2008 Lexus IS 350 Consumer Reviews

Very fine vehicle

Written by: Oregonhiker on 04/18/2009

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I just bought a 2008 loaded Lexus IS350 w/7,000 miles...this is my 5th Lexus, the others being SUV's, but have also owned 3 BMW's, including a wonderful M3. The IS350 is a great car. 98% of my driving is city, suburb or highway and it performs flawlessly. If I drove major "twisties" everyday, maybe I would have bought another BMW, but few of us have the "true" abilities to push either Lexus or BMW to their honest limits... It has 90% of the BMW capabilities, IMHO, plus a quieter ride, better interior, better exterior, more reliability and at least an equal resale value. It doesn't scream "look at me"...hey, even the engine and muffler are quiet, but power is vastly available when you want it.

Favorite Features

* Interior features / comforts (+ Nav) * Engine. Major power. * Resale value and reliability * Comfortable ride for hours * Exterior stance. * 18 inch wheels - graphite. * Overall Lexus quality... been loving THAT for years. * Not "everyone" has one. A little more exclusivity.

Suggested Improvements

* Little bigger back seat. * Manual transmission option. Accept it for what it is...it's a Lexus, and a fine one at that. Stop comparing it to "everything else" and see how it stacks up to your criteria. It's a very fine vehicle that puts a smile on my face everyday. Best wishes in your search

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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My IS-350

Written by: Stix1951 on 01/15/2009

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I love my IS-350. It is fun to drive, comfortable, great looking and handles nicely. The prompt response when needed or wanted is awesome when slipping into manual trans mode. Nav system is to be desired. It has some good points and I used it on several occasions to find my way but the voice recognition is worthless. Audio system is OK but it would be nice to see the track name and not just a number on CDs. Limited rear seat leg room could be a problem but I seldom use it so I deal with it. Memory front seats should be standard, after all, this is a Lexus.

Favorite Features

Keyless entry, automatic to manual trans option is fun. Inside lighting is cool. Heat/cool ventilated seats are nice. Speed of car.

Suggested Improvements

Total re-do of the nav system, especially the voice recognition. Make memory seats standard.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Lexus IS 350

Written by: D2ab on 08/30/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I absolutely love my IS 350. I looked at many cars in this class (BMW 335i, A4, Acura TL, Mercedes C class, etc.). I really didn't even want to look at the Lexus because everyone seems to be driving Lexuses these days and I wanted something different. However, once I saw the IS I changed my mind. We have had no problems and driving is very fun. The car is fast, but not as much road noise as other cars had. I had to get the luxury package to get the memory position seats and love having the heated and ventilated front seats. The interior is loaded and very comfortable.

Favorite Features

Mark Levinson audio system is superb; love the keyless entry-this is so convenient; comfort of seats; speed of car.

Suggested Improvements

Make the memory seats available as a standard feature; make the navigation system more user friendly,

11 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Wattarocket!

Written by: FuegoFan on 08/07/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I admit that I've only owned my IS350 for about six weeks now but I am very impressed with it so far. My wife drives a 2004 Lexus RX330 so we were already familiar with the outstanding build quality of Lexus vehicles. My last three cars had been Mercedes C-Classes. Those were nice cars but Lexus has left Mercedes in the dust with the standard features, power, comfort and overall quality of the IS350. What may be the most impressive is the value of the IS350 for the money spent but that has to compete with the hustle this car shows and the way it hunkers down when going into corners at speed. It is a really fun car to own and drive!

Favorite Features

Nav system electronics and capabilities are absolutely fabulous. Power and torque off the line are very gratifying. Leather interior is a great standard feature and ventilated seats make summer driving a pleasure. And in black, this car even looks fast.

Suggested Improvements

Fuel economy could use some improvement and there is as little rear seat legroom as in a C-Class or BMW 3-Series. It would also be nice to hear some growl and grumble to the engine for all of the power with the pedal-to-the-metal, instead of the Lexus hum.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Performance + Luxury = IS350

Written by: igofast on 08/03/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

Let me start by saying I test drove many cars before selecting the Lexus IS 350 (C350, 335i, G35, G37, CTS). I believe it has the best combination of performance and luxury in this market segment. The car is very fast, the interior is terrific, with very soft leather and a nice dash layout. The seats are very comfortable. I have the navigation and the Mark Levinson sound system options and the sound is fantastic! The gas mileage is not that great but is costs a little extra to go fast! Best car I have ever owned and the service at the dealership has been excellent. So far I have about 6000 miles with zero problems. Did I mention that this car is fast!! And comfortable. ++

Favorite Features

Sound system, performance, interior, bluetooth, lighting, reliability, F-Sport accessories.

