Matty, there’s more to the story than power, what about the A4’s superior build quality, interior trim, better ride & more attractive looks? In any case, when you are paying circa $54,500 for a BMW 320i you have a right to expect that it will have more get up & go than a Corolla. And you must be joking about the 320i being the best drivers car compared to the C Class, A4 & IS250, or perhaps you just enjoy being bounced all over the place by it’s unforgiving suspension & run flat tyres while at the same time you are wielding significantly less power than the competition for the same price.

Chucky, I hope you enjoy paying approx $60,000 for your new C200K Elegance & sweating it out on the vinyl seats!

So the only real thing that changes/improves as you make your way through the IS 250 range is the interior but as you make your way through the 3 Series not only do the interior features improve but so to do the engines thereby making a greater differentiation between the models as well as justifying the price differences etc.
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The changes in engine and specs in the 3 series do not come anywhere near justifing the increases in price. The 323i costs $8,700 more than the 320i, yet apart from getting an engine which is comparable to the cheapest C Class, you get a couple of insignificant features that wouldn’t be worth much and which should have been standard in the first place.

I think I’ll pass on that and get a C200 Elegance instead.

Sorry, I don’t base cars on road tests, I test drive them myself. I’d take a 115kW 200Nm RWD 320i ahead of the 118kW 250Nm FWD Audi any day. BTW the BMW is also 3 years older tha the Audi and stacks up well specifications / options wise.

Trump Says:
December 10th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“the only desirable model here is the 335….pity each of its turbos add about $15k, hardly good value”

Not entirely true – you do have to pay a premium for the great engine however you do get higher spec options in a 335i over a 325i.

Unlike the BMW 3 series which is available in both [international award winning] 4 and 6 cylinders and would therefore; make the 3 series more attrractive to a wider market. Because whilst there would be car enthusiasts out there after a luxury “sports” sedan.. there would also be people out there who are after a normal luxury sedan but don’t necessarily want the performance oriented 6.

However; when you get to the BMW 6 Cylinder it is a more powerful engine and as I said the power to weight ratio of the two cars only increase BMWs advantage in terms of performance.

So the only real thing that changes/improves as you make your way through the IS 250 range is the interior but as you make your way through the 3 Series not only do the interior features improve but so to do the engines thereby making a greater differentiation between the models as well as justifying the price differences etc.

Mark you stated classes,would you put a 4 cylinder Camry in the same class as a 6 cyl Falcon……….No of course not you would put the Aurion in,and as far as Lexus supplies the only standard six you were wrong there too.So lets move on !

When a company has 3 years to develop a car against something currently on the market, it should seem better. If all you want is power, well then go buy a XR6 Turbo or SS Commodore. But having driven the C Class, A4, IS250 and 3 Series back to back, the 3 Series is still the best Drivers car of the lot. And lets face it, none of them are shabby as far as appoitments go.

Mark you actually said that the Lexus IS250 powerful standard engine IN IT’S CLASS!

I mean you could also say that the Bugatti Veyron has the most powerful entry level engine couldn’t you?

I mean most logial people wouldn’t compare a 4 against a 6 or a V8.. or a RWD car against a FWD or AWD car would you?

Like you can’t compare a RWD V8 Commodore to a FWD V6 Aurion – as the performance handling and characteristics would be different you look for a car with similar features etc that way its a more even fight – well almost

So the 325 is the one in the BMW range that is the most direct rival to the Lexus 250 – theyre both 6s both RWD etc

So even though the Lexus may win in terms of price the BMW wins in terms of Power not to mention refinement etc –
end of story

IS250 needs to rev more then the Bmw’s 6cyl to achieve its power.

Oh and BMW can style vehicles.
(including ash trays hey BM??)

She shakes head in disbelief? Head buts desk owww……….ok Ill say this once ,they are still the E90 model range they have just had a face lift! An E90 is the sedan the E91 is a wagon the E92 is the Coupe and the E93 is the Cabrio.They wont change their model numbers again till the new model comes out in around 2013 ! *Rubs head *

ha ???????????

Where did you get that info from mate.

IS 250 153 KWS weight 1570 kilos {heavy little f..ker}

BMW 325i also a 2.5 litre but 160 kws and weight 1445 kios……Oh and its a standard I6 not a Turbo

Power to weight the BMW wins also.

Check your facts first !