Lexus IS F SPORT Performs Well in Motor Trend Luxury Sedan Comparison

Gecko

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$399 LEASE-DEAL SPECIAL: GIULIA VS. 330I VS. A4 VS. C300 VS. ATS VS. XE VS. IS VS. Q50 VS. S60

The Big Test: When Everything’s Equal, Who Makes the Best Compact Luxury Sports Sedan?

Our entry criteria were simple: a zero-down-payment, $399/month lease, four doors, and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The contenders: the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A4 2.0T Quattro, BMW 330i, Cadillac ATS2.0T, Infiniti Q50 2.0T, Jaguar XE 25t, Lexus IS200t F Sport, Mercedes-BenzC300, and Volvo S60 T6 R-Design.


399-Lease-Deal-Special-front-end-in-motion-02-1.jpg


9th Place: Infiniti Q50 2.0T
Big on value and interior space, the Infiniti left our judges with nothing else nice to say.

8th Place: Volvo S60 T6
Stylish and safe, the Volvo can’t escape its long-past sell-by date. It’s an old car in a hyper-competitive class, and it just can’t keep up anymore.

7th Place: BMW 330i
How the mighty have fallen. The reigning winner and standard-bearer of the class suffers from old age, dulled dynamics, and a lack of personality.

6th Place: Jaguar XE 25t
A new standard in the sporty-handling versus refined-ride equation, the Jaguar was undone by its tiny back seat, boring interior styling, and buggy infotainment system.

5th Place: Cadillac ATS 2.0T
The best sport sedan chassis in the class is let down by a useless back seat and barely acceptable infotainment system.

4th Place: Lexus IS 200t F Sport
A good all-around performer, the weighty Lexus is underserved by its overstressed engine, unintuitive infotainment system, and polarizing styling.

3rd Place: Mercedes-Benz C300
The most luxurious of the field, the Mercedes needs to improve its ride quality and improve the value proposition of its pricing.

2nd Place: Audi A4 2.0T Quattro
Smart, practical, sophisticated, and something of a Q-ship, the Audi quietly crawled its way up the podium but lacked the personality to take the top spot.

1st Place: Alfa Romeo Giulia
Efficient, economical, quick, safe, and without question the most fun to drive, the Giulia is a car we’re willing to gamble on despite its reliability legacy and lack of cost-of -ownership data.


Source: http://www.motortrend.com/cars/alfa...us-is-200t-infiniti-q50-volvo-s60-comparison/
 

Gecko

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I was personally surprised to see the IS finish above the 3 series and XE, just behind the C-Class. A strong performance by Lexus overall.

With that said, it seems that the 8AR-FTS just isn't in the same league as some of the competitors' engines. Hopefully there is a revision or refresh coming... not sure what can be done to breathe some life (or efficiency) into that engine without a massive overhaul.
 

mikeavelli

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I was personally surprised to see the IS finish above the 3 series and XE, just behind the C-Class. A strong performance by Lexus overall.

With that said, it seems that the 8AR-FTS just isn't in the same league as some of the competitors' engines. Hopefully there is a revision or refresh coming... not sure what can be done to breathe some life (or efficiency) into that engine without a massive overhaul.

It was a very strong showing by the IS. Note the the other two Japanese brands, the Q50 finished dead last and they didn't even care to invite the TLX. Note how poorly the 3 series fared. We grew up in an era when BMW NEVER EVER lost a comparison in the 1990s and most of the 2000s....

That is one hell of a competitive segment.
 

Brooks2IS

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I think automotive magazines are generally way too subjective, even in this case where MT attempted to be objective. I feel that a good number of shoppers would have reservations paying $400/month for a car with no history. Who knows, that Alfa may be sitting in the service bay for 20 months out of the 36 month lease?

It's a lot easier to gamble on that money when you aren't paying for it, Motor Trend. Rational shoppers will look elsewhere.
 

mikeavelli

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I think automotive magazines are generally way too subjective, even in this case where MT attempted to be objective. I feel that a good number of shoppers would have reservations paying $400/month for a car with no history. Who knows, that Alfa may be sitting in the service bay for 20 months out of the 36 month lease?

It's a lot easier to gamble on that money when you aren't paying for it, Motor Trend. Rational shoppers will look elsewhere.

True...but I think people take chances when something looks good and that it does.
 

Gecko

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^and to that point, I'm not sure that Alfa carries a lot of "wow factor" for the millennial and wannabe crowds. I guess we'll see.
 

meth.ix

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Alfa Romeo Giulia is a really good car, even when it's not in Quadrifoglio form. However, I am really worried about its reliability, as I have heard that they are spending more time at the dealerships being repaired than on the road.
 

