In the United States, Lexus has sold in excess of 5000 copies of the IS twice in the last nine months, having not done so even once since August 2008.
Five times in the last nine months, Lexus has sold more than 4000 copies, having only sold more than 4000 ISs once in the previous 44 months.
U.S. Lexus IS volume has increased on a year-over-year basis in each of the last 14 months, although six of those year-over-year comparisons include prior-year results from the IS’s worst sales year (2012) since 2005.
In its segment, the IS trails only the premium-brand-leading BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Granted, the Audi A4, though relatively appealing even now, is as old as the hills. Also, while Infiniti’s Q50 trails the IS by 10,305 units, the Q50/G sedan combo is narrowly ahead of the Lexus.
Cadillac ATS volume has plunged 20% so far this year as total Cadillac passenger car volume has tumbled 15%. Volvo S60 sales are down 15% to 14,684 units, 18,743 sales back of the IS. The S60 trailed the IS by just 1672 units at this point one year ago.
The tide has clearly turned. In both 2011 and 2012, even Acura’s TSX was a more popular choice than the IS. Year-to-date IS sales in America are up 77%. The rapid growth rate has slowed as year-over-year comparisons now include results from both years, both 2014 and 2013, of the current, third-generation IS. August sales jumped 20% to 5312, more than the figure managed by the traditional second-ranked C-Class.
That C-Class, however, is now being replaced by a much more competitive, wildly more modern C. Will that car put the brakes on the IS’s ascent? It’s possible. One could argue that the brash IS with its massive spindle grille and controversial interior targets a different buyer. But we don’t determine which vehicles consumers will decide to cross-shop.
The IS has nevertheless regained the status of a major player in the category. Lexus is on pace for the IS’s first year since 2007 with more than 50,000 sales. Not surprisingly, the IS has once again become important to traditionally RX-dependant Lexus. Through the first eight months of 2013, the IS accounted for just 11% of Lexus’s U.S. volume; the RX and ES 66%.
The RX/ES portion has fallen to 58% in 2014, however, as the IS now generates 17% of Lexus volume. You’re not surprised to learn, therefore, that Lexus outsold BMW and Mercedes-Benz in both July and August.
One thing is certain, the IS is not close to challenging the top-selling BMW in terms of U.S. sales. No entry-level premium sports sedan is, nor are any about to. The 3-Series range is massive, from the 320i sedan which undercuts the base IS by a few thousand dollars, to hatchback versions of both the 3-Series and 4-Series (which BMW USA still includes in the 3er’s total), countless powertrain options, and even a wagon. Not that BMW necessarily needs such broad appeal for the 3-Series to top the sales charts. The margins of victory are typically fairly large.
Long time when I sat in a BMW 3.But isn’t that more Audi A3 and Golf size? so comparing it to Audi A4 et all size cars may not appropriate?
Even the ATS has EPA passenger volume beyond the BMW 3 (and according to Deadweight is cramped :)
The 3 is larger than ever, being noticeably larger in the backseat & trunk than the ATS, and far more quiet and refined than the baby Cadillac.
Spec sheets can be very deceptive. Overall length of a vehicle does not correlate to real world interior room or trunk space.
Go sit in the backseat of a 3, ATS & A3; The ATS will have the LEAST real world leg room back there out of the three (a Nissan Sentra has more room in the backseat & trunk).
It shocks me that the ATS is even selling 2500 versions a month thus far (though it wouldn’t shock me if at least 1500 of those sales were from the metro Detroit area alone – on the $0 down and $229 GM Employee or $249 GM Supplier lease specials).
I’ve been to 9 states since they started selling the ATS, and have seen more ATS’s in the metro Detroit suburbs than all other 8 states combined – by a vast margin.
When I was shopping, I test drove all the players in this segment. Except for the ATS, because I was so turned off by the cheapo gauges when I sat in it. No way I was going to spend several years looking at those.
I honestly would prefer the gauges from a Pontiac G6 over the ATS ones.
– GM still has “issues” to even approve anything remotely that ugly in a “premium” sports/luxury sedan, let alone any modern Cadillac.
