Hello guys.
I am quite new to this forum.
Currently I drive Mazda 3 2010. In close future I'm going to upgrade the car to either BMW 3 series or Lexus IS 300.
I just wanted to get your opinion on that (and I know this is a Lexus forum and favor will go definitely towards Lexus).
What is important to me, is a car handling and the driving pleasure experience.
I'm not looking for the badge in particular.
I'm a reasonably mechanically inclined, and doing all my maintenance by myself.
What is especially important to me are opinions from people here that did the switch from BMW to Lexus or vice versa, or potentially have both cars and can compare.
Feel free to criticize and whatever
Thank you very much!

 

Welcome!

Having driven both (in my case, it was a 328i), I chose the IS based on the way it feels when driving as well as Lexus's reliability. Yes, you might find that the BMW carries somewhat more prestige, depending on who you ask. But, I felt the IS was a more solid-feeling vehicle on the road.

That said, the BMW has higher gas mileage and faster acceleration than the IS 300. Handling ability will probably be similar, but like I said, I think the IS felt more secure when I drove it. The BMW's interior seemed fine to me at first, but I think the IS has a more unique design and has held up well. The only things that bug me about the IS's interior is the lack of storage cubbies as well as the odd cupholder placement. On a day to day basis, the IS's interior is a nice place to be.

Note: It's probably not apples-to-apples, as I have an IS 300 AWD, which uses the same naturally-aspirated V-6 engine as the IS 350 with a lower-output tune. The IS 300 with rear-wheel drive uses the turbocharged I-4. The V-6 actually helps the Lexus to feel a bit smoother if you go for that option.

Have you driven both cars? If not that'd be my first recommendation.

 

Thank you for your comment!
Will do test drive when i am going to shop
I live in Canada, so RWD won't be an option IMO.
AWD only

 

I swtiched from a 2009 328i (e90 generation) to 2016 Lexus IS350. In short.... I miss my bmw. It had its quirks but the its truly a drivers car. This is just my opinion.

I have not driven the F30 generation a whole lot but the e90 gen was deinitely excellent car. It had few mechanical quirks like A/C evaporator failing at 6.5yrs ($2.4K in repairs), valve cover gasket around 75K miles ($1k in repairs), oxygen sensors failing around 7yrs ($800) + the usual maintenance.

With the IS350, even though it has more power, the power delivery is not so well defined like the bmw. The steering is subdued and its not precise at all. Under braking or taking sharp turns, the car is not confidence inspiring either. Even my wife who is not a car person (and drives a odyssey on daily basis) thought that the bmw drove better.

But the lexus will be ultra reliable. You probably get more for your money from the lexus for sure.

If you are wondering why I switched to lexus, coz I wanted something that doesnt require me to spend 1K every year on repairs while still has some fun factor to it. Although I did some maintenance on the bmw at home, I didnt want to continue spending so much eternally.

 

That's the answer I was afraid off

 

If you're mechanically inclined and like working on your own vehicle, them you'll want to get the Lexus.
More time driving, and less time fixing than the BMW.
And when you need to address a wear and tear item on the Lexus, like brakes, it can be done with basic hand tools and a little bit of knowledge.
If you have a PHD in "WTF...why did they design this like this!!"...then get the BMW...might as well put that PHD to use! LOL!!

Personally, I find the interior of the Lexus to be leaps and bounds ahead of the BMW.
Design, placement, and intuitiveness of the Lexus dash controls far surpass the BMW.
The BMW rides just as nice, but the exterior design is nothing special.
They have a nice audio system/Navi display...so some brownie points there.

 

The new 3 Series is scheduled to debut very shortly here. End of this year latest. It's going to be a very very heavily engineered and dynamic car. They went back to the drawing board and designed a car that goes back to the older 3 Series roots. The current one is aging--old as hell.



