Bloglogo
Road Test: 2013-2014 Lexus IS-350
Car Reviews

Road Test: 2013-2014 Lexus IS-350

·
September 12,2013
·
9 min read

Tags:

Lexus, the luxury arm of Toyota was founded in 1989 and have earned a reputation for building some of the most brilliant automobiles in the world. We had just got our hands on Lexus’s sports sedan, the 2014 IS 350. If you recall, we did the IS350 F-Sport Road Test in July this year. Now it was time to see what the regular IS350 was all about:

Style

Lexus has focused heavily on aggressive and in-your-face styling. The recent launch of NX Crossover Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show is testament to that. The 2014 Lexus IS has been completely redesigned and now sports the gorgeous spindle grille and LED daytime running lights that look similar to the Nike swoosh. Our test car was also fitted with a lip spoiler and sported decent 18” rims that looked identical to the set found on the 2007 Lexus GS 430. Keeping up with the norm of a sports car, our test car was also finished in a fabulous red color known as Red Mica Crystal Shine. 

Interior Finishing and Quality

Absolutely eager to drive the car, I unlocked the door and instantly fell in love with the Topaz Brown leather interior our car was decked out with. Upon getting into the driver’s seat, I was pleasantly surprised by how driver oriented the cabin felt. According to Lexus, the cabin for the IS 350 was designed by taking inspiration from the LFA which is why it felt rather sporty and driver oriented for a regular sedan. On the negative side, for a car that costs AED 230,000 and belongs in the premium category, there was a significant amount of plastic used in the door panels and the dashboard. 

The driving position in the Lexus IS 350 is nearly perfect and probably one of the best I have ever experienced. Everything from the gear shifter to the steering wheel and pedals are all placed in the ideal position allowing you to sit very comfortably yet having everything in reach. Both driver and front seat passenger receive 8 way electric seats with lumbar support which can also be cooled to prevent you from getting barbecued while driving during the summer. 

Interior Features and Technology

Since I love my music, the sound system in any car is a very important aspect to me. The Mark Levinson Premium Sound System that our test car was equipped with was absolutely brilliant. Though it had just 15 speakers, it sounded so much better than majority of the other sound systems you’d find in high end luxury sedans that come with a lot more speakers. This just goes to show, its quality over quantity that really matters.

Lexus have also introduced a joystick to control the multimedia and infotainment system in the 2014 IS 350. Though it’s a neat and relatively easy to use concept when a lot of scrolling is involved, such as browsing the map, it is a lot trickier when minimal scrolling is required such as browsing through your radio presets. 

I was also particularly impressed by the split screen capability offered by the IS 350. This made it very convenient to view a snapshot of the GPS, radio station and average fuel economy all on one screen without having to view each one separately. 

The first time I encountered capacitive touch switches was when I did the Toyota Avalon Road Test and I was surprised to find them in the Lexus IS 350 as well. Though Lexus have only used them to control the temperature of the A/C, they work brilliantly and are extremely easy to use. 

Interior Space

Though the interior is a nice place to be in, there were a few shortfalls as well. For starters, the rear seats are rather claustrophobic and don’t offer good head or leg room. Also, in terms of technology, the rear seats feel like they’ve been pulled out from a car manufactured in the 1990’s. If your passengers were expecting a few gadgets to fiddle with while seated in the back, they’d be disappointed to know they won’t have anything except a rear window switch to play with. 

Safety Features

In terms of safety, the IS 350 packs in an impressive amount of kit. For starters it’s equipped with a blind spot monitoring system that uses rear mounted radars to detect vehicles in adjacent lanes that are not visible in the outer door mirrors and flashes a small orange light to warn you not to switch lanes.

Additionally, it also has a lane departure warning system that helps prevent unintended lane changes by alerting the driver with a loud sound when the vehicle deviates from its lane without the operation of the turn signal. With the system switched on, drivers are forced to use their turn signals to avoid hearing deafening beeps when they switch lanes without indicating. I like!

The IS 350 is also fitted with an intelligent pre-crash safety system that detects the likelihood of a collision with a vehicle of obstacle and alerts the driver with a display and a buzzer. If the pre-crash safety system determines a collision is unavoidable, the pre-crash brakes and pre-crash seatbelts also operate to help reduce injury due to the collision. 

One of the more innovative safety features is the Pop Up Hood that makes its way into the 2014 IS 350. When the sensors mounted in the front bumper determine that the vehicle has collided with a pedestrian, the hood instantly pops up to create a space to absorb the impact force. This provides greater pedestrian protection in the event of a frontal collision. In terms of airbags, the IS 350 packs in 8 airbags as standard including rear seat side airbags. 

