Ok, I know these two cars are in different classes. But, would you ever consider the IS350 over the RL, yes or no, and why? I ask this because another member totaled his RL recently and mentioned that he is considering the IS350, so I wanted other opinions.

 

Yes, I would consider the new IS. It has many of similar features, plus more horsepower and a smaller size (which I like). However, I would probably choose the RL again, because I love that car!

 

I wouldn't. The new IS is just too small -- it's a compact sedan. That takes it out of consideration for me.

 

If I were in the market for a compact foor door, I'd probably go with the IS350 over anything on the market right now, that car is pure hotness. However, if I needed to drive a family or some business clients around, I would have to give my nod to the RL, it's just larger and more about luxury.

 

The new IS350 is a rocket. Very fast and more sporty than the RL.

But less luxurious. Depends on your priorities.

 

The IS350 is a very nice car, but I agree with the majority so far that its not big enough for some people. It all comes down to what the individual is looking for, size and luxury, or speed. The only card the IS holds over the RL is acceleration, other than that I cant think of one thing the IS could do better.


Oh, excuse me, it has heated/cooled seats!!!!!

 

In addition to the RL yes, as a substitute no. I just saw it at the car show the other day and it feels small to me - almost as small as a 3 series BMW, but much much nicer! Better materials inside, better fit and finish, much nicer paint, etc., etc. I think the IS is the nicest, hottest car of its class out there - having said that, load it with all the extras available and it gets up to over $45K . . . . . worth it? not to me

 

I'm not giving up AWD - it is a minimum entry requirement for any sedan I buy. The IS350 doesn't have AWD so I'd never consider it.

 

This is what I thought everybody would say. I am glad I have my RL - although I do wish it was more sporty; however, I like the bigger car and extra room - and especially the safety of the car.

 

I'm with Karl. No AWD -> no buy.

 

For those who don't need AWD, then I personally think the IS is a better buy...it may get better fuel economy as well.

 

Considered waiting for the IS rather than the RL, but after finding out that the IS250 were to be the only with AWD, and the fact that it only has 206hp, we chose the RL.

My friend just picked up his 350 last week and I gotta tell ya, it's a damn nice car. It's a vast improvement over the previous generation. The ride is much more sporty, and it handles pretty damn good for a sedan, along with the sport, it also seems to shift quicker than the RL. Downsides? It's smaller than the RL, not as luxo as the RL. Technology and ergonomic design wise the IS arent nearly as impressive. But don't get me wrong. It's still quite nice.

The IS and RL aren't direct competitors.

330i = is350
325ix = is250
is350 > TL

530ix = RL

 

530xi is a direct comp to the RL.... and also 10-15k more with an external cd change

I was just curious how people felt about the IS vs the RL.

 

If someone doesn't need AWD and doesn't mind a smaller car then yep, I'd say the IS350 would be a great buy. The RL doesnt have anything more than the 350 has aside from the AWD. I have no idea how someone can say the IS isn't as technologically advanced or as luxurious as the RL. Material quality seems to be on par, the IS again has as many features and it is quieter than the RL and it probably has a smoother ride. That to me is luxury.

I'd love an AWD 350. If they make one then I would think about trading in my RL for it assuming its price stayed about the same as the current RWD 350. Having driven the 250 AWD, there is no way I'd trade the RL in for that because it is overpriced.

I will say that having been a previous IS300 owner the new IS' backseat has LESS room than the previous gen. I don't give a shit what the specs say about this.

Oh and the new IS has less headroom. it is the single complaint I have over the interior of that car. With the moonroof the headroom is tight...

 

The new IS350 is considered by many in the auto industry to be a disappointment. It was to be the fabled "BMW 3 Series killer" and it missed the mark according to many experts. (Most comparisons in major magazines agree, but I don't always consider those tests the best sorce.)

As an example of the comments going around (but hardly a definitive source) is a review done by the auto editor for the New York Times available at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/au...es/27AUTO.html

 

Saw an IS 250AWD in traffic today in NJ. It had a nice color (metallic gray), but the car is really SMALL. I mean it looks like a Civic in size. I was hoping to get an IS250/350 but in the end, the RL was purchased due to its larger interior and great luxury/technology balance. There is no comparison between the IS and RL. To me the IS350 is not worth the money for such a small car.

 

I'm a first time poster on this forum and I was interested to see this
thread. I am looking to buy a 4 door sedan and have pretty much
narrowed it to one of the RL or the IS350.

