But, with 306 horsepower driving all four wheels of the compact and tight tester, the driving thrills are plentiful. Pushed hard, the IS 350 AWD feels lively and nimble, behaving like a stable and predictable rear-drive car. It’s delightfully sensitive to weight transfer, has plenty of juice to fling itself out of corners, and delivers a quick, crisp and responsive feel to the steering and brakes. Some will find the ride stiff, but handling and performance enthusiasts will have no problem with the compromise.
Good transmission, bad paddles
Standard on the tester was a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
The good news: left in drive, the gearbox is very responsive, gears down ‘right now’, and works with the eager engine to blast the IS along on a wave of throaty, smooth and free-revving thrust at any prod of the rightmost pedal.
The bad news: The transmission does as it pleases regardless of driver inputs via the paddle shifters. An early upshift at full throttle gets ignored, and full throttle application in any pre-selected gear causes a downshift. This makes the paddles fairly irrelevant—though they can be forgiven in light of the neck-straining acceleration and instant throttle response.
On board
Drivers take it all in from a unique cabin. The tester got an all-black colour scheme broken up slightly with metallic trim and a few contrasting textures. There’s no excessive visual stimulation in here, albeit the gorgeous, technical-looking instruments. In typical Lexus fashion, it’s all trimmed gorgeously, assembled impeccably and mainly easy to use.
Extra points for the very comfortable seats, powerful Mark Levinson audio system and good all-around visibility. Navigation, Bluetooth and even heated chilled and motorized front seats were on board. It’s a cool and relaxing place to spend some time during a gentle ride, too.
Good transmission, bad paddles
Standard on the tester was a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
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| Pushed hard, the IS 350 AWD feels lively and nimble, behaving like a stable and predictable rear-drive car. (Photo: Lexus) |
The good news: left in drive, the gearbox is very responsive, gears down ‘right now’, and works with the eager engine to blast the IS along on a wave of throaty, smooth and free-revving thrust at any prod of the rightmost pedal.
The bad news: The transmission does as it pleases regardless of driver inputs via the paddle shifters. An early upshift at full throttle gets ignored, and full throttle application in any pre-selected gear causes a downshift. This makes the paddles fairly irrelevant—though they can be forgiven in light of the neck-straining acceleration and instant throttle response.
On board
Drivers take it all in from a unique cabin. The tester got an all-black colour scheme broken up slightly with metallic trim and a few contrasting textures. There’s no excessive visual stimulation in here, albeit the gorgeous, technical-looking instruments. In typical Lexus fashion, it’s all trimmed gorgeously, assembled impeccably and mainly easy to use.
Extra points for the very comfortable seats, powerful Mark Levinson audio system and good all-around visibility. Navigation, Bluetooth and even heated chilled and motorized front seats were on board. It’s a cool and relaxing place to spend some time during a gentle ride, too.
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| The tester got an all-black colour scheme broken up slightly with metallic trim and a few contrasting textures. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |