Suitable power
Lexus owners are likely to wear suits. They are also likely to be somewhat successful. So as not to lose out on some of the fun side to life, while grinding away at providing for the family and saving enough money to be able to pay for all the toll road bills and electricity hikes, they may want to loosen up a little. Not enough to get their suits dirty, you understand, but perhaps to add a shot of that wonderful thing called adrenaline.
Well, for them, the Lexus IS 350 might be of interest. It has the build quality and reliability credentials of the brand, plus this one ads the much loved “sport mode” appeal by slotting an upgraded version of the stable’s 3,5-litre quad cam V6 under the bonnet to fling your tie around over your shoulder when you apply the old right foot. 233 kW at 6 400 r/min will be at you beck and call with 378 N.m of torque at 4 800 r/min. This is 8 more kW than the BMW 335i and Lexus claims a 0 to 100 km/h time of 5,6 seconds.
Sensibly, Lexus has made life easy for motoring journalists and the public by only offering two spec levels. The EX (R499 700) has everything you need including Sat-Nav with a multi-function screen while the SE (R548 600) adds some extras. For a start the wheels are one inch bigger at 18-inch, seating is in semi-analine leather, a sunroof that is listed as a moonroof (perhaps to encourage less sunburn?), automatically dimming rear-view mirror, electric sunshade for the rear window, electric steering wheel adjustment, wood interior trim, driver seat memory, front seats heating and ventilation. White or grey interior is available instead of the usual choice of black.
The engine has good grunt, a sporty V6 wail when pushed and comfortable seats that hug you well for those switchback mountain pass corners. Interior space in this premium segment of the market sometimes underwhelms, especially rear seat legroom, but the IS 350 fares quite well here.
The speedo and rev counter have circular rings of light that illuminate when you reach a set road or engine speed and instrumentation is clear and straightforward white on black circular dials – still, a pity that the original Chrono style” setup is not used.
Looks are neat – not overly swoopy and curvy as many new models are, but neat and understated while still looking different to anything else on the road.
On the launch, we cruised from George up and over the curvy Outeniqua pass to the totally different climate and scenery of Oudtshoorn and back along the lesser known but just as beautiful and much less busy Robinson pass to Mossel Bay. These roads “suited”the IS 350 perfectly, with sure-footed cornering and a suspension setup that provides a good blend of minimising body roll while still soaking up the worst bumps without jarring passengers.
The steering is on the lighter side and but with good feel from the front wheels without the added work of having to cope with power delivery, being rear-wheel driven.
There is still a conservative side to the IS range. This is primarily demonstrated by the conventional JATCO automatic gearbox that cannot match the snap gear shifts that one experiences with double clutch gearboxes. You do have paddle shifts for manual cog swopping but it does tend to override or delay your choices and so loses out on some of that “racing” feeling. On the other hand, we know that the Japanese do not fling the latest technology into their cars before they are adamant that they will not be tearing their hair out with warranty issues. CVT gearboxes give trouble and so do double-clutch units and owners that keep their cars past the warranty period are likely to ditch brands that cost them more than a fair share of hard-earned cash.
If you were to give me R499 700 and told me to buy a car that would have to last me for the next ten years or more (seriously, feel free to do this) I would hesitate to choose one with a double clutch gearbox just as I would try to avoid those with dual mass flywheels or CVT gearboxes. Taking of maintenance, Lexus has introduced a four-years/100 000 km Distance Plus service plan including brake pads. Experience has shown that the most needed items on a full Maintenance plan are brake pads, so this is a mixture between a service and a maintenance plan. The SE models have the same plan but including all other maintenance items. Obviously tyres are excluded.
Another very interesting addition to the IS line-up is the base model IS250 E. this sells for R368 900 and still gives you 153 kW of power and should attract attention from customers thinking about switching to brand Lexus. Don’t expect Sat-Nav or park distance or cruise control on this model but that’s about all that you will miss.