Hello Lexus Team!

I've been an Audi A4 driver for almost 7 years and I've had enough of the surprise expensive mechanical problems. I've decided to give Lexus a try, mostly because most of my family are Toyota/Lexus owners and have never had a breakdown more serious than a dead battery vs my A4 has had everything from engine, transmission, dynamic suspension, etc fail

I really like the IS as it's nimble and luxury, if you can help me look for the right model/year and what to look for I'd be really grateful to join the club!

Requirements : AWD, Rear and Side auto-dimming mirrors and Xenon Lights
Big Plus but not requirement : Blind Spot Detection Backup Camera
Perk: Heated Steering Wheel

I've tried to look at every year since 2013 till now and what the updates are, they all seem minor. I'm thinking which years to avoid and which had the most options.

Thank you!

 

 

The F Sport version of the 2014-present 3rd generation IS comes standard with LEDs, HIDs are standard on lower trims.

You can also get BSM and backup camera on it. I think BSM is now standard on the 2017+ model years. I'd say don't skip the backup camera. To me it would feel wrong to buy a luxury-branded car from the mid-2010's without it!

The F Sport I had had an individual option for the heated steering wheel - depends on where you're buying as to the availability.

For adjustable suspension like what was found in your A4, you will have to go with the IS 350 F Sport.

As for model years to avoid, the 2014's were known to have some battery drain and infotainment system issues, but I think those should have been resolved via updates since then? Probably best to go 2015+.

 

Thank you!
I want to stay the very far away from dynamic suspension. The cost to repair/replace them is a nightmare plus where I live it can go down to -40C/40F and the suspension starts to act wonky.

How are the IS250 AWD with the Turbo? Is the Turbo reliable or should I just get the IS300 or IS350 to get the V6 engine?

 

The dynamic suspension isn't prone to break. Very reliable. The best version with the best handling is the 350 F-Sport. The other versions aren't as fun to drive and kinda slow with not that much better gas mileage. The Mark Levinson stereo is a pretty nice feature if you can find it. I'd get the 2015+ as they got all the bugs ironed out and it comes with ventilated seats which the 2014s don't have.

 

+1 to EZZ's above comment - I've not heard of any suspension issues with the AVS.

The IS 250 doesn't have a turbo. Maybe you're thinking of the 200t? The 200t can't be had with AWD though.

IS 300 AWD has a detuned 3.5-liter V-6, which is mechanically identical to the IS 350's engine but makes less power. There are reasonably priced tunes available to make the IS 300 a match for the 350 in terms of power however.

 

You are right the IS250 is still using the V6 engine.
IS350F have a 5-8k premium at that price i'd rather lease a new one instead of getting a pre-owned.

I'll be buying it in Canada. So I'm seeing the 2016 IS300 or 2015IS350 for about 38,000$ CND (with Tax) = 29,000$ USD

 

One thing to keep in mind is that with the f sport models, memory seats is not an option and not available until 2018. If that's not something that would bother you then that's fine.

 

Thank you!
I hate it when car companies nickle and dime you on little options like this.

 

I bought a 2015 IS350 AWD in Canada with the Executive package. It has memory seats (heated, ventilated, and leather), heated steering wheel (power tilt and telescopic), heated windshield (where the wipers sit), auto dimming mirrors, adaptive LED headlights (with auto high beam), fog lights, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, rear camera, rear power sunscreen, 15 speaker Mark Levinson stereo (which is AWESOME), rain sensing wipers, pre-collision system, parking assist sensors, dynamic radar cruise control, etc. Some of these features were available on the F Sport Series 3 models (in Canada there were three trim levels for F Sport in 2015), but if you don't want adaptive variable suspension (AVS) then you don't want F Sport. The only features from the F Sport that I wish my car had are AVS, Sport + mode, and variable gear ratio steering (or whatever it is called).

 

That's perfect! If you don't mind me asking. How much did you pay for it? and when did it you get it?
Also, since then did you have any problems with the car?

 

I bought it new in April 2015. Paid $54,000 CAD all in. I have only put 30,000 km on it, and have had no problems other than the dreaded inner tire wear on front tires that everyone experiences, and a navigation glitch. Tire wear was fixed with Figs/SuperPro lower control arm bushings, and nav glitch fixed with software update by the dealer.

 

Also pretty sure the new 17-18 models come standard with the Lexus Safety System Plus. Pedestrian warning, lane departure, auto high beam, auto steering (for crash mitigation), radar cruise. I would trade my IS in for the new model just to get those features. (If I ever got another IS)