Tony Pac

Lets' forget about the German cars for a moment and lets compare these three Japanese cars.

Which of these 3 cars would you consider if you are in the market to buy one?
Which of these 3 cars offer best value?

*It's a fair comparison, all of them are the latest model of Acura, Infiniti and Lexus

Please don't be biased, I know we are here with most of Acura's fans but be honest


I can't edit the title, I meant TLX.

Stew4HD

I think it is fair to say that we cannot judge this because the SH-AWD TLX is not readily available for anyone to compare with

Tony Pac

Good point.

Stew4HD

Between the IS and Q50, I'd take the Q50 in a heartbeat. I have test driven a couple of them and like the interior and exterior better than the IS.. I have not driven the IS, after sitting in one, it was too small for my liking

ostrich

I have been looking at these cars too. My personal choice would be the TLX SH-AWD for these reasons:

1. Performance - I have not driven the TLX SH-AWD (only the V6 Advance so far), so if I compare that to the IS-350 F Sport and the Q50 AWD, I would first of all eliminate the Q50. The electronic steering is something that I did not like at all. It threw me off completely and I felt that it was very jerky and "artificial". That is just my opinion. Then between the TLX V6 and IS-350, they are different but I like both. So it's a tie between the two.

2. Interior - I love the build quality and materials of the IS-350 but the space was tight. The red interior is also amazing, esp. when matched by the Atomic Silver colour!!! The Q50 had good space and the interior design was quite nice. The TLX also had good space but the interior design and materials used could be a bit more upscale. The IS-350 wins here.

3. Sound system - this is very important to me, so I list it as a separate category. The ELS system is crisp, clear and sounds the most balanced and "natural" here. The Mark Levinson is nice, but I prefer the sound of the ELS. The Q50 Bose system is just nothing compared to the above. The TLX wins here.

4. Exterior design - this is a very subjective one here. I think the IS-350 has the most presence here, but I wonder if it may get old soon? The Q50 just has too many busy lines here and there and I did not like it. The TLX probably will have the most lasting appeal, though I wished that it would have more details like it did with the Prototype. The TLX wins here with the IS as a close second.

5. Resale value - I also consider this to be important. TLX and IS will probably be better than the Q50 here.

6. Technology - I do like gadgets and technologies in my car. All three cars have great technology gadgets, but I probably like the specs of the TLX SH-AWD Elite the best.

7. Dealership experience - Lexus is clearly the winner here. Oh yes, this does affect my shopping decision.

Overall, IMHO, the TLX is the winner here. If the IS-350 had more interior space, I would have gone for it over the TLX. However, I will say "no thank you" to the Q50. It had so much promise and I tried very hard to like it, but once I have test driven it, the electronic steering put me off so much that it came off of my shopping list altogether, and I have never stepped back into the Inifiniti showroom since.... what a shame, as it could have been such a great car.

jjsC5

Pretty good points. I won't even look at the Q50 because no ventilated seats. I agree on interior space on the IS vs TXL. But I may still go drive an IS because we have a GS and it's really a fine car, but not sure I want two of them, but I have not totally ruled out a GS-F.

ostrich

You may laugh at my silly reasoning here, but if the GS-F Sport had fold-down rear seats, I would have gone for it already....! I just LOVE the interior design of the GS-F Sport. Space is good, and it's a very refined car. Probably not as sporty as what I am looking for, but overall, it is a wonderful car and I would have gone for it if it had more utility....

Tony Pac

I have to say that you pointed out the best points. It shows you aren't bias.

thanks buddy!

Rocketsfan

FYI : For 2016, it's believed that the Q50S model will get rid of the electronic DAS steering in favor of a hydraulic version like the one the G37 uses. Apparently it pissed off a lot more people than you.


http://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/31/i...ulic-steering/

weather

^^ Interesting!

Tonyware

I think that would be a mistake, to remove the electronic steering. Instead, they should put some effort to improve it. Now, if that means it would cost more, well, if someone wants an Infinity, they'll get an Infinity regardless.

A while back motortrend did a head-to-head episode: Q50s vs. IS350 f sport:


...given how biased motortrend is towards Infinity (almost too obvious why), the end result is somewhat surprising.

Glashub

My experience Acura vs Lexus dealerships is that they are both very good. I really can't tell a difference in quality.