I know these cars aren't in the same target market but they're both
quite interesting to me. One thing which doesn't help me decide is the
price. The RL can be had with quite a discount and so the RL and the IS
as I would get it are roughly the same price, to within a couple thousand.

I've driven the IS but only sat in the RL. The IS is pretty fast and that's
seductive but it is small. 85% of my driving will be solo but I do have a
family and the back seats are tiny, tiny, tiny. The interior is beautiful and
reeks of high end. The IS probably gets better mileage although I've
heard the IS mileage is significantly worse than the EPA ratings.

I stilll need to drive the RL but it's currently an uphill battle. My wife isn't
enamoured with the exterior styling and complains the dash is a "sea of
buttons". However I really like and trust Honda and I like the interior of
the RL. I am impressed by the SH-AWD but wonder about the car's
basic reliability as compared to the Lexus.

Any further pontificating on the RL and how it compares would be greatly
appreciated.

Pat

 

I would recommend you try to sell your wife on AWD as a safety feature, especially if you live in an area where it snows or rains often. Also, let her know that she doesn't have to actually USE all those buttons. In fact, she doesn't have to take her hands off the steering wheel, because the voice commands are very advanced. That could be considered another safety feature. In addition, maybe hint to her that the styling of the RL might seem a little bland, but it will age better, it won't looked dated as soon as the IS might.

I hope that helps.

 

I think the "bland" styling is actually a feature for me. I like the idea of a
luxo-sedan which doesn't shout "look at me, I'm flush" to the world, as does
BMW, Benz, and Lexus.

I tried the voice commands at a car show and impressed myself because, even
with all the ambient noise and the people sticking their heads in the car and
mumbling about this and that, the system recognized every word I said. It was
pretty impressive.

I'm interested in hearing opinions on how ergonomically useful you all think
the RL's interior controls are. I've tried iDrive and wouldn't buy a car with it.
The Acura system seems more intuitive but there are a lot of controls.

Pat

 

Pat,
It really depends on how long you're going to keep the cars. I think reliability on both of 'em will be about the same, but Toyota's build quality MAY be better, don't know for sure. I don't know of any major issues with either of these cars (i.e. engine, transmission, etc), but Acura did have a fair share of transmission failures with the 2nd Generation TLs leading up to 03, and some of the early build 04 Acuras as well. Toyota has had its own share of problems with sludge in the past as well, and their engines aren't particularly easy on oil either, but then again, with this new engine, I have no clue.

Any problems you'll have with the IS will probably be minor and will be software related. There were some "glitches" with the RL in its first year, so I'd expect the same with the IS. Acura fixed the problems for the 06RL, so it may have fewer problems if you compare it to the IS.

I don't know where you are located...but AWD is definitely a factor if you live somewhere with snow...

Mike

 

I went out last Friday and test drove the IS350, GS430 and the RL. The IS350 was a rocket. I have owned 3 LS400's, LX450, and LX470 so I have always been partial to Lexus. If I were single and in my mid 20's I would probably go with the IS350. However, I too have kids, although 10 and 6, there is little to no room in the backseat for book bags, etc. That eliminated the IS350. The GS430 when priced out with similiar features to the RL is almost 60K. I could not justify 15K. I have also driven the BMW 530i and 330i. They were both boring. There is a certain smugness that goes along with BMW. The RL in my opinion blows everything else away. It had better handling thanthe BMW's and had better technology that the Lexus's.

Now my only decision is going to be the color for the RL.

 

Pat - Welcome to the forums. Hopefully you soon see that you will find a wealth of information related to the RL. I won't bother to repeat what others have said in the situation - IMO the RL is a great bargain and has almost everything you could possibly want in a car.

As far as the control knob (i-drive like) it is actually very intuitive once you use it a couple days and does indeed blow away the BMW system. Try to schedule a test drive of the RL for a couple hours so you and your wife can spend time in it playing with the toys.

The RL has some of the best safety features in the industry. I bought the RL over another car because I wanted to stay with Honda/Acura after my accident with the TL. If you take a moment and visit the thread here ( https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...light=accident ) you will see the TL I was in. I expect the RL to perform the same if not better in the event of another accident. If you want to be convinced to the RL over the IS - space and safety are the two features. Think about the safety of your family

Either way, both the IS and RL are exceptional vehicles and will perform well. With Lexus, you get the Lexus name as well as their excellent service department and reliability. With Acura you should get a very reliable car - but the service departments will not go out of their way to make you feel extra special like Lexus. That is my only real complaint about Acura. The only features that I find are missing from my 05' RL is cooled seats as well as a rear view camera. The 06' RL has an optional rear view camera.

