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I'd probably be done finding excuses to drive somewhere for a while after that.
But I think the BMW feels like it has the sportier ride of the two cars, which is a good thing. The Lexus is just as capable in the turns as the BMW but is also just a little bit more lazy on turn-in. Not to say it's a lazy car in its handling, but the BMW definitely feels a touch sharper. If we had bought the performance tire and wheel option on the BMW, it'd probably outrun the Lexus in the twisties, but alas, we have the all-season run-flats. I think the ride may also improve with non-run-flat tires, which could even things out between the two cars in terms of ride.
I will say, however, I also prefer the seats and seating position in the Lexus. I feel like I sink down into the car rather than moving sideways into it. It has a bit more of a low-slung feel which helps make me feel like I'm driving something that can handle.
That sporty BMW ride will start to become annoying after the miles rack up.....if the Lexus is smoother, seats are more preferable, steering less sharp....maybe the Lexus is the long distance cruiser. Is the BMW a I6?
That sporty BMW ride will start to become annoying after the miles rack up.....if the Lexus is smoother, seats are more preferable, steering less sharp....maybe the Lexus is the long distance cruiser. Is the BMW a I6?
Unfortunately, no. These days, all the "30i" models are a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder "B46" engine. It's a good engine though. It's noticeably smoother than the EA888 that was in my VWs and has less turbo lag. It pulls nicely, too, especially in this car. The fuel economy is good, too. We have averaged about 31 MPG over the life of the car (versus 21 in the Lexus).
Unfortunately, no. These days, all the "30i" models are a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder "B46" engine. It's a good engine though. It's noticeably smoother than the EA888 that was in my VWs and has less turbo lag. It pulls nicely, too, especially in this car. The fuel economy is good, too. We have averaged about 31 MPG over the life of the car (versus 21 in the Lexus).
Sad thing is that its probably faster than the hungry V6 too. BMW just makes good engine.
Unfortunately, no. These days, all the "30i" models are a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder "B46" engine. It's a good engine though. It's noticeably smoother than the EA888 that was in my VWs and has less turbo lag. It pulls nicely, too, especially in this car. The fuel economy is good, too. We have averaged about 31 MPG over the life of the car (versus 21 in the Lexus).
I think the bigger V6 engine will lend to a more relaxing experience if driven across the country. Off shoot of that is the gas. The BMW have start stop?
What you really need to do is update to the Lexus IS500 V8...then you'll really have the Ultimate Driving Experience
I think the bigger V6 engine will lend to a more relaxing experience if driven across the country. Off shoot of that is the gas. The BMW have start stop?
What you really need to do is update to the Lexus IS500 V8...then you'll really have the Ultimate Driving Experience
Lol I know right? I'd probably do it if not for all the hype around the 500 right now, which creates markups.
Yes, the BMW has auto start stop. I usually turn it off, but it is a pretty smooth system.
Originally Posted by EZZ
Sad thing is that its probably faster than the hungry V6 too. BMW just makes good engine.
Yeah... in 90% of situations, the 330i will feel faster and most likely be faster. The Lexus does seem to be a little quicker at higher speeds, at least to me, but the BMW really shoots out of low speed turns. I think the Lexus is still quick enough to be fun on a good road.
Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is the turbocharged nature of the BMW's engine versus the naturally-aspirated Lexus. I think there's something fun about turbo engines - from the nice shove when the boost kicks in to the "whoosh" sound. However, a naturally-aspirated engine like the one in the Lexus will respond quicker. And, though there's not a turbo sound, the sound does change when transitioning from part throttle to wide-open throttle - it gets more angry and louder. I think they are very different in that way, each having their pros. Obviously, the BMW is still going to give you that shove of low-end torque that makes it fun to drive around town, but the Lexus feels like it just keeps pulling as the revs climb.
Today, I took the 330i in for service. It was packed! Finally, we are getting the hands-free trunk operation fixed.
