But I wonder whether the BMW may be safer. That's really the number one consideration, and the reviewers never even touch that subject. Of course, reliability is, in a way, a safety feature. Being stranded in a car which fails to proceed can be dangerous.
JoeBlo2 Most of the IS350 F Sport's I've seen at the dealerships sticker for around $50k. There are many 335i's with options that sticker in the mid 50s, so I don't think it's accurate to say that it's $10k cheaper. I think Lexus is pricing the IS350 F Sport a little high, TBH.
turns out it holds it's value way better too.. Shopping 2015 ish Is350's right now.. Clean examples are 22K+. Meanwhile, similar year ATS's and BMW 3's are 15-16K... At least in my neck of the woods.
You're not wrong. In the F-Sport version, it's a beautiful car (especially in the red. But of course you can't HAVE the red, because it's like begging to be be carjacked and murdered). In fact, next to the Lexus, the Cadillac and the BMW look like fifteen-year-old USED CARS. But you have to get the F-sport, because it's the only one without the hideous standard grille. But as someone in a multi-Lexus household, I have to say that we could not care less about "driving excitement" and "personality". What kind of moron WOULD care about things like that? What we buy the cars for is quiet, reliability, and durability. But frankly, I'm worried by the Lexus crash tests I've been watching, and we may not buy any more. Safety trumps all other factors. I assumed that we were buying safe cars, because of the ratings we found. But maybe we were misled.
I’m trying to understand how the rear of the Lexus looked ugly. I mean the Front of the Cadillac ATS is aggressive I will give the Cadillac’s design that but wow the rear of of that car screams “I’m here to be owned by senior citizens “ and tbh the rear makes the car super retro. Granted now the 2020 cadillac designs have all around improved immensely, but seriously any design prior to 2019 to be safe for the Cadillac sedan in general is something your gramps would drive. I’m not taking the luxurious design of the car away by any means, but for a young person to say that yea id prefer this 2013 Cadillac ATS over a Lexus IS because it’s sportier then wow the world must’ve been back in the Middle Ages where every man wanted to date heavy set women for their “attractive looks” when it was really because they were wealthy and vice versa.
Don't want to look at it? Open your eyes, it's a gorgeous car. The rear 3/4 view is one of the best on the road, and the front end, although aggressive looks awesome and fits right in with the times.
I couldn't agree more man. I am a Toyota/ Lexus fan. When I saw one of these today while walking my dog I couldn't help but do a walk around. Gorgeous car with very good attention to detail. Even the valve stem caps had designs on them.
I test drove all three, plus the Infiniti Q50, ultimately I have chosen the 2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport. White with Red interior!!!! Car is amazing, very pleased with my purchase and will buy another LEXUS!! To be honest I would never have bought the older Lexus IS models. This one I did the research among the other competitors and it came up on top. The biggest thing, I decided to go with Lexus, The resale value styling an all new redesigned suspension with the BOLD GRILL!!!!
Daniel ivanov Not to bad, to me it does not sound cheap. But to me honest, after couple years owning it, I will sell it! It’s heavy and not as fast as I thought.
Lol weird I drove all three and bought the Lexus IS, and the look of the exterior is growing on me. Lexus has came a long way and still love this car, great review.
I got used to the Lexus' stying fast. When you see them in real life it grabs your attention. And it comes with great-looking wheels from the factory. And the interior is beautifully refined. Aesthetically, Lexus got it spot on.
did someone really forget to tell them that if they hold the traction control button for five seconds it lights up on the dash and is actually then completely off?
Honestly, I wish the two gentlemen would have a longer conclusionary segment as I truly enjoy them discuss their thought processes. Their friendship is for real. The Lexus is an absolutely sexy looking car and reliable and still stylish in 2022...ask BMW to match that 🤸.
The Lexus is smooth but some people think BMW is the best car on the planet period, which is bullsh*t. It's a very good car but it's not the ONLY very good car.
***** Lol yup, have fun paying hundreds of $$$ to replace the headlight or some other stupid shit. Fuck german cars. They're nice but fuck em in terms of reliability.
I have driven the GS 350 F-Sport sedan and it is amazing. Enough power and torque, great stability. I haven't driven the IS 350 but im pretty sure it is great!
lmfao he doesn't even know how to turn traction control off, take not even 15 seconds to open up the manual before you start complaining about what the Lexus can and cant offer.
I don't know about you guys, but the Lexus IS with F-sport package look stunning. The design is futuristic, and some people just need to get use to it.
As always, great in-depth review. Really appreciate how much time and thought goes into making your comments and ultimately, your decisions. Very refreshing how much of your opinion is based on the driving experience over raw test numbers.
I got this car 2 weeks ago, switching from an Audi A5. I love this car from all aspects. I walked into the dealership without knowing Lexus has a new car and I got the car pretty much on the spot. The driving experience is so nice and I actually really like the interior. I've just never imaged myself being a fan of LEXUS.
i love my 2014 BMW 328 but bmw has so much to learn from Lexus. all my issues have been covered by the warranty but - module controlling passenger seat belt replaced then the , nav screen replaced because at night ..too dark to see ...going back in because their remote monitoring has picked up faulty steering, problem with run-flats , wrong service schedule ,,now my key fob seems to indicate errors - the car still drives real sweet, love BMW fuel economy in their turbo . amazing space in the new 3 , the red seats are unbelievably good looking and my iphone works really well with my idrive - btw ...really love the idrive. I have always owned lexus and had 3 previous IS models of the 2007 design - i really really respect Lexus becaus tthey really do pursue perfection . I might have gone with the IS again id they had a more fuel efficient turbo 4 but now they have one in the NX - maybe it will find irself in the IS pretty soon. I have come to love my 2014 328 with x drive but i still look with great admiration whenever I see an IS 350 come up alongside.
