2006 BMW 3-series vs. 2006 Lexus IS

[Eric PA]

The BMW 3 series comparison should, first of all, be with the GS3 not the IS3. As an owner of a GS3, the IS3 is the baby sister of the GS3. The only people I see driving them are college kids, girls, and men who have champagne taste but beer money.

Moreover, the 3 series is trash. My buddy's BMW has been in the shop since the warranty expired. Lights, battery, engine noise, etc. and all the bills are at least $350.00.

Now, my GS3, 7 accidents ( 3 head on) and still a fierce powerful engine.

Interior design, the BMW finally stepped up these last 2 years with the body style design, which I must admit, is comparable to the excitement when the old GS3 body dropped on us in '98.

[guy]

Tom wrote:

I went to Toyoda Lexus dealer and tested drive for IS 250, I did not like it. Exterior looks nothing, i felt like I was driving Civic. and Peformance wasn't great like 2006 BMW 3 series. BMW looks more rich and elegant, and BMW feels much better and exterior and interior are more expensive material than IS 250. If you see IS 250 interior, you will know how they put all the cheap plastic inside. I don't pay for that cost for Toyoda cars. That's crazy

dont get me wrong but isnt it toyota?

[bmw or lexus]

Ok for starters let me say I had my 2002 IS 300 for a year and I really loved the car. It handled greatly and did 140 mph no problem. Only problem I could say was the road noise from the tires. Lexus customer service blows BMW service out of the water. I drove the new IS 350 and rally liked it. But to compare it to my new M3 theres no comparisome. Maby to the 330. The M3 is just an entire nother level of car. The ride quality of any BMW is just different first i thought the people were just being parcial to the BMW but after experiancing it for myself there is a difference. Now Lexus is closer to the BMW than any other competitor. As long as I have the money I will go BMW but Lexus is up there rear and BMW better not skip a beat. Please stop TRYING to dog out Lexus calling it a toyota! But Lexus DOES need to stop putting parts on the Lexus that says toyota! PLEASE do that for the lexus owners! I would buy a Lexus just for the service INCREDIBLE SECOND to none! BMW take notes please make me feel more special like Lexus. Even if your not happy with a Lexus (Which you will be) THE SERVICE WILL MAKE YOU BUY ANOTHER LEXUS. BMW has the market lets face it but Lexus is no upstart. I have alot of respect in both Brands.

[Charlie]

One thing everyone must understand is the design philosophy behind both manufacturers.

Lexus is the high end brand of Toyota- True. Lexus was built to bring Toyota into the Luxuary car segment. If you inderstand this, the you will appreciate Lexus. The fundamental design of Lexus is not based on performance, and because of this, it will not drive like a performance oriented car. Any attempt to do is a compromise, and will reveal a mediocre job in both departments, because they have to keep cost down. Lexus does not have the huge R&D budget that BMW puts into performance oriented packages. Having said this, you will appreciate why they spend much emphasis on looks and soft suspensions, quiet engines etc. Lexus is meant to be driven in a gentle fashion.

On the other hand, BMW's philosophy is grounded on performance. Squeeze the most out of the engine and chasis, and suspension. Well guess what, people that buy BMW do not buy them to drive in a sluggish manner. They buy it to enjoy the thrill of driving. Unfortunately performance comes at a price- Formual 1 technology is a good example. The engine and the drivetrain will fail after some x million revs, and everyone knows this- baby the engine and you get more life out of it.
Most complains about BMW's reliability are not the engine as one will expect given the performance they deliver but little things like lights, or computer malfunction or some irritating sound from a console.

So both cars are different.

[JAV]

I agree fully with what you said. Good post.

[John McLean]

Why compare Handling with Luxury, build quality with rattles,
and advanced technologhy with just passable crafts man ship.

Because that's what you are doing when you compare Lexus (Luxury) to BMW (Always shop bound).

As the old but very true saying goes:- Europe is a boutiqe, America is a farm and Japan is a factory. And where do the best engineers come from?? The factory of course!!!

How come BMW has never ever won any JD POWER accolades??

