New Member - 2018 IS350 F-sport AWD
05-13-18, 11:35 AM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
New Member - 2018 IS350 F-sport AWD
Hey everyone -
Just purchased my IS350 F-sport yesterday, and figured I'd join the forum. White, rioja red interior.
My search was pretty long...drove a ton of cars. I had driven the IS350 years ago back when it was first redesigned and loved it, but for whatever reason it hadn't been part of my consideration this time around. I spent extensive time test driving the 2018 Audi S4, BMW 440i, GS350 F-sport, ATS, Alfa Giulia, and then drove the IS350 again and was sold immediately.
Loved how balanced and livable the IS was as compared to all of the others. The IS seems to really adapt and respond to YOU as the driver, as opposed to some arbitrary drive mode tuning. The drive modes are great and give a solid starting point, but each one really seems to evolve nicely depending on what you're doing behind the wheel. Can't say the same of any of the other cars I drove.
I've always been a speed freak so Lexus was a huge hesitation, but once I mentally got past the reality that, for daily driving, having a 4.2 second car is pointless (especially in a city like Nashville/Franklin with brutal traffic, heavy police presence, etc), it really opened me up to the merits of something like the IS.
Couldn't be happier with the car. It makes otherwise boring drives really fun and is a nice place to spend time on the road. Plus...you can't beat Lexus reliability. That's important. I don't have time for a car to be in the shop, even under warranty. No brainer.
Just purchased my IS350 F-sport yesterday, and figured I'd join the forum. White, rioja red interior.
My search was pretty long...drove a ton of cars. I had driven the IS350 years ago back when it was first redesigned and loved it, but for whatever reason it hadn't been part of my consideration this time around. I spent extensive time test driving the 2018 Audi S4, BMW 440i, GS350 F-sport, ATS, Alfa Giulia, and then drove the IS350 again and was sold immediately.
Loved how balanced and livable the IS was as compared to all of the others. The IS seems to really adapt and respond to YOU as the driver, as opposed to some arbitrary drive mode tuning. The drive modes are great and give a solid starting point, but each one really seems to evolve nicely depending on what you're doing behind the wheel. Can't say the same of any of the other cars I drove.
I've always been a speed freak so Lexus was a huge hesitation, but once I mentally got past the reality that, for daily driving, having a 4.2 second car is pointless (especially in a city like Nashville/Franklin with brutal traffic, heavy police presence, etc), it really opened me up to the merits of something like the IS.
Couldn't be happier with the car. It makes otherwise boring drives really fun and is a nice place to spend time on the road. Plus...you can't beat Lexus reliability. That's important. I don't have time for a car to be in the shop, even under warranty. No brainer.
05-13-18, 12:10 PM
#2
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
Welcome and congrats!
05-13-18, 09:51 PM
#4
Rookie
Thread Starter
All of the others cars I mentioned are great in their own right, but this one gives you a sense of confidence and connection to the road that I didn't get in the other cars I drove.
Can't wait to put more miles on it.
Congrats on yours as well!
05-15-18, 08:40 AM
#5
Driver School Candidate
I'll second that feeling. I couldn't wait for a 2018 and picked my 2017 at a wicked deal in Canada at the end of last year. I love the car. It makes a statement sitting in P, It makes a lasting impression when in D. Stuck in traffic 2 hours a day isn't so bad now.
05-15-18, 10:55 AM
#7
Lexus Champion
Congrats and welcome to CL!
Trending Topics
05-15-18, 12:00 PM
#8
Congrats I just bought my black 2016 IS200T 2 weeks ago and been loving it, for kind of the same reasons. Gave up my GTI for it. Is there a android app that lets us visit these forums. I used tapatalk to visit VW forums, doesn't seem to work in here.
05-15-18, 12:26 PM
#9
Rookie
Thread Starter
Agreed. It's the best overall package I found in my search. Such a pleasant place to be even in traffic jams. The more I drive it, the more I love it.
05-15-18, 01:16 PM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
Congrats. Welcome and post some pics.
05-15-18, 07:57 PM
#12
Last edited by pret; 05-15-18 at 08:01 PM.
05-15-18, 08:56 PM
#13
Rookie
Thread Starter
the "feel" is called "fun'. The BMW 335 is faster. The Cadalliac ATS handles better. Mercedes makes great interiors. But Lexus is the whole package. The design goal was to create a fun car. Part of that was defining what 'fun' was. IMHO, they met that goal. https://youtu.be/fZ4wTh-X6I8. Also, congratulations!