“…a Nissan Sentra has more room in the backseat & trunk…”
I sat in the current Sentra, and it seemed like it had more interior volume than the Altima. It seems to be the most space-efficient vehicle in the compact sedan class.
It has so much room because the outside looks like a sinking boat. It’s unfortunate.
The Altima was shockingly big inside, I found.
DW-
There must be more ATSs in Soutern Oakland County than the rest of the country combined. I was quoted about $260/month for a 2.0T AWD ATS with only the first payment due at lease inception. This was at the Cadillac dealership in Troy. I will be tempted by sub $300/month CTS payments probably coming soon.
Was that retail or supplier plan?
I assume that was Suburban on Maplelawn Drive, yes?
I’m not a huge fan of the ATS, but even with its faults, I’d even concede that, given the alternatives, one could do worse than a $0 down $260/month or less deal on an AWD 2.0T ATS for those who do lease their vehicles.
Cadillac is inflating that residual to the moon to get that deal done, though. Ouch.
It was Suburban.
It was supplier plan. Growing up in Detroit without any family that worked for the big three, I always dreamed of getting employee deals that I saw in the paper.
To put the $260/month in perspective, I leased a 2008 Jetta Wolfsburg 2.0T for about the same price, and that was a screaming deal at the time. Unlike Cadillac, VW was actually low on their residuals. My buyout price at the end was just over $13K and I sold it for $16.5K. There is always someone jonesing for an out of warranty VW to ruin their life.
I had a very similar experience with a 2006 2.0T Volkswagen Passat (now the CC, basically).
I honestly don’t know if would willinglyl ever own another VW after that.
The lease price they quoted you for an AWD 2.0T ATS was good, especially given that it wasn’t an employee price, which is most likely $30 per month cheaper.
We have one toddler. The ATS is too small for us as a daily driver despite our small family size, and hence, I believe, its biggest demerit positioned as a premium sedan (thought the high price may tie the insufficient interior/trunk space as biggest demerit).
Cadillac’s pricing structure is a huge problem. They really should think of themselves as 1989 era Lexus if they want to take the rational approach in attempting to conquest BMW, Mercedes &…now…Lexus.
Random question: who buys a car in this segment to sit in the back seat? Chinese buyers do, which is why they get the LWB versions.
Maybe because they have clients, kids or other humanoids using said back seats.
In Europe, the 3 is a standard family car. The 5 is large, bordering on huge. The 7 is for showoffs and Russian “expats.”
Regardless of segment, American buyers like their interior space which is why the 2 leaders in the segment, the 3 Series and C Class have gotten progressively larger and why Toyota finally realized their mistake with the previous IS and made sure the current IS no longer had the tightest rear passenger room in the class (that crown now taken by the ATS).
I assume the majority of the ATS metal moving off the lots are leases. I see almost no V6 models on the road, and they’ve always got some cheap lease promotion on the 2.0. I see far more IS350/335 than I do V6 ATS. Hell I probably see as many CTS-V as ATS 3.6 ’round these parts.
Lexus has a real winner of an advertisement regarding their GS lineup, for all the correct (and truthful) reasons:
http://www.worldcarfans.com/114040772942/lexus-gs-commercial-mocks-german-competitors-video
“It’s more important to have a six-cylinder, rwd, eight-speed transmission hardware setup rather than being satisfied with Audi A6’s front-wheel drive configuration, BMW 528i’s powerful 4-cylinder engine and the lack of standard leather upholstery in the facelifted Mercedes-Benz E-Class.”
Eh, they’re the ones who lack a V8 currently.
And really, it’s not like the 5er can’t be had with a V6 (or v8) or the E Class with leather (there are Lexus models with pleather as well).
The 5er can’t be had with a V6.
And yet they still can’t give the ugly things away. Odd that.
F30 3 series is about the size of an E39.
The IS is bang in the middle of the segment for size.