And wait till the Lexus LS600h L (God on wheels) comes out, it
will blow the 760iL off the planet!!!!!

[master]

BMW and Lexus are competing only in the minds of Toyota/Lexus owners.
In reality we are talking about a real jewel (BMW) in comparison to a rusty piece of cheap metal dipped in gold(Lexus) so it will look appealing for the poor souls(Toyota/Honda owners). Not everything it shines is a diamond.
And for the fellow writer that posted before me...Lexus LS600h L is not "God on wheels"...maybe more like grandma in a wheelchair...

[Bonapartist]

The Ls600h L looks like something out of a Ricer show. Look at the styling on the interior of the doors - I just vomited in my lap because of those doors. The styling on the new beamers is somewhat offensive, haughty and not for everyone... The Lexus is for people who went blind years ago. I drive a 86 535i, and while I am of the opinion that the build quality for BMW has gone down over the years, and their increased reliability of electronics has hurt their durability, I know where MY money would go if I were a fool looking for an insanely expensive car to be carried around in - the BMW 760iL. A 80,000+ dollar car with eight cylinders meant for ECONOMY. Crack smokers.

I'll take the European "boutique" over the Japanese "factory" in this situation and most every other.

[John McLean]

So where are they? Yes the Germans!!!!

I reference JD Power surveys - No German cars in the top 10.

I reference AMIC surveys - No German cas in the top 10.

I reference Top Gear - No German cars in the top 10.

I reference Wheels - No German cars n the top 10.

Then I realze I am looking in the wrong direction. I look
down and there they are, all at the bottm of the heap!!!!

[newt]

Yes, but anyone with a knowledge of BMW's knows that BMW temp gauges are either in the middle, or all the way in the red. They've just been cluttering up the dash. A light is just as informative and less busy.

As for reliablity, my BMW was only in the shop a couple of times before it reached 90,000 miles.

AJE wrote:

How can you say that the interior of the is 250 is boring. It is alot better then the 3 series dash and guages. The new 2006 BMW don't even have temp guages on the dash. As many premature cooling system bmw has with the cooling system you would think they would put one there. The new lexus IS is nice and how about the IS 350 has 306 horspower. And the fact Lexus is the most reliable car in the world. We can sit here and talk all day about how BMW drives so much better, but when miles start to add up and when the BMW is in the shop for this and that all the time, we should be just as happy with the BMW in that situation. There is nothin fun about a car you cannot count on.

[newt]

Good for you, have fun with your '97 dodge stratus. lol.

JAV wrote:

<quoted text>
That's pretty good. I have a 1997 Dodge Stratus with 124,000 miles and never broken down once.

[newt]

ewww...just saw a pic of the LS600h. Talk about fugly!

John McLean wrote:

Why compare Handling with Luxury, build quality with rattles,
and advanced technologhy with just passable crafts man ship.
Because that's what you are doing when you compare Lexus (Luxury) to BMW (Always shop bound).
As the old but very true saying goes:- Europe is a boutiqe, America is a farm and Japan is a factory. And where do the best engineers come from?? The factory of course!!!
How come BMW has never ever won any JD POWER accolades??
And wait till the Lexus LS600h L (God on wheels) comes out, it
will blow the 760iL off the planet!!!!!

[newt]

Wow, someone's bitter ;)

When was the last time you bought a car because an industry led survey ranked it well? There are so many car survey's out there now, any car company that really needs to get their car on one can.

Have you seen BMW sales? They clearly don't need surveys.

John McLean wrote:

So where are they? Yes the Germans!!!!
I reference JD Power surveys - No German cars in the top 10.
I reference AMIC surveys - No German cas in the top 10.
I reference Top Gear - No German cars in the top 10.
I reference Wheels - No German cars n the top 10.
Then I realze I am looking in the wrong direction. I look
down and there they are, all at the bottm of the heap!!!!

[Ronald 1]

I have utter disdain and pity for BMW cars, they are for insecure people who hide behind the BS about slightly superior handling. Look, the 3 series looks like an old man's car compared to the Lexus IS. The Lexus IS design is invigorating, the workmanship is second to none ( big ugly gaps on the 3 series, who are they fooling. I love my 350 to death. I didn't even give the 3 series a second glance. pick a window BMW owners.