 

The week before Thanksgiving I test drove the RL and IS 350 back to back.

The RL had a smooth ride compaired to my TL and felt, as other's have stated, like a luxuary car. The multi-control knob was easy enough to learn however in traffic I would use as many of the voice recognition features as possible.

I set the Driver Info screen to depict the torque split of the drive system and must say that was fun to watch. I looked for every curve there was and often floored the throttle to see how the car would perform. To that end the FWD TL is more fun but it is suppose to be.

Starting and cutting off the motor were simple enough. When the steering wheel moved away I know the power was off. Locking and unlocking were easy enough to operate as well. Over all I really liked the car as I feel it is WAY better then the RL before it.

Now the IS is a different beast! Watching a DVD movie up front is odd (I'd rather have the screen for rear seat passengers as that may be a way to make the trip more comfortable) but a nice marketing feature. Oh, and the rearview camera is a feature that the RL should have came with!

I prefer the starting and stopping button over the switch Acura uses as it was more fun to use, however in Acura's wisdom they must have felt that customers would find the switch to be more familiar (turning of a key).

As stated the acceleration is a blast. That thing really knew how to put a smile on our face.

I perfer Acura's voice commands over the Lexus in general although the reponse time seemed faster in the IS.

The sound system was top notch and the ventilated seats are a must have Acura needs to bring to the US since Canda has it (MMC?).

To that end, I am 6', 2.5" and the IS is a tight fit. Getting in and out was not easy and if any sat behind me, they'd better be a kid.

Then there is the price. When Lexus target the 330i they did a good job as the price rises with various options.

The RL (is somewhat cheaper or about the same price with dealer mark downs) comes off as a better fit.

It just isn't as fun to drive.

 

......"Taste of Lexus" event here at the El Toro Air Force Base in Orange County. They had setup a racetrack with cones etc. and had the IS350 (among other Lexus vehicles) and it's competitors for the participants to compare. The IS with it's 306hp was simply incredible!!.....it felt more like a V8 was shoved in there!!!!....a "sickening" amount of Torque on "start-off" and then gobs of power throughout the rev range. It felt every bit as quick as it's timed 5.5 second 0-60 figure!! ...It's competitor, the BMW 330i did not feel anywhere near as powerful, but it did have the edge when it came to Road feel, steering feel and handling etc. (That is not to say the IS did not handle well, just that the BMW did REALLY GREAT)

...but then again on subjective evaluation, you wouldn't get the unbelievably fantastic interior and goodies (including the fabled Nav system) in the IS 350 that you get with an RL

 

^ That makes me *ALMOST* want the IS over the RL.

 

Old Thread Revival Time

I myself am at this same "decision time". I have test drove both, and both offer vastly different benfits. I am coming from a well-modded 350Z of almost three years now, so I am pretty much over my power/speed/handling days, but I still want something that will be enjoyable as needed.

Luxury Appoinments and Accessories - for me it is a wash. The Lexus has the ventilated seats, whereas the RL has the shades and XM NavTraffic (something I currently have in my Z and would like to keep). Blueutooth, Navi, Extensive Leather, Wood Trim

Interior Space - The front of both cars feel the same. I am 5'7" so I can't judge that fairly. The back seat of the IS is ok for no more than 1 hour. I think I could sit a few hours in the back of the RL. The center "hump" seat is useless even for me back there in both cars.

Trunk - The RL seemed a tad latger, but neither was mafia-pleasing ... either way, my bikes will be trunk or roof mounted on this car.

Stereo - both were nice ... either will be replaced (it's my Job!)

Exterior - I truly love the exterior of the IS, it is sexy. I am however contunially appreciating the RL's exterior. It really does look like a well-styled accord. It is classy...probably a more timeless design than the flashy IS. I am unsure of my position on this yet ....

Driving Experience - Yes, the RL is not LS430 smooth, but it was somewhat noticeably softer and more comfortable than the IS. That being said, I feel that the IS handled much better in everyday driving. The IS is more fun to drive.

Price - Loaded IS w/ ML and Navi = $47k vs. RL ~$44k (this is LA Pricing). I think the RL offers a better value for the money being that it is AWD ... for some reason I really like the idea of AWD ... but I can't bring myslef to risk the purchase of an Audi (my sisters VW is a nightmare electrically).

I am really looking to get a car that is gonna be in the family for the next 7-10 years...and both Toyota and Honda do get the vote of confidence for this. The one thing that worries me is the long-term reliability of the SH-AWD. It is expensive, we all know this ... but after the warranty ... what happens when it needs replacing ... one of my looming fears ....