They gave us a 330e as a loaner. Believe it or not, this will be my first time driving a hybrid. Teslas? I've driven those. Prii? Nope.
I was really pleased to see Phytonic Blue. It's a nicely subdued blue color and looks spot-on on this 3-series.
This one has the fully-digital gauges, unlike our lowly 330i. They're honestly not as bad to use as I suspected they'd be. The numbers I care about - namely, speed and range - are front-and-center. The reverse-operating tachometer is a bit of an annoyance, but most of the time, I think this car is going to be driven in Hybrid mode anyway. Here's what Hybrid mode looks like in the gauges.
I'll keep it quick, but suffice it to say, this is an entertaining car to drive. Even though it lacks the M Sport package, it has some nice low-end grunt from the electric motor. In full-throttle acceleration (once it's warmed up, I promise!), it feels just as quick as the 330i, which makes sense given the 288 combined horsepower. I miss the M Sport steering wheel, but the normal wheel and steering rack are fine for around-town driving. Speaking of which, I think around-town driving is this car's strong suit. The smooth start-stop behavior as well as its ability to cruise along at low speeds in full-EV mode make it very smooth and quiet to drive in traffic. However, it can definitely do the thing, as Tedward would say, when asked to. It really gets out of its own way, and in a more immediate way than in the 330i. While the turbo spools up, the electric motor fills in the gap with a forceful tug. What's most amazing about this is how seamlessly BMW has blended the electric and ICE propulsion systems of this car. It feels totally normal to drive - just, with some spooky electric-vehicle sounds at low speed.
This may not be as sporty as the 330i, but it would make a heck of a commuter. It makes me wonder how much adding on the M Sport package would change the experience.
How would you compare steering, braking feel and city performance in the 330e vs the 330i? Do they feel pretty similar?
I can sum it up like this - it still feels like a 3-series, but I think the main differences are down to the electric motors and the M Sport package, or lack thereof.
When you're getting on the accelerator pedal at low speeds, the 330e has very immediate response, similar to what I've experienced in Teslas before. Braking is also interesting, as it blends normal friction braking with regenerative braking. It feels a bit artificial, but in city driving, it is perfectly fine. I honestly find it easier to stop smoothly in the 330e over the 330i. The 330i's braking can feel a bit overboosted. Again, I think steering is only different because of the lack of the M Sport package, which changes out the steering rack for a variable-ratio system and different steering wheel. The 330i has a quicker, heavier steering feel to it, but the 330e feels pretty natural, generally speaking. In Sport mode, the 330e's steering can be a little rubbery for some reason. To be honest, the differences are not huge - the main difference is that electric motor. It makes sci-fi noises at low speeds, so I never forgot what I was driving today.
I used to have a predecessor to this drivetrain in my 530e. I agree with most of your sentiments. Its surprisingly strong down low despite all of the weight.
One thing that is interesting is due to the placement of the battery pack, the weight distribution is similar to a mid engined Ferrari I think 40/60 or something similar. Not sure if this is why the front end steering feel is somewhat light and vague, or if it was by nature since a modern day 5 series G30 is much more luxury oriented than its predecessors.
Thank you for this feedback! Looking at 3 and 5 series currently and trying to decide between an i or e. There are no e’s within an hour of me to test drive, and not inclined to order something so different without driving.
With our commute and tax incentives, the e works out to be about $5,000 cheaper. However, I would stick with the i if steering or braking was markedly better.
Thank you for this feedback! Looking at 3 and 5 series currently and trying to decide between an i or e. There are no e’s within an hour of me to test drive, and not inclined to order something so different without driving.
With our commute and tax incentives, the e works out to be about $5,000 cheaper. However, I would stick with the i if steering or braking was markedly better.
I'd say that, if you like the G20 3-series in general, you will probably like the 330e. Maybe if you're more of a spirited driver, you'd prefer the more pure experience of driving the 330i. The 330e is very entertaining, though - probably more fun than the 330i outside of a back road, where I suspect the added weight of the hybrid system would reveal itself. Honestly, for a daily driver, I would have to say the 330e makes more sense.
