Lexus IS 500 vs BMW M3 — V8 Glory or Track Toy?

By Michael S. Palmer - March 11, 2021

Styling: IS 500

BMW M cars constantly rank among the most attractive sedans ever made. Sporty, menacing. Sometimes brash, sometimes understated. For many, many reasons, the BMW M3 has defined this segment for decades. And in many ways, the 2021 M3 maintains many of these characteristics. Bold lighting, a strong side profile, big-ass quad exhaust tips.

…Until you get to the massive beaver teeth grille.

As a lifelong BMW fan, the larger kidney grilles don’t work for me, personally. And, for reference, various 2022 BMW M5s maintain the previous generation grilles and I’d argue that they still look elegant and generally amazing.

Then there’s the Lexus IS 500, which sports a raised, more angular hood than its IS 350 F Sport sibling. Coupled with the Lexus Predator grille, menacing running lights, blacked-out trim, wrap-around rear lighting, and wide, flowing hips from the 2021 redesign and you have, quite simply, one of the most beautiful sedans of the year (possibly the decade). To be fair, the rear end isn’t quite as nice as the M3’s (I don’t know if I love the angled exhaust tips, personally).

But overall the IS 500 is a modern, muscular stunner.

Engine: IS 500

Is power everything? That depends on your needs. Are you racing? Cruising? Commuting? Canyon Carving? All of the above? I recently spent a few weeks driving a V8-powered F-150 back to back with the new 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid F-150. Sure, the V8 sounded better, but the PowerBoost’s 150 ft-lbs of extra torque is unbeatable. But that’s a 5,000-pound truck. What about two 3,900-ish pound sedans?

Clearly, both M3s are quicker. They make peak torque and power earlier in the powerband. They’ll propel both M3s to 60 faster.

But I would argue the IS 500 offers two things the M3s can’t…

A higher redline.

And one of the best-sounding engines of all time.

My M3 experiences have always been exciting — they’re a blast to drive and sound quite good. But having driven both the LC 500 in the canyons and on the big track at Laguna Seca, the overall Lexus V8 experience is much more exotic, engaging, and exhilarating. (And the LC 500 coupe weighs almost 450 pounds MORE than the IS 500.) The 2UR-GSE revs high and sounds like something cooked up in Italy.

It’s also increasingly rare to see a naturally aspirated V8 in a four-door sedan, which makes the experience more special. Basically, in fall 2021, if you want a naturally aspirated V8 and four doors without buying a truck or SUV, your choices are Dodge Charger, Hyundai Genesis G90, or Lexus IS 500. But the Charger RT and SRT weigh 500 and 700 pounds more, respectively, and the Genesis is a slow full-sized luxury cruiser.

This IS 500 very well may be the last small V8-powered sports sedan.

And that’s why it’s the one to get. For the screaming exhaust note. For the linear powerband that grows and grows and grows at you rip past seven grand. More power? No. More soul? Very much so.

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