BMW 335i vs. Lexus IS350 F-Sport vs. Infiniti Q50S vs. Cadillac ATS V6 in Road and Track Comparison Test! Lexus IS350 Wins!!

This is an odd moment. Here we have a BMW 3 Series—the car that once ruled tests like this, the machine that was for decades everything we wanted in a sport sedan—in second place. In other news, up is down, hot is cold, black is a nice shade of eggshell, and this magazine is now about cats.

Okay, that's all gibberish. But for the first time in memory, the top-of-the-line 3 Series leaves us wanting. The basic ingredients haven't changed: You get rear-wheel drive; a longitudinally mounted straight-six; near-50/50 weight distribution; and a mind-reading transmission (eight-speed automatic in the case of our test car, but unlike the other cars here, a six-speed manual is still available). The cockpit is simple, purposeful, and mostly uncluttered. Sports-car guys see what you're driving and nod in approval; regular citizens just think you're a yuppie jerk. So it goes.

If you expected the BMW to run away and hide with this one, or for newly resurgent Cadillac to pull an end run to the top, we don't blame you. But, hey, surprise! The best sport sedan here is a Luh ... a Lech ... a Lexus.

Yet here we are, and here's where the comparisons stop. While everyone else was busy benchmarking and chasing the Germans, Lexus seems to have gone and done its own, very good thing.
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GermanNut - 9/11/2013 8:09:32 PM

0 Boost

It is clear BMW has lost its way. Road and Track follows Car and Driver in placing the Lexus IS350 F-Sport in first place ahead of BMW's 335i. This time it wasn't a one point margin of victory for the Lexus either.

WelcomeLexusIS - 9/13/2013 12:22:45 PM

+2 Boost

I'd like to see a breakdown of those points and see in what area the Lexus outscores the BMW. That would probably help make a convincing argument for why it won the comparo test.

To put it plainly, the Audi S4 should have been included in this comparo test. Even if it is near the end of its current iteration. Maybe, the next relevant question becomes something like, will the all new Lexus IS350 F Sport beat the current Audi S4? I have a feeling that the S4 would breeze right through to a clear all around win. Like the A6 at the end of its last cycle, these Audi sedans are still very competitive, looks and performance wise, and surpass many when pitted against the latest and greatest from other car makers. The only downside is the 2.0 liter turbo in the current A4. It needs to make more power like it does in the Golf R. Just my opinion.

sunnee382 - 9/11/2013 10:07:18 PM

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I don't like the body style of the new Lexus vehicles. I do like the 3 series!

adidas11 - 9/11/2013 11:31:04 PM

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I would honestly buy those cars from last to first place

poot66 - 9/14/2013 12:01:34 AM

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lol me to but I am partial to Infiniti. Honestly they both gambled Infiniti gambled with its steering system and lost Lexus took an even bigger gamble with that design and they won. I would have to test drive the Q50 to see if the steering is really that bad but I don't think BMW deserves to win because they clearly played it safe with this 3 and have gotten even cheaper selling a 320I!!!! ultimate driving machine my a** and Cadillac is finally making sensible decisions and considering the market that doesn't mean that they"ve already caught up though.

nikejk - 9/11/2013 11:39:55 PM

+2 Boost

I would like to see how the steer-by-wire drives. Hate on it all you want, which I probably will too, but all of us should know that steer-by-wire is going to become much more common in cars with driverless technology coming. The article fails to recognize that one of the main reasons for the steer-by-wire system are for the Q50's immense semi-autonomous functions.

I'd like to see which companies in the future are going to choose the much tougher route of making the computer control the car with traditional mechanical systems. Because right now, vehicles with lane keeping systems use braking to keep them in their lane, which doesn't seem as efficient as the Q50 or steer-by-wire using actual steering.

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/12/2013 1:41:27 PM

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Till the system malfunctions and you go sailing into the trees.....

poot66 - 9/14/2013 12:06:34 AM

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If you read the article you would know that they have a backup system in place so that that doesn't happen.