Levi

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No need to repeat what the ignorant herd says. Alfa is not the most reliable product out there, but if it was all about reliability, then all would drive Lexus, and not even anything German. Yet 'reliable' Lexus, is a big loser in Europe compared to 'unreliable' Audi/BMW/Mercedes. All that counts for most is image, not reliability. Why do Ranger Rovers sell that well being so unreliable? It is also unfair to bring up the argument of reliability, when most cars are not bought, but leased. Ironically, it it is the Germans best car, the 911 GT3 that had been sitting at service (or in garages without use) for months, Clients had no info and never knew when it was going to end.
 

PeterF

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No need to repeat what the ignorant herd says. Alfa is not the most reliable product out there, but if it was all about reliability, then all would drive Lexus, and not even anything German. Yet 'reliable' Lexus, is a big loser in Europe compared to 'unreliable' Audi/BMW/Mercedes. All that counts for most is image, not reliability. Why do Ranger Rovers sell that well being so unreliable? It is also unfair to bring up the argument of reliability, when most cars are not bought, but leased. Ironically, it it is the Germans best car, the 911 GT3 that had been sitting at service (or in garages without use) for months, Clients had no info and never knew when it was going to end.

I agree, that this is what motivates most. I, on the other hand, went from Toyota to Lexus because Lexus was a reliable luxury brand that also was very comfortable. While I am now into fun/fast/sexy, I started out focused on reliability and lux. My inclination was that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that was going to be in the shop a lot, bleeding my pocket book. Now that Lexus has F-sport trims, F trims, and the LC, we can get all three: sexy/fun/fast as well as reliable and luxurious. But I preach to the choir. I'm glad that Lexus is moving away from boring, bc I might have migrated to the German cars and able to stomach the cost of less reliable. :cool:
 
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That said, I don't disagree with the results. The Lexus punches WAY above its weight and completes the Motor trend figure eight in 26.3 seconds, the same as a 350 F sport they once tested. But the acceleration testing, recorded as 7 seconds to 60, is off from similar tests posted by Caranddriver and Lexus themselves. I just hope that the 350 and the rest of the engine line gets updated, because even the 350 can't catch up with most of the 2 liter turbos offered by the segment. The GS chassis is one of the best in the segment, but a weak engine for its weight keeps it from doing so much better. I hope Lexus has gotten the message, improve the 350 powertrain models in their lineup.
 
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Why is the IS200T 200-250 pounds overweight? Seems like a significant factor here.
That would make the Lexus IS so much quicker if they had the decency to drop the weight. Rigidity here isn't a problem, but still, the IS and RC will always be porky and slow. Waiting aside, major changes to switch to the GAL platform starts in 2018-2020.
 

Andyl

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That said, I don't disagree with the results. The Lexus punches WAY above its weight and completes the Motor trend figure eight in 26.3 seconds, the same as a 350 F sport they once tested. But the acceleration testing, recorded as 7 seconds to 60, is off from similar tests posted by Caranddriver and Lexus themselves. I just hope that the 350 and the rest of the engine line gets updated, because even the 350 can't catch up with most of the 2 liter turbos offered by the segment. The GS chassis is one of the best in the segment, but a weak engine for its weight keeps it from doing so much better. I hope Lexus has gotten the message, improve the 350 powertrain models in their lineup.

Agreed. Really look forward to the new engines in the new IS and GS.. still a few years to wait.

Besides, I hope to see Lexus would improve the quality of door inner panels in the new ISs. No matter whether a wood trim or a metallic trim is added to the door inner panels, they don't look very substantial and high quality, compared to 2IS. It is also not something to do with the hard plastic used in the lower panels as in NX, they don't look that cheap looking. It is something to do with the thickness of the softer materials used in the upper panels of the doors.
 
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Agreed. Really look forward to the new engines in the new IS and GS.. still a few years to wait.

Besides, I hope to see Lexus would improve the quality of door inner panels in the new ISs. No matter whether a wood trim or a metallic trim is added to the door inner panels, they don't look very substantial and high quality, compared to 2IS. It is also not something to do with the hard plastic used in the lower panels as in NX, they don't look that cheap looking. It is something to do with the thickness of the softer materials used in the upper panels of the doors.
I agree with this too. While the GS may offer open-pore wood trim, it isn't by a stretch as good as Volvo's or Mercedes's.