Hey guys,

I test drove the IS 350 F-Sport for the firs time this weekend and I must say that the car did not live up to my expectations. I would like some input on the things that I found troubling because I really, really wanted to like this car due to its good looks and likely reliability.

First off, the seat was very uncomfortable for me. The way it curves in at your lower back provides no lower lumbar support. This left my back hurting after just the test drive of approximately 20 mins. The RC by contrast has an amazing inflatable lumbar support option.

The read out was so dim that I could barely tell how fast I was going during the drive. Yes, I turned the brightness all the way up...

When using the blinker it seemed to continue blinking even after turning and it does not click in place so you have no idea where it's at in terms of position. The blinker annoyed me quite a bit.

The analog clock in the dash looked very tacky and out of place for a car that is modern and technologically advanced.

Ride quality was smooth, handling was decent for a four door vehicle. Acceleration was good. The leather was nice and good quality. Everything seemed either merely acceptable or annoying.

Its best attributes IMO seem to be good looks and reliability.

I'm actually quite disappointed. I think I may have to pony up for an M2.

 

Seat is fine for me. I've had the car for 3 years never had any issue with my back.

LCD speedometer is ok for me too. Mine isn't even at max brightness I can see fine in daylight.

Lots of people have trouble with blinker. There are actually two modes, feather light flick of the stock gives you 5 blinks and it turns off by itself for lane changing purpose. The full turn signal will not give you a click but when you flick the stalker harder you will feel resistance. That would be full turn signal, it will not turn off until you flick opposite direction.

Analog has been around for lots of luxury car. Even MB S class has this.

M2 is completely different car and probably will cost you at least 10-15k more.

 

Yeah, for some reason the seat killed me. I asked them if there was an option for lower lumbar or side bolsters and they said no. I have no idea why the read out was so hard to see. It's pretty bright over here in AZ.

I can see a nice analog clock in a classy MB but the Lexus has carbon fiber trim for God's sake. That is a completely different look. The analog clock should go with wood grain trim for those who want class instead of tech.

I know the M2 is a completely different car. That same day I tried an m235i and it was spot on. Everything was pretty much perfect. The seat had not only inflatable lumbar but side bolsters as well. But yeah, it's 2-door vs 4-door and an extra $6K.

All reviews say it is actually better than the M3/M4 and is $20K less. Seems more than worth it.

More than anything this has made me realize that switching from a 2-door to a 4-door is tough to swallow and so is going from BMW to Lexus. Although Lexus has far superior reliability and resale value in most cases. Once you're used to the way one marquee does things, others may seem un-intuitive.

 

You might want to try the base model with the luxury package. I decided on it over the F-Sport because the seats were way better, and I have lower back problems. I love the way the base seats fit me. And they are real leather (it remains to be seen whether this is a pro, or a con).

 

Have you test drive RC-F or GS?

 

Since the RC-F is around $70K I didn't test drive it. I merely sat in an RC-350. $70K is crazy money IMO. That's full blown M4 territory.

 

I feel compelled to reply to this. And, in no way is this completely biased because I am a 3IS owner myself.

- Uncomfortable seats - I'll grant you that comfort and perfect seating is subjective. But, this is if I recall correctly, a 14+ way adjustable seat (someone correct me if I'm wrong, I'm too tired to go looking) with 4 way lumbar adjustment. So, it's most likely that you didn't or weren't able to adjust it to your preference (considering it was a test drive). Nevertheless, 3IS seats (specially F-sport) have been lauded with great appreciation by reviewers the world over and owners alike, and sure there are complains, but those are exceptions really.

- Hard to read display - How bad is your eyesight honestly? And did you keep driving in a straight line with the sun directly behind you that the display was dimmed down to being unreadable to you? Of all the complains I've ever read about the 3IS, this is the very first one. And according to you it was at the brightest setting. I have not once raised the brightness of the display since I got my car and sure when the sun's directly beating on it, it gets a bit washed out, but in no way has it ever been un-readable by any stretch, so I'm honestly calling BS on this.

- Blinker - I came from a 2015 Corolla so I know the blinker on the 3IS was a massive change up from the usual but it takes some getting used to. And after being with the car for over 10 months now, I find this to be the best thing about the accessories of the car. It doesn't click and clank back like a budget car and again it was a test drive, so sure coming from a regular blinker, it's understandable that you found it odd. But trust me, and I'm sure other owners will second my statement, it's a great blinker.

- Analog clock - These things are subjective preferences. It's a beautiful analog clock, specially when it lights up after sun-down. Every luxury car has it. It's like a staple on any luxury car model. Is it practical? I don't know, I don't think so anyway. But, it's nice, it looks beautifully refined if anything. And sure it'd look even better with wood trim, to you, but I find wood trim in cars to be tacky and disgusting. We aren't in the 70's or 80's when that sort of thing went well with the overall design of the car.

Anyway, I don't know what else to say really. You complained about some real weird things and your reasons were pretty shoddy to say the least for the most part. May be you had a different idea for what you want in a car, go try out some other cars too and I'm sure you'll find something that matches your taste better.

