natnut

Why do I get the feeling that the 3rd Gen IS is only one engine update away from scoring a complete knockout of the F30 3 series.

gpxluke

iTrader: (2)

Before purchasing my car, I went directly to a BMW dealership and test drove both of the 328 and 335 with xdrive as everyone wants four wheel drive sedans now so dealerships just don't order rear wheel drive. After the test drive, 328 has a great engine producing just enough torque and hp that fitted into my price range so I knew I wanted a Alpine White F30 328i X-drive with M-sport package, but they have no cars on the lot. Every single dealership in Vancouver BC did not have a single car that matched my wants. As a result, I started looking for 335 xdrive with Mpack, but the price was way over my budget as I am buying it using my own money, no help from family. I asked my sales to find me a car in other provinces.

While waiting for my sales news, I went to Lexus to test drive the new IS, tried the 250 AWD, 350 AWD, 350 RWD, all of them with F-sport pack and I was completely sold to the refinements the new IS has given to me. The interior is so unique with this techno feel, the handling is so sharp given that it's a vehicle with stock suspension, very less body roll, nice seat (most comfortable driving seat I have ever sat on), everything was so perfect to me. I know the engine was one of the thing that pulling the car back because it was the old engine 2IS used. I drove the 2IS when it first came out but comparing the two of them, the new 3IS is just a completely new refined vehicle. I wouldn't say it's a new page of the IS, the new IS is a completely new book. I absolutely love my car. On the same day, I placed a deposit on the 350 RWD F-sport, called the BMW sales and never looked back.

It is not the perfect car, but I enjoy driving it very much. Every time i jump on those seats, I fall in love with it every single time.

In conclusion, PLEASE KEEP THE LEXUS.

FSPORTJC

Thanks for sharing your story! I could not agree with you more.. being a former 2013 3 series M Sport owner.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Fair enough. Thank you for your honest post. I still have around a month and half to think about it. There is no doubt that 3IS has the best interior and the best overall handling in its class. Both the chassis and the overall feel of the car on the road is very confidence inspiring as well as very communicative. At the beginning when I bought my car I just did not realize how much potential this car has. The body built so well that it is obvious that Lexus spent a lot of time trying to dial in the chassis. Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs.

FSPORTJC

Slust

I honestly thought I was going BMW or Audi this time, their engines are great! I test drove more BMWs than any other brand - including three different 335i (335is, 335ix drive and even a e90). The way BMW packs so much power and efficiency into a little engine (by comparison to ours) is awesome. And I don't for a second believe Audi's reported HP/Torque numbers because getting 4.4s from those numbers seems wrong.

But when it came down to it, that is pretty much most of what I liked about both cars. Great cars but lacked the great all around package I want. I already feel like traffic keeps me too contained to let loose so having the power at the low end would probably drive me nuts, especially since I already feel people here drive way too slow. So it really came down to how the Lexus handles and how great the interior and seats are. I may not be able to pick my traffic setting but I sure as hell can pick the comfort of my car. And when traffic does loosen up the NA engine is rewarding.

Someone said it best, there is something to like about every car in this class. If you aren't jealous about at least 1 thing another car has you didn't look hard enough because this is a very competitive class. Either way you win OP, all fantastic cars.

UncleSpud

If you're intent on making a change, and you have a month to kill (and assuming you're still willing to lease a $60K car), why not look at the CTS-V, or an S4? Better still, if speed is a priority and you can live with a coupe, why not a C7 Corvette? All of those cars have better steering than the F30 Bimmer, and should be as fast, if not faster. Reliability may still be an issue however.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Coupe is not an option for me. I need four door sedan that has good enough comfort and space while offering agile and sporty characteristics. 335i perfectly fits the bill. S4 with the same MSRP has a lot lower residual value hence higher lease payments. Otherwise S4 awesome. Besides since I already owned an Audi and never owned BMW I just wanted to see what it is that makes 3 series such a best seller (even in the current F30 generation).

John510

60K for a 335? Damn your nearing Maserati pricing.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Right. I basically checked all possible boxes on 335. If you do the same with Maserati you are at around 100K lol.

They are discounting bimmer to 53.5K which effectively makes it below invoice

Slust

^ That's a damn good deal. Would definitely make me think too.

Keep driving both. Sounds like you learn something about each car each time you do...

dojoman

iTrader: (5)

Just look out for common limp issue with 335i M-sport. Long threads on F30post and most people end up with buy back or dealers have no clue how to fix it. BMW has been making cars longer than Lexus but still doesn't know how to make reliable cars.

UncleSpud

Salvadorik, those of us who've owned BMW's in the past (I've owned 4) lament the advent of the F30. The car (even in M-Sport guise) is softer than any of the previous generations. Granted, you can get the car to handle better by going to the aftermarket, but no matter what else you do, you'll be stuck with substandard steering--the steering is reasonably weighted, but totally numb (especially on-center). I don't want to drive a car where I have to make constant corrections to make the car track straight. Also, you can expect to spend lots of shop time at your BMW dealer, chasing various mechanical gremlins. I test drove a '14 328i and had the engine lock up (went into limp mode) during the test drive. That brought to mind my E36 M3, which ate three transmissions and the crappy Boge Sachs suspension (totally shot at 10K miles). It cured my desire to have the roundel on my next car. My next stop was the Lexus dealer.

I'll admit that the motor and the look of the car have appeal, but it ends there. BMW's magic with suspensions is missing on the F30, and the engineers who signed off on the steering need therapy.

I wish you luck with your decision, but caveat emptor.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Thank you for that. When I owned Audi A6 (C7 generation) I experienced this numb kinda steering on a daily basis. Audi probably has the numbest steering in the industry. And to be honest it did not bother me too much. I got used to it pretty fast. So long as the steering is accurate (i.e. the wheels turn accurately per given steering input) I am ok with it. I know that IS has very well weighted steering. Most importantly the chassis communicate the road very well. It is that sheer feeling is just phenomenal. If I could afford keeping both cars I would definitely do that. Lexus in my mind created a really fun car with this third generation of IS. The problem, however, I, however, cannot get over the fact that 3IS has noticeably worse MPG while having less power. This engine is too old.

gpxluke

iTrader: (2)

I would ignore the official number on the MPG as they are not very accurate. I actually compared my car's MPG with my frd's 335 xdrive, I can easily get 400KM out of a tank considered that's 90% city driving and so as my frd as we all live in Vancouver BC, not that much freeway around. He told me he can only get 360~370 the most out of a tank. Well maybe it is because of the xdrive system that consumes more gas but I don't think the lexus is doing bad on MPG, to me I think it's reasonable. My previous B7 A4 can hardly get 420 km on a tank and that was a 2.0T four banger.