One of my favorite blog perks is that whenever I see an interesting car, I can just contact the dealer and request to take it out for a test drive. I’ve been lucky enough to drive nearly all my favorite cars and all the dealers have been extremely good to me. Well most at least, Audi and VW don’t seem to want me to take out their cars for some odd reason (VW put me in a Golf already!). This past weekend I took out a car that recently sparked my interest, the Lexus IS 350 F Sport. When I had my surgery on my ankle a couple of weeks back I was being driven around in my dads Lexus LS. It was my first time in his car and I was sitting in the backseat playing with the massage option thinking I could live like this. It was comfortable, quiet, had a ton of leg room, it was everything my FJ Cruiser wasn’t. But I also knew that if I end up getting an LS that would basically mean I was admitting I was getting older. That was going to happen. A few moments later we pulled up to a traffic light right next to a new Lexus IS. The new Lexus IS has been out for awhile now but it only really caught my attention for the first time that very moment. I suddenly started loving the way it looked and a few days later I contacted the dealer and asked them if I could borrow the car for the weekend.
Before picking up the car there were two things I was hoping for, one the car wouldn’t be maroon since I believe thats the ugliest color on the car, and the second is that the interior wouldn’t be beige. Luckily my prayers were answered and they even handed me the keys to an F Sport version of the car which looks and is a lot cooler than the standard version. I’ve never thought of Lexus as exciting, but their new IS and NX cars are just so hot. Once I got in the car I fell in love with the interior as well, it’s very minimal with clean lines and all tastefully put together. The digital dashboard board is inspired from the Lexus LFA sports car and physically moves. I’ve never seen that in a car before, you can choose to have the speedometer in the middle with information running on both sides or with a press of the button have the speedometer slide to the right to reveal a larger screen with information displayed. Very cool.
[YouTube]
Most of the cars I take out to review I start to fall in love with as I spend more time with the car. With the Lexus IS, I fell in love with the car as soon as I got in it, and was still in love with it when I had to give it back. The car is just really comfortable to drive and I think it’s one of the hottest looking 4-doors in this price bracket. But the best part about it is the fact that its a Lexus so you know it’s going to be reliable. I’ve got a friend who drives at 12 year old Lexus that still looks new and she’s only now considering getting it replaced. Their cars are bulletproof.
The only thing that probably let the car down is the lack of features. The fully loaded Lexus IS I drove didn’t have any of the new features you would find on the new luxury cars like lane keeping assist, collision detection, blind spot information etc… It wasn’t a major let down for me but it could be for people who care about these gizmos more than the way the car looks. The sound system on the other hand was one of the best I’ve heard in a car and surprisingly was brand-less. It was just their standard 8 speaker sound system but yet I found the sound impressive.
In Kuwait the dealer has three different IS models, the IS 250, the IS 350 and the IS 350 F Sport. The main difference between the IS 250 and 350 is the engine size while the main differences between the IS 350 and IS 350 F Sport are mainly visual upgrades like spoilers, sportier seats, larger wheels, the digital dashboard I mentioned earlier and a few other things. The price of the IS 250 starts at around KD12,000 while the top of the line F Sport is around KD16,900. Would I buy this car? Yes in a heartbeat. If I was in the market looking for a 4-door sporty looking sedan then this would be right there on the top of the list. For more information on the Lexus IS you can check out the dealers website [Here]
14 replies on “The Lexus IS 350 F Sport”
Was there last week and saw it. Loved it. The only problem that it’s not very practical for a family with children. Bit narrow backseat area.
How is the rear legroom Mark? I still remember you complaining about the rear room in the Macan!!
Since it’s the smallest of the Lexus sedans the legroom as you can see in the picture above isn’t that great. I mean it’s fine anybody can fit but I wouldn’t want to be stuck there on a long road trip.
hahaha, good job calling out volkswagen (audi is under the volkswagen group). hopefully, they’ll change their minds and give you a review car. would love to see a review of the a7!
I’m more interested in the new Audi TT than the A7. But speaking of the A7, my friend who has had the Lexus for 12 years is now getting an Audi S7 instead.
I’m seeing a lot of these on the roads lately, nothing wrong with that at all, it’s simply such a good car.
You should try to get your hands on an RC F or LS600h L.
Does this compete with the BMW 4-series? How does it match up there?
I’m guessing you mean the 3 series since the 4 series is the two door. I haven’t driven the new 3 series but just based on looks I think the Lexus have them beat.
Mark: the speaker system on the IS350 is the worst standard system i’ve heard on a Lexus, we used to get the upgraded sound as standard before on any thing but basic configuration, not any more!
I used to have a 2014 GS350 F-sport with the upgraded “Mark levinson” sound and this is a speaker system you should hear to believe.
The Mark Levinson system isn’t the standard system though even if it used to be included as standard.
They don’t offer the the mark levinson even on the the top conflagration, actually even the RC-F doesn’t have it on the all configs..
I’m sure you can order it… can’t you?
before i got my GS350 I tried to order the IS350 with the upgraded sound system, they said it can’t be done..I had to send them an actual picture of an IS350 from al-futaim lexus (DUBAI) with mark levinson sound on board, and even then they were not happy to do it.. obviously i ended getting the GS350