Test drove a Lexus IS 300 today... (very long)
 

Been wanting to see what that car is really made of....finally made it to the Lexus dealership today.

So, first things first, I wanted to experience the 'legendary' Lexus service....too bad - I never did!! I don't know what all the talk is about. The lady who attended to me just wanted to go home. She insisted that I test drive the wagon, even though I repeatedly told her that I was interested only in the sedan. I finally had my way with her, only for her to launch her paranoid rhetoric about car safety as soon as we got into the car. She seemed obsessed with air-bags...just couldn't stop counting the number of air bags in the car. Besides, she told me how she would prefer that I not test the tiptronic 'cause she had a customer who totaled a demo car while trying to drive in tip mode!!! Lexus service, huh!

Now for the real deal - the car. I have always liked the aggressive looks of the IS from the outside, but had never peeked inside the car until today. Uuuuugggggh!!! How ugly can a car get. What were Lexus designers thinking when they designed the interiors on this car?!! Lots of low quality plastic, incredibly busy dash, big ugly climate controls, more plastic, and more cheap parts. The jury's probably still out on the chronograph dash - but here's my .02 - it sucks! The dials are too small, and the dash looks cramped.

Anyways, now for the ride...now we're talking. Fired up the engine to a nice throaty growl. I was impressed at the aggressive exhaust on the car. Very nice! Got a good 20-25 minutes driving the car on city roads, and the freeway too. The car is a champion handler on city streets. Steering is nice and direct, and suspension is sharp without being too harsh. Nice balance between sport and comfort. The seats didn't impress me too much - didn't hold me very well in aggressive cornering. On freeways the engine felt powerful and responsive. The car feels like it has more power than the 215 ponies. I especially liked the Lexus transmission. Smooth and sporty. No jerks between gears, or hesitation of any sort.

All in all, I think I would love to have the IS motor under my A4 hood. My 1.8T seemed quite a bit underpowered upon return. I'm seriously thinking about chipping now. Can't beat the Audi interior though. I don't think I can ever like anything else ever again. The competition has a lot of catching up to do ..... and Lexus has a long way to go in order to be a serious contender to cars in this segment.

2002 A4 1.8T
Denim Blue
Absolutely all options except warm weather package

Audi's lifeblood is Quattro and it's wicked interior....
 

take those two things away and it would face an uncertain future considering the several cars out there with decent (dry weather) handling and superior power, much like the IS 300.

CVT and exterior styling are also appealing, but I'm not sure if they alone would be enough to keep Audi afloat for long, at least here in North America, where A4 sales generate most of the income.

(By the way, I think the IS 300 is ugly on the outside too...but enough people seem to like it, so I guess there must be something attractive about it. 8-P )

I agree...the instrument cluster looks like...
 

a watchmaker dropped acid and raided his parts bin.
Yeah, the IS300 has a strong engine, but the A4 feels refined in ways that cannot easily be measured.

I test drove both the IS300 and Bmw 330i
 

before buying my A4. I didn't like the manual tranny in the IS300. Felt a little too notchy and the throw was a little longer than I liked. The 330i was nice but at over $40k I couldn't justify the price difference over the A4.

Spend $1,000 and there is no comparison
 

I was initially attracted to the IS but once I walked up to it, I thought it was too small and overpriced. Spend $1,000 modding the A4 and theres no compaison. I know Im preaching to the quior, facts are facts.

"I finally had my way with her,......"
 

Sounds like good service to me!!!!! =)

I must admit....
 

that I agree with you that Audi interiors are way above the rest. An article in the Detroit Free Press said that GM execs. look at Audis as soon as they come out, because they believe that they "are the gold standard of interior design"

Now if only Audi could quite reach BMW handling, and Saab engine and turbo durability, we'd have it made!

I don't think they are paying much attention - GM interiors are the worst,!!
 

They tried to copy European looks in the new CTS and it is awful!

I also drove the IS and BMW and went with the A4. More valve and wanted the Quattro. The BMW was a close second. But I'm real glad I went with the A4.

Anyway, what's up with the BMW interior. Those exposed oversized cup holders and the big RED bulb on the rearview mirror did in for me.

Agree - the IS I looked at was $3K more than my loaded A4!

I agree totally
 

"Now if only Audi could quite reach BMW handling, and Saab engine and turbo durability, we'd have it made!" Great statement.......