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The BMW Range
3 Series
E90, E91, E92, E93
325 Sports vs IS250 vs new C Class
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<blockquote data-quote="AlexC" data-source="post: 235365" data-attributes="member: 1462"><p>E90 vs IS</p><p></p><p>Contenders to the E90 are the IS, Audi A4 and the new C Class. To me, the Audi is a non-starter because it is not RWD. And since I have yet to testdrive the W204, I shall focus on the E90 vs the Lexus.</p><p> </p><p>Was at the Lexus dealership earlier this week and the first thing that strikes you is the customer service. The staff (and by that I include the security guard, receptionist and lounge servers) are courteous, helpful and knowledgable. And I thought Sapura Auto was good.</p><p> </p><p>Salesguy (Product Consultant in Lexus-speak) ran thru the features of the IS250 showroom car and highlighted the various features. Then it was onto a testdrive on the Penchala Link (generous since it involves 2 RM2 tolls).</p><p> </p><p>First impressions- the driving position is excellent. Leather seats are soft (relative even to a CBU S-Class) and the steering can be MECHANICALLY adjusted for rake and scope. To my dismay the IS has a foot-operated parking brake. So no handbrake turns for you, bad boy.</p><p> </p><p>Performance and handling the E90 325i wins hands down- the PC conceded this fact at the onset since the IS is not directly aimed at the balls-out performance crowd. The IS concedes >10hp to the E90 and it shows (although the demo unit had about 2600km and needed more loosening up). And the inline 6 in the 325i sounds way better than the too-quiet-for-my-liking V6 in the Lex.</p><p> </p><p>Handling wise the IS exceeded my expectations. Any car shod with Re050 tires (as opposed to RE050A RFTs) would. The IS tracked effortlessly thru the long righthander after the tunnel above 140kmh in its own lane and could've easily carried more speed. The ride is a hell lot of more compliant and comfortable than even my RFT-less E90 was on std springs.</p><p> </p><p>Paddle shift was nice to have but I'm one of those that would use ANY paddle shift AUTOs merely to stay awake during long drives. E90 tranny shifts smoother but most folks already know that.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>IS - the Good</p><p> </p><p>Sunroof is 7 grand more, but at least it's an option</p><p>Adaptive Headlights std</p><p>Bloody marvelous 14-speaker ML sound system with IN-DASH 6 disc changer</p><p>3 years / 100k km warranty</p><p>AC Ionizer std (for the smokers)</p><p> </p><p>The Bad</p><p> </p><p>Sports mode is actually manual mode</p><p>Weird manual mode where you are limited to +/- 4 gears</p><p>For the equivalent of our DS mode you have to press a 'PWR' button to hold gears longer</p><p>Wood trim not as sporty as the aluminium trim in the E90</p><p>No Service Inclusive plan</p><p>No SatNav</p><p>Toggle switches (to the right of steering coluum) look out of place in a car of this class</p><p> </p><p>The Ugly</p><p> </p><p>The doors on the demo unit did NOT auto-lock!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AlexC, post: 235365, member: 1462"] E90 vs IS Contenders to the E90 are the IS, Audi A4 and the new C Class. To me, the Audi is a non-starter because it is not RWD. And since I have yet to testdrive the W204, I shall focus on the E90 vs the Lexus. Was at the Lexus dealership earlier this week and the first thing that strikes you is the customer service. The staff (and by that I include the security guard, receptionist and lounge servers) are courteous, helpful and knowledgable. And I thought Sapura Auto was good. Salesguy (Product Consultant in Lexus-speak) ran thru the features of the IS250 showroom car and highlighted the various features. Then it was onto a testdrive on the Penchala Link (generous since it involves 2 RM2 tolls). First impressions- the driving position is excellent. Leather seats are soft (relative even to a CBU S-Class) and the steering can be MECHANICALLY adjusted for rake and scope. To my dismay the IS has a foot-operated parking brake. So no handbrake turns for you, bad boy. Performance and handling the E90 325i wins hands down- the PC conceded this fact at the onset since the IS is not directly aimed at the balls-out performance crowd. The IS concedes >10hp to the E90 and it shows (although the demo unit had about 2600km and needed more loosening up). And the inline 6 in the 325i sounds way better than the too-quiet-for-my-liking V6 in the Lex. Handling wise the IS exceeded my expectations. Any car shod with Re050 tires (as opposed to RE050A RFTs) would. The IS tracked effortlessly thru the long righthander after the tunnel above 140kmh in its own lane and could've easily carried more speed. The ride is a hell lot of more compliant and comfortable than even my RFT-less E90 was on std springs. Paddle shift was nice to have but I'm one of those that would use ANY paddle shift AUTOs merely to stay awake during long drives. E90 tranny shifts smoother but most folks already know that. IS - the Good Sunroof is 7 grand more, but at least it's an option Adaptive Headlights std Bloody marvelous 14-speaker ML sound system with IN-DASH 6 disc changer 3 years / 100k km warranty AC Ionizer std (for the smokers) The Bad Sports mode is actually manual mode Weird manual mode where you are limited to +/- 4 gears For the equivalent of our DS mode you have to press a 'PWR' button to hold gears longer Wood trim not as sporty as the aluminium trim in the E90 No Service Inclusive plan No SatNav Toggle switches (to the right of steering coluum) look out of place in a car of this class The Ugly The doors on the demo unit did NOT auto-lock! [/QUOTE]
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325 Sports vs IS250 vs new C Class
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