Drive Performance

Acceleration

On the performance front, our test car was equipped with a 3.5 litre V6 engine that produced 312 horsepower and 375 Nm of torque. This meant the IS 350 could complete a 0 – 100km/h run in 6 seconds and would go all the way to 230 km/h before running out of juice. 

Drive Modes

Our test car was also fitted with a Drive Select option that was controlled by a knob located near the gear shifter which allowed drivers to select if they wanted to drive the car in Eco, Normal or Sport mode. The few times I used the Eco mode, I did find the car to be rather sluggish and not very fuel efficient with an average of 15 litres / 100 kms. The same cannot be said when the car is in Sports mode though; throttle responses are quicker and steering feels a fair bit more accurate. 

Transmission

The 8 speed transmission is definitely one of the greatest assets of Lexus IS 350. When cruising in Eco or Normal mode, you can expect shifts that are smooth and precise. However, enable Sport mode and each gear is held right up to the red line. Though it does shift up a cog automatically, the downshifts will have you grinning away since the IS 350 is equipped with a similar throttle blip system as found in our road test of Nissan 370Z. Essentially what this does is it ensures the RPM is at the exact level to provide the best possible acceleration in the gear you are in. 

To add to the joy of driving an IS 350, Lexus have fitted a finely tuned intake sound generator that boosts sound pressure level of specific frequencies in the engine to create a distinctly sporty engine sound when accelerating in the mid-to-high RPM range. Enter a tunnel, drop a few cogs, put the pedal to the metal and hear the truly unrefined sound of the IS 350 echo through the tunnel. Does this happen to be one of the best ways to relax? I think so!

Brakes

Though the IS 350 is capable of reaching dangerous speeds relatively quickly, you don’t worry too much because of the phenomenal brakes equipped on the car. Lexus have installed 12.2 inches and 13.2 inches ventilated disks on the IS 350. Coupled with the Dunlop Sport Maxx 255/35 tires that our test car was equipped with, the IS 350’s stopping power was very impressive.  

Suspension

Due to the revised double wishbone front suspension system which now offers a twenty percent increase in sway rigidity and a new multi-link suspension system from the GS for the rear, the IS 350 offers an exceptionally smooth drive, be it cruising along the beach or driving enthusiastically at high speeds. 

In terms of innovation, the IS 350 is the first Lexus model to adopt G force Artificial Intelligence (G-AI) control in Sport mode. Essentially what this system does is that it automatically selects the optimal gear and downshift pattern in response to G force, and maintains the selected gear through a corner. 

Having Said That...

There were a few disappointments as well. To begin with, the engine made a continuous whining sound when the accelerator was pressed. It sounded similar to a turbo spool however the volume of the whining was directly proportionate to how deep the accelerator pedal was pressed. As you’d imagine, hearing a continuous high pitched sound every time you put your right foot down, wasn’t very pleasing. 

The other issue was with the traction control system. It reminded me of the time I drove the Toyota Avalon since it had the exact same problem. Switch the traction control off, put your right foot down and the traction comes back on. No matter how many times you turn the traction control off, it switches itself back on automatically within a few seconds. Quite frankly, I found this a little silly especially since Lexus portrays the IS 350 as its “Sports Sedan”. 

Finally, the adaptive cruise control system that our test car came equipped with was a little too safe to actually use on a road with any other cars on it. It would insist on braking even though the car ahead was a good 5 – 6 cars length away. This in turn would require me to manually override the system and ensure I didn’t go over the speed limit. As you’d imagine, it wasn’t long before I turned the system off completely. 

Verdict

Quite simply then, the Lexus IS 350 was surely a fun car to whiz around town in. It offered exceptional safety features a brilliant drive and the sound of an untamed beast. However, with a price tag of AED 230,000 I can’t help but feel it is extremely overpriced.

Check Out

- Road Test: 2013-2014 Lexus IS 350 F-Sport

Images:

Got a comment? Post it below:


Do you want to sell your car for FREE?
We have everything that makes it easier for you to sell your car on our platform quickly
Sell your car 100% absolutely free on YallaMotor.
200+ Cars Sold Everyday.
115,000+ Satisfied Sellers.
500,000+ Monthly Buyers.
POPULAR TAGS

FROM THIS WEEK
Comprehensive Guide to Renew Your Driving License in Dubai
28 March 2024
|
Road Regulations
Infiniti QX80 2025: A Peek into the Future of Luxury SUVs
25 March 2024
|
New Launches
How to Sell Your Old Car Online in Dubai?
23 March 2024
|
Yallamotor Tips

Search more than 32,316 used cars in the UAE
Select Make
Select Model
Select Year

LOOKING FOR USED CARS INSTEAD?

OTHER USED CARS IN UAE