Length measurements below (from Wikipedia):
Lexus IS – 183 inches
BMW 3 series – 182 inches
Merc C class – 181 inches
Audi A4 – 185 inches
Cadillac ATS – 183 inches
Statistics be damned, the inside of the IS felt compact to me.
Overall length says nothing. Even rear leg room #s are suspect, since everyone seems to measure them differently. That said, the backseat of the IS looks miserable on paper (32.2″). If it’s more comfortable than that number suggests, then Toyota should have found a way to get a longer measurement.
Fred & Burgers – the IS rear seat is cramped, but of all the sedans I’ve driven, the ATS rear seat is the most cramped in its segment when it comes to accommodating two even remotely normal sized adults.
That the ATS trunk is just diminutive at 10 cubic feet adds salt to the wounds.
One doesn’t appreciate these things until they discover it may not be possible to fit 5 days worth of luggage for two people into their rental car they’ve just picked up (which was only accomplished by putting one large luggage bag on the a$$ surface of the rear seat wedged at a 45 degree angle against the front passengers seatback).
We would have been completely screwed if we had more luggage or, god forbid, a third person who needed to ride in the car.
OK Deadweight, enough of the teasers. I want the whole review of your rental ATS experience. Post it here. Or on a blog. Or submit it as a Readers Ride. Do it now before you lose the anger.
lol
I was trying to wait and finish/revise the review when the anger subsided – for the sake of whatever objectivity I may be capable of demonstrating.
I’m pretty sure we all know exactly what dead weight’s review of the ATS is going to be like. The hate is strong, borderline obsessive. I mean we get it, you didn’t like it, GM dropped the ball again, you’d rather drive a 15yo Hyundai than take an ATS for free etc etc.
Anger is simply a sign of passion ;)
Work an e46 sans folding rear seat, I’m painfully familiar with small trunks. You can make it work by using multiple smaller bags, but 30″ luggage is a bug problem. Two of those are not going in the trunk.
The IS has 13 cubic ft, which should be good enough depending on shape
It’s probably a fair point that trying to get 2 of the giant a$$ square luggage bags in the trunk of anything but a full size car or hatch will be difficult or next to impossible.
@ DeadWeight – nah, I think the E39 could manage it, despite only claiming 11 cubic feet in the trunk (vs around 10 for the E46).
Relevant to the car being discussed here, it sounds like the IS should have a useful trunk, even if the back seat isn’t exactly spacious. Given the choice between a few inches of legroom and a more usable trunk, I think Toyota made the right choice giving the space to the trunk. Tetris games with luggage even for two people gets old fast.
Lexus improved on the rear leg room of the IS over its predecessor with the ATS having about as much rear leg room as the previous IS which was a major misstep by Cadillac.
I test drove an IS350 F sport back in the spring. Looks amazing, athletic chassis, very sporty interior w/ great seats, willing engines, and an 8AT that does a good impression of a dual clutch box. I’d be very tempted if a 2.0T and 6MT arrived. According to the folks “in the know” on ClubLexus, the 2.0T is due next year. I don’t think we’ll ever see another 6MT in a Lexus, though.
I think I’m going to go jump off a bridge…… There are people who WANT a 2.0T over a refined Toyota V6…?? And not just people, but people with enough sense to want a proper transmission in a “sport” sedan, even…
Much facepalm to go around it would seem.
I would’ve disagreed with you UNTIL I sampled the refinement levels of at least 2 of the cars with said 4 cylinder powerplants (forget the 2.5 liter normally aspirated mill in the base ATS, which is just a horrific mistake; I’m not even addressing that).
I’ve yet to sample a 4 cylinder motor powering any modern sedan that can remotely compete with a 6 when it comes to NVH.
Hey DW,
1) the 2.5 should be forgotten period. Sometimes I wonder if Cadillac R&D would be best spent on the neuralizer from MIB.
2) I loves me a V6, but I am really surprised, as I have found the 2.0T in the Verano to be quite civilized. How is it so much worse in the ATS?
The 2.0T is much better than the N/A 2.5.
I am partial to 6 cylinder motors in anything but subcompact and very small vehicles, though, mainly due to NVH characteristics – totally subjective preference.
