mikeavelli
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I've had the pleasure of driving countless IS cars F-Sport and non F-Sport, 250 and 350 since its debut not to mention our Vossen Project Yellow IS. Like most all expert reviews have concluded, the styling is a knock-out, the interior is sporty, the drive is absolutely amazing and even things like the seats are fantastic. Those trick gauges are also to die for, straight from the LFA. There is a reason why the IS has won compares and it has never sold better. It is that damn good!
If you read my NX review,
The LexFather Review: 2015 Lexus NX 200t F-Sport
I included a lot of data on how it works out for a family potentially so I figured I would snap some photos here and talk a bit about it since rarely do reviews go that route. My family and I were in LA this past weekend for various activities so it gave me an opportunity to do a review on this beautiful Atomic Silver IS!
To state the obvious, the IS still looks fresh after its 2 year debut in Japan (it hit the states here late July/August 2013) with a blend of sharp creases that just work. Its hard to find a more dynamic looking car in its class and as one that has modified every Lexus I've owned, I find it looks tasty in stock form with the F-Sport 18" wheels. I still can't believe how shapely the new Lexus front ends are with the separate DRL's. Lexus I love you but please give USA customers LED fog lamps on F-Sport cars!
The side view shows the scultiping of the lower valance and you can see its longer than the last gen IS and of course the first gen. The side windows seem larger than the last gen for a more airy view. Note the purposeful long hood, short deck classic RWD look here and note the space between the front fender and front door line. It oozes sexy and luxury! Though even though it is bigger, I will say my wife hit her head nearly every time getting in the rear as we are used to the size of the GS/LS. By the third day either she got used to it or she was dizzy and didn't complain anymore.
I also did bump my head in the front but being 6"5 means it happens often lol.
The rear has the now trademark L shared tails and dual exhaust for a sporty look and of course the new F-Sport badge on the trunk. Going to be hard to touch this car up, it seems perfect from the jump.
If you are unaware, the IS is the first Lexus sedan with fold down seats!! We didn't need it in our case this weekend but that is IMO a HUGE PLUS for families and I hope it grows to the other vehicles. I believe the RC 350 gets it now but not the RC F due to it having additional bracing in the rear. As you can see with a smaller stroller and some groceries, there is ample room inside and it has a good shaped trunk. A 13.8 cubic foot trunk is rather good for a car this size.
A ton of complaints were pointed at the last generation IS rear seat room so Lexus added more room here. Now if you want a ton more room for this price point, and a completely different car, well the ES fits the bill here if you want to stay in the Lexus family. The GS offers more than the IS but less than the ES/LS at a higher price point than the IS/ES. My wife had no issues in the rear with the child seat. It clearly was cozy but not uncomfortable for around town and we remarked at how surprised we were with comfort.
You can see in the pics the baby seat was placed in the middle seat. This is a smaller baby seat we use for travel, very lightweight but not as sturdy as our Recaro. Honestly it worked wonders for the trip and inside the IS. We did note that the seat was more secure when we lodged the front seats against the baby seat. One night I had some Lexus buds in the car (LexusSalesPro and Moto) who are good sized guys and they fit with no issues in the car. No complaints about room. I did notice when we put his bags in the car they were pretty close for him to grab compared to the GS and especially the LS. Taking our child in and out the IS was not difficult but we had less room than in the GS/LS of ours and even cars like the NX. (note in the pic above I moved the front seat forward a bit)
Front seat room is ample and I cannot rave enough about the F-Sport seats. They are some of the most comfortable seats I've sat in. The NuLuxe does not feel cheap or weird and in some ways I prefer it to leather (never thought I would say that). I do wish for more options (16 way, more leg support) but the GS F-Sport offers that. The gauges are easy to read, everything is easy to use and moving the temperature up or down with your fingers is just cool. It is an entry level sedan so seeing more plastic than I am used to is normal and the small NAV screen could simply be bigger. Way to much empty black space at the sides. Lexus Assist came in handy when I needed to get around LA without punching it through the NAV. (note in the pic above the front seat is at its most rear position and note we used the transmission hump to place a bottle cooler)
The drive again is amazing, one of the best handling and driving cars around and its very confidence inspiring which IMO is an important asset in a family car. I prefer to avoid an accident than be told the car has a 5 star crash rating. The meaty brakes up front also stop the car securely and safely. Gas MPG isn't great, ten years ago it was cool, today we need to see some improvements here (and they are on the way, check out this link Two Mystery Lexus IS F SPORTs Spotted in California ). I have to say as one that drives modified cars daily, most of them slammed to the ground it was nice to have a nice meaty sidewall and not have to worry about scraping against grasshoppers (imagine we live in a day and age where a 40 or 45 series tire is meaty lol).
Overall I feel the IS works if you have a small kid, maybe even two once you keep things also small in regards to your kid/baby items. I think it has more rear room than the NX but the NX has more headroom and getting in and out the NX is easier. Overall I came away feeling that you don't need to suddenly look at an ES or jump to the GS if you have a small child so I am very happy for the experience here.
