UrHookUp

Gonna be hard to appease everyone on this as everyone has their own opinions. I like my Lexus better than the BMW I trade in. But, there are some features on the BMW I wish was on the Lexus.
I love the Seats & layout better than the BMW. But the BMW was very comfortable. The BMW handled a little better from the first ride on my new lexus, but since I did the F-Sport packages on my Lexus, it seems to ride better than the BMW.
So, for me to list every little details of what I like & didn't like & compare each feature to the other, I'd be here all night.
All I can say is drive both, & make a choice. Also look at Maintenance costs for both. If you buy a used BMW - Get the extended warranty. Will save you a ton of money.

irfan

copied this from my other thread.. didnt know this existed.


Like I mentioned in a previous thread, Id compare my previous IS350 to the 335i Xdrive for informational purposes.

Previous car was 2008 IS350, Obsidian on Black, Luxury Package w/ Mark Levinson/Nav... did not have the park sensors or active cruise control

New car is 2011 335i Xdrive 6MT, black sapphire on Oyster/Black.. Nav/HarmanKardon/Convenience package/sport

Things the IS was better at:

-Backup Cam is standard in the package, and gives higher image quality than the BMW one i installed.

-Mark Levinson Sound is better than the Harman Kardon system in the BMW

-4 doors is a little more convenient (but leg room is almost the same)

-leather quality is better

-ventilated seats

-dont have to find a lexus with all the options since the luxury package is almost fully loaded

-subtlety

-Illuminated sills

-Power Tilt/Tele Steering

-instrument cluster looks better with the lightsabers.

-price ($ close to 6K difference if equipped the same)



Things that are about equal or would be equal if equipped the same:
-overall acceleration

-overall handling ( AWD vs fun of kicking tail out... lexus feels lighter... both handle well in the turns)

-keyless entry/go ... had to make sure i found BMW with Comfort Access... not as common as i expected

-AWD

-Parking Sensors (are they still available? i cant see it on the Lexus site)



Things the BMW does better:
-sports seats are light years ahead of the the Lexus. Way better support, way more adjustments, and no pain in my *** as if i was sitting on a wallet. i think that had to do with the Ventilation plenums, so although vents are nice, they can cause discomfort (same issue with cadillac CTS vents)

-6 speed.. silky smooth to boot

-instant torque from the N55

-iDrive is far superior to the Lexus nav.. i know people hate it, i love it.... sure it can be a little more refined- still have too many button presses sometime.... but the control wheel is so much easier than arrows on a touchscreen

-can upload music to HDD (dunno is new IS has this or not)

-ambient lighting is better (personal taste... lexus had white lighting in footwell... new 335's have no footwell lighting, but have red glow on door panels

-Angel Eyes - they look badass as DRL

-Exhaust note

-steering feel

-Steering wheel (other than no power tilt/tele)... beefier, and HEATED (lexus looks better though.. and has more logical layout of buttons and cruise stalk)

-Cruise control will actually hit the brakes for me if i drop the speed enough via stalk

-can control climate without a touchscreen/idrive... yay for hard buttons!

-can set 1-6 presets for ANY idrive command.. radio stations/phone number/nav address/display mode/etc

-General ride comfort. May come as a surprise given I have the sport package... BUT the Xdrive even with sport pack does NOT have a sport suspension, and its a little higher than a stock RWD 335... makes it a little floaty but still controlled in the turns.... thats why the overall performance was equal to Lexus, but commuting comfort goes to 335... 17's help vs 18s too.

-Quieter on highway (10,000 miles on 225/45/17s vs 25,000 miles on 255/40/18's though)

Overall Im very happy with the 335i Xdrive... and my lease is the exact same as the IS350 was so no change there. I was happy with the IS but just a few quirks that were getting to me... after test driving other cars and getting back in the IS i still liked it a lot, but it was just time for a change. hope this helps anyone considering the 2 cars.

I know the BMW list of perks is longer but a lot of that is because there are new features that i never had before that i just love. If i had to live with the IS for another year i sure wouldnt mind, but after that point id just need to have some new features.

any specific questions feel free to ask

irfan

Opposite here. the IS seats were so hard to get comfortable in, and had a stiff portion in the lower cushion... more than once my right leg started going numba dn became very painful from the poor seat cushion.

335 sport seats adjust perfectly, great bolstering when you want it and can relieve that if you dont, decent leather (i like 350's leather more)... overall much more comfortable for BOTH sport and commuting.

CleverName

Are you saying the bolsters on the 335 are adjustable?

I really miss that from my old '88 Starion. Wonder why more manufacturers didn't incorporate it in the seat design...

I can attest that the IS seats are far better than the stock Audi A4 seats (my last car), but some decent bolsters would sure be nice.

V (Still lookin for a nice used 335 to fall in my lap...)

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

Great post, very objective and informative. Most of that assessment I'd have expected, but some was new to me.

