Lexus IS 300

They say it's never too late to drive an old Lexus. This model has been out since 2013 with only a minor face lift and some tweak to the suspension and gear ratios. I just had to try it out.

Doors feel solid

Interior dated

Chassis feels dated, a lot of body flex and bumpy suspension

Huge rear tunnel

Good quality materials used

Got a very good price for the car as I did not trade in any car. Love the smooth gear change, the turbo power.

As being a luxury car, the soundproofing is absolutely fantastic, played MP3 music and with built in USB port and the music sounds like a live band in front of me.

Take off from stationary is good as it is a turbo engine, and with 8 speed gearbox, the gear change is super smooth.

Driven the IS200t Exec for about a year at the time of writing. It's a great car to drive in. Coming from a Ford Mondeo, the IS200t is a huge step up in comfort and driving experience.

The interior is of high quality and it's big enough for my family even though the space is less than what we were used to.

Reliability has to be proven after a few years but so far so good. Additionally, Lexus is known to be reliable so all it's all good.

Styling wise, it's really striking. Personally, it looks great to me but I have seen on forums that some do not like it; It's very subjective.

Price wise, do not be fooled by the listed price. Borneo Motors usually gives pretty good discounts, so don't be too put off by the price. Also, spec for spec with other marques, the IS actually has a price advantage. And because the OMV is rather high, the annual depreciation is competitively priced in this segment

Engine performance is objectively really smooth during normal operations. During hard acceleration from standstill there is abit of turbo lag. But once the turbo lag is over, there is a strong sense of acceleration of getting pinned to your seats (especially when SPORT mode is on). The engine is really potent for Singapore roads.

Being more light-footed, I averaged about 12km/l. Do note that I'm almost on ECO mode with Auto Start/Stop off whenever I drive. 60% Highway 40% City.

The service rendered at Borneo Motors during service is second to none. You are treated really well with good facilities. You get a meal every time you service and the service representative is professional in his dealings. Usually, I would dread going for servicing but with Lexus' Borneo Motors, I actually found myself looking forward to it.

Received the car 2 weeks ago. The drive has been really great. Good power, great handling with a sporty look and feel. All this with the standard Lexus reliability makes owing one a must!

Great for people looking for Sporty look but comfort drive.

Interior just feel so well made and feel like seating on premium cushy sofa.

Considerably older features but to be fair it is already a few years old.

Took delivery of my IS200t about 3 weeks ago. The drive is simply brilliant and engaging. My last ride was a F10/523i which is a distance behind in drivability compared to the IS. Too soon to comment on the reliability of the IS but Lexus has a "Bulletproof" Reputation and I guess the F10 had also set a low benchmark to begin with.

Japanese made quality and Lexus renown reliability what more can you ask for?

I saw the run-out offer ad, went for a test drive and did my sums before committing to buy it. Test drive was fun and SE was nice to offer the Jervois route. I went along the bends and found it to be extremely stable in corners.

The IS200t has a refined ride. Its satisfying power delivery has been well covered in local press reviews. It can easily outrun any C180, C200 or any entry level BMW (which are similarly priced). You will easily cut through local traffic in this. It takes high speed corners flat, despite the comfort oriented Turanza T001s that come standard. However, it under steers at the limit.

There is a noticeable lag when moving off from low gear while stationary or at low speed. Cutting out of stationary traffic into a fast lane requires some caution.

What has not been covered by the reviews: I believe the brakes are upgraded to IS350 grade with 13.1 inch front rotors with 4 pot calipers. It now comes with a Lexus flat card key, which I was told was not available for the IS250, and a Yamaha performance damper to dampen vibrations from the 4 cylinder engine.

As regards its perceived lack of silence, I believe one needs to benchmark the IS200t against its competitors and it is just as silent as, if not more silent than them. The IS250's V6 (which I have driven) is smoother, but the power and torque delivery make this a far superior engine, in my view.

Is this car for you? It depends on your needs. The rear seat can only seat 2 comfortably. It does not have the C-Class's and Q50's level of tech.

The need to switch off the engine start-stop function every time is a constant source of irritation. So is the fact that the side mirrors do not tilt downwards when the car is put in Reverse. There isn't enough interior storage space.

However, at its price point, and unless one is concerned about being seen driving a German car (which may not be German-made), this choice is difficult to beat.

Test driven the IS200T which has a very responsive engine & quiet cabin.

Handling is pretty good & interior is nicely designed.

GPS is not available for the executive model; Car audio is normal.

Maybe the test route & traffic condition isn't ideal for the test drive, acceleration is below my expectation of a car that can clock 7s from 0-100 km/h. Engine is reving fast but car seems to be lagging behind.

The new IS Turbo is quite a head-turning car. Really like its aggressive good looks, and it will definitely draw stares on the road. The interior is also very nice and high on quality. I'm a big fan of the dashboard as well, although i suspect some may not be. One thing i did find rather irritating was the mouse-like pointer system. Not a fan.

the drive is, slightly underwhelming compared to how it looks. The engine is powerful, and the handling pretty sharp. But the gearbox could be better. It tends to be sluggish and slow to change gears in full auto mode.