My car purshace will probably take place in the next two months here when I really figure out what it is I want ... but it will most likely be an IS or RL.

Jim

 

Two very different cars, for the reasons others have mentioned. The RL falls down quite a bit in the "fun to drive" area. My father, who currently owns a GS 400, was thoroughly bored by the RL.

The closest thing to the RL is probably the Audi A6. My sister also had a Jetta that was a nightmare, though...

A note on the IS interior: it looks MUCH richer in the dark gray. In lighter shades it looks cheap in places. I suspect this is why some people love the interior, and some say it looks cheap. They might have looked at different colors.

 

Welcome to the forums Jim. I just sold my RL and ordered an IS350. I guess that should explain my thoughts. Granted, I am close to your age - and I wanted a more fun to drive car. They are both well appointed and both have their advantages and disadvantages (AWD for the RL) BTW: The IS does have the rear sunshade - it is part of one of the packages. In general, the difference between the two cars is size and power. The RL has onstar, navtraffic and XM standard. The IS does not have onstar or navtraffic - XM OR Sirius will be an option to be added in a month or two. The IS comes with rear view camera and ventilated seats.

Other than that, the two cars are very similar in features. The IS (with one of the packages) includes pass. seat memory. Doesn't really mean much to me because it's not like I carry around people.

You may want to look at this thread in our Car Talk forum. It discusses the RL vs IS350 just like this thread does.

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/rl-vs-is350-325840/

 

As a non-audiophile, wondering what it is about the RL's stereo that needs to be replaced. Admittedly I'm not a stereo expert, but I've never heard a system that sounded as good as the RL's. Just curious what kind of things you're thinking about replacing.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

vp911, I have seen you over on ClubLexus.com ... I am more of a browser on both of these forums ... You know, after I typed that sunshade thing .. I kinda thought I was wrong ... oh well. The ventilated seats do sound nice, but I have never used them so I don't know ... but the Valley can get in the 100s and I think I would appreciate it then.

They truly are two different cars with a unique appeal ... and it is strange to me that both have caught my eye ... but they have Decisions .... decisions ....

How much did you end up paying for the IS?

mcaresh, I agree about the interior. In fact, I find a black leather interior in nearly any car to look more luxurious than a beige/cream color. Greys can look nice as well ... but not nearly as luxurious as a clean black interior.

lsbuffs,
I would not consider myself an audiophile by any means .. I do however have good hearing and a trained ear. I would consider the Acura's system to be very good ... in fact, suprisingly good for a stock stereo. I however, can never stick with stock. I am always using some samples I get from work or other sources to test them out for a while.

I plan to replace all of the speakers in the car and add a small 10" subwoofer in a side of the trunk. I will also add a dsp to eliminate all facotry eq'ing and new amplifiers. All of this will be completely transparent to anyone who ever sits in the car or looks in the trunk.

Currently in my 350Z I have Klipsch 1" Ti tweeters in a 60x90 tractrix horn molded into each of my kicks, paired with a 6.5" cerrametallic mid with a custom crossover and a small 10" subwoofer molded into the rear wheel well.

I do all of my own work on my cars ... and probably wouldn't get to replacing things for a few months or so .... but it will done. no craz flip-screens, none of that crap .. just a more detailed system with some lower bass response.

 

Ahh ok . I don't think you will miss the ventilated seats until you have used them. We had a ES330 loaner when our RX300 was last in for service and it had ventilated seats. I knew that my next car would have them.

They truly are two different cars with a unique appeal ... and it is strange to me that both have caught my eye ... but they have Decisions .... decisions ....

$2k off sticker. So close to $43k.

 

is350 is a beast... however it can't be as luxurious as RL. its a fast car!

 

Why can't a fast car be as luxurious? IMO it has more luxury features than the RL. Take the pass. memory seats for example.

 

VIK it depends what is your definition of luxurious. I hope it is not the cabin size.
I know that you got your IS350, but from your last posts here, I sense that you are elevating your IS350. It is a nice car with a lot of different features, but in different class than RL.

 

Maybe different "category" would be a better term than different "class." The two cars are very different, though.

 

If you can't throw the size difference out of the window for this thread, then there is no point having the thread. It is simply impossible to compare the two without getting rid of size.

I'm not talking up or talking down the RL or IS. Yes, they are different sized cars which puts them in a different category, but the thread is trying to compare the two. Leaving size out of the picture (which is required if you want to try to compare the luxury amenities) I don't see the either one being better than the other, but more of a personal preference. It is the same as choosing between the RL, M35x and GS300. There are small differences between those and it's all about personal preference.


