Should I get the Lexus IS500 or BMW M340i?
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0:00 - Intro

BAD:

0:27 - Adjust Performance Expectations

This isn’t exactly a BAD thing, but it’s a very Lexus thing. You need to adjust your expectations before you get into this car

First, if you were expecting an ISF successor to fight the M3 or C63, you’ll be disappointed.
The IS500 has almost 500 hp, but with just RWD and the archaic 8 speed gearbox 0-60 is done in just 4.3 seconds
You had adaptive suspension, and forged wheels, and an LSD, but make no mistake it’s still more on the Lexus side than the F side
Think of it more as an IS350 with a V8 swap than a M3 fighter

So that must mean it’s an M340 fighter? Technically yes, price and performance wise it’s much closer to the M340, but it’s smaller, softer, slower, and older


1:27 - Age

Which leads me to my second point, age.

This car, at its core is around a decade old, whereas the C63 is BRAND new, granted its got half the cylinders and almost a ton on this thing

And the M340i is pretty new as well, and both those cars FEEL a lot newer than this


2:19 - The gearbox

They’ve got the Aisin 8 speed in here that we drove in the RCF and was in the deceased GSF

And in a vacuum it’s fine, but again, compared to modern standards it’s not as smooth or as sharp as competitors


3:12 - Fuel economy

Pretty simple, it’s a big 5 liter v8 making 472 hp - it’s thirsty
20 mpg combined


3:27 - Rear seats

It’s just a bit cramped - the more modern cars have gotten bigger but this car has stayed the same size


3:52 - Price

We’ve touched on this a number of times but for the age of the car it;s a lot of money

Starting, these IS500s cost just under 60k
But this one as tested is just about 66k

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GOOD:

4:33 - The Engine

I LOVE these Lexus 5 liter V8s

They’re not the fastest things on the road, but they sound incredible, they make great power, and they’ve historically been pretty bulletproof

This engine is cranking out 472hp and 395 lbft
Technically 1 more p than the flagship Lexus LC500

ALSO 90 more hp than the BMW M340i…yet the BMW is quicker to 60 thanks to low turbo torque, AWD grip, and a better 8 speed

BUT it’s the sound character of this engine that gets me everytime


5:27 - Styling

I would also like to say that this is far and away the best LOOKING car between the M340i and the C43 and S4


6:30 - The Drive

Remember at the beginning of the video when I said to adjust your expectations?

Well if you’ve been able to do that you can really start to appreciate this car for what it is

Don’t buy this if you’re looking for an M3
Don’t buy this if you’re looking for the FASTEST car out there
Don’t buy this if you get in fights with strangers on the internet based on hp numbers and 0-60 times

BUT if you love going out for a drive on a lazy Sunday afternoon before a week of work, then you should buy this


7:36 - Interior Quality

We talked about the design being pretty familiar for the last decade, but it’s still really well built and makes a lot of ergonomic sense - something that can’t always be said for the BMW and Mercedes

Everything is solid
Eveything feels nice and expensive to the touch
Pretty much everything is physical
Except for the climate sliders but those are kinda cool
Nothing creaks in here or rattles
You’ve got nice luxuries like heated and cooled seats
A heated steering wheel
Mark Levinson audio
You’ve got a fancy clock on your dash with carbon weave for the face

It’s certainly lexus nice in here


8:20 - Tech

I will also say, for something of this age, and I know we keep harping on that point, it’s actually got some decent tech features

Your center screen is updated, bigger, and now a touchscren so you dont have to use that terrible track pad
You’ve got ACP and AA even if it is wired
You’ve got 360 cameras
You’ve got one of the coolest gauge clusters ever..it’s the slidey one from the original LFA…cool
And then the biggest surprise was the comprehensive driver assist suite
It’s got safety sense 2.5 or whatever they call it, but its’ really quite good

It is missing things like a wireless charger and it still has a CD player, but it’s still pretty modern from a tech perspective

9:05 - Trunk

And lastly we’ll talk trunk and practicality

The trunk is actually pretty big - it’s nice and deep and the seats fold, although not from the trunk itself

It’s perfectly practical and fits everything I put in it this week…final thoughts

9:19 - Outro