Why we prefer the IS250 to the IS350
December 27th, 2005The Lexus IS 350 is generating a lot of buzz these days, as does any car that sports an absurd amount of power. No magazine has tested a IS250 yet – apparently Lexus prefers to show off the 350’s class leading power and torque. The IS350 is a bit of a one trick pony, however – journalists love the adrenaline rush a 5 second to 60 time provides but as with many of today’s Nissans the engine overwhelms the rest of the car.
In this piece, one of the few automotive critics who’s at all critical explains further. Here’s an excerpt:
The erstwhile sports sedan bumped and jiggled over surface imperfections like a tied-down tunermobile. It rolled through directional transitions like a luxobarge, helming with unacceptable imprecision and unwelcome lean. While the powerplant provided more than enough shove for the work at hand, the IS 350’s dynamics drew a definitive line between “doable†and “enjoyable.”... The IS 350 is only slightly less hard-riding than a Skyline GT-R—with none of the corresponding car control. Woe betides any hard-charging enthusiast who finds an expansion joint or a big old bump in a tight corner; the little Lexus will hop, skip and jump like a colt struggling to get out of a horsebox… I pity the poor bastard who bought an IS 350 thinking he could cruise through an urban landscape without an overly-intimate exploration of the concrete topography. In short, the IS 350 is a bad BMW, rather than a great Lexus.
(We’d like to point out that the car doesn’t ride as poorly on the standard 17” wheels but then again that car feels even more like trying to aim a firehose while standing in rollerskates. The IS250- like BMWs of yore – has more chassis and brakes than engine, less impressive on the test drive but far more compelling as an ownership proposition. The IS350 is more like too many modern BMWs: more motor than the chassis and brakes can handle).
Skeptical that the IS250’s engine is powerful enough? Consider that one of the best sport/uxury sedans ever created – the W124 Mercedes benz E-class had 177 horsepower. (It also handled with uncanny precison despite 195mm wide, 15 inch tires, recirculating ball steering, and twice the suspension travel of most cars today…)