Let me clarify, 6MT is the priority. Lexus offered the 6MT on the 2nd gen IS250 but never on the IS350. (the MT IS300 is a decade behind us). If an MT were to ever make a comeback, I could see it happening in the 2.0T that is coming next year but I don’t see it happening in on the V6. Plus, cheaper and easier on gas is nice.
I doubt it, Lexus dropped the manual because less than 1% bought it. If you want a manual in a sport sedan your choices are going away. BMW, Regal, ATS, A4 is all that come to mind and I know the A4 will be gone with the next update.
Oh, I don’t expect the 6MT to come back. I was saying that if it ever had a chance, it would be with the small engine and not the V6.
I am someone who would want the 2.0T over the 2.5L V6. VW was putting out more HP and torque from a 2.0T in 2006 than Lexus/Toyota manages with this mill. It just isn’t enough power.
Agreed bball, I test drove an IS250 w/ 6MT and found it severely lacking. It felt like a NA I4.
That’s probably because the GM 2.5 I4 is similar in its power numbers. The GM 2.5L hits HP and torque peak at lower RPMs too. The difference is that the V6 is more refined.
Displacement trumps all unless you throw a turbo on there. A 2.5L 4cyl will make about the same power as a 2.5L 6cyl. The IS250 competes with the 320i and ATS 2.5 (and is priced competitively when similarly equipped using a tool like truedelta). Lexus doesn’t have a tweener to compete against the A4 2.0T, 328i, or ATS 2.0T. I imagine when the IS200t hits a year from now, it will move the pricing structure to match the 4cyl turbos of BMW, Audi, Cadi, etc.
True, but the sad thing is I was thinking it felt about on par with the Ecotec 2.2, not the 2.5L.
Granted, the 2.2 is typically hauling around much lighter vehicles than the IS250.
Quentin-
While I agree that it competes with the models you specified, I think they are all underpowered. For a realistic transaction price of $40K, this car leaves me cold.
The little v6 mill in the IS is very nice, but the 2.0T is going to output at least 280 hp. That’s pretty much all this is about.
The 2.5 V6 is weak as hell. It needs to be in a car like 700-800lbs lighter. A 2.0T would lack in character but it would have the torque needed to move the Lexus’ lard ass.
The 2.5 liter V6 in the Lexus IS250 feels thrice as refined as the the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder in the ATS, even though they make similar crank HP, and even feels significantly more refined than the 2.0T in the ATS, IMO, despite the 2.0T having a 30% power advantage.
For reasons of refinement, longevity & reliability, I’d take the 2.5 V6 every day and twice on Sunday, and this is despite the fact I’ve been a past huge critic of Lexus’ choice to put a relatively weak V6 in the IS250.
I miss the Altezza. That was a great car.
Maybe on a windy mountain pass in a lawless utopia. But not in real life.
That front end looks like Toyota (Lexus) had designed it for the Chinese or Asian market.
Fugly.
The Japanese prestige cars started out in the 80s and haven’t really conquered the market, judging by the graph.
I do think the Euro’s do know how to design and market prestige vehicles better than the Asian and US manufacturers.
Lexus IS is fake rich, and right now that sells (see BMW 320, M-B CLA, etc.)
If fake rich means not willing to pay exorbitant service costs, then call me fake.
After having several MB and BMW, we got tired of the expen$ive maintenance, reliability problems and fear of owning an out of warranty german car by buying (not leasing) an IS.
Lexus delivers the quality and now the driving experience that the germans used to be known for.
I couldn’t agree more. Having owned (and been stranded by) both Mercedes and BMW, I’ve decided the German engineers must have gone to American public schools.
I’d love a Lexus, but am awaiting the time when they fire Bangel’s evil twin. Until then, I’ll make do with lesser (but not German) makes.
I have no reason to lie; the only vehicles I’ve never had to do anything but routine maintenance on were Japanese badges, and I’ve owned or leased 9 “new” vehicles, including 3 Hondas (all manual transmission), two Mazdas (both manual transmission) and a Nissan* (automatic) since 1993.