[newt]

LOL...someone's trying way too hard to justify their choice of a Lexus. To each their own, I'm not a fan of Lexus, and I love BMW. I've had my 3 series for 6 years, and just upgraded to a 2007 5 series (after trying other cars in the same class). I'm sure the styling and handling of Lexus are fine for some people, but obviously not for everyone. However I've yet to have a single person get into my 3 series and not love it (other than the occasional complaint about the suspension not being cushy enough).

Ronald 1 wrote:

I have utter disdain and pity for BMW cars, they are for insecure people who hide behind the BS about slightly superior handling. Look, the 3 series looks like an old man's car compared to the Lexus IS. The Lexus IS design is invigorating, the workmanship is second to none ( big ugly gaps on the 3 series, who are they fooling. I love my 350 to death. I didn't even give the 3 series a second glance. pick a window BMW owners.

[Joe b]

Just did this little exercise myself. Was in the market for a sport sedan to replace my trusty Acura 3.2. In the last two weeks I've driven a new TL, G35, M35, Mercedes c350, IS 350, Audi A4 Quatro and a BMW 330i.

The top two out of those test drives were the IS 350 and the 330i. So, I'll keep my observations focused on those.

Not to keep anyone in suspense, I bought the BMW 330i.

Gotta say, Infiniti and Lexus are trying very, very hard to chase and catch BMW. There's just something that BMW does with the engineering of their vehicles that the Japanese brands can't quite capture.

I drove the IS 350 back-to-back with the 330i (dealerships, fortunately, are in the same automall).

The IS 350 was up first. No doubt, the quality of materials and build are among the best in the industry. Lot's of "gee-gaws" on the car. Even when you hit a driver pre-set limit in either RPMs or speed, there's a little circular amber light on the guages that circles both the RPM guage and the speedo that lights up. Seats were....ummmm...cushy, but not very sporty. Plenty of adjustments, though. A few (real) wood accents and aluminum pieces offset the interior nicely. The one I drove had the navi and Mark Levinson stereo. Bottom line....this is one "bad ass" factory stereo. I wished I could have heard some multi-channel disks in it as this stereo is capable of decoding them. Unfortunately, those types of disks are hard to come by.

Onto the drive. This car, once you put your foot into it, can haul. It takes a little bit of time to get the engine into the power band, but once it's there, hold on. The operative words here are "hold-on". Because, that's what you're going to have to do. The steering wheel gets a bit numb, and you can't tell what the car/tires are doing. That's a bit disconcerting when driving quickly. As with all Lexi, steering feel is close to non-existent. You'll go where you point it, but it's a guessing game regarding the steering input needed to get there.

Kind of surprising in a Lexus, but I hit a couple of mild expansion joints and there was a harsh "jolt" sent through the body. Could have been because of the "sport" summer tires, but I certainly didn't expect that in any Lexus.

The car has as many (of not more) high tech features as anyone could ask for. Everything from a Navi system (really frustrating that you can't "bark out" orders to it when driving....you must be stopped).

Although bigger than it's predecessor, it's still tight. Back seat is for small animals and friends (if you're not willing to move the front seats up). It felt claustrophobic. Trunk? Ummm....you'll be able to fit a case of beer and a family sized bag of Cheetos back there (does anyone need to carry much else?), but that's about it.

The IS 350 does some things well....like going in a straight line and offering a whole bunch of high tech features. It falls down in others, though. A good effort, but not quite there, yet. As a side note, I was also surprised, especially in a Lexus, to find a couple of rattles eminating from back seat and the front passenger area. Toyota's build quality has been falling recently. Could they be getting "too big" and falling to some of the old GM build quality magic as they try to increase their production capacity?

BMW review to follow.......

[newt]

"The IS 350 does some things well....like going in a straight line"

That just about sums up my experience with lexus.

