BMW 3 Series Saloon or Lexus IS300h

[dave748]

OK, so I know that posting this in a BMW forum will open myself up to a barrage of bias comments but please if you do have something to say try to be as un-bias as you can, constructive and justify your comments so they are actually useful.

So, I've decided that for my next car I'm going to dig a little deeper into my pockets and get something decent, comfortable and an easy driving bit of luxury.  Right now I've narrowed my choices down to a Lexus IS300h and a BMW 3 Series saloon 320d.  I've had a test drive in the BMW (an M-Sport in exactly my price range) about a few hours ago actually and I have to say it did feel like a nice solid well put together car, looked great on the outside with the large M-Sport alloys in the exact colour I would chose but a little bland on the inside I have to say and the seats were a bit narrow, the wings of the seat stuck in my back a bit.  All in all I wasn't blown away by it but not put off either, it felt like a sensible choice.

My next choice is a Lexus IS300h, the nearest dealer is quite a bit further away but I will be going over to have a go in one and see one in the flesh before I decide.  At the moment my main concern is the engine, I've never had a hybrid before or a Lexus so don't know how reliable they are.  I don't do much city or suburban driving and don't get stuck in traffic it's mainly country and B roads so I'm worried that I won't see much of the efficiency of the Hybrid as compared to the BMW 320 diesel engine.  I explained my predicament to the BMW sales person and he was very understanding and didn't in anyway try to put me off the Lexus he just gave me exactly what I wanted, the facts and figures of the car I was looking at.

I really am 50/50 on this right now, I know I still need to see and try the Lexus but when your spending a lot of money you want to make sure you do as much as possible to make the right fully informed decision.  I'm not buying new, my budget is around £20000 and price wise both cars are almost identical for what I want.  If anyone can help shed some light on my situation please do so but like I said please try to keep it un-bias (I know that's a bit silly to ask in a BMW forum but try anyway)  but also constructive and justifiable.

 

Thanks in Advance

Dave

[E46King]

Hi Dave,

Despite the fact I currently drive a BMW, I'm still actually quite a fan of Lexus too - my brother has an IS300h and he loves it, says it's the best car he's ever owned. He gets around mid 40's mpg and the tax is very low (£20 I think?). He has an F Sport version which is probably the nicest looking and has some cool features but he also considered a premier as it has all the gadgets. I think Lexus often do 24 hour test drives so you could try living with one for a bit too.

Of course, the BMW is also a nice car and a great driver's car, though I'm not personally a diesel fan I'd probably be looking for a 6 cylinder petrol version.