I'd say that, if you like the G20 3-series in general, you will probably like the 330e. Maybe if you're more of a spirited driver, you'd prefer the more pure experience of driving the 330i. The 330e is very entertaining, though - probably more fun than the 330i outside of a back road, where I suspect the added weight of the hybrid system would reveal itself. Honestly, for a daily driver, I would have to say the 330e makes more sense.
As of today, it's been about six-and-a-half months since I picked up my 2021 IS 350, and coincidentally, I just took the car on a fun cruise around Blood Mountain and Richard Russell Scenic Highway in Georgia.
It's a beautiful area!
I was there with a friend from my local Lexus owner club "Southern Lexus", and he was driving his 2nd-gen IS 350, which had been modded with some coilovers, catback exhaust, LED 3rd-gen-IS-style taillights, and differently-sized tires. We took it fairly easy up until we got to a pull-off area on Richard Russell Scenic Highway, where he recommended we open the hoods up and let the engine bays cool off before continuing on. In fact, it was somewhat hot under there. For my 2021, this probably wasn't a huge issue, but without an oil temperature gauge, I can't truly claim it to be an issue one way or another.
After that, we were on our way up that highway, which was a lot of fun to drive. My friend says he often starts out on this road, since it's sort of a good warm-up exercise compared to some of the other roads in the area. It has some tight turns, but it is very predictable. With the IS as my vehicle, it was fun to throw the car around. While the car feels a bit weighty, it also has some pretty nice turn-in and felt stable at the 7-8/10ths pace we took. It was a good start to the day.
At this point, I am pretty familiar with how this car feels on a back road, though, and I have written about it before. One thing I didn't realize was that the cool, damp conditions meant I could explore the dynamics of the IS 350 a bit more without being a total danger to myself. But, before that, we stopped at Lake Winfield Scott to take a break and observe the scenery (including the first photo in this post). We once again opened our hoods, this time observing the top of my car's engine emitting some heat waves. So, maybe this is what owners mean when they say these cars can suffer from heat soak. This was fairly tame driving, but on a track day, I suspect heat soak could be a real threat.
We continue on to Wolf Pen Gap Road, which is infamously tight and twisty, yet features lots of nice places to pull over and snap photos. It's a blast to drive however. Pushing a car through the slalom-like turns requires a bit of care, but thankfully, I never felt unsafe while doing so. The car feels right at home here, even though I was running with someone with a bit more experience and a lighter car. Lexus has done a nice job giving this IS a relatively controlled ride without going overboard on stiff springs and dampers. As long as I am somewhat smooth with my inputs, it digs right into the pavement, even with some degree of moisture about.
Next, we went over to US-19, specifically, a section of road simply known as "Blood Mountain" by the car guys who come up here, to run some twisties. For this part, we were a little cautious on the straights because there are usually some police in this area. But, in the corners, we could pretty much go as quickly as we wanted thanks to generous speed limits. If you go over the speed limits in these turns and aren't driving a full-on track car, you will probably understeer. But, that's what makes this part fun, along with the added width of these roads. I noticed that, in the more damp areas, I could nicely "square off the turn", as Joe Raiti would say. The traction control surprisingly allowed a little bit of motion before stepping in. That was quite fun to play with once I discovered it.
