bhammer

Hi All,

My 09 is paid for and I've been thinking about something new and keeping the 8 as a toy. I've been looking at the Lexus IS 350 and the Infinity G37 Journey. Any thoughts on either of the two? I am kind of leaning towards the IS 350.

monchie

If I were you, I like the Lexus IS 350. The Lexus IS 350 has more options than the least expensive IS 250. The Indinity G37 on the other hand is kinda more like a luxury sedan than a sports sedan...from my perspective.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Moving to General Automotive.

bhammer:
As an 8 owner for at least 3 years or so, I have to expect that you place some weight on the driving feel. What are your thoughts on how each of them feels to drive?

bhammer

Thanks for the feedback guys. I decided to go with the ES350. I drove the IS350 and it is a nice car. It was the one step down from the Lux package as there were none in the US or at the port. Steering is a bit weird on it as you don't get the feel / feedback I would have expected on a sportier type car. There also seems to be a bit of a lag just under 4k rpm.

Being that I am 40 and also spending 2 hours a day driving in traffic, I was getting tired of the DD being a manual sports car plus, the family always had to take the Aspen SUV if we went anywhere.

hookedonfonix

Congrats on the new car. I was leaning towards the G37 because I prefer its style and interior over the is350 plus it's a little quicker. But then I looked at the es350 interior and I must say I was very impressed. Lexus is a solid manufacturer and I'm sure it will be an awesome DD.
ES350 Interior:

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

Why isn't the new 328i on the list?

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

An ES350? Grandma car FTL.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

By comparison, you think the G is less sporty than the IS???? Have you driven both of those cars? The IS is definitely not a car I would recommend for someone that is performance/sport-minded. Don't get me wrong... it's a nice car, and not bad if you just want to go from red light to red light, but that's about where it ends.

bhammer

Yes, the IS line is not a sports car. I'd put it in the hybrid class where I was under impressed with both the sports side and luxury side. When I test drove, it handled about the same, if I might say, worse than the ES series with strange feedback at the wheel and wanting the front to lift. I just passed it off as it not being my RX-8. The sales guys said that you can add the F sports package to "tighten" everything up but they didn't have one for me to drive.

The ES is actually a fast car, with the IS350 .7 seconds faster. During the test drive, I averaged (with my wife as the timer) 6.3 on 0-60 (accelerometer measured) runs using the time track app for my android. I could beat most of the N/A RX-8 drivers in a straight line run with that time. Add in a couple tight turns and it would be all over for the 350 though.

The point with this car purchase was to get away from the sports car ride but keep the straight line performance. As an added bonus, I'm back at 89 octane and 23MPG but that was never the reason. I know a guy that used to have a Fiat Idromatic ?SP? and his 1/4 miles times were faster than the 0-60 times. I wanted to make sure I could at least do better than that.

9krpmrx8, awww, come on now and be nice. BTW, my oldest daughter is 19 and could easily make me a Grandpa. Maybe I'm looking in to the future a little. I'll kill her if she does though because she has 3.9 years of college to go.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Don't jinx yourself man. It's a nice car man, if you are happy then that is all that matters.

monchie

I test drove the IS250 when were looking for a car to buy, but we cannot afford the monthly payments. I never driven an Infinity car yet, but maybe someday. Anyway, i'm not gonna argue with you...I have my opinion, and you have yours...let's just leave it as it is.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure I would call it an opinion... The steering feel alone is enough to make it apparent. Not having a manual transmission is another reason. Like I said, it's a nice car. There is absolutely no way that it is sportier than the G.

I missed the part where you mentioned keeping the 8. The ES is probably a better choice with that in mind. Of course it would be fun to have a fun DD, the ES will serve as a very different car and leave the 8 for the fun times. What color did you get?

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

So....... No answer to my question?

328i - 0-60 in 5.4 seconds with 36 mpg highway to boot. I've all driven all three. Yes a new 2013 328i sedan with the 8 speed auto, and Premium/Tech/Cold Weather packages.

bhammer

I got the Starfire Pearl with Parchment Leather and Espresso Bird's Eye Maple. Here are the details:

PACKAGE D: LUXURY PACKAGE WITH ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Heated and ventilated front seats
Lexus Memory System
Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column
Espresso bird's-eye maple wood interior trim
Remote Linked Memory
Perforated leather-trimmed interior
Navigation System
Voice command and color LCD display
Enhanced Bluetooth® technology [1]
NavTraffic™ [2] [3]
Lexus Enform® [4][5]
Lexus Enform® [6] Application Suite
Integrated wide-view backup camera
Eight-speaker Lexus Premium Sound System with HD Radio [7] with iTunes tagging
High-resolution 8-inch color LCD display
In-dash DVD/CD auto-changer
Blind Spot Monitor System [8]
Wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift ****
Power rear sunshade
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps
Intuitive Parking Assist
Rain-sensing wipers

Sorry, I missed that one. I did consider the 3 series. I had a 5 series about 10 years ago as a company car and overall, I was not happy with that car. I had it in for repairs all the time and the Nav sucked big time. I know they have made a lot of changes since then.... I drove a 2012 335i Sedan a couple months ago. Overall, a nice car and with 300 ponies, it would scoot. I just felt that for the $$$$, I could get more car for the money with the Lexus or Infinity. I also drove the Audi.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

I don't think the 328i would offer the comfort/luxury he was looking for, especially if you consider what he ended up choosing.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

That is true. The F30 3 series will not be as sedate as an ES. Don't get me wrong though, without the performance package, the F30 rides extremely supple in comparison to the E90's, IS350 and G35/37, all while containing its solid poise.

iDrive is still intricate, but it has come a long way. Interior room has increase by a large margin (along with exterior of course). I thought I would be disappointed in the F30 prior to driving it because I read about its size increase, but I was surprised. The performance from the twinpower turbo'd I-4 along with the close ratios of the 8 spd tranny is a nice touch. Steering is typical BMW solidity and feel.

Two years ago, I would easily choose a G37/IS350 over an E90 I-6 330i/328i. But the new F30 is leaps and bounds ahead of Infiniti and Lexus in terms of performance, efficiency, and overall package.

Certainly not a fan boy of BMW by any means as I have an Infiniti with a VQ35 myself as a daily. Fortunately I give credit where it is deserved.


Edit: totally missed the ES post. Fail on my part.