Car Gazing
Lexus breeds a true BMW fighter
By Derek Price
Lexus has long been known for building cars that feel like bank vaults on wheels, solid and silent.
That's fine if you want a traditional luxury car, but if you're looking for something a little sportier – say, more like a BMW – you're bound to be disappointed when you go to the Lexus dealer.
That is, until now.
Lexus is taking aim at the heart of the sports sedan world by redesigning the new IS to match, and in some ways exceed, the stalwart BMW 3-series.It's a fantastic new car, one that offers the outstanding smoothness and refinement you'd expect from a Lexus with a fun, firm, driver-oriented feel that you normally wouldn't. It's got the whole package.
Depending on how much power you want and how much you're willing to spend, Lexus offers two great versions of the IS. One, the IS 250, is powered by a 2.5-liter V6 engine and starts just under $30,000. The smallish V6 in the IS 250 actually feels like a much bigger engine, making 204 horsepower while feeling buttery smooth in all situations.
If you can afford the $35,440 IS 350, you'll own the fastest sports sedan in its class thanks to a highly tuned 3.5-liter V6 that makes 306 horsepower. It pushes the Lexus to 60 miles an hour faster than even the benchmark BMW, and that's bound to worry the suits in Munich.
The IS's suspension is equally impressive. When you're gently driving around town, the car seems to float over bumps like a Lincoln Town Car, never jostling or shaking you. But when you take it on a winding, twisty road, the car totally changes character and drives like a sports car with virtually no body roll and a neutral, predictable, confidence-inspiring feel. I've never driven a car that has this extreme a split personality.
Inside, you'll find the excellent quality and amenities that Lexus has built its reputation on, including some of the softest leather imaginable. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels almost exactly like my seven-month-old son's cheeks, and all the switches and trim pieces look like they're designed to withstand a direct nuclear strike from Iran. As you look around the cabin, you get the feeling that this is a car that will last a long, long time.
You won' t mind spending a long time in the IS, either. It's extremely quiet, with acoustic glass and sound-deadening material everywhere – even hidden in the sun visors. Lots of wiz-bang features will impress your passengers and make trips pleasant, too, including a touch-screen navigation system, rear-view video camera, dynamic radar cruise control, the SmartAccess keyless entry system, and heated/ventilated front seats. Most of those features are usually found in top-of-the-line luxury cars that cost at least $60,000, not entry-luxury cars that start in the relatively affordable $30,000 range.
As close to perfection as this car comes, it does have a few downsides to consider. For one, the back seat isn't very roomy and doesn't fold down to allow more cargo space. That can be a really useful feature on those rare occasions when you have a long, bulky item to transport that wouldn't normally fit in your cabin.
Also, the high-powered IS 350 isn't available with a manual transmission, something it's got to offer if Lexus ever wants it to be taken seriously as a BMW beater. Some people who are passionate about sports sedans – the kind of people who could be great long-term supporters of the new IS – won't think about buying a car with an automatic transmission. An automatic defeats the pure purpose of a sports sedan in the first place.
Beyond that, there's little to dislike about this car. It's eerily silent on the highway, is a blast to drive on twisty roads and comes with the top-notch quality you'd expect from anything with a Lexus badge.
And that's definitely enough to make BMW nervous.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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