BMW will not learn it. Never. They will only start to do a thing when the consumer will wake up. Those cars have, actually, a very sensible quality level. It can quickly become a money pit.
I find it odd when ppl still say Lexus does not have a character/personality/soul. It absolutely has it. It has the character/personality/soul of an extremely competent person, reliable, shows up on time, and with the 350 or the v8, can absolutely party if he/she wants to. It is not a supermodel, but certainly with the characteristics of a loyal spouse/partner.
The design of the Lexus is very daring. I think it looks pretty good in person, although I can see how it can be very polarizing. The interior is just amazing to me. The BMW interior is pretty low rent and dated. Lexus has the best dealer experience and their cars hold their value. They are also very reliable for the long term and have significantly lower cost of ownership in the later years. The Cadillac design language doesn't age well. It's OK when new and shiny but older Cadillacs look terrible with the sharp flat panels. They also depreciate like fvck. Go with the Lexus, you will not regret it.
I didn't really read much about Lexus until recently, when they came out with the IS-F and LFA,which has been their new brand image. I think there is something of a revolution happening at Toyota with their idea of "bringing sport back" with the F badge in Lexus and the GT86. It's a great thing to see that Toyota is regaining some of the mojo it had a long time ago, after having a couple-decade lull with the Prius. Great work again guys!
Great honest review guys in really enjoyed it. Especially how frank you were on selecting the less popular under dogs likee lexus and Cadillac over BMW. My big question also was interior refinement. Which interior was the quietest? Was it the lexus? Thanks..
I'm not a big fan of the new look, but I heard it looks amazing in person. I love my last gen IS350, and it's good to see that the new IS lines are amazing as well.
My jaw is still on the floor guys. WOW! I love and trust both of your expertise. I love the way you execute your videos. I don't mind the way the Lexus looks it grew on me. At first I didn't care at all but I like it now. I love the Caddy look as well. I think the bottom line really here is YOU CAN'T GO WRONG with any of these. Just down to personal taste. Right? See you guys in the next white knuckled video. ;)
Consumer Reports generally isn't concerned with driving fun. Our show is about finding cars that provide driving fun at somewhat affordable prices. So while Lexus has made plenty of good cars in terms of luxury and reliability, they aren't generally known for making cars that are more fun to drive than their competition. The guys are responding to that reputation, and review along the lines of our show's focus. If they are biased then they wouldn't have picked the Lexus first!
About time that the final video came out! I'm seriously considering the Lexus now, after this review. I'll probably end up getting the BRZ instead just because of the fun and "stylish" nature of it.
Not surprised at the results, and thanks for another great comparison. Many others have said that the F30 just isn't as sharp as the E90, and it sounds like you reached the same conclusion. I'll be anxious to see an M3/M4, IS F, and ATS-V comparison from you as follow-up.
Hey guys, another great video and review! Question---Which interior do you guys prefer the most? In a practical, ergonomic, luxurious kind of way. The Lexus interior just looks amazing to me!
I've watched this video a few times. Probably the best work is this series. I'm probably biased because I'm this demographic. Really great ending. And good use of predator reference :)
Having driven the Lexus..... I can totally understand what you guys are saying. It is the total package even if it doesn't excel at any one thing except feeling special which is what a 50,000 dollar car should make you feel. The LFA DNA in this thing runs deep. I almost traded in my evo for it.... just wish it had a more serious engine it would be parked in my garage right now.
Great review. You two need to argue with each other more, like Siskel and Ebert. Question: What did you think of the paddle shifters? How does the setup compare to a true DSG? And why didn't they put in a dual clutch in the first place?
I actually think the lexus looks great... I like the front grille, seen it in person & it just looks really sporty, aggressive & bada$$... This grille may take away from current lexus IS buyers which I think is mainly female, if they think the car now looks too mean... I think they will still buy it though, funny as a guy I'll be quicker to buy the lexus now since to me it looks a little more tough now than the previous versions, which just looked sexy, hence the reason a lot of females bought them...LOL... My picks - 1: Lexus, 2: Cadillac, 3: Bmw. I ain't worry bout nutting though, the new Acura TLX will blow all three of these cars out the water as the perfect Sports Sedan...! Wait & watch...LOL...
***** I saw this car in person, the ISF in black, and I must say with the whole package, rims & all it actually looked great, in black at least... You'll have to see it in person and in the right color to understand.
I also had my eye on the 328i or 128 for more sportiness; testing the 135i I was shocked that the car would go straight ahead rather than drift aroung a slow-speed turn.
4:18 You know how you can get that "instant power"? Being able to choose any gear you want with a stick shift. Drop from 5th to 3rd in an instant without waiting for a computer to choose that it wants to shift when you accelerate.
In order to turn the traction control off compeletly you have to push and hold the traction control button for a few seconds then the indicator will illuminate on the dash board.
Please do a review of the new Infinity Q50 sport. I've seen other reviews, and the focus has not been the performance. Also, if you can do a review with the new adaptive steering, and a q50 with hydrolic steering, that would be awesome. I'm really trying to gain an understanding of the difference in feel.
To think those guys would know how to take the traction off!!! Just press and hold traction until the light comes up on the cluster ! the look of the non F is really nice . great compressing !
As stated at the beginning of this comparison - the BMW 3 series is the well known standard in this market segment and the car the other two have been specifically designed to beat. That's why it's the first car in the comparison and the touchstone that the guys keep referring to throughout. Yes, we've liked some BMWs, but not others, and we've always called out problems (as with any car). And as you noticed - while the 3 series has historically been the category winner, it didn't win here.