*The Nissan grenaded its automatic transmission, at a mere 24,000 miles (replaced under warranty), which soured me on Nissans (rightly or wrongly)
I really wish there weren’t the case (and yes, it’s anecdotal), but it is.
I know lots of people with Lexuses, all over the economic spectrum. By far the common thread is that the cars are perceived as completely problem free.
Everyone who works and interacts with other buyers in the luxury segments, know of at least someone who had trouble with their Bimmer, Benz, Audi etc. So people whose main priority is simply “better built”, default to Lexus. I doubt they are nearly as aggressively cross shopped as the three Germans.
You may be right. When we bought the IS, we cross-shopped it with a TSX, G37, and a couple of small cars, just to see if saving money was worth it. Almost bought a MINI. It only floundered upon their factory navi using a joystick input. After that it was the IS with a good advantage. The Germans did not even enter the races. MB was known to be junk by observing one Benz enthusiast who was endlessly complaining about this and that being broken (and that’s a rich family that kept them for 3 years, then swapped out). BMW already switched to runflats, and we weren’t willing to buy a whole new tireset for a new car. So, IS it was.
There are two types in the world – those who are, and those who wannabe…
Fake rich = wannabe
And there seems to be WAY too many wannabes these days…
The new IS is certainly a much more competent car than the thoroughly mediocre and bland second generation that it replaced, BUT one has to keep in mind that its still a brand new design competing against a M-B that is about to be replaced, and an A4 that’s near death’s door as well.
I suspect once the new C and A4 are out in full force, the IS will fall quite a bit. The ones I see out on the road are also all IS250s – cars for people that want to have that badge on the hood but can’t stomach the horrible CT hatch and have no more equally horrible HS250h to buy. The standard IS250 by all accounts is just as mediocre as ever, where as the 320i has some legitimate enthusiast appeal.
You’re comparing a regular IS250 to a 320i. The 4 banger in the 320i will thrash a bit more than the Toyota V6. On a test drive, for a lot of people, the preference will be for the Lexus because of this.
Different strokes.
I bought the 350 F-Sport in the spring. For the money, I think you get a lot more performance than you do with the competition, since the S4/335 options are actually 10k pricier. And I really like the sound and response of the NA engine vs the tractor-like turbo fours everyone else is offering. Other high points in the F-Sport are the fantastic seats, and the adaptive suspension. Only negative i’d say is the 350’s somewhat healthy appetite for gas.
Lexus would sell millions of these cars ,if they could get rid of that bottom feeder fish look at front. Just does not grow on me. This is big problem for Asian car makers.
The prior IS was pretty much the same car and it didn’t have the fish-look, and it didn’t sell.
I don’t think the “I will eat your children” grille it really the problem. Toyota sells tens of thousands of Camrys with that look. The IS’ problem is the same as the Camry’s competition: the segment leader has incumbent momentum, and the challengers need to either bring something new to the table or be demonstratively better for a long time to get consideration.
There is one objective difference between this IS and the last one. This car has a real back seat, while the first one must have been the benchmark for the ATS.
I just about never see these cars. WHERE are they selling them? And with that grille, you can’t miss them.
My BMW dealer is building a ginormous new BMW store next door to the existing half/BMW half/Infiniti store. Separate showrooms, service bays in the middle currently. Nothing shared other than the roof over the service bays, not even the cashiers – it’s an interesting arrangement. I asked them if Infiniti was getting all the existing space, and the reply was no, corporate offices are going in the current BMW half. They sell 4X+ as many BMWs as Infinitis, and the are the only dealer for either in the entire state.
I’ve seen A LOT of them all over LA.
I see a decent number of them near SF. The grill isn’t quite as ridiculous with a front plate to break it up.
Wow, this is the first time I have ever seen a front plate as a benefit!
My Pontiac was originally sold in NY and it came with the front plate bracket, and looks nice with the vintage plate I put on it. I may add a bracket to my 240 as well, which I also think would look nice. These newer cars though look odd *without* the bracket so it may enhance even the look.