Big thanks to Paul Williamson and Lexus USA for the IS 350 F-Sport Press Car this past weekend!
-Mike-
All Photos taken with the Sony A6000 Camera with their 1.8/50mm E-Mount Lens
If you read my NX review,
The LexFather Review: 2015 Lexus NX 200t F-Sport
I included a lot of data on how it works out for a family potentially so I figured I would snap some photos here and talk a bit about it since rarely do reviews go that route. My family and I were in LA this past weekend for various activities so it gave me an opportunity to do a review on this beautiful Atomic Silver IS!
To state the obvious, the IS still looks fresh after its 2 year debut in Japan (it hit the states here late July/August 2013) with a blend of sharp creases that just work. Its hard to find a more dynamic looking car in its class and as one that has modified every Lexus I've owned, I find it looks tasty in stock form with the F-Sport 18" wheels. I still can't believe how shapely the new Lexus front ends are with the separate DRL's. Lexus I love you but please give USA customers LED fog lamps on F-Sport cars!
The side view shows the scultiping of the lower valance and you can see its longer than the last gen IS and of course the first gen. The side windows seem larger than the last gen for a more airy view. Note the purposeful long hood, short deck classic RWD look here and note the space between the front fender and front door line. It oozes sexy and luxury! Though even though it is bigger, I will say my wife hit her head nearly every time getting in the rear as we are used to the size of the GS/LS. By the third day either she got used to it or she was dizzy and didn't complain anymore.
I also did bump my head in the front but being 6"5 means it happens often lol.
The rear has the now trademark L shared tails and dual exhaust for a sporty look and of course the new F-Sport badge on the trunk. Going to be hard to touch this car up, it seems perfect from the jump.
If you are unaware, the IS is the first Lexus sedan with fold down seats!! We didn't need it in our case this weekend but that is IMO a HUGE PLUS for families and I hope it grows to the other vehicles. I believe the RC 350 gets it now but not the RC F due to it having additional bracing in the rear. As you can see with a smaller stroller and some groceries, there is ample room inside and it has a good shaped trunk. A 13.8 cubic foot trunk is rather good for a car this size.
A ton of complaints were pointed at the last generation IS rear seat room so Lexus added more room here. Now if you want a ton more room for this price point, and a completely different car, well the ES fits the bill here if you want to stay in the Lexus family. The GS offers more than the IS but less than the ES/LS at a higher price point than the IS/ES. My wife had no issues in the rear with the child seat. It clearly was cozy but not uncomfortable for around town and we remarked at how surprised we were with comfort.
You can see in the pics the baby seat was placed in the middle seat. This is a smaller baby seat we use for travel, very lightweight but not as sturdy as our Recaro. Honestly it worked wonders for the trip and inside the IS. We did note that the seat was more secure when we lodged the front seats against the baby seat. One night I had some Lexus buds in the car (LexusSalesPro and Moto) who are good sized guys and they fit with no issues in the car. No complaints about room. I did notice when we put his bags in the car they were pretty close for him to grab compared to the GS and especially the LS. Taking our child in and out the IS was not difficult but we had less room than in the GS/LS of ours and even cars like the NX. (note in the pic above I moved the front seat forward a bit)
Front seat room is ample and I cannot rave enough about the F-Sport seats. They are some of the most comfortable seats I've sat in. The NuLuxe does not feel cheap or weird and in some ways I prefer it to leather (never thought I would say that). I do wish for more options (16 way, more leg support) but the GS F-Sport offers that. The gauges are easy to read, everything is easy to use and moving the temperature up or down with your fingers is just cool. It is an entry level sedan so seeing more plastic than I am used to is normal and the small NAV screen could simply be bigger. Way to much empty black space at the sides. Lexus Assist came in handy when I needed to get around LA without punching it through the NAV. (note in the pic above the front seat is at its most rear position and note we used the transmission hump to place a bottle cooler)
The drive again is amazing, one of the best handling and driving cars around and its very confidence inspiring which IMO is an important asset in a family car. I prefer to avoid an accident than be told the car has a 5 star crash rating. The meaty brakes up front also stop the car securely and safely. Gas MPG isn't great, ten years ago it was cool, today we need to see some improvements here (and they are on the way, check out this link Two Mystery Lexus IS F SPORTs Spotted in California ). I have to say as one that drives modified cars daily, most of them slammed to the ground
it was nice to have a nice meaty sidewall and not have to worry about scraping against grasshoppers (imagine we live in a day and age where a 40 or 45 series tire is meaty lol).
Overall I feel the IS works if you have a small kid, maybe even two once you keep things also small in regards to your kid/baby items. I think it has more rear room than the NX but the NX has more headroom and getting in and out the NX is easier. Overall I came away feeling that you don't need to suddenly look at an ES or jump to the GS if you have a small child so I am very happy for the experience here.
Big thanks to Paul Williamson and Lexus USA for the IS 350 F-Sport Press Car this past weekend!
-Mike-
All Photos taken with the Sony A6000 Camera with their 1.8/50mm E-Mount Lens
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