This and the Giulia are going to be the absolute standard in terms of dynamics. Early reviews of prototypes have been stunning. People say it has the ability of the Giulia but in a package that doesn't fight you back, particularly at high speeds. What BMW 3 has been known for in earlier generations. Here's the latest BMW 3 going through durability testing where it's hooked up to a rig to simulate extremely violent vibrations, twisting forces, and suspension abuse at nurburgring speeds for 200,000 + miles. Toyota's chief engineer was very impressed at how well BMW designs and tests their cars in a recent interview.

 

I was in the exact same position you were last year. I had a Mazda 3 for 10 years (2004,2008 and 2010 models) and couldn't decide between the BMW or Lexus, same models as above. I drove both. Fell in love with the IS300 for the comfort of the ride. On top of being a super reliable car that in itself was a no brainer for me. I too live in Ontario and after driving the car in winter, a few donuts later, I cant get enough of this car. Also, any German cars, get ready to pay a steep price for parts and service.

My girlfriend now works for Lexus in Oakville and I would be happy to recommend someone from the dealership, just PM me.

 

God that @$$ end is hideous. I never thought of BMW as an attractive car, unless you go with the M3 and up but for 100K I'd rather get and LC. At least then you don't blend in with the crowd.

 

The @$$ end is one of the best things about the design. Not sure how it can be hideous since it's quite similar to the IS, particularly the tail lights and trunk. That's an absolutely masterful design. Also m3 starts around 62k. I think you are thinking M5.

 

It truly depends on what's important to you. I looked at both bmw and Lexus too before I bought my IS350. What it really came down to was this. Do I sacrifice an incredible driving experience for reliability, and nicer looking interior. Realistically, for me anyway, I'm not going to be tracking the car, or going through mountains every other day. So for average everyday city driving, I'd rather know that I can get to work and go back home every day and not think about what's going to go wrong

 

BTW I want to add the above pic is a render based on spied prototypes. not production.

 

^^^ THIS ^^^

I just got rid of my 2012 X5 because of exactly this. I was spending $200-400 on repairs and maintenance a month on a vehicle that barely had 60k miles. It was eating me alive....and that was with me doing all the labor.

I switched to Lexus because of the legendary build quality and reliability. I've worked on 20 year old Toyotas that still had original parts that held up beautifully. I hope to have the same experience with my Lexus.

Do the BMWs drive better? I would have to say yes. I am especially interested in the new 3 series coming out later this year as E46CT suggested.
But even with all the improvements on the new 3 series, you still have to contend with the quirkiness of BMW. I would love to have a new BMW, but I would NOT keep it after a couple of years due to their maintenance requirements.

 

LMAO!!! If a rammed a Mack truck into the back of an IS, it would look EXACTLY like that 3 series.
Don't kid yourself, we the people say the back end is ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...but damn that thing is fugly!

 

^I see your point Macro but remember 20 years ago Toyota wasn't exactly cutting edge. They did not make vehicles to compete with BMW in terms of performance. Now Lexus is BARELY entering the performance era where they actually compete in terms of suspensions and powertrains and gadgets--all things BMWs have had for decades and have had some reliability problems because of that. So now today with lexus barely entering into turbo engines and more dynamic bushing-heavy suspensions, you're going to start to see to some degree Lexus starting to fall victim to some of the same problems BMW, Audi, MBZ has with powertrain and wear. There's more complexities when you start adding turbos and all the other intricate sub-systems that revolve around it, including electronics. I mean we saw the other day of a guy with a brand new IS that had his entertainment system on the fritz, or the constant turbo regulator valves that keep going out on the 200T. Older Camrys and Lexuses did not have all these gadgets. My point is Lexus is now forced to play in the powertrain and tech field to compete with the big boys and that Lexus reputation stemming from 15-30 year old N/A 3.5L V6 engines and grandma slow shifting transmissions and basic suspensions isn't going to be exactly as flawless anymore as Lexus is just now entering the "pay to play" automotive world. Do any of us here think Lexus's new Turbo LS is going to be as flawless as the older ones with the standard V8? The new LS is packed up the wazoo with tech. Only time will tell!