The two wildcards here are price and reliability. You're leasing and said your payment is about the same as it was for your IS, so the price thing isn't as relevant to you (and probably many others, considering 60-70% of BMW sales are leases). But the BMW is quite a bit more expensive than the IS when similarly equipped. The other piece is reliability, which again likely isn't as pertinent to you because you're leasing, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb in predicting that the BMW will be less reliable and will require more repairs and more expensive maintenance than the IS. Especially with the N54/N55 HPFP issues.

Would definitely love to see an update posted after a while of ownership.

MamadIS

hmm some interesting points in here that i don't agree on. my friend has an 08 335xi that i drove many times and I had a 330ci myself before my is350. seats are definitely more comfortable in IS. seats on 335 feel like a rock compared to sofa feel of the IS. they are also very tight in bimmer even after you adjust the bolsters. however I agree that they are more supportive when spirited driving. leather on the IS is way way better than the bimmer (lexus uses perforated leather). overall interior quality compared to my friends 08 335 is much nicer and better in the IS. in terms of gadgets, my 06 has much more stuff than my friends fully loaded 08 335 (i don't know about the 2011 models). Also i never liked the 6 speed transmission on the bimmers; gear engagement and clutch felt awkward and it is hard to get used to. the best manual transmission i drove was the one in s2000 and that's what i call SMOOTH. even my civic si had a better manual than the one i had in my bimmer and my friends 335.

however there some things that the 335i does better and that is the instant torque that you get from the turbos and the exhaust note is beautiful. overall acceleration is about the same when comparing to XI cause i raced my friends 335xi couple of times and after about 80mph i had about 1/2 car length on him every time. steering feedback is what bmw wins big time in my opinion, you just feel much more connected to the road. availability of after market parts and community are another things that bmw wins easily. beside these there is nothing else for the bimmer in my opinion.

irfan

yes, if you get the Sports Package. Its worth it just for the seats. The side bolsters (back, not thigh) are power adjustable, and the lumbar is adjustable in/out and also up/down

irfan

Did you drive one with the sports package? i feel the seats are softer yet more supportive... i dunno what it was about my 350 but i even had the bottom cushion replaced once, and it was still uncomfortable. the BMW feels like a comfy couch with excellent support. it just fits me like a glove, but i suppose its dependent on build. for me its perfect in everyway so far.

i agree about the clutch being a little annoying... too heavy and catch point is too high. Seems like every german company sets their catch points too high.

Hondas have always been easier... my RX8 i had was the best ive ever used... short light throws and a nice clutch pedal with the perfect amount of travel.

Forgot to mention: the BMW speedo is always 8-10% high and sometimes doenst even match up with the digital cruise speed that i set... im going to have to recode it to show me a true speed in the DIC. very very annoying.

MamadIS

maybe 2011 has more comfortable seats but my friend's 08 with sport and premium package doesn't feel like a couch at all. he even mentioned that himself that lexus has much more comfortable seats. But as i mentioned before bimmer gives you more control options to adjust the seat position and they are much more supportive than the ones in IS. they are built for sport driving.

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

There are a handful of things I can understand liking better about the BMW (while it's in the warranty period ), but one of the things can't understand is why anyone would think the BMW seats are more supportive. That's the first time I've heard someone say that, too. They're so much flatter and more rigid. The IS seats hug you around the sides of your thighs and torso.

I was not impressed at all with the two that I've sat in... However it's possible that there's some option for better seats that I don't know about.

irfan

did they have sport seats? i bet not.

sit in one with a sports package, its a night and day difference between the 2. adjustable side bolsters that really hold you snug, 4 way lumbar, extendable thigh support.


One think i didnt mentioned earlier... the nav voice input is great in the BMW. Ive always wanted to be able to enter an address via voice by just say "123 Spooner Street, Anytown Ohio" and have it find it... the bmw does it like that, where with the lexus the nav forced you to go prompt by prompt to do state city street then house. its great in the bmw , and the bmw also lets you input addresses while driving.

I do miss the floor illumination and the illuminated sill plates though.

Also the comfort access on the BMW isnt as responsive as the Lexus was. the lexus let me open the trunk instantly and lock instantly from the handle... the bmw makes me wait a few seconds at the trunk which is annoying. also holding my finger on the handle sensor for a second isnt as easy as tapping the rubber button and walking away.

kannon

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the bmw sport seats are very nice. And I wish the is350 could get up to 400hp with ease as well. But after experiencing questionable reliability with audi I was tired of wondering if my car was gonna throw a cel at me out if the blue.

Hopefully the n55 engine has fixed the n54's issues, but since I was buying used the n55 models weren't really on the used market yet.

Also I think the is350 is easier to make look good. By all means there are some hot 3 series out there, I just feel it takes more money and work to do it.

Yogesh

IS is Luxury and BMW is performance

mjh09e

iTrader: (2)

Why not have both and opt for an INFINITI?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Because it's slower and less luxury than an IS350?


I mean, unless you're modding, the IS remains the class leader... it's the nicest car lux wise, it's quicker than the G, and it's only 0.1 or so slower than the 335i for $7000 less (comparably equipped)

all while having the best reliability and resale value