glorified automatic. It's the best you can do if you are going to stick with a torque converter auto. The torque converter locks after second gear for faster shifts, but it's still an automatic. They want that low-speed smoothness that a dual clutch isn't quite as good at yet. It is fast enough to have fun in, and it rev-matches downshifts well, but it's not the fastest paddle trans you can buy.
podcasts go live every wednesday on iTunes. We've not done a live video one in a couple weeks because we were short handed. We're going to do another live video on Wednesday after filiming.
someone once told me that it's because people don't use the lever to shift the same way racing drivers do; they want to "tug" it to "grab a lower gear" to overtake someone or something like that. To me, that sounded stupid, but at least now we're at the point where paddles are getting pretty much standardized.
I must say, I was not a fan of this new styling when IS first came out, but now, after some time it has grown up on me. I even like the odd headlamps and the predator mouth grill. The only disappointing part of the car is the engine. As Matt pointed out, it's just not inspiring and special enough. Makes enough power, but the sound is not very nice. All in all, it's a great, unique car and I would definitely go for the IS over the Germans.
Povilas Svedas As you said. The spindle/preadator mouth starting to grow on me now. I still hate the F-sport grill (I will take the regular one over it anyday) but it is not as disgusting as I first saw it.
The 2GR-FSE 3.5 V6 isn't a bad engine by any means; 306hp & 277lb/ft aren't bad numbers. My mother owns a W204 C350 which also has a 3.5 V6 and while newer 335i & C400 has turbos which give lots of low end shove you don't get a nice exhaust note or linear power delivery by the exhilaration of revving it up. While turbos are fun, I still enjoy NA engines.
man, i never get people who complain about a v6 engine! for one thing, i feel they lack the appreciation, the understanding and the history behind this iconic design. and this is quite an old design, with lancia pioneering the production in the 60s, if memory serves me correctly. i feel like people complaining over a v6 just lack that automotive and engineering appreciation. as a v6 is not a lesser v8, neither it is a larger i4. it is a superb configuration in its own right, balancing, weight, power and torque delivery. all of the v6s i've seen with aftermarket exhasts produce the most amazing of exhaust notes, quite recognizable and even more sophisticated sound than a v8. v8 just sounds brutal most of the time. the ability to appreciate the sound of a v6, of course, is almost completely down to the choice of the exhaust system.
While I can appreciate the sentiment, Greg, your channel has only 333 subscribers at the time of this writing. We have nothing to gain from giving you a shirt to wear for an audience that small, whereas if I plug your channel, that goes to nearly 100,000 subscribers. That's not a fair trade.
Pretty much spot on with my personal experiences as an owner. I was able to get my '14 IS350 F Sport for $41.9k with a great lease rate. At heart I still love Germany vehicles, but value wise this was too hard to pass on. Having said that, I've done 5 trackdays with my IS now and I have a feeling that the competitors are still more track-worthy from the factory. Keep the excellent videos coming!
+Aaron Eberle ,Junge du brauchst einen BMW zwei jaher alt ! Used and still 2 year warranty is what you need to get or a 2006 M 3!!
I want one. Driven the IS250 and I enjoyed the chassis, the interior and the build quality. Lexus really has upped the game on this gen of IS.
However I come from driving parent's C350. That car has 302hp, and the IS250 simply doesn't have enough to make me really enjoy it. I want the IS350 but unfortunately slightly out of price range :(
Used market now is good
Just bought a 2011 350 f had more power than this one 😅 in Australia... 90ks $26,000... Closer to the Japan the cheaper my friend haha
If you’re a regular everyday joe, get a Lexus. I even got the 250 because I knew I wasn’t gonna use all 300 hp with the 350 (I’m a college student, don’t want the urge to burn more fuel lol)
Unless you’ve got the money and a knack for repairing automotive or know a good shop for German cars, stay away from their high performing vehicles. It’s never worth it.
I'd rather have the IS350 than the 328i or the ATS. The ATS has better steering feel, the BMW has a better MMI system and interior, but the Lexus (at least the 350) is a lot faster than either of the other options and the most practical use of a four-door car without being huge.
i've stopped talking about styling really. We show the car from all different angles, and you can decide if you like how it looks for yourself.
I'd say it's more customer mentalities than dealer mentalities. You can order basically any car from any dealer, you'll just have to wait for it. You may have to pay a little extra, but if I really wanted a manual transmission and the dealer didn't have one on the lot in a color i wanted, a good dealer would get the car I wanted for a fair price.
no we had the "engine bay" mic instead because you don't get any exhaust note just induction note.
it hasn't been long at all, we uploaded the Range Rover Evoque review 10 days ago.
