I distinctly remember in 2001 when Lexus began touting their new IS300 as a serious competitor to the BMW3 series sedans. My first thought was of how bold a statement that was, to set the bar that high right off the bat and although I've never been a huge BMW fan, I know they build a great car, and for Lexus to be so in-your-face with the IS, well it just seemed pretty daring to me.
Now I happen to have four sons that are all pretty much car guys and it's very interesting for me to see how diversified they are in their tastes, and Ryan is the Euro car guy that has always been a big BMW fan, and in 2001 was looking at getting into a 3-Series but just couldn’t quite afford one at the time.
I happened to get a new IS300 to review and when Ryan got in the car with me, it was interesting to see his reaction as he was very impressed, but he really wanted a manual transmission and that wasn’t going to be available until the 2002 model came out. Although he really liked the IS, it was the money part of it that made the decision and he opted to wait until the 2002, 5-speed version got to Phoenix, which he ultimately bought.
In the fall of 2005 as he became more successful in his career, he began looking for a replacement for his IS and he had pretty much decided on going with BMW because of the size and mainly he was disappointed in the performance, or lack thereof in his IS. He had heard rumblings of the new 350 iteration of the IS and was impressed with the performance numbers, but still was pretty much ready to make a change.
In September of ’05 I was invited by Lexus to go to San Diego to preview the new IS and as soon as I saw the car, I new in my heart that there was a strong probability that Ryan would like the car a lot. The problem was, there wasn’t anything to see or drive as the car was embargoed until late in the year, and as we all know, car people have a tendency to be just a bit impatient.
I managed to convince Ryan that it was clearly in his best interest to wait, he did, and he and Connie are extremely happy that they did. They were amazed at the changes in the IS that really took the car to the next level, and perhaps more importantly, the value for their dollar as BMW wanted a lot more for a comparable 3-series. The styling cues although similar to the GS are different enough to be distinctive and very appealing.
One of the most important areas of improvement is the interior room which makes this is a very comfortable car to be in as a passenger but especially if you’re the driver. I really liked the first generation IS a lot, however it was really not something that I would buy or drive at my station in life, but this new version is one that I easily could see myself in. Lexus has bridged the generation gap with the new IS combining stunning form with wonderful function and fabulous performance. The IS350 is truly a triple threat in my book for a vehicle in this class with what comes standard on this car.
As a recap, the IS sedan is Lexus’ entry sport sedan which, as I've said, debuts the all-new second-generation design for 2006. Interestingly, Lexus has adopted a two-sedan strategy with the new IS moving more toward sport while the ES 300 is the entry luxury choice. The 2006 IS offers two engine choices for the rear-wheel-drive version and an all-wheel drive is offered for the first time. The new IS has a more aggressive stance than the original and is the second example of styling that Lexus refers to as L-Finesse. The 2006 Lexus GS was the first model with L-Finesse styling which Lexus describes as representing simplicity in design with a look of understated luxury.
The 2006 Lexus IS 250 is powered by a 204-horsepower 2.5-liter V6 offered with either a 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters or a 6-speed automatic with all-wheel drive. The big dog IS 350, with a new 3.5-liter V6 and 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters boasts 306-horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, and I’m here to tell you, this is one serious performer.
Try these numbers on for size; 0-60 in 5.37 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.9 at over 100 miles an hour. Those are numbers that make any enthusiast smile and this kind of performance, in a car that is as docile as just about anything on the road with manners that anyone could live with.
I do want to back up for just a minute to say, if you’re looking for a great all around vehicle and you aren’t a performance junkie, I don’t know how you can do better that the IS 250 for the money and I'm sure I'll be talking about that car another time. But this article is about the 350 and how Lexus has done exactly what they wanted to do as far as competing with the BMW. My Son is the prototypical BMW demographic and psychographic and that’s why I wrote this review with so much about my Son it it.
I can talk all I want about how I feel about this car and its numbers, but the bottom line is what the demographic is doing; and trust me when I say in that after rather disappointing sales numbers in 2004 and only a sleight improvement in ’05, Lexus’ goal of 40,000 units with the ’06 version shouldn’t be much of a problem. Of course BMW still sells a lot more 3-series, but I’m here to tell you, The IS and GS cars from Lexus are very serious competitors and you know BMW is very aware of it...
For those of you that haven't listened to my radio show or read any of my previous review, it's important for you to know that I’ve always felt that Lexus built a great car, but as far as a “drivers” car went, they really didn’t have anything that overly impressed me. Believe me when I say, that has all changed with the IS350 and certainly the GS430.
So, when it's all said and done all I'm trying to say is, if you’re in the market for one of the most exciting new cars out there, and the size is right, you have to check out the all-new IS350. And if you’re thinking about buying a 3-series, do yourself a favor and drive the IS. It won’t change everyone’s mind but in the spirit of true, quality competition, drive the IS. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.
