2006 Lexus IS 350 consumer reviews

Classic Lexus quality in a sleek package that is super fast and stable on the road. very impressive.

This car meet everything I needed in a car it has 4 doors and is fast for a four door it is also luxurious and met all the standards I needed

i treat this as my baby............................................................................................

She fits the definition of sassy perfectly, which is very stylish, according to Webster. With her black smooth leather interior and her automatic seats, who wouldn?t love to have her? I especially love the automatic push to start and its security features. If I left the car running and unlocked in the parking lot at the mall no one would be able to steal it without the keys being in it. Which is a total advantage, even if they get out of the parking lot, they wouldn?t be able to go far, because it will say KEY IS NOT DETECTED, and it will stop completely, wherever it?s at. Other advantages include the ability to be able to change from automatic to standard in a matter of seconds. I would say the only disadvantage would be coming to the parking lot after a long day of school, and being burnt by the scorching heat of the seats. That black leather, and those metal seat belt buckles sure do get hot. But, I don?t let that small thing keep me from one of my most prized possessions, my candy apple red Lexus IS350.

I love my 2006 Lexus IS 350. It is the best car I ever owned. However I was shocked to find out Lexus does not back their product up when there clearly is a major widespread problem. The engines on IS 350s make a rattling sound sometimes at start up which I thought was a minor intermittent problem. Turns out it is a major engine problem having to do with the cams or lifters or something like that and Lexus did not issue a recall even though if you Google "Lexus IS 350 engine noise" you will lots of people with the same problem. I was told it would be $1900 to repair it. Not sure what I'm going to do.

I've owned the car since new, in June '06. Did lots of research before I started shopping, and the car was second on my list. After I drove one, I stopped the search. I was there when my Matador Red IS came off the trailer, and it has been love ever since. For a four door sedan, the car is quite the performer. This car does it all well... Acceleration is amazing; there is never a doubt when I need to get onto a highway or out into traffic. It's nice having that kind of confidence. The handling is also quite impressive. I have the sport package, which may make a difference. But the car never disappoints when I feel a little "spirited" on the twisties. Most surprising to me was the braking capability with this car. Stand on the pedal, and your eyeballs practically get sucked out of your head. And the car has good enough mechanical grip that in the dry, I can't remember the ABS ever activating, and in the wet, it rarely needs the ABS, but it works well when it is needed. Not too intrusive, just right. Exterior fit and finish is by far the best of any car I've ever owned. I don't wash my car much, and NEVER run it through car washes, and that may help. But looking at the outside, you'd never know it is 6 years old aside from some people-induced dings and scratches. Interior is close in quality - I had a rattle in my glove box from day 1 (fixed by putting the manuals on top of the little cubby they put in there for them) and one in the dash after about 4 years. I don't really notice it anymore, as it isn't really obnoxious - it's just something someone in tune with their car picks up on because its a change. The leather has held up great, and I haven't been the best about taking care of it. The car came with things to take care of it, but I've only applied it twice. Nevertheless, just some wrinkles, nothing too awful to the eyes. The audio system (not even the top level Levinson system) is terrific! Though satellite wasn't available (or standard?) until the '07 model year. All the mechanicals and electronics have held up great. Nothing unscheduled (aside from a handful of recalls). Having been dealer maintained, the overall maintenance costs have still been surprisingly low. I don't really abuse the car, but I've gotten good tire wear (I've only had to replace tires and brake pads once each, which is surprising with a car of this performance level). I haven't even had to replace a light bulb yet (I hope I didn't jinx myself)! I'm averaging 24.63 mpg over the life of ownership, literally about half and half city/highway, but getting 26.38 average in the first half of 2012 with the same commute for almost all that time. Complaints? The aforementioned recalls. Some of them were for big deals (steering arm, fuel system). I don't think it is good that THAT kind of item come off the floor with quality control issues. However, Lexus stood behind the car, and extended my powertrain warranty to 6 yr/100k without me even having to ask. Also, the valve train is pretty noisy - especially on startup. I asked about that several times. There was some service bulletin, and the work was performed and did help a little, but I've never had another car make that much noise. However, since the car just seems to run better each year, it must not be hurting anything. There is VERY little back seat room. This is really not a family car, despite being a 4-door. The rear seats are good for kids or very short adults, but once you get over about 5'5", especially with taller front seat passengers, forget it. The tires from the factory are very noisy and do some strange things on the highway with pavement changes and the like. I switched to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S when the time came, and that weirdness went away. They are quieter and more comfortable, MUCH better in the rain, but did numb the feedback just a bit over the original tires. I just looked up book values on the car yesterday. They have retained quite well, especially lately. The car still books for more than 50% of what I paid for it, and has had almost NO decrease in the last year. Overall - I love the car. It is the best automotive purchase I've ever made. It is the first car I've ever owned where I haven't been looking around me on the road a year after I bought it, thinking "I wonder if I shoulda bought one of those instead..."

Great car, unbelievable performance, comfort, and reliability!!! Recommend 100%! This car is the perfect combination of big enough to fit adults in the back seat yet small enough to be fast and sporty. Amazing handling with 18'' rims and performance tires! My last Lexus was 14 years old and had 200k miles when I sold it and it was still running strong, I expect this one to be the same!

This car is comfortable, fast, and gorgeous! It has a major pick up no matter if you are going from 0 to 60 or 60 to 80.

This is the first luxury entry level sedan I have ever bought. I loved every minute of driving this car, and only traded it in for the higher performance IS-F. I purchased the vehicle used, fully loaded. If I had the choice of returning my IS-F and picking up this model, I would definitely do it. The IS350 is plenty fast and the speed difference is marginal unless you plan on driving 120+mph on a track. The IS350 does not handle like a sports car though. I suggest getting the F-Sport suspension upgrades if you are looking for a sporty ride. Overall, the ride is very comfortable. Never had a mechanical issue.

I'm not a super duper car enthusiast, but I do care about quality, fit and finish, performance, luxury and reliability. I'm writing this review on behalf of my husband: he is so wild about this car, he will not sell it under any circumstances. The performance is really unbelievable, I have to say. It's like being in a tiny jet plane. We test drove Mercedes, Infiniti, Acura and BMW prior to purchase. My husband had issues with each of them, although they were all really 'nice.' Then he drove the Lexus IS350 and literally lit up -- he fell in love with the car. And that's when I knew I'd never talk him into that Mercedes I wanted. Even through high gas prices, a bad economy, another kid in the mix (we have 2 kids and that car is small for us), he'll never get rid of this car. I think he'd get rid of us first, car second. When someone described Lexus as being 'obsessive' about every detail of their cars, I agreed wholeheartedly. If you are obsessive about every aspect of a car, then you are either a current or future Lexus customer.