The 335i that I tested a few months back was $58k. I priced one out the way I'd want it, and it would be right up there in the high 50's. Plus, I like the 328 better than the 335. I like a 3-series in the $40k range. Once it gets over like $52k, they've lost me.
IF you drive more than 30 minutes highway to work and there's the potential winter potholes this is the most reasonably fast and comfortable ride you can get.
Just picked my IS350 up yesterday. Very happy so far! I chose this over a CLA45. At the end of the day the Mercedes was overpriced IMO. After I equipped the CLA with what a fully loaded Lexus had, the price was $73k; that wasn't even fully loaded!! Now remember, the starting price is $49k; I might as well go and buy a Porsche at that price! I was able to get to every option on the IS350 for $53k!
Both cars are fun to drive, the Mercedes was a little faster; but that increase in power wasn't worth $20k.
Awesome how is it now
People forget that the IS had the straight six mated to a manual transmission with LSD in the IS300 5spd from 2002-2005. No one bought it because Lexus wasn't making performance cars at the time so they didn't have the audience. If you can find one drive it, they are brilliant. Great dual purpose Auto-X/Daily Driver. One of these day a RUclips car channel will do a review of that car.
People in their 20's and 30's buy this type of car. People in this age range, either also either married or just looking to get laid. If you're looking to get laid, F sport IS is the car to get. My friend just bought a 2015 F sport 250 model and yesterday we went out for his first drive in it and everywhere we parked hot girls would come up to us and say the car looks so hot. That aggressive looking sporty and edgy and unique design for the F sport is a great ice breaker to attract hot women.
Haha anyone who needs a car to get laid doesnt understand the game
+Lam Bro My dad won an 2015 is250, and when we brought it home, people would always sneak into our drive way to take a look at the car!! and when we go shopping with it, people walking by would always stare and give it a thumbs up! puts a smile on not just my face, but everyone who looks at it as well!
WarmSoftKitty actually they do to some point depends on the girl tbh
6:11 That's all I needed
calling you out for being a moron isn't "talking shit." It's reminding you that if you're going to try to be a smartass, it helps if you actually have the correct facts. And I don't know what you mean by "fighting," because I haven't been a fight since the 4th grade. But since you offer nothing of value to me or the rest of the audience here, you're banned from speaking here again.
AutoStick was terrible too. If you want to make the car feel sporty by choosing your own gears in an automatic transmission, the correct way is pull to upshift, push to downshift. Any other method, side to side, push to upshift, fuckin spin it in a circle, that's all wrong. Pull, up, Push down. There is only one correct way and that's it. Any other method goes against the natural G-forces of the car.
good catch. Being a pre-production car, this particular car's fit and finish wasn't exactly perfect in a few areas, and that's to be expected. The gas cap was the most obvious one, it didn't sit quite flush when closed.
I like how the engine and exhaust sound really good. Its not a big american V8, but it doesnt sound weak like a lot of other V6s out there.
That burnout in the end is beautiful!
I like Inline sixes and flat sixes (as long as they are in a Porsche, not a subaru). The charger is faster and handles better than you'd think. That 5-speed transmission sucks but if you get the new one with the 8-speed youre good to go.
I didn't think I would ever want to own a Lexus other than the mighty LFA till now. Great review Matt!
Love the genuine excitement when you redlined it and it didn't shift
well that's not exactly true. The fastest accelerating car I've ever driven to this day was a 1974 Pontiac GTO that ran 8.90's and did wheelies, but that was just in quarter mile. I'm not saying the V6 is a terrible engine, but compared to other configurations, don't sound very "sporting." The inline sixes sound much better.
3:54 fastforward the clock to 2017 and voila, twin turbocharged V6 was born
You can make any car fast as hell. You can't make a car un-shitty. The 1993-2002 F-body cars are just garbage in terms of build quality, and all the power, brakes, and suspension in the world can't un-shittify that cabin.
dillon ships internationally, you can order the same way using the link on our site.
Lexus offered manual transmissions in the first and second generation IS. Because nobody bought them, they didn't bother continuing it. When people complain about manufacturers not offering manual, they really should be complaining about people not buying the manual when it's offered.
1:19 oh mah gawd. That interior...Superb
That interior, on the other hand, looks gorgeous and I love it's design/layout.
My bike was stolen today, watching Matt always makes me feel better
Fun fact..my 2016 AWD model is just as fast as a bolt on b8 s4. Literally door to door from 20-120
Also it looks a lot cleaner and helps tone down some of the exaggerated details when you get it a dark color like the dark gray or black.
I absolutely fell in love with the sound system.
