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BMW 3-series vs Lexus IS
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Comments
DL
I'm a stick guy so I don't care for automatics, but my automatic loving wife isn't all that happy with the 325i either. We'll be replacing the car soon.
I disagree about the IS 250/350. I've driven the IS 250 with a stick and it was pretty bad. Lots of cheap plastic, anemic engine and terrible clutch. Impossible to drive smoothly. Also there was a lot of engine, wind and road noise.
I have owned three 3-series BMWs and can honestly say that these are the only vehicles that I still love and look forward to drive every day even after owning the vehicle for several years. I am now back in the market and cannot find a sub-$50k sedan that competes with the overall driving experiece of the 330i.
But my experiences with BMW services is identical to yours. It stinks!
Great car, shame about the services.
Worst service I ever got was at my local BMW dealership (I won't name names, but it's located at Gwinnett Place Mall). Fortunately, there are other BMW dealers in the metro Atlanta area. I drive right by that dealership and go thirty minutes out of my way just to have the oil changed elsewhere.
If they were the only dealership around, I'd be driving another brand.
I had an '03 IS300 and my dad now has 2 Lexus cars. The service we both received from Performance Lexus was excellent, everything Lexus had said it would be. Lexus loaner cars without asking for them, great friendly service etc.
1 1/2yrs ago I moved out of the city and moved where my local dealership was Lexus of Oakville. I was extremely surprised at how horrible their service was there. Their SA is one of the rudest I've come across and on one of my last visits they damaged my front left rim and didn't tell me about it. I spoke to both Lexus HO and the dealership manager about how horrible my experiences had been with them. I ended up swearing that dealership off for good.
The decision is what even lead me to consider a different make at first, as some might remember I really had my heart set on a IS350.
I bought a 330i from Budd's here and I've been in 3 times now for service. They've been great, some of the best service I've got and the car is always returned not only washed but detailed.
To wrap this up, my point here is as a whole Lexus dealerships might have the better customer service but not all dealerships are the same. Once you find a good one in your area that treats you right, you almost don't want to switch brands again and risk losing that great service.
It does seem that manufacturers should (if they don't already) take great pains to ensure that their service providers come through for them, 'cause it looks like service is a deal breaker when it comes to brand loyalty.
There is more than a subtle difference between warranty and post-warranty services. Post-warranty services in my case has been horrendous in terms of being hit in the wallet(which I managed to avoid paying by going to an independent).
Maybe my experiences are not representative of the whole population of BMW owners? Or maybe most the forum members who are prasing BMW services are covered by warranty and are oblivious of their services' adverse financial affects?
Fortunately I have a independent mechanic(worked 20 years at a BMW dealership ) that provides "First Class Services" at a reasonable cost.
I deal with Budd's in Hamilton and it is fanatstic !
Webby
However, they basically flunked the IS in the slalom test because there is apparently no "official" way to turn the traction and stability control off all the way as you can do with the BMW. As a result, when trying to max it out thru the slalom, the stability control kept kicking in and killing the throttle, applying brakes, etc., and totally ruining the times.
They did mention that there is an unofficial and undocumented way to turn this control off, but that it involves a complicated "pedal dance" that must be repeated every time you start the car. So the BMW with the DSC turned off had to be declared the winner.
I live and work in downtown Toronto and it will be a challenge to drive all the way to Budd's with my daily schedule.
There's no wooden steering wheel in the IS.
And also, do some people feel better about themselves when they say that the 330i is absolutely a better car than the IS 350?
I think it all lies in your preferences. Neither car is ABSOLUTELY better than they other. Whatever floats your boat you know?
Either way, the 3 series is popular; it has its own crowd.
No love lost.
I love the IS 350; my kind of car.
Now I am - The IS 350 is a strong, handsome looking car and I absolutely love the styling more and more every time I see it!
Here you go everybody! I will share the love! How can you not find this car attractive!
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2001/Pon- - tiac/100001661/009249-T.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2006/BMW- - /100530524/20025696-T.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/1997/Pon- - tiac/10555/009210-T.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2006/BMW- - /100530524/20025686-T.jpg
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/2006/BMW- /100528417/20023788-T.jpg
The headlights look like they were lifted from a Cavalier!
(Seeing the attacks coming...)
Just kidding!
(or am I?)
Not a 3er hater, but cmon' now, some humility? Chris Bangle isn't exactly a Godsend.
Better how? There is no absolute as a better car. Only a car that fits your form and function better. Having said that, there is such a thing as best in class.
