Car Reviews
Lexus IS 350 F Sport – LIVE AND LET LIVE
Lexus IS 350 F Sport
LIVE AND LET LIVE
We’ll start with a glossary, as our test subject – the Lexus IS 350 F Sport – is a sedan. A sedan is generally understood to provide a 3-box architecture, with the front box devoted to its powerplant, the middle devoted to passengers and the third given to cargo. The sedan inevitably houses its drivetrain in the front, and while the passenger section may offer a folding rear seat it won’t be as expansive as a hatchback, generally regarded as a 2-box configuration.
The IS 350 – especially in its F Sport guise – is also regarded as a sport sedan, taking that same 3-box profile and underpinning it with better steering, braking and roadholding. It may also go faster, but really doesn’t need to…in this context precision is more important that power.
With the increased intervention of software, it’s easier to tune the hardware. Happily, for those of us wedded to analog, with the IS 350’s senior position in the Lexus lineup (it originally launched in 2013!) it remains an analog window into an almost all-digital showroom.
Given its age, you’ll know its lines. And that familiarity is also – at least for me – comforting. I often wonder what shopping for a pre-owned 3 Series would be like, ‘cause I enjoy the idea even if I’m wary of the result. With the Lexus IS you can buy a Toyota product from a new car showroom, and while you’ll obviously pay a premium for that newness (in this instance, $57K with options), you’ll also reap the benefits. And unlike most current iterations of earlier sedans, the connection between platform and driver is real and not synthesized by the software…the IS 350’s cabin remains an automotive cabin and not – thankfully – a 21st– century workspace.
In profile the proportions are rear-wheel drive (the IS is also available with AWD), although the front overhang is significant…the car doesn’t sit back on its chassis like many RWD platforms. And the front fascia, while not wholly spindled at this point, does boast a wider grille that is almost ‘catfish’ in its proportion; one wonders if the ‘F’ in F Sport doesn’t reference fish…
You won’t confuse the IS greenhouse with that of mom’s Volvo, but it gives you what you need in a proportional way. And both getting in and out is relatively easy if, of course, you factor in the relatively low roof height of just over 56 inches. It is, as you’d guess, WHAT IT IS.
Under the hood is a normally aspirated V6 of 3.5 liters delivering 311 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Putting that power to the pavement is an 8-speed automatic in rear-wheel drive models, a 6-speed auto in all-wheel drive variants. The shoes at Car and Driver arrived at 60 in 5.6 seconds, while Lexus claims a top speed of 143. In short, you can merge easily onto freeways – even California’s freeways. And while its EPA estimate of 19 City/27 Highway/22 Combined won’t drive you into bankruptcy, your annual fuel cost is just under $250/month. You should factor that when computing your monthlies.
In its drivetrain and suspension tuning, you could think of this as a Sports/GT rather than simply a sport sedan. With a curb weight under two tons the IS 350 F Sport is almost flickable, especially when its driving mode is switched to Sport. And the beauty of its four doors is that you can easily take three friends. Adults will comfortably fit in the back seat, as will the kids’ booster seats. And if you’ve opted for our test vehicle’s lipstick red interior (NuLuxe), your 4-year-old can play with mommy’s lipstick…the entire trip.
Equally important is how the sport buckets hold you in, without the confinement that often comes with that ‘sport’ descriptive. And while the infotainment is more digital than I’d like, it really doesn’t confound – nor does it dominate the dash.
In sum, if looking for a sports/GT that checks the performance boxes while still offering four doors, the IS 350 F Sport offers a compelling option. There remains a bit of competition in this space, including BMW’s 3 Series and the Genesis G70. But of those three only one is a Lexus – and only one comes from a Lexus showroom.
Live and let live…before you can’t.
