I think much of what you wrote here is 90% of the problem. Choosing to own a Compact Sports Sedan should not be considered entry-level! It's a Lexus, why is the luxury not implied? I chose the compact sedan, not because it was cheaper but because I preferred the driving characteristics over the mid-sized offerings. That doesn't mean that I expect to sacrifice luxury! Regardless, Lexus entry-level should include all the options offered at the end of Toyota's premium line. The Lexus badge should imply equal too or more luxury than any Toyota offered.

 

If Lexus reads half of the things posted here, the next IS will be awesome...

 

10000% we can only hope!

 

I agree with what you said.
But alot of people do choose it because it's cheaper, Lexus makes a "Lexus" that a whole new line of buyers can get. However, those who simply choose for the fact they its a compact sedan (I fall in both categories) shouldn't have to settle for entry-level.

 

The M340 is decently quick but I had a ZL1 Camaro at a light next to me. He took off. That thing is FAST. Later, I pulled alongside a M340. That car, not so much. Lol. All relative.

 

I had a similar expectation; my IS200T was a let down. On the brief test drive it felt adequate but in real life it was utter disappointment for me. Just a gentle reminder that brief test drives can be misleading. Many of us waited years for a proper tune to debut and nothing till today. I regretted leasing it instead of the 350 due it's slowness and extreme lag. Where i drive that's a recipe for an accident when merging due to how others drive here. I don't miss it one bit, the gauge cluster ala LFA was nice but that's where it ended for me. At 20k plus miles i started having an issue whereby the car goes into limp mode and shuts off without warning. Dealer ended up changing spark plus and injectors and that fixed it. So i didn't have the impeccable reliability experience either.

I am eager to see what they do with the 4IS, if it's good and can compete at the same levels as the competition, i will be back. Otherwise I will get another car. Life is too short to drive boring cars if you can afford not to. I will not be blindly loyal to any marque. I left BMW for 3IS because the F30 then was nothing like 3 series of the past. Perhaps I may even own a Mercedes next, who knows. I will say I ended up not liking my 3IS and now my current car I find excuses to run errands everywhere. That's the marker of a good car in my opinion. Of course if you plan to keep a car beyond 5 years then Lexus might be your best bet, that's their best attribute at least for now. The verdict is still out on the long term reliability of their new turbos.

 

Maybe he wasn't trying to race you or he just havent learned how to drive that car yet and besides we know your car is fast, it's electric and not a fair comparison. The M340I is extremely fast for a street car, of course there are faster cars but they're pointless because every time you attempt to sink your foot in you're risking jail. Anything that does 0-60 under 4.5 seconds is fast quarter is under 12.5 seconds. Tune the M340i and it's on another level and tuning for it is cheap and that's where it's ahead of all the ICE competition which is namely C43, S5 etc. Tesla is in a class of its own. It's not for me, i prefer ICE.

 

I don't consider my car that fast. I've experienced much faster cars so I know the relative speed of the Model 3 is decent but not extreme. From a stop, that M340 has no chance since he didn't launch. But the 340 is really strong on highways. I bet it will pull past my Tesla past 100mph. The new C43 and S5 will be out eventually and they should catch up to the BMW. The new fast will be under 3 seconds.

 

I don't understand why people compare electric cars to fueled cars.... Like we get it.... the electric car is fast, that's the only plus about it apart from saving money on gas... I would never want an electric car, too boring, no sounds which takes the excitement away from driving. And that Model 3 looks just like your normal Mazda 3.

 

Let be fair, some of these speeds we talking shouldn't be done on the roads regardless lol. So it truly doesn't matter.

Just to share, I had a friend put our old IS200T on a dyno and you'll laugh at the numbers.... It put up 199hp to the wheel and around 210 (or something really close to this number) lb-ft of torque. This is obviously far from being a fast car lol. Another thing which makes it seem even slower is the extreme turbo lag of the IS. (which hopefully the try to solve for the 4IS).

 

Regarding the 350 versus 300 video. I am pretty sure that both cars could have been faster. I made a video where I managed 6.3 with my own IS 300 AWD (and yes I realize how crappy a video it is , but nonetheless): .

I have seen videos online of comparable RC 350 AWD and GS 350 AWD getting under 6 seconds. I'm sure you'd feel the difference at higher speeds, where the higher horsepower in the higher RPM band would come into play more. From a launch, it makes sense that there's not a huge difference.

Regarding BMW hate... I've seen that here too, and I will say this. I respect anyone who gets a BMW, particularly a 3-series. There are a lot of pros to that car. I've not driven the new G20 generation, but even the F30, with its commonly bemoaned steering, still had some high points in its smooth ride and ease of operation - not to mention the wonderful inline six engines and 8-speed ZF transmission. I've driven cars from a few different brands recently, and they are all good in different ways. I'm sure the new 3-series is even better than the ones I've been in.

edit:
The Dual Motor Model 3 I drove was plenty quick. I bet even that car could keep up with an M340i off the line. I believe it's a 4.5-second car. But no, you can feel the difference in something that goes 4.5 seconds to 60 versus 4.0. It seems like the difference you feel is exponential, lol. That car was fast, but it didn't feel anywhere near as fast (exciting?) as the Macan Turbo with launch control, which is a 4.0-second car.

 

The maintenance is also ridiculously cheap. Also, you're wrong about the sound. You get a whirl sound at full acceleration like your riding a spaceship . I bet the vast majority of Model 3 buyers aren't interested in the speed though. The autopilot is also pretty nice in heavy traffic.

I think the 330 is a slight upgrade from the IS350 but if I were gonna go BMW, the minimum would be the M340. I don't find the 4 cylinders from BMW inspiring.

 

The IS200T should have never existed.

 

Tesla's have their issues and repairs are not cheap.

 

Repair costs on Tesla's are not cheap, and wait time for parts if you need body work done is ridiculously long from what I've heard. The 4 cylinder in the 330i is by far superior than the one made by Lexus, don't let the Lexus motor fool you into thinking a 4 banger doesn't have power because you'll be in for a surprise... trust me. As far as the M340i being your minimum, a well optioned one will run you around 65k or so, so if you want to spend that then go for it (probably 10-15k more than your Model 3). For me, I considered it but realized I have no need for 390hp nor do I drive much or want to spend that type of money since I barely drive anyways. My 330i is an M-Sport, but if the 330i didn't have the M package, I would've had to get the M340i since the baseline 330i doesn't look appealing to me.

2 months in and the car is still in break-in period lol. I'm at 650 miles still.