This in-betweener has a balanced drive
Unique design, smooth powertrain make this car a fun sport sedan option
Lexus is playing catch up in the sport sedan segment, and one way it is trying to be more competitive is by introducing new trim levels in its popular IS series.
For many, the base IS 200t would be a great choice, but it’s only available with rear-wheel drive. On the other hand, the range-topping IS 350 drives all four wheels but can be expensive and fuel thirsty. To try to alleviate this issue, Lexus has recently introduced a model right in the middle of the lineup that can only be had with all-wheel drive. Called the IS 300 AWD, this inbetweener might be the Lexus shoppers are looking for.
While the four-cylinder turbocharged Lexus IS 200t starts at $42,195, including freight and PDI, the IS 300 AWD comes in at $44,995, commanding a $2,800 premium for two extra drive wheels and cylinders. It sounds like a good deal at first, but dive a bit deeper and the bargain seems to evaporate. In comparison to its stablemates With a 3.5-litre V6 making 255 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, the IS 300 AWD has14 ponies over its smaller displacement, turbocharged brother, but is also down 22 lb-ft of torque. The lack of twist is noticeable off the line, and the IS 300 AWD feels slow and pokey to get going.
And the car seems much less powerful and torquey than the rangetopping IS 350, which has 50 more hp and 40 more lb-ft of torque. It uses the same 3.5-litre V6 as the IS 300, but clearly tuned much differently. The IS 350 AWD starts at $55,395, which represents a huge $10,400 price premium over the IS 300 AWD.
There’s also no benefit at the pumps for getting the IS 300 AWD over the IS 350 AWD, as the two cars earn 12.6 L/100 km in the city and 9.2 on the highway. On the road As a sport sedan, the car should offer a blend of sporty handling and a premium feel, and the Lexus mostly delivers on the promise. The neutered engine doesn’t impact the solid driving dynamics of this car. The steering is good, which is to say it’s wellweighted and responsive. Even the steering wheel itself is nice and chunky, with lots to hold onto and a really progressive steering feel with none of the weirdness you get from variable ratio racks.
The chassis is also pretty good, meaning that the car reacts to direction changes well, but without the harshness that comes from cars trying to be too sporty. It’s best described as smooth and obedient. It’s not super fast or sharp, but it’s very accommodating. The suspension in particular is really balanced between soft and stiff. It really suits the nature of the car and the overall Lexus brand, which is less sport focused than some of its rivals. In the car As the balanced driving behaviour won’t reward or disappoint you, it’s worth talking about the polarizing interior of the car. With plenty of strange angles to be found throughout the cabin, it’s certainly a unique, expressive design just like the exterior of the car. It’s definitely not the most user-friendly, with bizarrely placed vent openings and an infotainment screen that’s far and deep into the dashboard.
That infotainment system also has to be one of the worst designs available on the market — thanks to an imprecise and hyperactive mouselike controller, it’s a pain to select items on the screen.
Besides the infotainment system and questionable design, the Lexus has an interior with enough head and legroom for passengers in the front and rear of the vehicle. Heated seats and a backup camera are also stan- dard on this model, while upgraded multimedia system with navigation, ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, parking sensors and blindspot monitoring are optional.
The car gets standard safety and driver-assist features, including precollision warning system, a lane-departure alert system with steering assist, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The verdict The total price of our tester came in at under $50,000, and, quite frankly, it’s hard to recommend this over the two other models in the Lexus IS lineup.
The 200t is cheaper, gets better fuel mileage and feels great to drive thanks to its lighter, turbocharged, rear-wheel-drive setup. On the other hand, if you need AWD, the IS 350 AWD is much more expensive, but you get more power and features for the money without sacrificing fuel economy, so I’d argue that it’s worth the price premium.
Simply put, the IS 300 AWD isn’t the Goldilocks model it appears to be, and you’re better off getting one of the other Lexus sport sedans in the lineup.