Likes
- All the performance specs…and the exhaust grumble
- Aggressive and distinctive styling makes it easy to spot in the Costco parking lot
- Surprisingly spacious interior and trunk
Dislikes
- The remote touch controller
- That aggressive and distinctive styling
- Terrible, terrible navigation and remote touch interface
Lexus’ response to the dominant BMW 3-Series is now in its third generation. The first-generation IS300 made a pretty great statement with a balance of performance and styling inside and out and established the Japanese on the scene of near luxury RWD compact performance sedans. The IS300 was the first production sedan to feature clear casing-housed taillights that was a staple of aftermarket customization. This was before Infiniti launched its own entry into the segment, the ubiquitous G35.
The second generation IS offered a choice of two power plants, the 250 and the 350, in order to better compete with the growing competition in the segment, now more crowded with a new reinvigorated Mercedes C Class, the Audi A4, and the Infiniti G35. The styling also evolved to become more streamlined but was still a fairly conservative package. However, people still complained that Lexus design was too conservative. Looks like Lexus took that a little too close to heart. Now we have the third-generation IS and it has a face that one doesn’t forget easily.
Driving Impressions
Over the course of a week, we took the IS 350 on a painful commute into downtown Washington, D.C., ran errands around suburban Maryland, and used it for a weekend road trip up to rural Pennsylvania. After driving the IS 350 on city streets, Home Depot parking lots, major freeways, and windy two-lane country roads, we walked away with a myriad of thoughts.
Under the hood are 306 horses and 277 lb.-ft. of torque coming from a 3.5-liter V6 engine that features direct and port injection with dual Variable Valve Timing and is mated to a 6-speed automatic (with paddle shifters, whee!). Our tester was an AWD model prepared for East Coast nasty weather instead of the 8-speed that comes with the RWD IS sedans.
The F Sport package was also configured with our IS tester, a $3,180 optional package that features sportier exterior trims like the front bumper and spindle grille, LED headlamps both high and low beam, 18-inch wheels (upgrade from the standard 17s) with all season tires (FR 225/40R18 RR 255/35R18), a cool TFT instrument cluster that’s full LCD (LFA-inspired), sport seats (more on this below), and an adaptive variable suspension settings dial that gives you sport and Sport + modes. Needless to say we put it in Sport+ as much as possible.
The IS 350 was plenty fast off the line and very competent at overtaking cars on the highways. The steering felt solid and not too light on local driving, and the car handled very well weaving around cars in city driving as well as around curves on country roads. But we felt something was absent. The Lexus simply wasn’t that much fun to drive despite the tuned suspension and available power under our feet. Maybe it’s the lack of manual gearshift, but the IS felt over-engineered and a bit too civilized.
Interior Comfort and Ergonomics
The F Sport package comes with the LFA-inspired TFT instrument cluster, which is basically a big LCD screen with a sharp-looking metal dial that glides over to the right at the push of a button to give more real estate to a host of information on the screen. We were like a kid in a candy store and played with that thing a bit much. There are so many ways to play with the settings and read-out, it’s a geeky heaven for car instrument panels.
The F Sport seats were very sporty and supportive indeed but were not the greatest on a long(er) drive, like the one we took between DC and Philly. Thank god the F Sport has silver “performance” trim, wood panels would be horrendous. Everything in the interior is nice, just what you’d expect in a Lexus. Well, almost everything. The flat black panels covering the center console look and feel a bit cheap.
The worst part for the occupants would have to be the Remote Touch Interface joystick contraption. Said contraption was the worst tool to control the on-screen cursor, ever. We became alarmingly frustrated and angry trying to move the cursor around the screen with the overly sensitive joystick. It was simply impossible to pinpoint the cursor exactly where you want it. To make matters worse, we really hate the Lexus navigation system. It is the exact opposite of intuitive. In the days of Google Maps, the system in the IS feels like it shipped ten years ago.
What others are saying about the car
?We may have some minor quibbles about the 2014 Lexus IS, but overall it ranks 1 out of 22 in the Upscale Midsize Car category by US News - opens in new window or tab. ranking and reviews. Everyone likes the comfortable cabin loaded with luxurious appointments, its refined handling, and generous engine power.
The editors at Motor Trend - opens in new window or tab. secured a test drive before the all-new IS was introduced at the L.A. Auto show and is in 100 percent agreement with handling prowess, fresh design, and buttoned-down chassis and powertrain.
Conclusion
The IS 350 F Sport AWD is a fine automobile. Its styling is aggressive and controversial, its performance is solidly competent, its technology impressive (well, except for the human interface part of it). It is a very well executed compact near-luxury sport sedan. Lexus is to be commended on its efforts to carve out its own distinctive design narrative instead of simply copying the Germans. And the IS certainly is not a bargain, especially after all the fantastic options are included. However, this is an extremely competitive segment in the market, and it’s not super clear whether the Lexus excels in all the aspects that are important to target buyer. Lexus has traveled a long way on the brand prestige vector but the IS needs to feel less mechanical and more fun to drive.
2015 Lexus IS 350 F Sport AWD
- Engine: 3.5L V6 with dual VVT-i
- Power: 306hp @ 6400 rpm
- Torque: 277 lb.-ft. at 4800 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic (8-speed automatic standard on RWD model)
- 0 – 60 mph: 5.6 seconds
- Top speed: 143 mph
- EPA fuel economy estimates (mpg): 19 city / 28 hwy / 22 combined)
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