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Sedans BMW 3-Series BMW 3-series vs Lexus IS
1527 messages, Last post on May 20, 2009 at 1:33 PM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
Which vehicle do you prefer, and why?
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I loved the interior of the IS 250AWD, it feels safe and comfortable. The leather seats are wonderfull, simply no competition to any other car I have driven. The car looks expensive from the inside and the outside. The handling of the IS 250AWD was good. The suspension was great, and very comfortable. There was very little body roll. The brakes were great and there was very little nose dive. Finally, probably the only thing I didnt like was the engine. No, it is NOT underpowered overall. But at the beginning before the power kicks in the engine feels slow and lazy. After you speed up the engine is very smooth and powerful. I was very satisfied, even the BMW salesguy said that Lexus did a good job with the IS. I also test drove the 325i on the same day, The handling of the car was great. The suspension was also very comfortable, it absorbed the rough roads very well. The engine was smooth, powerful, and quite. The car was very well conected to the road, no body roll what so ever. Oh, and the brakes are great. Now for the bad news. Compared to the Lexus, the 325i looked boring inside and outside. The interior was well made but it just was not as great looking as the IS. Outside of the car looked boring, nothing special, it just didnt stand out at all. Bottom line good car, but except for an advantage in performance, I just do not see anything that would make it stand out from the Lexus.
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IS350 - pros: nice luxury touches, powerful engine, lexus reliability Cons: slow reacting 6 speed automatic, body roll in corners, intrusive stability/traction control, flat seats that offer no support, vague steering, zero roadfeel - as if floating on a cloud. Expensive maintenance over first 4 years (approximately 1k). With sport package and mandatory premium that car stickers at 41k 330i - pros: sublime handling, excellent seating position, supportive seats, near perfect dash layout, smooth engine, 6 speed manual, composed at high speeds, free maintenance, european delivery option Cons: bmw reliability, small mirrors, engine needs more power With sport package, leather, comfort access that car stickers at 41k. European Delivery price minus BMW CCA rebate = 35.5k Easy winner = 330i = more fun to drive and 6k cheaper (with maintenance factored into equation)
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Well its too late to explain why but i will tomorrow lol just wanted to let you guys know! but i customized my BWM it cam out to 52K and my IS350 was 48K so that could be my con about BWM which i can think this ver moment! Oh BTW legar its cool you started this! and i will like to continue this conversation later!
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Replying to: legar (Oct 20, 2005 8:49 pm) As for the BMW 3 series it has exceptional handling. Very good acceleration, although not up to IS350 levels. The interior, although I prefer the technocentric Lexus theme, is sensible without the frills. It is just basic simplicity- gauges, HVAC controls, sound system, very supportive seats in the sport package, and a manual option for those who want it. The exterior is instantly recognizable as BMW and it is a good looking car. Free maintenance is a good program. The only questionable design aspect IMO is the overly done tapered backend. Other than that though Bangle made a pretty good looking car. The G35 has an exhaust note to die for. IMO it is the best sounding engine in the sub 50K category. It certainly doesn't sound like the V6 that it is. The car is very fun to drive overall but the variable steering just doesn't feel as natural as the 3 series or even the TSX for that matter. It provides enough feedback to keep all but the most hard to please driver happy. The real world gas mileage on this car seems very atrocious compared to the competiton. The interior is only a little better than the gas mileage but it is functional enough. They updated the interior to my delight for the 2005 model with real aluminum trim. A rosewood wood grain is availible too I believe. Next up Acura TSX. This has the slickest manual in the class IMO. For the money the overall package can't be beat. This car can be had with everything for around 30K OTD easy. This could be a true BMW beater or at least a serious competitor in terms of handling if Honda would switch to a RWD or SH-AWD platform and add some power. The size is just about right to me for a sports sedan and this car has very sharp handling already despite being FWD. After driving both versions the sport suspension from the A-Spec package is definately worth it. This is a very fun car that could be even better with a bit more refinement and power. The Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T has quite of bit of spunk despite being such a heavy car. I was very surprised as this was the first time I had driven one of the newer Audi's. They have nearly eliminated turbo lag in this new engine. It felt great with linear power and torque coming in early and staying late. Shift the AT into the "Sport" mode and you feel even more power and the AT holds the gears a bit longer. On a side note I tried the Audi A3 DSG while I was there and all I can say is WOW about DSG!!! That thing should replace every AT on Earth IMO. The A3 is a viable alternative to those considering cars such as the Mini Cooper S. The Audi interior looked the best overall when you considered the materials used. It was very rich looking in a contemporary way.
