Lexus IS350 Prestige 2012 Review

What we liked:
>> Six-cylinder performance
>> Silky smooth transmission
>> Handling/grip compromise

A honeyed engine note accompanies eager performance over 4000rpm. The engine's response is well matched to the longer-travel throttle in all but low speed applications.

The six-speed automatic transmission, whilst silky smooth, requires a flick into Sport mode to perform quickly. Without prompting, changes can feel tardy.

The more compact, but weighty (1645kg) body of the Lexus, combined with its firmer wishbone (front) / multi-link (rear) suspension and rear-wheel drive grip, combine to elicit maximum confidence when cornering. In this respect, IS 350 was beaten only by BMW’s 328i. The car shrinks around you on windy roads and understeer just isn’t in its repertoire.

The electrically-assisted steering, however, is on the heavy side of comfortable and doesn’t ease up at car park speeds. A shame considering the IS 350 offered the best turning circle of any car on test (10.2 metres).

The Lexus was also let down by its four-wheel disc brakes which although capable, were noisy [not the first time we’ve noted this issue], groaning under repeated heavy use.

VALUE FOR MONEY
The Lexus IS 350 Prestige is positioned at the southern end of the IS 350 range (from $64,300 to $80,800). It is exceptional value for those chasing prestige performance.

To get similar output figures from an Audi (200kW/400Nm) you’d be looking at paying $93,400 and for a Mercedes-Benz (225kW/370Nm) $99,900. For a BMW (225kW/400Nm) this jumps to a hefty $112,100. In fact, the only rival determined to give Lexus a pound-for-power kicking is Volvo, whose 224kW/440Nm S60 T6 is available from $65,490.

Performance aside, Lexus’ generous standard equipment list and sumptuous surrounds add strongly to its sense of value. It’s a shame, then, the car’s proportions fall behind in this company. With more intelligent packaging found elsewhere the IS feels cramped, is the hardest to see out of and, not surprisingly, consumes the most fuel.

The brochure quotes the Lexus IS 350 combined average fuel consumption figure at 9.4L/100km. On test, and admittedly in urban conditions, the car averaged 14.7L/100km, the worst of any sampled.

FIT AND FINISH
Lexus prides itself on quality, and rightly so. Panel and shut-lines are consistently tight across the car, while inside the dark cabin there’s no shortage of attention to detail. The car did, however, look quite dated in context, and to be fair, does in places feel like a curious blend of Lexus refinement and Toyota practicality.

Still, the Lexus is a smart looking ride with enough sporting flair to bolster its high-output image. Unfortunately the paint, as lustrous as it looked, was soft to the touch and already showing evidence of light scratching around the door handles. Some also felt there was too much metallic ‘fleck’ for their liking.

Supportive leather seats and thick soft carpet present well, but the cabin is gloomy, the grey broken only by the occasional metallic highlight. A simple central layout and large screen is flanked with easy to locate buttons. Operation is simple when compared to those controls hidden on the lower dash fascia.

Incidentally, more than one of our pundits noticed an ammonic waft from the cabin, perhaps from the use of chemicals in production, or the cleaning products used. Either way, it did detract from an otherwise inviting space. Tyre noise was also higher than all other vehicles on test.

PURPOSE
Despite the skinny centre console, Lexus IS 350 felt cramped with both driver and passenger noting little lateral knee room. Taller drivers said the driving position felt awkward and high in the seat, despite the range of steering and seat adjustment offered.

It was much the same story up back with head, knee and foot room all compromised by smaller surrounds. A shame then the seats were top-three of any on test (behind BMW and Volvo). The rear middle seat is a no-go zone for any adult.

Most drivers also found the outward vision of Lexus to be compromised by smaller daylight openings and thicker pillars.

In-cabin storage also ranked below par, as did IS’s boot. At 378 litres the Lexus offered the least quantitive storage of any car on test, out-ranked by the German rivals by more than 100 litres! A space saver spare wheel lives under the boot floor.

TECHNOLOGY
While the Lexus didn’t really want for anything -- and in some cases offered more equipment as standard -- the technology on offer does feel outdated by some newer rivals. The interface is straightforward but not always as customisable, especially when compared to Audi or BMW.

Similarly, some of the parts feel like Toyota leftovers. The cruise control stalk, indicator and wiper stalks lacked tactility, while the foot-operated park brake was criticised by almost all of our judges for feeling “cheap”, or as one pundit put it, like a “relic from a previous era”.

The keyless entry and starter was a nice touch and the heated seats were welcomed on the cold, damp conditions encountered during our test. The HVAC system did, however, require almost continuous tweaking, IS seemingly incapable of maintaining a consistent temperature.

Safety equipment was on par with those peers tested, Lexus IS 350 scoring a five-star ANCAP safety rating [like all rivals tested].