XenonES3

I chose the E90 330xi over the Lexus IS primarily for the BMW driving experience, Euro Deilvery opportunity, and AWD teamed to a more powerful engine. I love driving the car but I am a bit jealous of you IS drivers; in my opinion the new IS looks gorgeous. The styling of the IS250/350 looks more attractive to me as each day goes by.

Last week, I dropped my Lexus off at the dealer for service and was given a Smokey Granite Mica IS250 AWD loaner. I only drove it around for about 30 minutes but was really impressed! It handled better and felt quicker than I had expected after reading numerous reviews that criticized the IS's driving dynamics.

To make matters even more interesting, I received several compliments in my short experience with the 250 . At the train station, I noticed that several people did touble-takes and one guy came over and shouted, "Nice looking Lexus!". My girlfriend loved its looks and a few buddies who prefer their Audi's and Bimmer's and don't care much for Lexus' also had a change of heart after getting a better look at the IS. In comparison, I have not received a single compliment related to the styling of my E90 .

Essentially, I just wanted to share my short experience with the new IS. Although it did not suit my needs at the time of purchase, I must say that It is a fantastic looking car and I can understand why it is in such great demand.

GFerg

Did you test drive the IS before you purchased the 330xi?? Sorry you have regrets.

acsan

Thanks for sharing!

XenonES3

Nope, I did not test drive the IS before purchasing the E90. I ordered the E90 in mid-December and took delivery in Europe in mid-February. It arrived back in the US on March 12 and I picked it up from my dealership a week later. Thus, at the time I ordered it, I had seen very few, if any, IS's on the road to sway me like they do now.

This is my all-year-round car and I did not want to bother with a separate set of rims and snow tires like I have to on my other RWD cars. Since AWD and a manual tranny were not offered on the 350, that eliminated the new IS from my list early on. However, if Lexus did happen to offer both on the 350 there would be a good chance you'd see a nearly brand new 2006 Sparkling Graphite 330xi in Chicago for sale on Autotrader.

gshb

i think having actual snow tires for winter will make way more difference in the driveability of any car in snow compared to AWD...in any case congrats on the 330xi. i saw a 330xi with sport package on the 405 the other day and i said "wow...thats one expensive e90".

LexFather

Thanks for sharing. The E90 rocks

GSE25

Oddly enough, I test drove an E90 today as well. After the test drive I was amazed at how well it handles. Those statements about how the bmw outhandles the IS is definitely true imo.. The car feel planted on the road under high speed cornering and feels secure while if I did the same in my IS, I'd be body rolling like crazy... I was VERY impressed by the way the 3 handled. . That said, I'd still choose the IS over the 3 simply because of everything else.. . I'll be working on suspension tuning for sure.

LexFather

Dude, please tell me you have more pics of your car somewhere. I love the sig.

y2ks2k

ya, I’ve been very interested in what some mags have said about the IS driving dynamics. i for one think its pretty hard core. I almost made some guys at work puke the other day when I took a long sweeping freeway off ramp circle.

Unless my Sti was a pretty sloppy handling car with lots of body roll, I have been able to pull some high speed corners just about as fast and the IS does it without all the bump and grinding. I guess my Sti just sucked... or the IS is actually pretty good...

Who knows...

gshb

if anything, the STI should outclass the Bimmer on everything except luxury and looks...

mcfly

The STi certainly has more available performance outright, but unless you've ever driven one, you wouldn't understand what the above poster is talking about (bump & grind).

Subaru, in traditional rally fashion, is pretty well known for overdamped and undersprung setups, which can be bouncy. Not the most comfortable setup.