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2013 1:08:29 AM

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completely confused by this article. the BMW brakes better, accelerates faster, has better grip on the skidpad, gets better mileage, has a better weight distribution--not to mention that it's vastly better looking inside and out. and yet the lexus wins? huh?

dayday - 9/12/2013 7:28:41 AM

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Because all of the things you said were dead numbers. Lexus simply is more fun to drive, which BMW use to be. That's why Lexus wins, in pretty much every single decent magazine/website comparison tests.

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2013 3:59:49 PM

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not dead numbers. meaningful numbers. and in terms of looks in side and out the lexus is not nearly as attractive as the bmw. bmw has definitely lost it's edge on steering with the switch away from hydraulic (so, so sad). but still the superior car on the whole.

knowitall1985 - 9/13/2013 4:27:29 PM

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Read it and weep BMW lover. Lexus finally has the body structure and drive trains to match and beat the germans. With state of the art electronics that work.....

enthusiastx11 - 9/13/2013 7:45:17 PM

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know: yup, the IS350 F-sport is the one solid car lexus makes. too bad is scary ugly inside and out. but be sure to stay away from the IS250--which is 90% of sales--because that thing is a serious dog that comes in dead last in every comparison test.

Cali - 10/1/2013 2:55:33 PM

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...and guess what over 87% of 3-series sales are?
The BASE model 328, and soon the 325.

Peddle your FAIL elsewhere.

Firewombat - 9/12/2013 3:02:56 AM

+2 Boost

I really enjoy Road & Track articles and enjoyed reading this one. I'm warming to the exterior styling of the IS but the interior still looks terrible to me and the materials look, for the most part, like dark shiny plastic.

What this article proves is that the 3-series is still the benchmark. Lexus and Cadillac have used the 3-series and 5-series as the cars to beat when creating their new sport sedans and it's us, the customers and consumers, that win.

By using the BMWs as benchmarks we get a selection of great driving cars with better engines that, on occasion and depending on who reviews the cars, can even beat the cars that the designers and engineers targeted.

That's what is so awesome about automotive sector, it continues to advance and evolve and we get better products to choose from.

Car4Life - 9/12/2013 7:28:06 AM

-4 Boost

enough of the leap frog, Benz needs to ready the all new C Class and remind these guys who invented the automobile

GermanNut - 9/12/2013 9:34:37 AM

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The BMW 335i would win when looking strictly at the numbers but thankfully comparison test results are MUCH more than just numbers. How a car achieves those numbers is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the numbers alone.

Just because the BMW 335i accelerates from 0-60 mph faster, brakes from 60-0 mph in less distance, grips more on the skidpad and gets better gas mileage DOES NOT make it a better car.

The Lexus IS350 F-Sport might trail the BMW 335i in each of those categories, but the way it accelerates, brakes, grips and just about everything else it does comes with a more connected, exciting and engaged feeling that matters most.

enthusiastx11 - 9/13/2013 10:34:54 AM

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the lexus is like a fat girl with a really good personality. you still don't want to sleep with her.

amgs65 - 9/13/2013 5:05:59 PM

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...and yet you married her.

enthusiastx11 - 9/13/2013 7:46:10 PM

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marry the lexus...when hell freezes over.

Yonder7 - 9/12/2013 10:32:03 AM

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By design I'll take the ATS....by numbers the 3 still the king..

scenicbyway12 - 9/12/2013 1:03:38 PM

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It's funny that the 328i clean house in these comparisons, but the 335i,not so much.

GermanNut - 9/12/2013 3:59:55 PM

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It is actually quite surprising and alarming that BMW manages to easily win all comparisons between its 328i and the competitor's 4-cylinder variants, but consistently loses in comparisons when its 335i is put to the test against the competition's comparable 6-cylinder offerings.

For a company that built its reputation on being the "Ultimate Driving Machine" that is quite pathetic.