Joe b wrote:

Just did this little exercise myself. Was in the market for a sport sedan to replace my trusty Acura 3.2. In the last two weeks I've driven a new TL, G35, M35, Mercedes c350, IS 350, Audi A4 Quatro and a BMW 330i.
The top two out of those test drives were the IS 350 and the 330i. So, I'll keep my observations focused on those.
Not to keep anyone in suspense, I bought the BMW 330i.
Gotta say, Infiniti and Lexus are trying very, very hard to chase and catch BMW. There's just something that BMW does with the engineering of their vehicles that the Japanese brands can't quite capture.
I drove the IS 350 back-to-back with the 330i (dealerships, fortunately, are in the same automall).
The IS 350 was up first. No doubt, the quality of materials and build are among the best in the industry. Lot's of "gee-gaws" on the car. Even when you hit a driver pre-set limit in either RPMs or speed, there's a little circular amber light on the guages that circles both the RPM guage and the speedo that lights up. Seats were....ummmm...cushy, but not very sporty. Plenty of adjustments, though. A few (real) wood accents and aluminum pieces offset the interior nicely. The one I drove had the navi and Mark Levinson stereo. Bottom line....this is one "bad ass" factory stereo. I wished I could have heard some multi-channel disks in it as this stereo is capable of decoding them. Unfortunately, those types of disks are hard to come by.
Onto the drive. This car, once you put your foot into it, can haul. It takes a little bit of time to get the engine into the power band, but once it's there, hold on. The operative words here are "hold-on". Because, that's what you're going to have to do. The steering wheel gets a bit numb, and you can't tell what the car/tires are doing. That's a bit disconcerting when driving quickly. As with all Lexi, steering feel is close to non-existent. You'll go where you point it, but it's a guessing game regarding the steering input needed to get there.
Kind of surprising in a Lexus, but I hit a couple of mild expansion joints and there was a harsh "jolt" sent through the body. Could have been because of the "sport" summer tires, but I certainly didn't expect that in any Lexus.
The car has as many (of not more) high tech features as anyone could ask for. Everything from a Navi system (really frustrating that you can't "bark out" orders to it when driving....you must be stopped).
Although bigger than it's predecessor, it's still tight. Back seat is for small animals and friends (if you're not willing to move the front seats up). It felt claustrophobic. Trunk? Ummm....you'll be able to fit a case of beer and a family sized bag of Cheetos back there (does anyone need to carry much else?), but that's about it.
The IS 350 does some things well....like going in a straight line and offering a whole bunch of high tech features. It falls down in others, though. A good effort, but not quite there, yet. As a side note, I was also surprised, especially in a Lexus, to find a couple of rattles eminating from back seat and the front passenger area. Toyota's build quality has been falling recently. Could they be getting "too big" and falling to some of the old GM build quality magic as they try to increase their production capacity?
BMW review to follow.......

[Garrett]

I can't speak for everyone, but I love rowing gears. There's nothing like it, especially with a high revving engine.

My question is: Why wouldn't Lexus offer a 6-speed in the IS350? If they want to compete with BMW, and gain market share in the "enthusiast" category, they have to offer a comparable product.

Paddles get the job done... but I'll take a clutch and shifter any day of the week.

[newt]

The same reason Mercedes made the C-Class sedan rear-wheel drive as an afterthought; because these companies are behemoth giants that are more concerned with mass market appeal, than pleasing auto enthusiasts. Other than the Italians (even some of their recent designs are questionable), BMW and Porsche seem to be the only companies left that really care about that segment of the population.

Garrett wrote:

I can't speak for everyone, but I love rowing gears. There's nothing like it, especially with a high revving engine.
My question is: Why wouldn't Lexus offer a 6-speed in the IS350? If they want to compete with BMW, and gain market share in the "enthusiast" category, they have to offer a comparable product.
Paddles get the job done... but I'll take a clutch and shifter any day of the week.

[newt]

Not too surprising:
http://www.strategiy.com/automobilesnew.asp...

The new BMW 3 Series has been named ‘2006 World Car of the Year’ at a presentation during the New York International Auto Show 2006.