LiQiCE

Might have to check out the 2016 Q50S now that they are dropping the DAS. I sat in one recently and the interior materials are really nice.

Tony Pac

I think Lexus a great road presence. infiniti is a great car but with Q50, they look like any other car. Their G series were unique and looked amazing.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Interesting topic. I would like to see an objective comparison test of these three head to head. None is available with an MT any longer, so it should be a real apples to apples test.


The IS has gotten great reviews, many of which rave about how the driver can turn the car from a pleasant daily driver, GT car to a track-worthy car with the turn of a knob. We know the SH-AWD won't have this feature (at least as to suspension tuning) so it will be interesting to see how it fares against the IS. I'd expect performance for all three to be very similar, so the differentiating criteria will likely be driver feel, interior comfort and amenities, etc.

Tony Pac

I can't wait to see comparison of these three cars by an official reporter

saturno_v

Cross shopped extensively between Lexus and Infiniti after ruling out other brands, for my wife car.....the IS has an amazing handling, feels like a toy but a bit too cramped inside, fit and finish is perfect as usual and materials are very upscale.

We did look long and hard at the GS350 F-Sport AWD....great prices, sublime interior finishing and materials....just felt a bit too big for my wife and too conservatively styled.

Eventually the Infiniti won...amazing tech, size it's just right, we did a nice weekend out driving it for about 300 miles.


I felt initially a little bit disoriented with the Drive-By Wire steering but eventually I did like it a lot....the car can basically drive by itself with all the electronic nannies turned on, it was uncanny at times.

Fit and finish and materials are top notch as well, no less than Lexus....it was a hard call between the Q50 Sport and the GS350 F-Sport

I paid a visit to the Acura dealer to take the TLX V6 for a quick spin...IMHO it does not even belong in the same category of the Q50 or the IS350, it is one notch down across the board and MSRP prices reflects that.

BookemDanole

Did anyone notice that the paddle shifters on the Q50s are fixed to the steering column??? So when the driver is turning the wheel, his hands are nowhere near them? On the IS and the TLX, they are fixed to the steering wheel! Doesn't that make a lot more sense? I'm not a true "car guy" in the performance sense, but am I wrong here?

kurtatx

Not determined better one way or another. It's more a matter of taste.

Momyc

Can we add the new Mercedes C300 4Matic in the mix ?
I saw one exposed on the mall and I liked. I know the C300 is 2.0T , but the price point is not far from TLX V6 AWD.
To be honest I liked , the only thing that I'm not sure is the "Tablet" central display that looks like is added after.

Glashub

One thing the IS offers that no one mentions but you 4G guys will know what I'm talking about -- you can shift via paddles or gear shifter. You can always shift on twisties when hands out of position for paddles.

jjsC5

I prefer them fixed to the column. That way I always know where they are. You can only turn the wheel so far without "shuffling" you hands to the side - which is actually the preferred method. Think about this. Let's say you turn the wheel 90 degrees and your left hand and right hand are about as far as they can go. What happens if something mid-turn happens and you have to turn the wheel further in that direction? You would not be in a position to do so.

saturno_v

My wife Q50 Sport it's the same, you can manually shift both with the paddles or the shift lever...I love to have both options.

Tony Pac

You can add if you want. I excluded all the German cars and asked comparing the Japanese Sports sedans. If we add C300 then we should add A4 & 3 Series.

4WDrift

Correct, plus it's the way Aston and Ferrari at least do it, though Jaguar doesn't. Move to 6 & 12 and then immediately go for a downshift, which hand is it? You always know where the turn signals & wipers are.

BEAR-AvHistory

Actually it is. Column mounted is normal on all high end sports, super cars & pro race cars. Wish mine were on the column but at least I also have the stick for when my hands are out of position.

Shiratori1

I would go for the IS350 based solely on the transmission. I am not a fan of the 9-speed automatic that is being used on the V6 versions of the TLX. If Acura had gone with a beefier, awd-compatible version of the 2.4's 8DCT (maybe later), I would choose the TLX in a second.

ostrich

I am just curious if your opinion is based on the specs of the different transmissions, or if you have derived your opinion based on your real life test drive please?

BookemDanole

Well, I definitely can't drive the way the guy in the video does, but I could tell in a few shots that his hands were no where near the paddle shifters. Even on the canyon road where you don't turn much more than 90 degrees. They just looked really out of place on a few of the shots from where his hands were.

