davyjordi

i considered the 3 series and test drove one when shopping, although bought the lexus for the same reasons you did.

the lexus drove more smoothly than the bmw and that took precedence over any potential performance gains i would have benefited from should i have purchased the 3 series.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

How?

Straight line performance is within a tenth of a second or two of each other... With F-sport parts the IS actually slaloms faster than a 335 does... braking is pretty comparable...

I guess I don't understand why folks always insist they drive so much better when performance is damn near the same in every measure?

The only place the 335i has a significant advantage is modability for more power... (and modding an already unreliable car doesn't seem the best plan- especially when you had to drop almost $8000 more on the car itself to buy it)



You're comparing the next-gen BMW that just came out to the 8 year old about-to-be-replaced-gen IS?

I guess in that case I can compare the IS350 to the BMW 330i and its anemic power?

E36Andy

I drove a BMW 325i throughout high school and I was pretty caught up in the BMW community. In my opinion till this day BMW builds the best cars in the world when it comes to pure driving pleasure and looks. However, in terms of reliability, you can't depend on those cars.

I would say Toyota and Honda are the only cars worth buying for 99% of the population. The other 1 percent that buys these european cars is either someone who enjoys working on their own car, or has the money to lease (like lets say a businessman) who drives the hell out of the car and returns it every 3 years for the new model.

smokyis350

iTrader: (21)

It isn't always about straight line performance. The 335 drives much better because it uses all 300 torque at 1400RPM. Compare that to the IS350, it uses 277 torque at 4800 RPM and 306 HP at 6400.

The IS350 and 335 may perform similarly on paper, but they are actually very different animals. The steering on the IS350 is just inferior to the 335. The 335 has excellent steering in terms of feel, precision and weight, which the IS350 lacks.

Don't get me wrong though, I love the reliability of the IS350 and love to beat a slightly modded 335 on the drag strip. But after driving the IS350 for 5 years, it is pretty bland and boring.

You do know that the new generation 335 is practically the same as the previous generation 335? The F30 uses the same N55 engine as the 2011 E90 335. The 06-10 E90 uses the N54 engine. They all yield the same power 300HP/300 torque.

The only difference between the 2 is just a slightly different chasis, better gas mileage, and 8 gears automatic transmission. Performance wise, they are pretty much identical. So comparing a IS350 to a 330 would be invalid.

norapat01

Owned a Mercedes C32 AMG and few other sport cars before ended up with an IS350. C32 was a great car, I kind of regret letting it go....I would pick that car over a Lexus any day, lol. It pretty reliable too, I just do regular maintenance on it....nothing ever go wrong with it.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

I was considering a C55 when I bought my IS350. The only reason I went to Lexus is because i couldn't do much of the maintenance on a Mercedes, it requires special STAR tools.

To this day, I still kinda wish i had bought the c55

TimboIS

German cars just don't have the reliability of the Lexus. And for fun, I have my other car.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Simple, it all comes down to interior. IS beat the 3-series, C350, Type-S, and G35 when I looked at all them

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Right... so the next-gen 335 has similar changes to what we expect in the next-gen IS...mainly suspension/chasis and an upgraded transmission (plus interior upgrades) hence comparing THOSE cars would be fair. (and I suspect it'll look much like the last-gen comparison where performance is about equal, mileage is equal, but the BMW costs more, is less reliable, and has inferior resale value, plus a much inferior interior).

If you want to fairly compare the current IS though it'd be to the previous-gen (no 8-speed) 335i.

akosaurus

Taking my budget into account, I shopped the 335, 328, and C350 (E350 was a bit out of range). BMW's styling and handling just wasn't to my taste (maybe it's a girl thing?), even though the exterior is to die for. The C-class' interior materials are not to par with what you can get w/ BMW, Audi, and Lexus at the same price point. Everything just felt cheap inside. Again, the E-class was priced too high for me. Also, my IS had a ton more features for a similar price (heated AND cooled seats, nav, sunroof, etc) compared to a 335. The bf ended up getting a 335 coupe shortly after me, so I get to drive both now anyways haha.

All about personal taste and geographical location (determines price). For the 10 months I've had my Lex, I LOVE it

quang

iTrader: (8)

I own both 07 335i and 06 IS350, 335i feels faster and has better fun to drive manner with less road noise; IS needs to be modded to match up stock 335's driving excitement. however, IS is much reliable with less electrical/mechanical hiccups/repairs. So far, I love both.

istarzan

iTrader: (8)

I street raced my friends 09 335i with my 07 IS350. From a stop light, he pulled really strong and I lost 0-95. Around 100mph, my car started pulling away. But I stopped at 105 seeing the speed limit was 45. Note that he had a passenger and I didn't. Though I had 6 more HP, his twin turbo blew me away. Now, I realize this isn't a scientific or technical measure but I thought I'd throw it out there. Just sayin

For me, I considered the 335i, G37, and the IS350. 200 of my friends drive Bimmers so that kinda turned me off as I wanted to be unique. Though it comes in coupe version, the features I wanted would have added $3000 more to the final price. $30k for a 3 year old 335i got you a base stripped down model. The Lex had everything for the same price. I have the Luxury package which is the fullest package. The BMW also looked dated inside. I also know first hand about it reliability.

The G37 had some things going for it like more rear leg room, coupe version, and came in manual. But I thought the IS looked better, plus in my mind "Lexus" sounds more high end than "Infinity." Also noticed that Infinitys depreciate faster. Plus, every used one I looked at had paint coming off the dash trim.

So I got the Lexus. I didn't care about manual seeing it had paddle shifting, and it was priced better than BMW. I can live with the IS sedan as it looks like a coupe, and looked the best of the 3 IMHO.

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

I considered a Mercedes C-Class, but after seeing the interior and options you get for the price...... lol
Looked at BMW too, but just couldn't beat the Lexus as far as what I wanted in a car.

akosaurus

i like how we all shopped the same cars glad i'm not alone!

Adam350is

iTrader: (3)

never considered the c350 because it lacks the sporty feel and shape to it. even with c63 i love a lot of components on it but lacks that aggressive sporty look. (although benz is the most comfortable ride ever and has some nice gadgets. sister has gl450 and ml350 prior, ive driven both a lot).

the 335i i considered for a second because i thought it would be nice to have a hardtop convertible. and i do like the angel eyes, and the shape and all. i will ultimately be a traitor and get the m3 in a couple years though once i pay off this car.

Lexus was very affordable, retain value, and looks amazing and has some nice gizmos as well. + i love the red/orange lights on the tach and speedometer which really pushed me to buy it, as well as the design of the car.