Her + His Car Reviews
2015 Lexus IS350 AWD
There are always two sides to everything, right? Well, the truth is there are many more than that!
To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle –
Her and His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $49,615 | $49,615 |
| Performance | |
| The 2015 IS model sports a powerful 3.5 Liter V6 24 value overhead cam engine. All this sums up to a comfortable ride, agile and precise steering. All wheel drive provides that extra confidence for inclement weather conditions. The adaptive suspension, controlled by the driver, comes in 4 settings: ECO, Normal, Sport and Snow. This allows the driver to dive the car in the most optimum settings depending upon the preferred conditions. |
The $41,700 base list price before options included a 308 horsepower, 3.5 liter V6, with 24 valves, a dual overhead cam, direct and port injection, variable valve timing and 277 lb-ft of torque. The engine was backed by a six speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, electronic control with intelligence, and of course, the full-time all wheel drive. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| For a compact sports car, the IS350 gets an unimpressive 19 city miles and 28 highway miles. | The Lexus IS350 is rated at 19 city, 26 highway and 21 miles per gallon combined. It uses 4.8 gallons of gas per 100 miles, and the annual fuel cost is $2,700. If you buy the IS350 AWD, you will spend $2,000 more in fuel over five years. |
| The Car | |
| The modern IS 350 offers much to a specific buyer interested in design, acceleration, and engagements. While featuring the latest in technology bells and whistles, the model has some drawbacks we encountered which we will categorize as space. First, it's a smaller car and though we are more petite drivers, its seemed somewhat cramped inside. Second, getting in and out required some effort. Lastly, we were disturbed by the angle of the back window which impacted our visibility. Grounded by 17" Aluminum wheels. Beautifully appointed, adjustable, leather heated seats. |
We think this one fits the buyer who wants the sleeper, the high performance sedan that will blow the minds of unsuspecting competitors. It may not be them all, but it sure will give them a run for the money, and provide you lots of edgy styling, high quality fit and finish, and cast iron level dependability. We also suspect that maintenance costs will be lower for the IS too. Still, everybody knows that the BMW Three Series is still king of the hill in this market segment, and you've got to take it into account first when trying to decide what brand to buy. For that reason, we decided to make a head to head comparison of the two cars from BMW and Lexus. In terms of the tone they set, these two cars are as different as night and day. The BMW Three Series, in all of its many iterations, feels like energy kept in a bottle, ready to pop the cork. You always know that there's "more where that came from" when you drive it. It always seems just on the verge of taking off like a shot - all of which makes it an incredibly exciting car to drive and own. The steering precision and responsiveness is a model for the entire entry level luxury sport sedan market. It goes precisely where you aim it, and corners exactly where you cut out the path. Where the Three Series falls short, in our view, is interior comfort and luxury. It comes across a bit austere and severe, but the seats are extremely supportive and second to none for brisk driving. In contrast, the IS350 can be compared to a thoroughbred race horse. It reaches its performance peaks smoothly and powerfully without a lot of drama-and you'll have to keep your eye on the speedometer more because it drives and accelerates so smoothly. Cornering is right on the money too, but again, don't look for any spine tingling thrills here. The emphasis in designing the new IS350 was to make it more of an enjoyable car to drive, as well as a better handling and riding car as well. So the company had a laundry list of things they wanted to change. |
| Safety | |
| 10 Airbags, Lexus Enform® System with NAV and Infotainment Options including Stolen Vehicle Location, SOS - Emergency Assist Button, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, HomeLink Garage Door Opener. Rearview camera. Blind Spot Monitoring. Cross Traffic Alert. | The car has the usual safety features in abundance like plenty of airbags, traction control, stability control and a few other things. |
| Technology | |
| The Enform® System and NAV Package with Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, SOS - Emergency Assist Button, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, HomeLink Garage Door Opener. Rearview camera. Blind Spot Monitoring. Cross Traffic Alert. | Standard features included antilock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, 17 inch aluminum wheels, dual chrome exhaust, SmartAccess with Push Button Start/Stop, heated ten way power drivers seat, and a heated eight way power front seat for passenger, Bluetooth, Safety Connect with automatic Collision Notification, stolen vehicle location, emergency assist button, and enhanced roadside assistance.
Options included the F Sport Package, which included LED headlights, F Sport Split five spoke wheels, a TFT instrument panel, heated front F-Sport seats, perforated leather steering wheel and shift knob, Silver Performance trim, black headliner, and addition of a Sport S+ mode, a nav system, Mark Levinson premium audio with fifteen speakers, and 5.1 Surround Sound, HD radio with real-time traffic and weather and many other goodies. One of the nicer features on the IS350 is the adaptive suspension, which is controlled by a knob operated by the driver. It comes in ECO, Normal, Sport and Snow settings, and makes it possible for the driver to set the car up more precisely for whatever conditions the driver wishes to conquer. While the effect isn't as pronounced as we've seen on other brands, there's still enough there to change the car's personality. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| The restyled, redesigned IS350 is rich looking and has a bolder look and appeals to a much wider audience than the previous generation. Though judging by Lexus commercials it's easy to pigeonhole the product and ascertain that only good looking, under 30, thin and predominantly white people are their buyers. Further they tend to perpetuate that it's the men who are the drivers while the women are the passenger. Tisk. Tisk.
The inside and the cabin looks luxurious using handsome materials and combinations. Clean and smart. Tight quarters and wish the adjustability of the seat was more accommodating for shorter folk. |
It's definitely more controversial than the past generations of the car, which, in our view, makes it a far more fascinating one to look at. We love the spindle grill and the aggressive tone of the front end, and the swoopy side character lines along the flanks lead nicely to the sexy rear end design, and they also give the car a look of fleetness. The interior is far more substantial looking than ever, too, with interesting two tone color schemes, gauges that look like luxury watches, and double stitching everywhere. |
| Warranty | |
| 4 year/50,000 Basic Warranty. | Four years, 50,000 miles basic warranty |