They’re all over the place here in Austin. I’m not a fan, the car looks unfinished to me.
I see two kinds of people in IS’s.
Non-sporty versions have old ladies at the wheel.
Sporty versions have wankers in sunglasses at the wheel.
0% +/- margin of error
“Sporty versions have wankers in sunglasses at the wheel”
*looks in mirror*
Hey!
You don’t have an IS, you’re not an IS-wank!
What is a sporty IS? 250 is weak, 350 has only two pedals.
(Dons his anti “manual-is-dead jihad” flame suit)
A sporty IS can mean.
-Regular IS in electric-douche color
-IS F-Sport package*
-IS-F
*Most common
I dont get it.
The IS has more style per square inch of design then most any other car on the road. It is genuinely a good looking car.
My ONLY complaint with it is that it would look better if it were 10% larger in all proportions because it just looks a touch small. I think the exact same design on a mid-size car would look great.
And the turbo 4 from the new NX is coming to the IS. And I just LOVE how Toyota sent a huge FU to honeywall/garrett/etc and did an in house turbo charger.
Toyota clearly wishes to scale up turbocharging across their line-up and have chosen to ensure the manufacturing and design of the system is an in-house core competence. Wonderful.
Um, no (as to good-looking).
umm, GS.
Interesting to learn Toyota built its own turbo. Too bad they also use their own exterior designers, though.
Can’t win ’em all.
LOL!!! So true. So unfortunate.
Any reference on the turbo 4 coming to IS?
I rarely see anyone over 40 in an IS; older people who want an entry-level Lexus buy the ES.
I know I’m in the minority. But i think it’s the best looking car in the segment (exceptions for the A5/S5). It looks awesome on paper, better in person. But then again I’m a twenty-something that doesn’t know about cars and doesn’t drive stick…
The IS is a good car, don’t get me wrong, but it just doesn’t fit with the rest of the Lexus lineup.
The general theme for Lexus is smooth, powerful, comfortable, refined. The IS seems to short on passenger space and too sporty.
They should take an approach more like the Jaguar XF.
The Lexus approach to the Jaguar XF is called the GS.
Always been partial to the ES myself.
Wait unitl you see Lexus RC.
Well, good. I’d rather see a few more polarizing spindle grills than the same bloody 3 series on every single block. BMW has just nailed this market segment, and judging from a lot of the folks I see driving them and the way in which they are driven, that means catering to people who want a badge and don’t care too much about how the car drives.
Just the other day I saw a tarted-up young woman tailgating a semi at 10mph under the limit in the right lane despite the left being wide open, with her face glued to a cell phone, in a new IS250 Fsport. One could argue that the 250 just didn’t have to power to get around the truck (zing!), but perhaps it says more about who actually buys sports sedans. And why the IS is selling well despite running the 2.5V6 that has been blowing blood vessels all across enthusiast sites for years now.
Geeessh…only a face a mother (er..Toyota) could love.
Have driven the GS and loved it. The IS is built on the same platform, so likely feels similar, maybe better. Even the spindle-grille is growing on me, and the rest of the car is fantastic. Would def buy over a 3-series or Merc.
The IS is the classic case of a car that looks 100000000x better in person than in pictures.
I actually love these cars, this is my go-to car recommendation for all my status-conscious friends who think they need to buy a BMW or Audi to impress people. Legendary reliability and quality, RWD, good looking, fairly compact yet large enough to be usable, the badge is impressive enough, resale value is excellent, you can keep it for 10 yrs if you want without worry, and the leases are cheap too. If they made a manual version I would seriously consider it for myself, but most everyone I know won’t buy a stick anyway, so its perfect. Sure the looks are a little bit overtly trendy but overall most people I know like the look. I know people like to hate on it but it hard to fault it besides the lack of manual.
One of the photos on the IS page of the Lexus site shows it shooting fireworks out its ass.
I find it odd that no one here has mentioned this feature. Or is it merely taken for granted on 30K+ vehicles?
