IS300 AWD owner Question - RWD?
#1
Driver School Candidate
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Hello Lexus family, i have somewhat of a dilemma going on. I apologize in advance if this question or a similar one has been asked before.
This is actually my first post, even though I’ve been a member since 6 years ago.
I bought a 2016 IS300 F Sport about four months ago. I really like the car but I don’t love it like I thought I would. I feel like the awd is a little boring for my taste. I had an Ecoboost Mustang and prior to that an E46 M3. This is not my first lexus, i had a 01 and 05 IS300. So i do like the brand... anyways my question is mainly for those of you who have driven both RWD and AWD, am I missing a lot because of my AWD? I’ve been considering trading mine for a 2016 RWD. have any of you done this just to get the 8speed/rwd? Should I just tuned it instead? Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance
This is actually my first post, even though I’ve been a member since 6 years ago.
I bought a 2016 IS300 F Sport about four months ago. I really like the car but I don’t love it like I thought I would. I feel like the awd is a little boring for my taste. I had an Ecoboost Mustang and prior to that an E46 M3. This is not my first lexus, i had a 01 and 05 IS300. So i do like the brand... anyways my question is mainly for those of you who have driven both RWD and AWD, am I missing a lot because of my AWD? I’ve been considering trading mine for a 2016 RWD. have any of you done this just to get the 8speed/rwd? Should I just tuned it instead? Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance
#2
Driver School Candidate
![Default](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Hello Lexus family, i have somewhat of a dilemma going on. I apologize in advance if this question or a similar one has been asked before.
This is actually my first post, even though I’ve been a member since 6 years ago.
I bought a 2016 IS300 F Sport about four months ago. I really like the car but I don’t love it like I thought I would. I feel like the awd is a little boring for my taste. I had an Ecoboost Mustang and prior to that an E46 M3. This is not my first lexus, i had a 01 and 05 IS300. So i do like the brand... anyways my question is mainly for those of you who have driven both RWD and AWD, am I missing a lot because of my AWD? I’ve been considering trading mine for a 2016 RWD. have any of you done this just to get the 8speed/rwd? Should I just tuned it instead? Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance
This is actually my first post, even though I’ve been a member since 6 years ago.
I bought a 2016 IS300 F Sport about four months ago. I really like the car but I don’t love it like I thought I would. I feel like the awd is a little boring for my taste. I had an Ecoboost Mustang and prior to that an E46 M3. This is not my first lexus, i had a 01 and 05 IS300. So i do like the brand... anyways my question is mainly for those of you who have driven both RWD and AWD, am I missing a lot because of my AWD? I’ve been considering trading mine for a 2016 RWD. have any of you done this just to get the 8speed/rwd? Should I just tuned it instead? Please share your thoughts. Thanks in advance
For starters, I came from a Subaru, so I knew most of the tropes (tire tolerances in particular). Okay, I know what I'm getting myself into, no biggie. But I started to realize the differences in the transmission... I've always liked fewer gears; less things top undoubtedly screw up at some point, more power per shift, etc. That being said, the shift times were noticeably slower, and it felt like I was consistently either bogging down or in the redline with no power in between. Could it have been a bad batch that I drove? Sure, but after four or so of the same issue, I figured I'd just avoid taking unnecessary risks there.
All that being said, the 8-speed is not without its issues. You can search around for problems with it, but it's not a whole hell of a lot faster than the 6-speed. However, I will say that the way the car puts the power to the rubber is noticeably different, and I wouldn't trade mine for an AWD any day, despite semi-regular snowfalls.
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WillyLexus (12-10-19)
#3
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When I was looking at getting my Lexus, all I knew was that I had to have an F-Sport, and at least a 300. I drove probably 20 different ones, just to get a feel for what kind of experience I truly wanted. That being said, about a third of the way into the search, I realized that I had to have a RWD (which required a hell of a lot more driving, since AWD is much more common here). While there was nothing WRONG with the AWD system, there were a couple of things I was iffy about.
For starters, I came from a Subaru, so I knew most of the tropes (tire tolerances in particular). Okay, I know what I'm getting myself into, no biggie. But I started to realize the differences in the transmission... I've always liked fewer gears; less things top undoubtedly screw up at some point, more power per shift, etc. That being said, the shift times were noticeably slower, and it felt like I was consistently either bogging down or in the redline with no power in between. Could it have been a bad batch that I drove? Sure, but after four or so of the same issue, I figured I'd just avoid taking unnecessary risks there.
All that being said, the 8-speed is not without its issues. You can search around for problems with it, but it's not a whole hell of a lot faster than the 6-speed. However, I will say that the way the car puts the power to the rubber is noticeably different, and I wouldn't trade mine for an AWD any day, despite semi-regular snowfalls.
For starters, I came from a Subaru, so I knew most of the tropes (tire tolerances in particular). Okay, I know what I'm getting myself into, no biggie. But I started to realize the differences in the transmission... I've always liked fewer gears; less things top undoubtedly screw up at some point, more power per shift, etc. That being said, the shift times were noticeably slower, and it felt like I was consistently either bogging down or in the redline with no power in between. Could it have been a bad batch that I drove? Sure, but after four or so of the same issue, I figured I'd just avoid taking unnecessary risks there.
All that being said, the 8-speed is not without its issues. You can search around for problems with it, but it's not a whole hell of a lot faster than the 6-speed. However, I will say that the way the car puts the power to the rubber is noticeably different, and I wouldn't trade mine for an AWD any day, despite semi-regular snowfalls.
I appreciate the detailed and informative reply. I completely understand everything you’ve stated.
I definitely should’ve done a lot more research and obviously should’ve driven both before i made my purchase. For some stupid reason I kept thinking AWD is definitely better than RWD with no LSD... now I realize after reading many articles that the 2018+ come standard with an LSD. The only problem is that the 2018 it’s out of my price range for now. I guess I’ll keep this one for a little while until i come across a good deal. Not a wise move financially but I’m sure I’ll keep the next one for a long time. Which was my initial plan with the IS300.
The car handles great, the 6 speed is ok but it’s definitely missing performance for my taste. Thanks again
#4
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Just remember if you are sticking with the IS300 and considering trading an AWD for RWD, you are also trading the V6 for the turbo 4. If you want a RWD V6, you need to bump up to the 350.
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WillyLexus (12-10-19)
#5
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I want to test drive one pretty soon...
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WillyLexus (12-11-19)
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