datis250

Good morning,

I was just browsing the lexus site, like I typically do from time to time, and noticed that in 2024, Lexus seems to have discontinued the 2.0T variant of the IS. I am not surprised given that you can't really option it...

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had made the IS300awd the new baseline to begin with in the IS, and have brought back the fsport series 3 package for a whopping 10k on top of the base price. For those of us that know, the fsport series 3 was available on the IS250/300 up until the 2016 model year, and then with the refresh, they made FS S3 exclusively an is350 package up until MY23.

Personally, this is a welcome addition as I always thought gatekeeping the series 3 on the is350 was kind of sucky considering the price differential from a 300 --> 350.

However, I must admit, the difference from a 300 series 3 to a 350 series 3 is 5K. Personally, I think this bridged the gap and now the 350 seems better if you can afford the 5k difference.

As a side note, it seems the lexus pricing has gone up. Admittedly it has been a while since I last been on their site, but their cars were still priced decently. It came to a point where Acura pricing had increased and lexus was comparatively a better bargain considering their resale. It seems the creep has reached Lexus and they are once again priced accordingly.


Anyway, just sharing my findings and views. This is all likely known to some in here already.

mopudding

Still no 350 RWD - I'd like to upgrade my 2014 RWD, but not interested in the 500

athanato

When I was shopping for the IS300 AWD in 2019 the Canadian site had the FS3 package available.

datis250

There ain't no way. Possibilities I am thinking is if there was a glitch on the site, or if you were looking at an IS350 and mistook what you saw as being for the IS300. I only say this because I keep up with the models pretty regularly out of nothing more than personal interest. For example, the spiderman combo was never available on the IS (2014-2020) in Canada, but has since become available since MY21 (whereas it has always been available in the states). Regardless, it would have been nice if it was offered on the previous face lift models, but I am glad they brought it back

BBQapple

We have a 23 350FS RWD and the combination of RWD and hydraulic power steering is wonderful, it’s been so long since I had a car with good feel through the steering wheel. It’s the perfect combination of lightness with just enough “alive” feeling in your hand. The S001L tires have pretty strong tramlining though which sucks and you definitely feel the steering wheel squirming along the road at times as it ferrets out a path.

I also have a FWD 23 ES300h with electric steering, and the steering wheel might as well be a dial on the wall. Nice car for the money but completely unengaging.

arentz07

The 500 is a lot more money than the 350, but IMO it is a big upgrade. I've owned both 2021 IS 350 RWD and 2023 IS 500.

I suspect the 350 RWD is a hard sell for the average customer in Canada. Imagine paying Lexus money for a V-6 sedan that can't handle snow. Of course, we all know that a good set of winter tires will enable the 350 RWD to handle snow quite well, but the perception of AWD being necessary is still there.

mopudding

To the contrary, the few RWD 350s that hit the Vancouver market have commanded a premium and sold quickly. Vancouver gets little snow, where AWD is a nice to have but hardly necessary to get around town year round.

arentz07

Note, I said "average" customer, not an enthusiast. Someone who is not necessarily a car nerd but wants a nice, sporty Lexus sedan to drive around. Also, Vancouver is just one part of a rather large country.

I've met owners who live in Texas who insist on having AWD, just to give you an idea of what I mean.

m1919

I'd hop on an IS350 RWD if they were available here, gonna need additional funding from my employer to get into an IS500, lol

GTA sees very little snow compared to what we used to get 10 years ago, I think AWD is not required here with a good set of winter tires.

ChineseKFC

The fsport design (fsport1?) is some terrible value, just the bumpers and removal of ventilated seats. yikes

TGPCanada

And even less compared to 30 years ago. Funny though, my dad would haul us around in RWD cars back then when the roads were full of packed snow and ice for a week.
No traction control, no other electronic/computer assist, crappy tire technology. Just threw some bags of sand and other ballast in the trunk and managed just fine.

Everyone here thinks you need AWD, but a good set of winter tires on a RWD car and you're good to go.