Can’t parallel park this car or park it head in toward a wall. If you lightly bump the car in front while parallel parking, or lightly bump a wall while parking, you will destroy the exposed plastic fake grille, probably to the tune of $1000 or more. The plastic insta-destruct bumpers found on everything are bad enough; now they have done away with them altogether. Does anyone involved in the styling of these vehicles ever actually drive them in the city? Not to mention that it looks stupid.
Talk to car wash guys and detailers regarding the idiocy when it comes to practicality of modern car exteriors.
So you can’t park a car without lightly bumping another car or a wall? Wow, just wow. And car designers are supposed to design cars for this? Please, stick to public transportation, or maybe buy a Smart and put those plastic Pep-Boys rubber bumper savers on the corners to protect the rest of the people who can drive.
I parallel-parked for decades now and probably bumped twice over that time, and only in the rear. People living in Paris should buy a special bumper car that Sitroen sells.
My bet is that you didn’t plan on bumping those two times either. I can’t imagine someone actually planning to park by feel, and then choosing (or not choosing) a car based on that technique. I bumped someone once and I was embarrassed even though there was no damage.
Of course I can parallel park a car without bumping into the cars in front and behind. I’ve probably been parallel parking since before you were born.
Are you trying to say, then, that you believe it is good design practice to make the leading edge of a car so fragile that a small miscalculation on my part or the part of the person parked in front of me should result in hundreds of dollars worth of damage to a fragile brittle plastic part, when that damage could be avoided?
I wish I could make real world characteristics like “will a small traffic or parking mishap result in excessive damage?” be a consideration in my vehicle shopping choices, but I can’t because no one is offering vehicles with design attention being paid to matters like rear visibility, load-in height, durable bumpers and rub strips, reasonable tire sidewall height, underhood serviceability, etc., etc., so I just have to make the best of a bad lot. That bad design choices are nearly universal doesn’t make them good choices, it just makes them nearly universal.
If I had to pick a vehicle with a fragile plastic front end that can be severely damaged by normally-anticipated minor impacts, I think I would prefer to drive a 1963 Corvette. (But of course I won’t actually pick this, I will just grit my teeth and do the best I can with the selection that’s out there the next time I have to buy a car.)
Sales of the IS have increased and basically flipped with Infiniti G/Q50 due to a no. of reasons including (1) greater rear passenger room (not class leading, but no longer having the tightest rear room as the previous gen) and (2) aggressive pricing (pretty much from launch, the IS could be had around invoice prices and 90% of IS sales is comprised of the IS250 (despite all the criticisms of the weak powerplant).
Infiniti screwed up the Q50 by pricing it too high and messing up the steering with the drive-by-wire system (which since has been discontinued).
The old steering is not discontinued. They just added the old G37 rack to a sports option package, just so complainers about “feel” could buy with confidence. Most of Q50s still use the system that Jack used to glue to rear bumpers of fellow autojournos at R&T outings. Its performance is phenomenal and there’s no reason to replace it except the checkbox and snob appeal.
I don’t think Q50 is priced too high comparing to IS350 no matter how you configure both cars. The pricing problem of Q50 is that it doesn’t have a less powerful version like IS250
I wasted a Mazda salesman’s time test driving a 3 sTouring on the way home from work today. The delightful 2.5 will get it to 60 in about 7 and a half seconds with a nice plump little midrange. I was quite impressed considering the class of car.
Then I remembered this was just about identical acceleration to an IS250 and decided that although I respect the overall job Lexus has apparently done with this car, I could personally never buy a near-luxury sports sedan with Mazda3 acceleration.
I just built one of these online; Toyota’s configurator is either broken, or they are taking bundled packages to new levels with the F-sport package. Besides brakes, suspension, wheels, and other items that you would expect in a sport package, the F-sport package includes many items that a lot of people would either want to skip in a sport package, or order separately and skip the sporty stuff. For example:
-heated seats
-blind spot monitoring
-navigation
-upgraded sound system
-backup camera
Elsewhere on the site is information suggesting you can indeed get some of this equipment separately, rather than in a $7,400 bundle. I hope that’s the case.