On paper this car has everything: 300HP, AWD, creature comforts, and nice technology. Styling is polarizing, but I love the way the IS 350 F Sport looks. Unfortunately, all that just makes the IS 350 that much more disappointing. Somehow, Lexus has managed to make this car incredibly boring to drive. Acceleration is fine, but not great. Not a huge deal except gas mileage is no better than much more fun to drive cars by BMW or Audi. The 6 speed automatic that comes with the AWD version is sluggish and seems continuously confused as to what you want it to do. The mouse controller on the infotainment system is quirky, but not a deal breaker. It seems to have all the expected capabilities even if user friendliness isn't optimal. The Levinson sound system makes a huge difference, it's really outstanding. Unfortunately, the basic audio system is really hollow and it seems like 90% of the cars out there don't have the Levinson option installed. It was hot out when I drove this car and the ventilated seats were a nice touch. Overall the seats were comfortable and the cabin had a polished clean look to it but in terms of materials the IS 350 really needs to up its game compared to competitors. The exception is the gauge cluster which is really advanced compared to everything but the 2017 Audi all digital gauges. No car is perfect and I think I could forgive all the shortcomings of the IS 350 except for one. They put a huge hump that sticks out on the driver's side right where you put your feet when you are driving. Apparently it's part of the AWD system but it's seriously intrusive. Your leg rests and rubs against it while you're driving and it is really annoying. In such a competitive segment, I'm really surprised such an annoying design flaw hasn't been corrected after all these years. I wanted to love the IS 350, I was really excited to potentially drive away in one, but there are just too many problems for me to buy a car at this price point with so many things I find annoying.
