Feedback Please: 2014 Lexus IS350 AWD FSport

[5hift]

As the title states, I would really appreciate any feedback on the 2014 Lexus IS350 AWD FSport.

I am looking at getting one of these as my next daily driver and was hoping to get insight from actual owners.
It seems you can get a really clean 2014 with less than 60 KM for high 20's.

How is fuel economy/performance/etc - any better/comparable cars I am overlooking (only want Japanese).

Thanks.

[vengie]

I would buy one in a heart beat.
OR a TLX A-spec.

[mzdspd]

A friend of mine has had one since new. We have talked quite extensively about the car and I have driven it quite a few times on road trips and around town.

Pros: lexus reliability. The rwd bias awd is great in corners and a ton of fun to throw around. The V6 sounds amazing and the gauges are really nice with the F sport package. Seats are really nice.

Cons: Ergonomics are horrible in that car. You sit low but the center console is really high and the cup holder placement is horrible for road trips if you want a bottle of water in the console (bring a water bottle for the test drive). The car is tiny and feels very cramped if you are above 6' tall. Infotainment is horrible, very slow to respond and hardly passable IMO. Brakes overheat VERY easily, we took it on a road trip thru BC, we had multiple cars and we were having fun on the mountain roads and the brakes overheated multiple times. Nobody else on that trip had any issues. He is at around 70k on the car and had the brake pads and rotors changed at 25k (under warranty) and now they are warped (Disc thickness variation) again. Signal stalk is weird and has no physical feedback when you engage the signal; lots of complaints about this online.

[Misterman]

As the title states, I would really appreciate any feedback on the 2014 Lexus IS350 AWD FSport.

I am looking at getting one of these as my next daily driver and was hoping to get insight from actual owners.
It seems you can get a really clean 2014 with less than 60 KM for high 20's.

How is fuel economy/performance/etc - any better/comparable cars I am overlooking (only want Japanese).

Thanks.

I had a 2014 IS250, and a 2016 IS300 F-sport(with tune, so more power than 350). They were good cars with great options. Ventilated seats is a mandatory option for me now. Car handled great, got good fuel mileage. However it's measurements are like the size of a Honda Civic, it's not a mid size car. So the interior is rather cramped, it would be worth sitting in one and seeing how you like it. The cup holders are absolute horse shit, those alone made me want to get rid of the car. Lexus has deplorable Bluetooth, whoever is on the other end of the line just hears constant echoing on your end for some reason.

If I had my time back I would've got an Acura TLX. Roomier, proper cup holders where they should be, and potentially better Bluetooth calls, all for the same price.

[colinxx235]

I had a 2014 IS250, and a 2016 IS300 F-sport(with tune, so more power than 350). They were good cars with great options. Ventilated seats is a mandatory option for me now. Car handled great, got good fuel mileage. However it's measurements are like the size of a Honda Civic, it's not a mid size car. So the interior is rather cramped, it would be worth sitting in one and seeing how you like it. The cup holders are absolute horse shit, those alone made me want to get rid of the car. Lexus has deplorable Bluetooth, whoever is on the other end of the line just hears constant echoing on your end for some reason.

If I had my time back I would've got an Acura TLX. Roomier, proper cup holders where they should be, and potentially better Bluetooth calls, all for the same price.


Since when does a Tune on a NA V6 overcome a ~50 hp gap between the two cars... unless your IS300 had an aftermarket Turbo/SC you're :bullshit:

[realazy]

IIRC, the IS300 in 2016 was the IS200t, so yes, a tune on a turbo would get you more HP.

To add to the discussion, I actually think the IS is smaller than a Civic on the interior. I also find the transmission hump very annoying on the driver's side. If you like to sit lower, your right calf basically rests on the transmission hump.

[Misterman]

Since when does a Tune on a NA V6 overcome a ~50 hp gap between the two cars... unless your IS300 had an aftermarket Turbo/SC you're :bullshit:

There is nothing to overcome that's how. The IS300 and 350 run identical 3.5L V6. Only difference is fuel maps. The 300 was just a detuned 350. They dropped all the options out of the 250(became the 200t), and only offered them in the 300 to entice people to move up. The 350 has more power stock, and eventually they made the upgraded stereo only available in the 350 to entice people to move up again.



IIRC, the IS300 in 2016 was the IS200t, so yes, a tune on a turbo would get you more HP.

Incorrect


To add to the discussion, I actually think the IS is smaller than a Civic on the interior. I also find the transmission hump very annoying on the driver's side. If you like to sit lower, your right calf basically rests on the transmission hump.

Yes another note worth mentioning. You almost sit a little sideways because of the transfer case hump.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I think it's a great value when you weigh the pros and cons mentioned here. Great looking car with solid performance.

[KRyn]

.

[Stephen81]

I drove a 2014 IS350 AWD with the F-Sport package for four years. What everyone else has said is pretty accurate, especially re: bluetooth, cupholders, storage and roominess. Unless you are ripping on it I didn't find the sound very impressive, mostly transmission whine. Mileage actually wasn't that great. Never had any complaints about braking. Car handles great, especially in winter. Seat heaters are a known issue, something about the foam/material on the F-sport seats makes it impossible to feel any warmth even when they are turned on high. Overall pretty fun car though, good luck!

[Misterman]

Seat heaters are a known issue, something about the foam/material on the F-sport seats makes it impossible to feel any warmth even when they are turned on high. Overall pretty fun car though, good luck!


I would say they take a few more minutes to warm up than other seat heaters I've had. I still found mine got plenty warm though. I never realized this was a commonly complained about issue.

[5hift]

Thanks to everyone that replied.

The info system on the dash/Bluetooth seems to be a Lexus wide issue that was only now fixed for 2019 and newer models. I can only imagine how laggy and shitty the interface will be on a 2014 model - it seems to be pretty common on Lexus forums to purchase an aftermarket apple car play from AliExpress and install it in older vehicles:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Lexus/comments/boms48/after_market_apple_car_play_for_my_17_rx350/
Has anyone here ever done this upgrade?

I will have to drive the car again to see how bad the sitting position/cup holder/etc are. I am a unmarried guy with no kids however, so I don't think lack of space is an issue. At most this car will be used as a road trip car for my girl and I.

The last time I had a Honda, it was a brand new Acura CSX back in ~2008. It was the most unreliable pos lemon I have ever owned. New issue every week and it got to a point even the Honda/Acura dealerships could not figure out what was wrong and started avoiding me. Never went back to Honda since then and am hesitant to.

[Stephen81]

Because I didn't want the moonroof, the F-Sport package I had didn't have the backup camera or GPS so the infotainment system was a bit different. There wasn't a little joystick-mouse, it was just a clickwheel. The lag didn't bother me too much but you had to have the bluetooth on your phone turned on as soon as the car started for it to automatically connect. If you didn't and switched on the bluetooth later the car wouldn't notice and you couldn't play your music and stuff.