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[QUOTE=arentz07;11066038]The 330i is just kinda strange. I drove it again today and could not figure out whether the steering is light or heavy. I think that's because the on-center responsiveness is crazy high in that car. It seems to have a very fast rack.
If I had to add it, I'd say it would be
2021 330i M Sport: Sport Mode 2021 IS350: Sport Mode
2021 330i M Sport: Comfort Mode 2020 GLI: Sport Mode 2016 GTI: Sport Mode 2016 GTI: Normal Mode 2021 IS350: Normal Mode 2020 GLI: Normal/Comfort Mode
Interesting note about the 330 steering. Thanks for this info.
Both yours are updated and far nicer. I'm more referring to F10 5-Series and F25 X3 respectively if we're comparing to yours. The interiors materials are such a let down and unbefitting their badge or price tag. But thank goodness we're past those now and onto new generations.
Lol! I bet the IS350 would lose. Honestly, the 330i pulls like a freight train. Maybe at higher speeds it would catch up? The 330i seems a little weaker at high RPM. Though, I haven't really tried pushing the IS yet... Only a little over 100 miles on it right now.
it's the same deal with the 2.0T in my parents (pretty much any 2.0T) C300... the short gearing and turbo gives you that low rpm shove that gives a more muscley feel than the n/a V6 in the IS, but i have no doubt it will start to pull away, the 2GR in that makes great power at the high rpms
It's night and day. BMW interiors were nothing special up until a few years ago. E90 and F30 interiors full of flimsy plastics, G20 is much improved. A 2018 X5 interior before the 4th gen 2019 was downright pathetic for the price. Yet they sell. Which shows you the power of a badge. The steering wheel is nice and chunky because it has the M-Sport package, standard G20 have a thin leather wrapped steering wheel still. G20 overall is a major improvement and looks good inside and out imo.
Congrats on the new 330i and IS350 btw. Pictures don't do the refreshed IS justice. Looks great in person.
Thanks!
I will say, oddly enough, I do like the thinner wheels on non-M-Sport cars. The one in the rental X3 we had was a nice thickness - still thicker than the thin wheel in the GLI/GTI. I go back and forth on whether thicker rimmed steering wheels are better than thinner. I guess it depends on the car... I will say, the one in the IS is only slightly chunky which seems ideal.
I haven’t seen those gauges on a new 3 series. Is it a special setting?
These are the base gauges. I was not aware they existed either, until renting an X3 last year with the same unit. All the press photos seem to include only the digital cluster.
I know some people were wanting comparisons, how about keys? :P
I like how the BMW key is pretty light, yet, has real metal on it. The Lexus key also has real metal but is heavier and somewhat thicker. I think the only Lexus cars I've seen at a dealer without key gloves were used or loaners. Seems like most dealers will throw in a set of key gloves.
Also, I happened to nab a parking spot next to the wife's car today. Always feels good. And now you guys can know I am not actually three different people. :P
These are the base gauges. I was not aware they existed either, until renting an X3 last year with the same unit. All the press photos seem to include only the digital cluster.
Also, I happened to nab a parking spot next to the wife's car today. Always feels good. And now you guys can know I am not actually three different people. :P
Haha, yeah i think some of us were wondering.
Just want to say i think it's great you're getting to experience a bunch of vehicles - variety is the spice of life as the saying goes.
About the keys... yeah my LC key is nice and weighty and yes my car came with the key 'glove' as part of some accessories including the all weather mats and trunk liner which i REALLY like (blows away weathertech quality).
I've finally done something that I have wanted to do ever since picking up the IS 350: taking it on a decent back road or two.
My car actually has a touch over 400 miles on the odometer... don't worry; this is an old photo.
I found a road very reminiscent of one of my favorite roads back in KC - twisty, relatively low-speed, and only about 10 minutes from home. However, the good news about this one is that it's in two sections that, when combined, are about twice as long as the old road I liked to drive in KC. It even has a couple of nice elevation changes and rather decent visibility, with some trees but not too many. I first cruised down these roads at a moderate pace, leaving the car in Normal mode and simply collecting information.
After a while, I encountered a highway and flicked the car into Sport, preparing to turn around and essentially go back from where I came. With this being a fairly green car, I kept in mind to keep the revs away from 6000+ RPM while also being gentle with my inputs to steering, throttle, and brakes - but fun shouldn't be had at ten tenths anyway. As I took the car through a wide left followed by a much slower 90-degree turn, I was instantly reminded of my 2016 IS. The new car still handles transitions smoothly, with no drama. Sure, I couldn't fully ignore the body roll, but it felt more like communication to me than an annoyance. Thanks to Lexus's choice to make the IS 350 softer-riding than other similar cars, chiefly the 330i M Sport which is also part of the garage, it never feels bothered by spirited driving.