Another great review Matt. Seems like you answer more questions and mention more things that real world drivers actually care about, as opposed to figure eight times and Laguna Seca lap times in cars that almost nobody is going to track, or if they do they aren't going to reach even 85% of the car's potential. I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that the front end of the car looks like a deep sea fish though
We did a written review on the 2012 ISF, there isn't one newer than that.
I'm happy to see a positive honest review of this car, for once. I'm starting to like the looks of it as well.
Love this video
I'm 6'2" and I fit in the back of the car just fine. The new one is much better than the old one.
we'll be reviewing one, I haven't even seen one in person yet.
there's no point to doing a review of a car that hasn't been produced in 8 years. we'd go through all the effort of shooting it, editing it, etc, and about 6 people would watch it.
I'm in love with the looks of this car and this is coming from someone who really didn't like Lexus that much. Such a shame they're not going to sell a diesel version in Europe, it could have been a real 3 series contender here too..
I've already spoken to him about it, we will be filming it soon.
An M3 or S4 would be significantly expensive, but provided I could afford whatever I wanted, I'd rather daily an S4 too.
Exactly, I didn't mention the traction control because Matt covered it and it can be switched off. Yes, it would be even better if it had a forgiving "sport" mode, but turning it off works too :)
Yes, because other car companies had moved on to better interiors by the mid-1990's and GM hadn't.
That would be me lol... I'll work on it. Tom has been so busy with other work that I edit the "one take" videos myself now, and I'm still kind of a beginner at it.
The grille takes some getting used to for sure, BUT like anything that gets a radical change; it takes some time to get used to it. I liken it to a Led Zeppelin album each was so different from the other. At first I didn't "get it" but after awhile I did and who doesn't like all LZ albums now??
I hated the stupid LEDs on the front but now I get it also. Japan is the land of LEDs and they integrated it into the car nicely
AND 20,000,000 stoners tried to get tickets to the 2007 reunion concert. Must be great..like Lexus.
Really? That's rare to hear a comment like yours. All i can say is you are missing out. You remind me of the rock critics when Zeppelin cam on the scene. They didn't like Zeppelin...the reason was Zep was so different that they "didn't get it." They have all since c hanged their minds. Go to a video of Zep and read the comment. All these years later Zeppelin is still front and center. Sorry that you don't get it.
Great review Matt. What I could not get over during watching the review was the shift delay between pulling the paddle to shift and the gear engaging. Seamed to me like a glorified automatic rather than a sporty transmission. Maybe it's just the audio dubbing that creates that lag. Great car nonetheless.
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I was in aww the whole video ... i love the new style of the Lexus now...and great burn out at the end
That's a really cool gauge cluster. I'm optimistic about the new IS-F. Hopefully they ironed out the kinks from the first IS-F model which kept it just behind the M3 in many areas.
I've missed your reviews. Another job well done.
Matt, another great video. You may want to let whomever is editing your videos know that they often cut off your audio level too early when doing transitions.
right, but "plenty of power to be decently fast and fun" is wildly different from "can never be called underpowered," and is certainly different from "fast." It's quick, but to someone who is used to a fast car, it's not fast.
Yes, this transmission is the same as the old IS-F's, which locks the torque converter above second gear for faster shifts. It's much better than before. I don't like G37's, way too far in the guido department for me.
because a Ferrari 458, McLaren MP4, and Porsche Turbo S aren't real sporty cars, right?
It's a silver tiffany bracelet, I got it when I was 13 from a family friend and just never took it off.
I like that the engine is overriding the exhaust, I know most people like exhausts but personally I find a lot of appeal in the sound of bits of metal clanking about. You can get a loud exhaust noise by switching out some pipes but a nice engine note is ingrained into the car.
i loved it! that engine note is like ohhhhhhh!!!! orgasmic
That's great news. I was disappointed when I heard they were going to discontinue the IS-F. I certainly hope the RC-F will make it through to production.
..." This thing will wipe the floor with A4" I love that! And thats just before we mention things like reliability and understeer :)
I love the new interior - not just the gauge cluster, the rest looks great too. I just wish Lexus had also introduced a new flagship IS-F, there's a lot of conflicting information out there currently - they're bringing the ISF back, they're not bringing it back, etc.
I like the new look, I just don't care for the induction noise did you have the exhaust mic on for this video?
Interior looks great, engine has that good sound that you wanna here. I went to the lexus dealership and tesr drove one and it is a beauty, but I do agree with the exhaust part
Welcome back to youtube Matt, its been a pretty long while keep em coming
Love those outside corner camera angles
That's why I paid for my own car while a college student. I'm thankful for it. I'd like to see a video of your "M3". I'd Love to see that machine.