Mrg02d

Ok, so I'd like to start a thread comparing the is350 to other premium cars you've owned... In real world driving, not track racing.

I read all of this talk about how slow the is350 is, but how slow is 1second 0-60? Does it pull as hard as other cars you've owned? Would a car with 400hp give it any real trouble on a typical 45mph city road?

I've had a few run ins with Porsche, bmw, and Audi, but none impressed me aside from the 911 looks. I'm able to pull just as hard when they take off and I'm able to change lines in rush hour with precision and speed like them.

For those that have had bmw and the like, how does it compare in regular spirited driving?

I notice my is350 seems to pull super hard at interstate speeds. I can hit 100 very quick. I've never driven anything better though, so I may just have no idea.

LexRyan

I've owned 2 different e90's BMW's. They were both 328i. The reported HP on these cars is 230 but as usual, BMW underrates it so it's probably closer to 260.

My is350 is noticeably faster but not amazingly so. When I test drove the 335i at the time before I bought the Lexus, again it was noticeably faster but not ridiculously so.

I think that based on the price, particularly in Canada, it's a bit unfair to call it slow. $50,000 won't get you a faster 3 series. It's by no means a rocket and I'd love 10% more power but if you start making it 400 hp, get ready for a $70,000 car (the RCF starts at $83,000 in Canada).

Before I bought the is350, I was ready to place a special order on a F30 335i with factory M performance pack or whatever BMW calls it, sport exhaust and a 6 speed manual. This would have been a better car but it was $20,000 more than the Lex.

EZZ

Go test drive a Camaro SS or Mustang GT. Your car will feel pretty slow after the test drive My friend's 911S is ridiculous. My car feels like a snail after riding in that.

sdiver68

It just doesnt have the on-demand TQ of my chipped turbo charged BMWs or chipped Supercharged Audis. Feels even slower than my G37 and M55. So once you've had experience yes it definitely feels slower. Ironically my IS feels alot like my 06 Cayman S in acceleration, underwhelming day-to-day but able to put up respectable numbers if you drive it hard.

For regular driving it just doesn't matter. Not 1 bit. In fact my BRZ taught me that a slower car can actually be funner on the street since you can explore those lower limits more readily at lower speeds. Of course the BRZ is also a track beast with a few mods, and the IS a class leader in handling.

On most tracks its about who is the better driver, I've spotted more than 50% power differential and won races. Also, used to drive M3 guys nuts in my 335i at BMWCCA track days.

MWIS350

IS350 is fast and smooth for daily driver if want speed then Nissan GTR.

Sexis350

for my budget(under 50k) the IS350 had the most power of its class (bmw/benz) or at least it was within a few hps difference.

in order for me to get a 400 hp power car i would have to get a mustang or some other 2 door car. also, most other 400+ power cars are usually rcf price territory. maybe the new q50 might be in reach.

on the gtr note. i went to their website just to humour myself. 999 a month just to lease with 9k down.

Olasek

They are very impressive cars in straight-line power, they lack refinement in turns, handling, etc. But I would never consider them for myself for one simply reason - they just don't have the fit/finish I aspire too. I like to sit inside something I actually like looking at/touching and not only press accelerator pedal to the floor.

I believe you, for twice/thrice the cost you should get twice/thrice the thrill.

Mrg02d

How about examples where being 1 second faster (0-60) actually was apparent in daily driving? Open roads would be obvious, but zipping around town? I also suspect that having paddle shifters seems to help me quite a bit. Being able to downshift when I want it to is sure faster than flooring it and waiting for it to respond.

Olasek

I don't see a big benefit of having paddle shifters as a way to speed up car's response. I think TCU (transmission control unit) does admirable job of guessing the gear you should be in during acceleration and IMHO does it a lot faster than my fingers. So far my use of paddle shfiter has been limited to using engine breaking on steep downhills (in my terrain there is plenty of that).

I never put myself in situations where +/-1 sec of car performance would produce a different outcome on the road. Such margin of error is too small for my taste.

Mrg02d

My car is just awful when I simply floor it. If I shift on my own, ahead of time, and let the rpms get up there, then I am able to really move. Super handy in traffic.