I was secretly hoping we could swap cars for a while during our drive. I always have a curiosity what other folks think of my car, and also have never driven any 2nd-gen IS. When my friend offered to let me drive, I suggested he simply take my car down the hill so we could save a little time. So, I was driving a 2nd-gen IS 350 all of a sudden. It was a fun experience! The car's light throttle pedal and long-ish brake travel instantly transported me back to 2006, along with its quick but decently weighted steering. The steering and turn-in were crisp on this lowered car. The exhaust was pretty loud no matter what I did, and it took on the characteristic 2GR growl at 4000 RPM. I didn't drive it too hard, but I did have some fun through the corners. Overall, I have to say this makes me very curious to drive an IS F. I think I actually prefer the steering feel in the 2nd-gen IS to my 3rd-gen, and really, the lazy 6-speed auto was the only major flaw in the driving experience. The paddles were pretty much worthless, with over a half-second of delay before a response from the gearbox. However, just leaving the car in ECT PWR was just fine.
This experience helped to contextualize my 2021. My friend said the 2021 "rides really solid" and "feels heavy, but the handling is really nice". Conversely to the 2nd-gen car, it feels less agile but has a much better transmission. Having said that, on the remainder of our descent, I still had some fun in the corners with mine. It's one of those cars that feels better the smoother I drive it. Whereas the 2nd-gen car feels chuckable, the 3rd-gen feels composed and steady - though, it will actually wag its tail if the situation lends itself to such shenanigans.
So, after 6 months and myriad adventures with this car, what do I think? Well, I appreciate the spirited-driving aspect of this car a lot more. Though it can feel a bit recalcitrant in daily driving, it's also very smooth and rides fantastically. But, that doesn't take away from the confidence and responsiveness it has on the twisty roads. With my only issue with the car being an occasionally-noisy glove box, the car has been perfect to live with day-to-day, too. The seats are comfortable, the Mark Levinson audio system sounds crisp, and it has more than enough cargo space for me.
I'm still undecided on whether I'll do any mods to this car. I plan to hang onto it for at least another couple of years if not much longer than that, but I will inevitably be ready for something new. Hopefully Lexus keeps the spirit of the IS alive in some form - I think they've struck a great balance here, especially compared to other sport sedans like my wife's 330i.
Well, it's been a while since I've updated this sort-of "Alex's Ownership of Various Cars" thread. Well, the biggest update I can give is that the cars just got done with quite a torture test. They had their trunks loaded up with our things to help us move into our new house! Fortunately, they did... okay. Compact sedans aren't known for being able to haul stuff, but, I have to say the BMW had a slightly easier time than the IS when it came to cramming stuff into its back seats, or for simply having the hands-free trunk operation.
Now that we have the house, I can finally hand-wash these cars again! Today, I did just that.
We had to drive back and forth from our apartment to our new house several times, and it's a drive of about one hour. It's mostly back roads, which seems great at first. However, this is metro Atlanta, so, if the sun is up, there's going to be traffic. The ride got old after the newness of the house gave way to tired eyes and tired feet from stumbling our things into the new house. Of course, we got movers to move the furniture - otherwise, I think we would have just about given up. In the end, it was worth it, though - it's nicer to have some quiet and privacy than I remembered.
I still don't know what we'll do, vehicle-wise, after this. I think my wife is done with the whole sport sedan thing already and just wants something that'll be easier to ferry her mother around in. I, of course, think only one of our two cars needs to be that way. But, if I ended up driving a small-ish premium SUV, there are far worse things that could happen to me. Having said that, it's not an urgent matter. I've been thinking about what I'd get after this IS 350, but part of me just doesn't want to think about it too much. It's been a great all-around car for driving every day and occasionally having some fun. Since the temperatures are coming back up, I might be able to do some more "fun" driving soon - hopefully I can get some good springtime photos for us! What's more, I appreciate the "alt" nature of the Lexus compared to the Germans. Sure, they're technically better in a lot of ways, but Lexus really nailed the attention to detail in the inputs and tuning of this car. And, these seats are just perfect every time I sit in them. Sorry, 330i, yours are nice and all, but on a long journey or even on a twisty road, the Lexus wins at the seating game.
Now that we've moved, I suppose I should find new dealers. In the case of the BMW, I hope the new one is as good as the last. As for the Lexus... I sure hope it's a better one.
11-18-21, 12:38 PM