**Should have complained about the cup holders, their placement, their build quality and their impracticality. Everything about that is wrong and bad.

 

I have pretty much driven BMW's my entire adult life. The first car that I bought out of college was a 328I and after that an M3 which I have driven for 8 years straight. This has made me accustomed to things working in a certain, logical way and being of a certain quality.

The seat adjustments were for height of the seat, angle and stuff like that. None of it allowed you to gain lower lumbar support. I directly told the sales person that it hurt my back and he just shrugged saying there's nothing that can be done. I then told him the RC-350 seat has inflatable lower lumbar support, that is perfect and asked if the IS has a similar option. He said no.

It's very sunny and bright here in AZ. It doesn't matter where you are mid-day, the read out is in the sun apparently. I was unable to hardly see the read out and my vision is quite fine. I have never had an issue seeing the actual physical dials on my M3 nor the read out for the m235i I tested that same day. I asked the sales guy why the read out was so dim and he told me how to adjust the brightness but that barely did much. I found it odd.

The blinker to me was just plain a complete mess. In BMW's you know exactly when it is in place and it stops blinking when you turn. The Lexus blinker would just go on forever, even after turning.. Very, very annoying. And you couldn't tell if it was in blinking position or not because it never gave me any kind of tactile information when hitting it. It just kinda flopped around not knowing what position it was in. The blinker is a big deal because you use it like 800 times a day when driving.

I am not saying that I want wood trim in my car, I am saying that the analog clock looks very out of place in a technological car with carbon fiber trim. It would be more in place in a car with classy wood grain or something like that. Lexus needs to ditch the $10 piece of junk clock or install a Jaeger-LeCoulture or something nice and have it only in the higher end models. The analog has no place in their sporty cars. It may be an odd complaint to you but that clock set off my junk-o-meter instantly. It may look nice to the untrained eye but I spent many years in the high end watch and clock industry.

But like I said, I think I have to stick with a 2-door vehicle and most likely with BMW. If I had kids to lug around I would find the IS 350 to be a great choice. I would certainly choose it over the 3-series. I am not trying to rip on the car. Every time I see one I think it looks amazing. I wish I wasn't spoiled by the M3 to the point that everything feels lack luster unless it's a 2-seat sports car with perfect engineering. I heard reviews that said that Lexus made huge strides and turned the IS 350 into a sports car so that's what I was expecting. It's not a sports car. It is a sporty sedan. Which is not an easy thing to create. They do deserve props.

 

I would buy AMG if had that kind of money but thats just me... I went with the IS because the C450 was nearly 15k more and i wasn't really felling a 4 banger GLA 45,,, BMW are nice just dose not feel as special as a Benz. The Lexus definitely rides alot smoother than a bmw 328 or 335 but thats just what i think. Seats are some of the best I've sat in personally supports my back perfect. the only complaint is put a damn memory option on them!

 

Mercedes is mainly for older retired people. Their cars are luxury yachts made for straight line performance. BMW's are made for the track. MB is not and does not try to be a track car. They are nice but not as fun to drive IMO.

The Lexus absolutely rides smoother than any BMW I have stepped foot in. This is because most BMW's are made to have a bit stiffer suspension for taking turns and providing feedback to the driver. The Lexus felt great cruising down the highway.

The BMW m235i seat had adjustable side bolsters and an inflatable lower lumbar support. This made the seat fit you like a glove no matter what. The sportiness and handling was also a huge night and day difference. This of course is not fair though since one is a 2-door and the other a 4-door.

If Lexus had a better seat in the IS 350 F-sport, fixed the blinker situation, improved the handling a bit, provided a manual option and made the tach a physical dial, I would be pretty pleased with it. The clock is whatever...

 

I have had no problems with the items that you mentioned. I will say that the blinker took me a little while to get used to, but, now I love it. Once I changed the lane switch from option from 3 to 5 blinks, it's perfect for me.

My question is - did the car you test drove not have the inflatable lumbar support, or could you not get the lumbar support adjusted to your liking?

 

The sales person is wrong, and needs to go back to Lexus Sales Training. Driver-side 2-way adjustable lumbar support is either standard or an option on all IS models. If not standard, it is available along with the heated/ventilated seats via the Luxury or Premium packages.

Title: SEAT: SEAT ASSEMBLY: FRONT SEAT; 2014 - 2016 MY IS250 IS350 [04/2013 - ]
FRONT SEAT CONSTRUCTION
(a) Power Lumbar Support
(1) The driver seat uses a 2-way adjustable lumbar support. This support includes a plastic basket that is located near the lumbar area of the occupant and pushes the seatback forward, thus providing uniform support from the upper back down to the pelvis for a better fit.

 

Only thing I agree with you on may be the blinker. I'm just used to blnkers with real clicks.
As for the analog clock, if it had a digital clock would you have said it looks like a toyota parts bin piece?

 

YOoo. How did you change that setting? I think 3 blinks is really impractical, it takes way longer than 3 blinks to effective make a lane switch.

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-5-or-7-a.html

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-settings.html