IS will be cheaper via MSRP but I am not familiar with current lease rates, which is where MSRP becomes a moot point. When Lexus lease rates are higher because of residual values and BMW subsidizes theirs, an $8k difference in MSRP doesn't mean the cheaper IS is going to actually be cheaper to lease.
Not necessarily. Having more competitive engines would help, but it's not the only issue - CarPlay, Android Auto, better accessories, an IS F would have all helped. But we are also talking about the same flagship engine dating back to 2006 - it is now 13 model years later - 2006 to 2014 to 2018 with the same V6 and an underperforming 2.0T is really lazy, especially when competition is even more fierce and there is a market shift to SUVs. Lexus has done nothing to invest in/update the IS to keep it relevant.
Also not what I meant. The car buying public gets into a car and they want it to feel "fast enough," "comfortable enough," "smooth enough," etc - most never even look at the spec sheet aside from MPG. Many don't even know engine size or output. It's the enthusiast who knows the spec sheet and how the car performs relative to the competition. For that enthusiast, the IS 350 has lost its appeal - do you remember the endless comparisons in 2006/2007 with 335i, S4, Mustang, etc? Nobody cared when the third gen debuted with the same exact engine. It was old news at that point. Even 2.0T vs. 2.0T, the A4 and 330i feel much faster and more refined than the 8AR-FTS. I haven't driven a 320i, so I can't comment on that but if a 180hp BMW feels on par with a 241hp Lexus motor, we have a problem.
Quick googling shows 330i leases starting at $329/mo in my area, and IS 300 leases starting at $433.
I found one 330i with MSRP of $48k leasing for $397/mo. The most expensive IS 300 I could find around me had an
MSRP of $45k and was leasing for $497/mo. I really do not have the time to option up cars and compare them feature-for-feature, but every time I've looked at real world pricing data or helped friends/family shop, the IS does not lease favorably compared to 3 series, and most sales in this class are leases. The numbers above prove this point pretty well.
But the thing is - in terms of competition and comparing cars together - MSRP isn't a moot point. Its the actual point. Its the relation of price, features and performance. Just because a car leases cheaper - doesn't mean we can compare those cars together.
If we do that, that's effectively saying we can compare a Q50 Red Sport to that of a Lexus IS300. Q50 Red Sport lease prices are dirt cheap. We have to take consideration of all factors, not just money.
Actually - its debatable. You can add more competitive engines, more models, and more everything. The question is - what is the mass demographic going to buy and how much would it cost to make these cars to net profit. You can add fast engines but if barely anyone buys it - there is no point in making it and selling it.
Toyota has to see a reason to make a TTV6 Lexus IS400 or put the TTV6 into the Lexus IS350. My point is - if barely anyone buys the V6 IS350 already, why would they waste time tweaking the whole car just for it to have TTV6? Just to please the enthusiast? That boat sailed long ago.
Actually - no. The 2GR engine family itself dates back to 2002 but the engine that's in the IS350 is the 2GR-FKS which only dates back to 2015. The 2006 IS350 V6 is not the same V6 we have in today's IS350.
This goes back to my original point. The 2GR is likely to stay in the IS350 and best cast situation is that they tweak it again for more power.
The mistake is that people keep comparing the Lexus IS300 turbo to the likes of the Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T, 330i, and C300. We have to stop doing that. The Lexus IS300 turbo is a base turbo that was meant to compete with the A4 Ultra FWD 2.0T, 320i and Q50 2.0T. Its a detuned turbo 4 for the entry-level market. It is the mass-market Lexus IS.
We have to stop assuming because the Lexus IS250 compete with the 325i back in the day that the now new Lexus IS300 competes with the new 330i. Competitions change.
There are 2 versions of the A4 and 3 Series 2.0T. The 8AR competes with the detuned versions of that. However - Lexus made them better than those. Think about it this way - the Lexus IS300 slots above the A4 Ultra and 320i but below the A4 Quattro and 330i. Like I said before - the Lexus IS300 is the best base entry-level luxury sedan model you can buy.
Its better than the Q50 2.0T, A4 Ultra and 320i. You can assume Lexus made it better than them while being slower than the 330i, A4 Ultra, and 3.0T Silver Sport to take sales.
Yes. I remember the 2G Lexus IS350 being compared to the Mustang and 335i. I would argue we don't put the Mustang in the equation because the Mustang was behind on its time. At the time - the Mustang was a joke of a car.
But I know what you mean - you want the Lexus IS350 back to those glory days. Like I said before - the competition has changed and new models has been introduced.
If Lexus wants to compete in this competition, they can with a TTV6 Lexus IS400. They can make that, and still sell a IS300/IS350 for mass market consumers. However - Toyota is all about the $$$ which is the biggest reason why we will see a Lexus IS-F TTV6 before IS400.
Yeah. The mass, average demographic, probably feels a sub 7-8 second 0-60 car is fast enough. I would count my dad as a "average mass market" consumer. He, when we speak about cars, think 7-8 seconds is insanely fast already. People that think under 5 seconds for 0-60 is consider "fast" or "decent" is not mass market demographic buyers.
This is why cars like the Lexus IS300 and BMW 320i sold so well among buyers. Its because they thought it was fast enough.
This is why cars like the Lexus IS350, 340i, C43 AMG, Q50 Red Sport, Camry XSE V6, Accord V6/2.0T, and pretty much any "faster" version of a car never sold that well. People usually think the base model is fast enough for them because mass market buyers don't really care that much about speed. If they did, the market would have changed. If people cared about performance, like enthusiasts do, the average 0-60 car speed would be 5 seconds long ago.
I disagree. Your last point just proved my point that the cheaper/lesser optioned 330i leases better than a loaded Lexus IS300.
In the context of the BMW you found - it could be seen as basically a 330i with M Sport Pack with premier tier and then nothing else on it. This BMW 330i will not have blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control, sound system, and etc... will come to 48K. This is why the BMW 330i you found leases cheap. It barely has anything on it.
If you compare a loaded 330i and a loaded Lexus IS300 - option per option - we are looking at a 58K 330i and a 45K Lexus IS300. That is a 13K difference in sticker. The Lexus IS300 will lease cheaper. 