I don't see where there are a lot of different features. XM, Navtraffic, Onstar and SH-AWD are the only things I can really see as different. Ok, well, the Acura nav blows away Lexus and anybody else. That is about it. The IS doesn't have those, but has cooled seats, rear view cam and intuitive park assist. Those seem like minor features (well, sh-awd isn't a small feature) to be trading off. The RL seats are soft and comfortable, the IS is also soft and comfortable (too much so for many people). The IS you get pass. memory seats, illuminated door sills. All these are little features, but when you are looking at cars above $40k, it is the little features which make a car more luxurious than another one. All in all, I think both cars are pretty equal, but the IS has more usable features than the RL. How many of you are going to pay to use onstar after your 1 year is over? Some might have, I might have done so. Navtraffic, how many are going to pay for it? Not many, in the last couple weeks I had the RL, the navtraffic was too slow to update in order to avoid traffic problems. OTOH, the IS has features which people will use more often. (Granted, I don't know why I would care if the pass. has memory seats - I think it is foolish, but it is a feature most other cars don't have).

What I love about each forum is, if you say a different brand car is better than another, you will get beaten over the head for it. I see this in the 3GTL forum a lot. I see it a TON in BMW forums.

I should point out, before somebody jumps on me saying this. If the IS was built by Honda/Acura I still would have bought it. It isn't the brand name that convinced me to buy it. In fact, I would rather have it be by a different company - I don't like to walk around saying 'I drive a lexus or bmw or benz" I hate when people jump up and say they drive an expensive car.

 

I was thinking that M3 was IS350's competitor? Good to hear that IS350 did very well. About time that people realize that BMW's are just "status" nothing else. Actually, I remember reading in Car & Driver that 0-60 on the IS350 was 5.1.

 

Agreed 100%. For the life of me, I can't understand what the point of this feature is since 99% of the necessity of a multi-adjustable seat is positioning the driver in relationship to the steering wheel.

All the parking-assist doodads of the IS seem superfluous in South Florida where I live (parallel parking is a rarity here), and the navigation system of the RL might represent an even greater advantage to those of use dealing with urban sprawl (e.g. South Florida), as compared to drivers who confine themselves to a few routes in large metro cities.

I have seen several IS250/350's in the last few days, and I think the styling is beautiful. Haven't been in one, but have looked in windows of parked cars. The dash seems a little austere compared to the RL, and the IS overall seems less substantial size-wise. But it's a a damn fine looking car.

If I did not have kids and have the necessity of the larger back seat for carseats (with the 90 degree door opening), I would definitely have the IS on my short list, however. But given my needs, it's not an option.

 

I agree with Vik. I just sold my 06 RL. The nav traffic does not even work half the time. The car felt slower than my wifes mdx and the service dept. always seems to say, cannot duplicate problem or checked other RL and it is a characteristic of the car. Vik I agree 110% with you. I stopped useing the navtraffic, did not use onstar and started haveing rattles near the rear sunshade. The dealer said it was a characteristic of the car. I am buying a new house soon so I dumped the rl and went back to a tl witch I can say is 10 times more fun to drive and is solid as a rock. I wish the RL had come standard with a backup camera, wood wheel and cooled seats. The IS 350 is a better car by far. Hell the TL is a better car for what I need out of it and is 17k less. They have to drill a hole in the trunk for the backup camera in the RL. If these mechanics can't even figure out how to renew the xm subscription after 40 rls run through with acuralink problems what makes me want them adding a electronical accessory to the car and drilling holes in it. F*** that. I had the wood grain wheel installed and it went back twice for scratches and allighnment issues. It would be nice to have them installed at the factory. Lexus is smart. Good luck to you Vik and I know you will enjoy your IS as that is one sweet ride. I hate when people want to bash someones decision because in there own head they know dam well what we are talking about. My 05 RL was takin apart 6 times. Not to mention I would go somewhere and people would go, "Is that the new honda accord." Your dam straight that makes me mad driveing a car like that and people saying it looks like an accord. Funny thing is I pulled into starbucks yesterday in the black TL and two girls were like wow that is a nice car and asking all about it. Not once did that happen with the RL. The only questions that were asked about it were, "can you duplicate the problem for me."

 

m3 is faster than is350. is350 is well blended car, luxurious and fast. Being 20 that I am, I would choose is350 over RL. However RL has awesome nav, also very spacious. It all depends on your taste.