4WDrift

That's the thing though, generally you don't shift in the middle of a real turn - it's supposed to be done right before, like when you actually used a clutch & shifter. Now just banging through the esses, paddles okay. Lexus has it right then with their double pair paddle push/pull setup, use either hand.

Glashub

You're right. When I was a RR rep I had to get a class D race car drivers license. There should be shifting into turn and out of turn but the canyons in LA don't follow the rules.

jjsC5

I agree that you normally would not shift in a turn, but it's not out of the question. I road raced motorcycles for a few years and I still run pretty hard on the back roads. Every once in a while I find myself in a situation where I do shift in a turn. Some of the curves I run quite frequently are pretty long and fast sweepers and sometimes a shift is needed. I'm not saying it's for racing purposes, but just because something happens in a turn that I was not planning for, and sometimes I just realize that I was not in the gear I wanted to be in. Sh*t happens.

Tony Pac

Did anyone here tried all these 3 cars and made a decision?

I cannot wait to see an official comparison of these three cars

TheAcAvenger

If you put a gun to my head right now, I'd probably pick a fully loaded CPO G37 over all of them. If the rumors are true and they're putting the hydraulic steering back in for next year's Q50S, then i'd take that 1st in a heartbeat.

Of the CURRENT choices in THIS thread, I'd pick the TLX. The IS gives up space without adding any significant performance gains and has pretty much 0 aftermarket support at this point. The TLX has the same features as the others for a better price. You don't really sacrifice anything Q50s engine with that ridiculous steering system. The Lexus has slightly more comfortable seats, but I wasn't a huge fan of the dash. I think the Q50 had the best seating position, but I find it to be overpriced

I've test driven all three (the TL was a fwd model though) in the last 3 weeks and none of them were compelling enough to take my money. I felt like the IS either needs to get bigger or enhance its size with a better tranny and a new motor. The TLX needs more power (for the AWD model. It definitely more than plenty for the front 2 wheels). The Q50 needs steering.

Mr Hyde

I put my own money on the TLX.

Q50 driving dynamics put me off of it, and having owned an IS300, parts of the new ones interior were still a bit too familiar albeit much higher in quality. The interior, and trunk were also to small. The exterior although edgy right now, would probably get old with me pretty quickly.

Stew4HD

No one has tried the TLX AWD yet...

Leosliu

I think it is a clear choice for me. In Canada, q50's top package is over 4000 more and is350 is 6000 more than Acura tlx. I know there are some features is and q50 have, but tlx does not. For a regular customer like me, the tlx adv features are more than enough. If the car's exterior and interior look good, the car also drives good, I think most people will choose the cheaper one. So tlx is clearly a winner here for a regular customer that is not attached to a single brand.

CollinR4

I'm waiting for the SH-AWD, I leased an '11 G37X and I'm feeling burned by Nissan when they dropped the price on the G37 by $4500 and took everyone leasing the G to the cleaners. I have a 15K/year 39-month lease that is up in two days and I extended the lease just to wait for the Acura. Infiniti only has 26,600 miles on it with a $24K buyout on a car that has a blue book value of between $19-23K.

Nissan burned me and I'm not getting another one. I told the sales rep if he can offer me a Q50S AWD for what I'm paying now then I'd be interested (which I already know they can't). More or less I told him you can't fix what Nissan did.

Tonyware

The winner in price wars is nobody. Not the consumer not the company not the dealers. Eventually, short term gains in a price war translate in long term BIG losses. Big words, but one can write pages and pages of justification why this is true and reference a few cases in the business world.

What wins is innovation, not price wars. Premium cars, like the TLX, IS, Q, A, etc the innovation is not necessarily associated with a bunch of plastic, steel, aluminum parts and smart software put together, but is associated with service.

Yep, service wins the war and thats where the real innovation kicks in when it comes to premium and above cars like the TLX.

PS. If someone has $50k to spend on a car they also have $55k or even $60k. They won't miss that extra $10k !!! But they'll get seriously pissed off and never come back if first issue they have withe car the dealer tells them pretty much to ef-off.

jjsC5

How are they taking Leasers to the cleaners? That is one of the benefits to leasing over buying. Resale doesn't matter because you just drop it off and walk away.