Suggested Improvements

Larger back seat area. Fold down rear seats. HD nav with music storage.

14 out 15 people found this review helpful

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Not bad, not great

Written by: Scott on 07/28/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

So close to being perfect, a shame they blew a few details that make it less than so. The luxury/sporty balance is second to none. ML stereo sounds wonderful although XM sounds crappy (not Lexus's fault - it's XM's signal compression). The nav is awful. It suffers from obvious language/requirement translation issues in the design cycle - such a shame. Stupid limitations and just not user friendly. Nothing about it is intuitive. Speech recognition is worst- in-class - inability to recognize simple commands render it unusable. Bluetooth only auto-connects with one phone - how dumb is that. Very limited steering wheel controls mean constantly trying to navigate menus.

Favorite Features

Leather, power, cornering ability. I like the fact that it doesn't sound like a throaty sports car inside - I don't need that. If the infiniti G35 rode smoother and wasn't so loud, I would have gone with it. For folks who want a real balance of power and luxury, this is it.

Suggested Improvements

Improve nav and extend controls to the steering wheel. For example, if I'm surfing XM presets (only 6 at a time *sigh*) I should at least be able to see the current song - but no. It sucks. Car is unnecessarily heavy which hampers milage. It's only 300 lbs lighter than my old V8 LS - go figure.

9 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Navigation System

Written by: wrecks on 06/17/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

The navigation system on this car it totally useless. No input while driving, no turn by turn guidance in unverified areas (smaller towns). While driving on a route if you enter a smaller town the guidance stops and you are on your own until you come to major highways. I purchased a Garmin nuvi 760 for my navigation needs, works better and guides for all occasions. I should have kept my Acura TL. Much better car.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

Open the GPS to the technology.

9 out 35 people found this review helpful

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A nice blend of luxury and comfort

Written by: Matt on 04/19/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

The IS 350 is a very good alternative to the BMW 3-series. I was planning to get a 335i coupe, but gave the IS 350 a look and I liked the IS better than the bimmer. Dont get me wrong, the BMW handled real nice (free maintenance for 4 years is tough to beat), but I do most of my driving on the highway, so I needed that a car that has both comfort and performance. The IS also looks better than the BMW, and it was less noisy (dealership told me it was due to run flat tires).

Favorite Features

The car is powerful, and very comfortable even with the sport suspension. Passenger-side standard 10-way power seats are a nice touch since its a option with the 3-series.

Suggested Improvements

Fuel economy could be better. Even though you can manually turn the traction control off, it still comes back on after 15-20 mph.

11 out 12 people found this review helpful

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This car has too many rattles

Written by: astrajet1125 on 04/13/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

I'm shocked at the amount of rattles this car has in the first few thousands miles. As of today 7 squeaks and rattles!! I've been to the dealer 7 times with poor results. I was informed that they were "noise" issues not rattles and to deal with them as the nature of the car. Not the Lexus service they advertise! Do not buy this car if squeaks and rattles bother you.

Favorite Features

Lighting, GPS, XM, ambient interior lighting, smart key features, design lines

Suggested Improvements

11 out 17 people found this review helpful

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Still more luxury than sports sedan.

Written by: James B on 04/08/2008

Vehicle

2008 Lexus IS 350 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)

Review

The Lexus IS 350 is still more luxury than sports sedan. Straight-line performance is fantastic, and the automatic transmission is smooth. I am a tall/large guy and this car fits me well, due largely to a very adjustable driver's seat. The intake and exhaust notes could be more pronounced like on the BMW 3. The brakes and tires are high-performance versions (something tells me to compete better in comparos with the 3-series) and will wear out quickly, so be prepared to replace them often or get the less performance- oriented / higher-mileage substitutes. The body styling is wonderful, this car is truly curvy and beautiful.

Favorite Features

The 3.5L engine is wonderfully powerful and eager to run. The ventilated seats are great for hot summers. Sunroof controls are easy to use.

Suggested Improvements

The navigational system's touch screen functionality is severely crippled while moving, due to "liability concerns" by Lexus corporate. If you are a tech/navi geek you may prefer the other vehicle brands that don't treat you like a child while the car is moving. Also the back seats are very small.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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