Chi-town

Valkrie - I used to own an 05 Acura TL; I now own a Lexus IS350 non-sport.

The Acura TL is FWD, the IS350 is RWD. FWD and nose heavy; however, Acura does a good job in hiding this. The is has 53/47 weight distribution, this gives the IS a little better balance in terms of handling.

On smooth surfaces, the Acura handles exceptionally well; I have herd that A-Spec handles even better. However, on uneven surfaces the handling of the Acura is not very inspiring. Also, on take-off or hard acceleration through corners torque steer will come into play with the Acura.

The Lexus handles very well on either smooth or uneven surfaces. In perfect conditions the Acura seems like it handles better, mind you this is only because I do not have the sport suspension. Overall, in the twisties or on an on ramp I would take the IS 10/10 times. The suspension/handling along with the engine puts the IS over the top.

The best way to find out for yourself is to test the two on the same dates under various conditions.

Stay safe, GL.

OneOfOne

this looks a lot like censorship. the guy admits he was speeding and on 'dead tires'. thats not a mistake its stupidity. the tl has a large turning radius which I learned the hard way. you just arent prepared for how large the radius is. for normal 'handling' the IS is very good but the sport version is 'obviously' better and will feel more like the tl. I just hope that the next time you recognize the gun is loaded that you will have enough sense to put it down and think about your next move. thats what most of the previous posters were saying in , frankly, language that isnt even close to the kind you should have gotten.

DRIVEN1

Everyone except ta few of the last post are just being lame!

****** happens to everyone at sometime. Learn from your mistakes and move on. As far as your question: I have driven both and to me, there is NO comparison. I bought the IS300 over the TL last time and my new IS350 Sport is 100 times better than the old IS300.

On another note, once you enter this Lexus family (I had 5 Honda/Acura's prior) you won't ever go back to the Acura. The details are better, service is better, the loaner cars are better and the resale value is better. Give you an example, I bought my 2002 IS300 for $33,000. Drove it just over 4 years and I sold it for $21,000!!! I only lost $12K for 52 months of driving. Where else will you get that.

Blow off the Acura and buy an IS350. I GUARANTEE you will smile all the way home.

mcfly

I fail to see how "constructive" has to be couched in "politically correct" and/or "gee, don't we all love each other" language. (and no, I'm not arguing with anyone here).

The poster pointed out a problem he encountered, and asked a question that in no way pertains to solving that problem, although he clearly thinks otherwise. Rather than let him kill himself, I figured it would be a good idea to point out that he's not asking the right question, and that if I, my family, and all the rest of you have to continue to share the road with him, I'd prefer he learn how to drive and maintain a vehicle, which is what attending some driving schools will do for him.

Point out the benefits of VDIM? So he can convince himself there is another electronic nanny that'll let him run his tires down to the cords? VDIM can only do so much.

I realize no one ever likes to admit it's THEM and not the car, but come on!

valkrie

it was my everyday road and i went that fast nearly every time........i kno its my fault i accept that and i under stand VDIM wont help if ur a maniac on the road but if the VDIM is anything like the TL's VSA its actually kinda scary when it kicks in. it makes u feel like the car lost control. Plz dont tell me VDIM is anythin like tha

LexFather

VDIM is the next level of VSC. VSC only kicks in when the car detects slippage and kills power. VDIM does this as well as controls braking and its less obtrusive. THe only thing is you cannot turn it off, unless you do a disable.

VDIM is a great technology and it was meant to help people like you in tough situations. Its possible VDIM may have helped prevent a total loss.

Toyota built this tech in mind for everyday people and situations. It has gotten flack in the press as it makes it impossible to drift or swing the rear out on the car but its so rare to see a Lexus owner at the track, whats the point of complaining about VDIM.

LexFather

None of us were there, so we don't know what happened. Now, instead of just acting like this guy can't drive, how about we just tell him about the IS and its benefits.

Your feedback is attacking, no where near constructive criticism.

If you want to be constructive, say something like:

Sorry about your loss, try to take it easy on the roads, the IS VDIM is superior to any VSC so it is a safer car to drive, but don't rely on it soley to prevent accidents.

See the difference?

vp911

Sorry to hear that. I totaled my 05' TL also. Different circumstances, but still sucks. IMO the IS handles better than the TL; however, the IS is also smaller than the TL. Keep that in mind if you are comparing the two and deciding what to buy next.

The IS simply handles better. But, you really have to be an agressive driver to get the most out of it.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I guess I need to be more specific. I posted because of the two comments below that weren't really needed (more the second one)... basically name calling that is contrary to the sense of community in our forum. I'm not asking for you to give him a hug, just knock off the schoolyard insults.