WelcomeLexusIS - 9/13/2013 12:28:58 PM

+3 Boost

I wouldn't say pathetic. Just that the 3-series sedans did not lose enough weight with the newest versions. The I-6 is heavier than the new 2.0 litre four which explains the nimbleness of the 328 compared to the 335. Just have a hard time getting past the clattery sound of the 4 cylinder vs the smoothly even and powerful sounding I-6.

Ccoxx - 9/12/2013 5:42:58 PM

+7 Boost

GermanNut - you being the biggest Audi fan on Autospies - instead of highlighting why BMW didn't place #1, shouldn't you be more concerned about the fact that Audi was not even considered for this comparison???

GermanNut - 9/12/2013 8:47:41 PM

-5 Boost

Ccoxx (couldn't come up with a better username?) I'm not worried that Audi was not even considered for this comparison because I realize the existing 2013 Audi A4 is for all purposes a very old car that is set for replacement next year in 2014. The 2015 Audi A4 will debut sometime in Q2 of next year and showcase Audi's improved weight savings, aggressive exterior design and other trademarks of the Audi brand.

Ccoxx - 9/13/2013 12:02:24 AM

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GermanNut - my first initial of my name begins with a C - too bad your mind went in the gutter. I figured that you would find some excuse for Audi not being included.

GermanNut - 9/13/2013 3:28:57 PM

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CCoxx, talk to me when the new 2015 Audi A4 debuts with its significant weight savings, much more aggressive exterior design, continued best-in-class interior quality and design, excellent fuel efficiency and drastically improved performance.

Age is only an excuse because the actual platform and underpinnings of the existing A4 are over 4 years old while all the competitors are at maximum 2 years old, which makes a HUGE difference.

WelcomeLexusIS - 9/13/2013 12:05:10 PM

+2 Boost

Based on the provided link, the Road and Track review really doesn't provide a very convincing argument for why the IS350 wins in their comparo. Tangibly and measurably, the 335i appears to win. I guess it is the intangibles that gave Lexus the win. Not to mention, this is the first IS range that truly competes with the 3-series, which is noteworthy. Unfortunately, the IS250 (which makes up the majority of IS sales) remains the exception to this. That car is a snoozer in the engine department, but it does look pretty good. Like BMW, Lexus needs to do something innovative with its base IS model to make it truly shine. I assume that engine updates are coming soon for the IS 250 and IS350. I have a feeling that the 335i engine will also get an upgrade midcycle like it did with the last iteration. Will be interesting to see.

knowitall1985 - 9/13/2013 4:32:36 PM

+3 Boost

With an all new design, Lexus should have included more HP and Torque. Hopefully with the 2015 models.....

enthusiastx11 - 9/13/2013 7:46:51 PM

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don't hold your breath. these are the same engines as in the 2006 models.

MrEE - 9/14/2013 2:46:38 PM

+2 Boost

Sorry to say the BMW styling looks a decade old next to the IS. On the interior, Lexus has be on top for years. The LFA and FR-S proved Toyota had the performance engineering and paved the way for reviewers to out BMW.

LexusHatersRideTheBus - 9/14/2013 4:54:21 PM

+1 Boost

I think Lexus is tired of whuppin' all this ---! Three times the IS350 has beaten the 335i this summer? This wasn't even close! Lexus DOMINATING America bores me. The Cadillac was born for 3rd place, and the IS has easily outsold it since it hit the streets, for all of to months. Dealers have a hard time just getting enough IS inventory! Why do you think Cadillac is pounding the airwaves, and ESPN, with subsidized leases, while Lexus barely advertises the new IS?

At least the ATS beat didn't come in last this time (I think that's why they brought the Infiniti, so the Cadillac wouldn't be rock-bottom, like it usually is).

There's a new King of the mountain, and his name is Lexus IS350 F-Sport. Long live the King!

LexusHatersRideTheBus - 9/14/2013 4:55:19 PM

+1 Boost

*Two months

knowitall1985 - 9/21/2013 3:55:55 PM

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The BMW will read you e-mail's though.....LOL!!