Plant your foot on the carpet and you surge forward at an unexpected pace, a throaty hum emanating from the V6 upfront, air bellowing out of the exhausts out back.
Learned car guys call these cars “sports sedans”, and despite the brisk acceleration, in the case of the Lexus IS350 F-Sport, there’s no turbo or supercharger aiding the motivation.
There’s no trick hybrid system, either.
So what warrants it being featured in TechCentral’s first car review? The answer is simple: it’s the technology. Apart from the tech that makes it more engaging to drive, the Lexus IS350 is defined by the gadgetry in the cabin.
The beauty of luxurious sport sedans is that you can specify them to the hilt with gadgets. You want surround sound? Check. Park assist, keyless entry, satellite navigation, digital instrumentation, xenon headlamps? Check, check, check, check and check. Tick a box on the order form, cough up some bucks: the recipe is simple really.
To add these tech options onto BMW’s 335i, you need deep pockets. They cost close to R50 000 over and above the R595 000 asking price. The Audi A4 is similar, though not quite as bad. On the other hand, the range-topping Lexus IS350 F-Sport, which we drove, costs R588 600 and its options list consists of … well, nothing. It’s all standard!
Slipping behind the wheel, you’ll be most surprised by the revolutionary steps Lexus has taken. Lexuses are not tarted-up Toyota Corollas covered in a couple of extra hides of leather anymore; the IS350 is genuinely a technology lover’s romantic dream. Digital dials, a 7-inch info screen, touch-sensitive ventilation controls and an interface controlled by a mouse with force feedback. The driver’s seat is a great place to be.
Prodding the “Engine Start” button awakens the engine with a hearty “thrum” and round digital rev-counter springs to life, the red needle growing from the centre. Prod another button on the steering wheel and the whole rev-counter and its surrounding bezel shifts right to reveal a host of customisable menus for the audio, navigation, car setup and economy. It’s the combination of mechanics and digital screens that make this stand out from similar systems in Jaguars, Range Rovers and Mercedes Benzes.
Another dial on the centre tunnel returns the rev-counter to prominence, front-and-centre, at the same turning it white to remind you that it is now in “serious mode”. The same dial allows for the choice of Eco or Normal modes too – a placebo as there’s little you can do to keep the economy down, not even driving Miss Daisy. Get used to 500km on 66l of 95-unleaded, despite the claimed 9,8l/100km.
Eight-channel sound
The Lexus IS is fitted with a premium sound system featuring a fully digital, class-D, eight-channel amplifier capable of creating virtually distortion-free sound with minimal voltage loss. The high-definition amplification ensures that sound dynamics and rich harmonies are faithfully reproduced by the eight speakers.
iPod functionality and interface quality has been enhanced; via USB port connectivity, the iPod menu can now be driven from the vehicle’s steering wheel control switches, and album cover art displayed on the 7-inch multimedia screen.
The centre storage box also contains two (yes, two) USB ports and a 3,5mm aux-in, which allow you to connect and charge more than one phone to the infotainment system — we have not seen that before.
Connect an iPod via USB and you can explore the full iPod/iPhone via the steering wheel controls. You can also stream audio via Bluetooth, but you lose the steering controls. The Bluetooth connection is also one of the best we’ve experienced, with seamless connections each time we started the car.
The infotainment system is straightforward. If you’ve navigated BMW’s iDrive, Mini Connected or Audi’s MMI interface, it will come naturally to you, but one criticism we have is that it’s slow to respond to inputs, which leads to frustration. There’s no built-in hard drive, and that’s perhaps the problem, but overall the inside of the IS350 is a sanctuary to tech that wows and frustrates in equal measure. You’ll never have all the coolest stuff, but the stuff that’s there will work, and it will work well most of the time, much like the iPhone.
S,o is it better than an equivalent BMW or Audi? As a package yes, it is unparalleled. It handles beautifully, has a reputation for reliability well beyond 100 000km. It remains as civilised as you’d expect a Lexus to be.
There is, however, no way to pick-and-choose your tech or customize it with additional styling or luxury features. Your Lexus IS350 F-Sport will be just like every other Lexus IS350 F-Sport, save for the colour. If you want a Dion Wired on wheels cloaked in a particular wood veneer and rounded off with a pair of trainers, then you may want to consider the BMW or Audi, but brief your private banker beforehand.
We have not mentioned the Mercedes Benz C-Class because the launch of the new one is imminent and so, although the Lexus package might outpace the BMW and Audi equivalents, Mercedes has had 18 months to better both packages and only time will tell if it’s managed to get it right.
We accept that buyers in this market have brand preferences, but don’t let that stop you from considering the Lexus IS350 F-Sport. If you don’t, you will be missing out on real peach.
- Read more from Lexus