In no way did I ever suggest that a driving school wouldn't be good for the OP, nor that other points made here weren't valid or good ideas -they're excellent ones . My point is that calling him a moron isn't needed to make those suggestions. Everybody makes mistakes; he's admitted he made several. He's already wrecked a car, why pile on and call him names too.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

ignoring the rest of these "warm welcome to the forums" posts

Ive driven a 6spd TL and a IS350 and I think they are different cars for different purposes. Of course the IS350 is faster and handles better, but you sacrifice a good backseat over the TL, the TL is cheaper. IS leans much more towards the sportscar side, the TL is more of a a balanced car with some sporty characteristics but some practical characteristics as well.

I used to love the TL since it came out in 04 but when the IS came out and I test drove it at the taste of lexus I was converted. I feel the TL is for maybe when im older. I just got out of college, no kids etc so the IS would fit me better, since I dont really care about the backseat

rominl

iTrader: (4)

ok dave and 1sick has chimed in so i will just put a final words. if you want to help valkrie to compare the TL and the is350, by all means, please, and we encourage you to do so. but if anyone wants to continue the discussion on his driving and what he should do on his driving and such, save it. we don't need that hear, and valkrie has already responded enough to that too. thanks.

Rockville

and have different characteristics. Even a good suspension will not make a FWD high speed turn friendly because when it breaks traction it plows ahead instead of turning in. You can only use your brakes at that point to help it turn. Chances are you will head toward the sidelines and launch into the weeds or trees in this case. The heavy torque steer of the TL is just another annoyance you won't find on the IS350.

A typical RWD will have issues in wet conditions with steering too much and rotating.(yaw) I totaled an IS300 with new tires in the rain with the Traction Control turned off. I spun it backwards and curbed it pretty hard. I was probably doing about 35 MPH at the time when I hit a slick patch. I was giving it throttle at the time and since it didn't have a limited slip the rear became unstable from uneven power application which traction control would have corrected but I was experimenting at the time with it off....That broke a string of about 30 years without an accident blah, blah, blah and I felt pretty stupid too....

The VDIM would have taken care of both my error and the one described by Valkrie except for the bad tires. The FWD of the Acura and its nose heavy weight distribution wore out the front tires and I'm not sure which is worse having good fronts or good backs but it is an uneven situation. All of the track training etc. won't help overcome bad tires. VDIM will take care of mostly everything else however. So yes he would be much safer in an IS350 as far as becoming unstable but the speeds possible would present less margin of error. The adjustment to rear wheel drive might seem strange at first but the VDIM will always be there to help. It is the best technological advancement since anti-lock brakes. Just keep an eye on those treads. Most techs will not rotate the tires without telling you to replace the worn ones. That was when the conditions for the accident were set in place.....The most expensive tires are a lot cheaper than body shops and hospitals....

Rock

bobbo1978

If you are into AutoXing why would you get an automatic. Makes no sense.

IS 350 CL

I just went to a wake 2 weeks ago with my 17 yr old son. A 17 yr old and a 16 yr old from his high school were driving a 2005 TL and hit a tree, they both died.

I personally do not think it is a good idea for younger inexperienced drivers to be driving cars that can accelerate too fast. I don't mean to offend anyone, I just think losing your life in a fast car and possibily injuring others is a terrible thing for families and communities to go through. Not to mention it can be avoided and doesn't have to happen.

You probably don't need to learn how to drive, you simply need to slow down and not take un-neccesary changes.

Drive carefully, in my opinion you got very lucky to walk away from your TL.

dkaplan435

I agree with Dave & 1sicklex. You came for advice, not to get dissed.

1. The 350 handles great. Not as much on the edge as an M3.. BUT that being said, the same thing that happened to you, happened to me, with my M3, I was just a lot luckier than you. I was driving in the rain, 7 months after I got my m3, didn't know the tires were dead like yours, and when I hit the last part of the offramp, my car just started sliding. Zero Traction. Lucky for me, I wound up in the mud and barely rear ended a tree. Could have been much worse.

2. The Lexus, from everything I've read and heard, handles better than the TL, so that should be good for you.

3. VDIM. As long as your tires have good tread you should be ok.

Traction is where it's at. You could have brand new summer tires, but if you are driving in snow, they are like slicks. You are going to wind up in an accident unless you are driving 10 miles per hour, and then you'll get rear ended by somebody in a hurry.

Best of luck. I traded in a 99 M3 convertibel for the Lexus and I don't regret it for a second.