The power crazed Lexus IS-F saloon was the car Yukihiko Yaguchi said he always wanted to build for Lexus. A Toyota engineer for 30 years and self-confessed samurai swordsman, Mr Yaguchi worked on the ballistic, twin turbo, Toyota Supra, but says that aside from that model, nothing else ever really took his fancy from the most prolific manufacturer from the land of the long white cloud. Me thinks he might approve of this one, however.
The Lexus IS 350 is two parts – sensible IS saloon, and one part – banzai IS-F road ripper. What results is a Lexus IS saloon with a 3.5-litre V6, 233 kW and 378 Nm, that looks as intimidating as a Sunday roast, but elicits enough ‘snot and trane,’ (to use some South African phraseology) to get you to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and top out at 230 km/h. This car marks the introduction of the fourth model to the IS range, the staple diet for Lexus buyers since its entry into South Africa. That’s the IS 250, with its silky smooth, 2.5-litre V6 drivetrain and rear-wheel-drive poise, the IS 250 Convertible, the V8 IS-F as mentioned, and now this 350. And rightly so, because the IS range has showed great longevity, almost surprisingly one might argue; in the face of bullish, German advance after advance into the premium, C-segment sedan market with 3-Series’s and C-Classes. Now the Lexus IS 350 sports some refined firepower with which to really upset the applecart.
Of course when you up the ante with a 233 kW car like this, you’re going to want the car to shout about it a little. So the Lexus IS 350 now sports a bolder front grille, moving closer to the new ‘spinal design’ we’ll see next year on the GS sedan and currently on the CT200h, and it has the must-have accessory of LED daytime running lights. Chromed tailpipes, slightly more aggressive body kit and increased wheel sizes complete the makeover, but the IS 350 is hardly in your face, not at all in fact. You’d be hard pressed to snout out these sporty changes from a distance. We like this about it, it keeps the Lexus true to its admirable, modest, IS values, and seems to make it all the more rewarding when it turns around and kicks you straight in the back of the head. We think it gets closest to an ideal ‘sleeper’ car for a premium, C-segment sedan.
The all-aluminium V6 power plant with variable valve timing has its closest ties with the Lexus RX SUV before its injection system is supplanted to that of a ‘D4-S’ direct injection unit, upping the power. It’s mated to a six speed automatic, with paddle shifters and a sport ‘power’ mode. The power delivery isn’t savage off the line but it’s much, much more ‘there’ than it is in the IS 250. It’s long legged as well, in true Lexus fashion, with peak power coming in at 6 400 r/min. So your journey is accompanied with great lungful’s of normally aspirated shout. The paddle shifters behind the steering wheel have great shift action to them, slick and communicative, and should you hunt for a down change that the gearbox can’t deliver because the revs are too high, it responds with a courteous bleep; which is something the Mercedes-Benz gearboxes could work on.
Turning up the wick on the IS range is much appreciated, but it’s the balance, positive steering and predictable handling that wins the day for this Lexus. It’s brilliant, but then again it kind of has to be if you’re going to compete with the Mercedes-Benz C350 and BMW 335i. Both of which are great to drive, be in no doubt. Shunting up and down the Outeniqua and Robinson Passes both ways, the IS 350 showed itself to be as malleable as anything was going to get on those demanding roads. Cambered, rough, fast and twisting as the roads may be, the IS uses great body control as a starting point and from there you can feel the level of grip and crisp response through the steering wheel. The power never feels enough to override the chassis either and along with the refined traction control, this gives you the confidence to enjoy its talented dynamics to the fullest. I did find myself taking a few moments with the gearbox, more often than not because I wanted a down change, only to find I was just going too fast for third or fourth depending on the radius of the turn. But it invariably still worked out fine because the grip was there, along with the body control as I mentioned. Of course a higher tech, dual clutch gearbox, or even the 8-speed unit from the IS-F would be better and quicker, but as automatics go… you could do a lot worse than this one.
In keeping with core Lexus values, the IS 350 has a fully loaded approach to its specification. There’s no need to follow the paper trail of optional extras you’ll find from the German’s, thank you very much. A host of high-end equipment is available as standard on the IS 350. Features like satellite navigation with voice command, Bluetooth, reverse camera, Lexus Premium Sound System, keyless entry and ignition, and HID headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights. The two grades you can chose from are the ‘EX’ with 17-inch wheels and piano black interior details, and the ‘SE’ with 18-inch wheels, moon-roof, heated / cooled seats and walnut interior inlays. The rest of the tech is ‘all-in’ as they say.
So it goes like the clappers and has everything you need… that just leaves the pricing. The Lexus IS 350 EX comes in at R499 700, and the SE at R548 600. The SE provides a price advantage over a comparably specified BMW 335i of more than R60 000 and R40 000 over a Mercedes-Benz C350. That’s serious value when you consider it’s quicker than both of them and equally balanced and engaging to drive, if not more so.
The Lexus IS saloon has always been the most successful alternative to the German, C-segment competitors, principally because it offered rear-wheel-drive over a comparable Swedish, French or English car. But now with the IS 350, Lexus can stake a really serious claim to the C-segment silverware. Mr Yaguchi would definitely approve.
| Pricing (incl. VAT and CO2 tax) | |
| Lexus IS 350 EX | R499 700 |
| Lexus IS 350 SE | R548 600 |
Prices include a 4-year/100 000 km warranty.