Edit: Holy **** that video...thanks for posting that. He literally articulated everything I felt when I test drove the car. Right when I came out of the first corner I knew I was going to be buying that car that day. Unreal...leave it to Toyota/Lexus to quantify "fun" and replicate it in the form of a car. When I say I test drove everything, I mean I test drove the hell out of everything. I spent the LEAST amount of time behind the wheel of the IS350 before I chose to buy it. I had driven everything else much more and still had reservations.
I'm going on...but yeah that video is incredible because they nailed it intentionally. Well done, Lexus.
Last edited by 2XLXTN; 05-15-18 at 09:07 PM.
05-15-18, 09:06 PM
#14
Intermediate
Hey everyone -
Just purchased my IS350 F-sport yesterday, and figured I'd join the forum. White, rioja red interior.
My search was pretty long...drove a ton of cars. I had driven the IS350 years ago back when it was first redesigned and loved it, but for whatever reason it hadn't been part of my consideration this time around. I spent extensive time test driving the 2018 Audi S4, BMW 440i, GS350 F-sport, ATS, Alfa Giulia, and then drove the IS350 again and was sold immediately.
Loved how balanced and livable the IS was as compared to all of the others. The IS seems to really adapt and respond to YOU as the driver, as opposed to some arbitrary drive mode tuning. The drive modes are great and give a solid starting point, but each one really seems to evolve nicely depending on what you're doing behind the wheel. Can't say the same of any of the other cars I drove.
I've always been a speed freak so Lexus was a huge hesitation, but once I mentally got past the reality that, for daily driving, having a 4.2 second car is pointless (especially in a city like Nashville/Franklin with brutal traffic, heavy police presence, etc), it really opened me up to the merits of something like the IS.
Couldn't be happier with the car. It makes otherwise boring drives really fun and is a nice place to spend time on the road. Plus...you can't beat Lexus reliability. That's important. I don't have time for a car to be in the shop, even under warranty. No brainer.
Just purchased my IS350 F-sport yesterday, and figured I'd join the forum. White, rioja red interior.
My search was pretty long...drove a ton of cars. I had driven the IS350 years ago back when it was first redesigned and loved it, but for whatever reason it hadn't been part of my consideration this time around. I spent extensive time test driving the 2018 Audi S4, BMW 440i, GS350 F-sport, ATS, Alfa Giulia, and then drove the IS350 again and was sold immediately.
Loved how balanced and livable the IS was as compared to all of the others. The IS seems to really adapt and respond to YOU as the driver, as opposed to some arbitrary drive mode tuning. The drive modes are great and give a solid starting point, but each one really seems to evolve nicely depending on what you're doing behind the wheel. Can't say the same of any of the other cars I drove.
I've always been a speed freak so Lexus was a huge hesitation, but once I mentally got past the reality that, for daily driving, having a 4.2 second car is pointless (especially in a city like Nashville/Franklin with brutal traffic, heavy police presence, etc), it really opened me up to the merits of something like the IS.
Couldn't be happier with the car. It makes otherwise boring drives really fun and is a nice place to spend time on the road. Plus...you can't beat Lexus reliability. That's important. I don't have time for a car to be in the shop, even under warranty. No brainer.
05-15-18, 09:33 PM
#15
Rookie
Thread Starter
Given your test drives with the new S4 and the 440i, do you feel that the power in those cars significantly outperforms the IS350 so that they're night and day by comparison? I also want power and speed, but there is no use in having a really fast car if the reliability is severely impacted.
The 440i was a really enjoyable car, and while it's faster than the IS350, it doesn't really feel like it is. The IS does a great job of feeling faster than it really is. The 440i is every bit what you'd expect from BMW...it's a great car and if you got it, you'd probably be super happy with it.
But like I said before, it's hard to put the feeling of the IS350 into words. I took both the S4 and 440i home for a couple days each and returned them to the dealer not really feeling like either car was for me. They both had something missing that I was looking for. The drive modes in both cars are very static. They dial up a setting depending on the mode you're in, and that's the setting. The end.
i drove the IS and was sold in under a minute. It felt like it was responding directly to my input. This is all super subjective of course, so take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt. You definitely have to drive them all and decide for yourself.
We're conditioned by the automotive press, YouTube videos, peers, etc to think that we need to have the fastest car in a certain class of vehicles. The IS is constantly knocked by reviewers for being underpowered compared to the competition. While this is true, does it really matter? When you're behind the wheel, you're not driving every car in the segment. You're driving your car. The IS is a lot more than speed or lack of speed. You're not going to be racing people every day (most likely). Other cars may be faster, but that doesn't make the IS slow. Punch the throttle and it still hits you in the chest.
The IS is a very complete, extremely enjoyable package. That's my 2 cents.
Last edited by 2XLXTN; 05-15-18 at 09:38 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by 2XLXTN:
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