Saying that the IS 350 is similar to the Sonata may well be the equivalent of the Sonata copying the styling of the RX 330, front and back.
Sorry, but I dont see the similarity here:
Vs.
Then again, that is the danger in starting this sort of topic.
As well, personally I agree whole heartedly in comparison tests. I however, do not agree on awarding 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, 99ths. A Volvo S40 R may score 6th in a comparison test against 330i's and IS 350's, but it may have that unquantifiable appeal to its buyers. For that reason, I do not agree with the scoring systems. Instead of subconsciously having the affect of scewing people's perceptions on a car's appeal to themselves, let the reader draw his own conclusion; that seems realistic to me.
The IS 350 has that unquantifiable appeal to me. Sexy... and fun.
Didn't you post the pictures of the 3 series and Cavalier side by side?
"I however, do not agree on awarding 1sts, 2nds, 3rds, 99ths"
I enjoy reading the articles, but I do not buy based on magazine articles.
Now it's your turn.
"To keep the fight fair, the 330i in this test was an automatic, as the IS 350 isn't available with a manual gearbox."
Following this lame logic Lexus engine should have been detuned to match BMW, since 330i isn't available with a more powerful engine. We want to keep the fight fair, don't we?
A car is more than engine size/output, transmission, suspension, etc... If a comparison test is being done (especially performance test), all the participating cars should be equipped to maximize car's potential.
to keep the fight fair lexus should charge a few more thousand for the IS350 like the rip-off 330i that costs almost 50K for 50 less horses so everyone won't think it is such a bargain for dusting the pants off of a stick shift 330i by a whole second in the 60 time. geez.
then lexus should use some lame logic and create engines that cause more maintenance problems like ALL THEIR german adversaries and charge a few more thousand for the car so it is a fair fight.
"all participating cars should be equipped to maximize car's potential." like i said, stick shift 330i got dusted by IS350 5.1sec 60 to the bmw's 6.1. ouch. i'd hate to see what that automatic 330i ran and you all noticed edmunds didn't really mention that in their review. hmmmmmm
if it were the automatic IS300 vs old 330i you bet all these guys would be jumping on how slow the IS300 was. nobody wants to talk about it now. now it is just how a car drives. nobody wants to talk about how much the IS interior smokes the bmw's now. they wish they had that toyota altezza IS300 back now so they had more to pick on. now it is just a drivers car. the bmw. king of what the drivers want but it ain't the best CAR anymore. sorry.
What really matters here is two things;
1. Which one do you like for your own needs and wants.
2. I think it also says something that everyone who tests these cars for a living has in every review I've seen (min. 4+) has picked the 330i over the IS350. To me, that says something.
ps. I think the BMW's interior rocks. It's all in the small details. Anyone who has spent time with an E90, knows what I'm talking about
If the only trump card that the IS has over the 330 is straight line acceleration then why not choose the manual 330? It seems as if the article was written for a Lexus audience hence the automatics.
I think what I’ve seen is:
IS350 0-60 5.1, 330i 0-60 5.6.
I’ve never heard the 330i, or any 3 series, being sold on 0-60 times. Others are cheaper and have faster 0-60. Yes the old IS300 automatic was slow I’m sure others will talk about it if you want to.
I believe that the maintenance on the 330i is cheaper than the IS350 it should be zero.
The IS350 is a little faster. When I was 19 I used to leave rubber at the lights ALL the time its been a really really long time since I’ve done that. Almost everyday I take on-ramps pushing the cars limits, or occasionally I’ll “carve-up” traffic.
Driving there is a reason the IS comes with the electrical driving nanny I previously owned a G35 automatic (manual was not out yet) and I was cornering at a high speed – accelerating out of the turn for some reason the automatic decided to downshift of course I had the stability control turned off automatics yuk they’re ok for my mom.
My ideal 330i comes in at 40K if I were to spend 50K it would be a “base” M3...if you want to compare the OLD 3.2L BMW engine with the brand new 3.5L IS350. I don’t need or want a bunch of options in my car adding 20 way power seats, power tilting steering wheel, or adding a back up camera don’t make the car better for me.
The BMW 3 series has always been a drivers car doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the Lexus or being a passenger.
I have no idea what you are talking about. The E90 interior does not even have the cockpit feel wrapping around the driver like the previous four generations of 3 series had and were praised for. Is it really a driver's car anymore? or just a small luxury car?
BMW 3 series are mechanically among the most reliable cars on this planet. Transmission issues are a prevailing theme for both Lexuses and Acuras.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the reliability of BMW electronics. That is where Lexus is definitely superior.