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Oct 20, 2005 9:34 pm) IS350 actually has the fastest automatic out there. You may prefer a manual better, but that's a different story altogether. As for floating on a cloud, not sure what kind cloud you have been floating on; the IS350 is certainly much tighter handling 5 series and 7 series that I have owned in the past. As for first 4yr maintenance, didn't you say you only keep your cars for 3 yrs? Why would anyone want to be mandated into paying for a year that will never be enjoyed? 330i - pros: sublime handling, excellent seating position, supportive seats, near perfect dash layout, smooth engine, 6 speed manual, composed at high speeds, free maintenance, european delivery option Seats too tight and uncomfortable. Completely useless manual trasmission as I can never order that given my city driving environment (tongue in cheek parody of VDIM rip), and the automatic option, which is actually bought by most 3-series buyers, is slow as a snail compared to the auto on the IS350. 4yr free maintenance is a mandated waste of money as I would never keep a 3 series beyond a 3-yr lease, and frankly while leasing for 3yrs, it's highly doubtful any modern engine would seize up even if I change oil only once, at 18k mark. Shit-out-luck for the buyer of lease returns, I know. With sport package, leather, comfort access that car stickers at 41k. European Delivery price minus BMW CCA rebate = 35.5k The cost of ventilated seat? not offered, therefore infinity. I will never buy another compact sporty sedan/coup without ventilated seats. Hot marbles in tight seats are unbearable in summer. As for cutting purchase cost, if you have a Lexus Visa card, you can earn enough points to lop as much as 10% of purchase price. Considering that an IS350 with Sport Premium package only invoices for little over $34k (which includes everything in the $41k/35.5k BMW, plus perforated leather, heated and ventilated seats, power-adjusting steering wheel with memory, rain-sensing wiper). So with the card, you can get the whole thing at about $31k when the IS350 eventually comes down to $500 over invoice as they always do. Easy winner = IS350 = more fun to drive and infinitely (or $5k) less expensive.
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Replying to: suave_tequila (Oct 20, 2005 9:48 pm) |
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Replying to: brightness04 (Oct 20, 2005 10:54 pm) |
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The cost of ventilated seat? not offered, therefore infinity. I will never buy another compact sporty sedan/coup without ventilated seats. Hot marbles in tight seats are unbearable in summer. To each his own. I see no point in such seats. You see value, I see garbage (same goes for heated seats). As for cutting purchase cost, if you have a Lexus Visa card, you can earn enough points to lop as much as 10% of purchase price. From the Lexus Visa site: Earn 1.5 points for every $1 spent in net purchases made everyday - that's 50% more than most rewards cards (e.g., $5,000 spent = 7500 points = $75 redeemable at Lexus dealerships) [2] So to get 10% off a 35k car you'd need to spend...over $235,00. I could put the mortgages of all my rental properties on that card and it'd still take a few years to reach that level. Considering that an IS350 with Sport Premium package only invoices for little over $34k Impossible to get at this moment. The 330i ED as specified can be ordered today for 36k. (which includes everything in the $41k/35.5k BMW, plus perforated leather, heated and ventilated seats, power-adjusting steering wheel with memory, rain-sensing wiper). 330i has rain-sensing (worthless) wipers, and they've had tilt/telescoping wheels for years and years. No power to them...thank god. Memory seats are standard too. So again it's missing the heated/cooled seats. If we're tossing dumb features are adaptive bixenon headlights on the IS350 auto on/auto off as they're standard on the 330i? So with the card, you can get the whole thing at about $31k when the IS350 eventually comes down to $500 over invoice as they always do. Eventually is the key word. spending 235k on a credit card is not an easy feat without business expenses. Getting an IS at $500 over invoice shouldn't be possible for a spell either. In other words, for now this is a pipe dream. Everything I laid out is possible right now and without any gross expenditures to achieve it. Unfortunately, the car you described still lacks a suitable transmission and bad seating/ergonomics. |
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