Steering could use a quicker rack, though, as some of those sharper turns required more input than would be ideal in a sport sedan. However, the tradeoff is precision. When chucking the car into a turn, it never seemed overly on the attack - rather, it smoothly entered the corner. That's not to say it can't max out the G-force gauge in the instrument cluster. In fact, I nearly managed to do that in both left and right directions, on my first time really experimenting with the car. Yes, that would imply 0.8 G's or so of cornering force. I might have a problem. But then again, the tires never made a sound, and the car never gave me any signals of ESC intervention or scrabbling for grip. Considering the speed, a responsive, yet far from twitchy, steering rack is actually a smart choice.
Of course, power isn't as here-and-now as in modern smaller turbocharged engines. It's hard for me to think of cars I've driven recently without a turbo in the past six months - let's see... A loaner ES 250 AWD, a 981 Boxster S rented from Turo, and the now-departed Versa Note. Anything else I've driven has had a turbocharger involved, and they are typically of the class of turbochargers tuned for low-RPM response. Anyway, let's talk about a relative lack of low-RPM response. Well, then again, "response" is not so much the right word here. With the naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V-6, response is indeed its strong suit. I'm not left waiting for pressure to build or turbines to spin. However, the faster the engine spins, the more air it can ingest and power it can produce. At 2000 RPM, the 2GR-FKS feels gutless. With just over 200 pound-feet of torque at said RPM and a 3700-pound car to move, this makes sense. However, at about 4000 RPM, things happen. It genuinely feels like a quick car when leveraging either manual mode or Sport mode to keep the revs close to that 4000 RPM power band at all times. Though I suspect it'd lose a drag race to the blue BMW we have, I don't think it'd be totally shamed by it either. In any case, the linearity of power throughout the RPM range means it's never going to get out-of-sorts unless I really do something silly. That linearity brings me to what I'd sum up this car as - predictable.
I suppose I should quickly mention the brakes, as well - since, well, what goes fast must slow down. They feel fantastic as ever, with a progressive, gradual amount of stopping power being applied as pedal travel increases. They stand in contrast to the German cars I've driven recently, which all seem to favor the following strategy: "Less pedal travel means the brakes are responsive, and responsive = good." I'd agree only strictly speaking, as a touchy brake is a detriment to daily-driver comfort. That said, the IS's brakes are just fine to use on a back road as well. Their smoothness adds to the... there's the word again: predictability of it.
To me, it's obvious that Lexus favored a balanced approach to tuning this car over outright performance or "aggressive" or "sporty" driving. However, just like any version of the 3IS, the car wakes up when prodded. It was actually quite relaxing to put the car back into Normal mode for a bit and cruise home. Doing just that is something the IS manages more naturally than my former VWs did. To be honest, I think it's all the better for it.
Oh, and the engine sound without the Active Sound Control? Just as good as it was before the redesign. I think mine will stay off permanently!
Thanks for sharing! Glad you're having fun. As for keeping the rpm's down... naaaahhhh
lol! I do question the necessity of break-in periods... However, that's a whole can of worms. We managed it on the BMW - all 1300 miles of it. No going above 4500 RPM and no full throttle. However, that car has a lot more low-RPM torque, so it doesn't need to be revved out to feel quick.
I will admit, on my 2016 IS 300 AWD, I tried full throttle as early as 250 miles. The car never seemed to have any issues. With this car, I've been gradually giving it more revs over time and trying to avoid cruising at low RPM for too long.
lol! I do question the necessity of break-in periods... However, that's a whole can of worms. We managed it on the BMW - all 1300 miles of it. No going above 4500 RPM and no full throttle. However, that car has a lot more low-RPM torque, so it doesn't need to be revved out to feel quick.
I will admit, on my 2016 IS 300 AWD, I tried full throttle as early as 250 miles. The car never seemed to have any issues. With this car, I've been gradually giving it more revs over time and trying to avoid cruising at low RPM for too long.
I bet it makes very little difference. The 3.5L has been around forever (its older than my teenage son) and bulletproof. I say don't worry too much and have fun...its not like you keep your cars for more than 6 months anyway
06-08-21, 05:45 PM
