IS350JY

I think the IS comes out way on top!

Like Don King with his hair afire promoting an upcoming title bout (then again, his hair's always afire…), our chief editor could barely contain his excitement. "We need to get the new Lexus IS 350 and put it up against the BMW 330i!"

Fresh from its defense as sport sedan champion against the Audi A4, the 2006 BMW 330i now finds itself in the ring against the 2006 Lexus IS 350. A formidable athlete, the Lexus came in rippling with muscle and packing 306 horsepower. The Lexus has also been crowing that it's "the fastest vehicle in its class." Pretty brazen, considering the Muhammad Ali of sport sedans, the BMW 330i is the perennial holder of the belt in this class.

Sizing up the fighters
To keep the fight fair, the 330i in this test was an automatic, as the IS 350 isn't available with a manual gearbox. Looking at the window stickers of these compact luxury sport sedans had a few staffers needing smelling salts. Basing in the mid-$30Ks, both cars were fitted with around $10 grand in options, bringing the bottom lines to $45,508 for the Lexus and $47,390 for the Bimmer.

A few folks commented on how that's midsize sport/luxury sedan money. Yes, you can get a base Lexus GS 300 or BMW 525i for that kind of dough, but remember that our testers had just about everything you could get — navigation systems, "premium" packages with their fancier interior trim and even things like active steering (BMW) and a backup camera (Lexus).

In this corner…
…wearing Matador Red and weighing in at 3,527 pounds, the challenger, the Lexus IS 350. And in the opposite corner, in Titanium Silver and weighing 3,450, the defending compact sport sedan, the BMW 330i.

Instead of a boxing ring, these rear-wheel-drive pugilists slugged it out on the mean streets of Southern California. They tackled everything including bobbing and weaving with crazy L.A. drivers, transporting clothes to Goodwill, taking the kiddies to school and embarking on day trips up the coast. They also strutted their stuff at the test track and through the winding canyon roads in Malibu.

The judges' "score cards" took into account everything from raw performance to seat comfort to how easy (or tough) it was to work the climate controls. Other factors came into play as well, such as how the car responded and felt when driven the way a sport sedan was meant to be driven.

A 15-rounder
When the final bell rang, it was a tough one for the judges. The power, luxury and better value proposition put the Lexus ahead at times, while the 330i had a couple of "daily driver" advantages, such as more rear-seat legroom and greater cargo capacity by virtue of its split-folding rear seat.

It was close, but the 3 Series always managed to sway decisions back into its favor whenever a wavering "judge" got behind the wheel. And when we reminded ourselves that the true mission of a sport sedan is to provide enjoyment derived from driving, not quoting performance numbers to your buddies or convincing whomever which is the better deal, it always came back to the BMW.

IS350JY

I dont understand how they can say that the BMW 330i is a better car overall then the IS350. They have to be crazy!

ff_

Better overall, in what way? If your priorities are handling, feel, and pure enjoyment, your answer would probably be "3 Series". If your priorities are straight-line acceleration, fluffy seats, and no noise or feel finding its way into the cabin, then your answer would probably be the Lexus.

IS350JY

I think in every way the IS is a better car. When I got mine i drove both and i thought that just for the ride and comfort the lexus was a better car and for performance the lexus was also a bettercar but thats not whay the reports say.

mvalpreda

I don't think you can get paddles on the 330. Deal breaker for me.

2SwiFt29

iTrader: (6)

i have to admit though that the advantages of the 330i are the split folding rear seats for more cargo space and the most important, LEGROOM... i wish the IS350 would've considered the passengers more when building this car... don't get me wrong, it's a great car overall and that's why I chose this over the 330i, but the IS350 should've just became a coupe instead

15951

I find the paddles to be redundant and nearly useless, and "manual" shifting in this vehicle is on the slow side. I used them a few times, then knocked the shifter back into regular drive mode and haven't moved it since. I love driving a stick, and autostick/paddles are no substitute in this car.

ff_

Not having paddles is a deal breaker for you? Sorry, but that's kind of funny to me. You want to pretend that you can shift your own gears, but are not willing to drive a stick... Seems so poseur.

Bichon

Couldn't agree more. The paddles may be ergonomic, but I'd rather pull on a set of antlers hanging from the ceiling if they actually shifted the transmission immediately instead of just setting the maximum permissible gear as these paddles do. I've had a few Audi loaners with tiptronic, and found that system gives far better control of the tranny than the paddles on my IS, but even they are no substitute for a real manual.

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

I agree with the others. The paddles are the most useless item I have ever had. The way they function makes absolutely NO SENSE.

What the hell is the point of it? There is nothing Manu-matic about it.
1) The only thing it is good for is letting your car bounce off the rev limiter... because thats exactly what I want to do... bounce off the rev limiter.
2) The car still shifts up and down as it pleases

Are all manumatics like this? I was willing to let go of MT for this car because I thought the paddle shifters were pretty cool and would allow me to shift when "I" wanted to. How wrong I was. These paddles are pointless, and useless.

Bichon

Not at all. As I mentioned in the post above, I've had a few Audi loaners with their Tiptronic automatic transmissions. When you push or pull on the lever, the transmission shifts to the next higher or lower gear. There may be a lockout if you try to do something stupid (never tried that), but otherwise the transmission shifts roughly one second after you pull the lever, each and every time.

2SwiFt29

iTrader: (6)

i'd have to agree.. i wish the manumatic in this car would at least put the shift back into its place.. for example, in the Acura, when I stop, the shift at least goes back to 1st gear.. however for this car, when the car is in first, I still see 4 or 5 or 6 in front of me which I myself need to shift back to 1 or else the car will shift by itself.. makes no sense to me...

IS350JY

I agree that the paddle shifteris mostly pointless but i think the IS350 is a car that is better in comfort, and all around performance then the 330i which makes it a all around better car.

IS350JY

Also the IS350 has more potential when you add mods to it such as performance parts even though there arent alot out yet and things like rims and a body kit.

IS350JY

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