2012 Lexus IS 350 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Lexus IS 350 review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 IS 350, and includes Lexus IS 350 safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Lexus IS 350 is a small, rear-wheel-drive luxury sport sedan that competes directly with the BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

As Lexus prepares to redesign the IS 350, the car enters its seventh year with two new colors: Nebula Gray Pearl and Fire Agate Pearl. Glacier Frost Mica and Smoky Granite Mica depart from the color chart.

Like most luxury cars, the Lexus IS 350 is equipped with a long list of standard equipment and can be upgraded through a handful of option packages and individual extras. The features you expect to be present on a luxury sedan selling for more than $40,000 are accounted for, including dual-zone automatic climate control with a smog filter, leather seats with 10-way power adjustment up front, a keyless entry and push-button ignition system dubbed SmartAccess, high-intensity discharge headlights with washers, LED running lights, a power moonroof, Bluetooth hands-free communication and music streaming capability, and a premium audio system with satellite radio, a USB port, iPod compatibility, and a CD changer.

All-wheel drive is optional on the IS 350, and models so equipped also have heated front seats. A touch-screen navigation powered by DVDs instead of a hard-drive is available, and it includes a reversing camera system. The optional Adaptive Front Lighting System swivels the headlights in the direction the IS 350 is turning to help illuminate around dark corners, and a Lexus Enform telematics service includes Safety Connect technology. The IS 350 can also be upgraded with a Mark Levinson surround sound audio system, and Intuitive Park Assist system, and a Luxury Plus Package with lush semi-aniline perforated leather, genuine wood trim, heated and ventilated front seats, a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, driver memory settings, auto-dimming outside mirrors, and rain sensing wipers.

Though the IS 350 is a capable luxury sport sedan right out of the box, the F Sport Package takes the car to the next level with a sport suspension, sport electric steering tuning, and larger 18-inch wheels with a dark Super Chrome finish. Additional F Sport improvements include a front lip spoiler, rear deck spoiler, and dark chrome grille insert, and the cabin is equipped with heated front sport seats with microfiber inserts. A unique color called Ultrasonic Blue is available exclusively the F Sport Package.

Equipped with a 306-horsepower, direct-injected, 3.5-liter V6 engine breathing through a dual exhaust system, the Lexus IS 350 has no trouble getting out of its own way. According to Lexus, it will accelerate to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds (5.7 seconds with the optional AWD system), burning premium fuel at the rate of 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway with rear-wheel drive, and 18-city/26-highway with AWD.

A six-speed automatic with paddle shifters delivers power to the rear or all four wheels. Under normal driving conditions, the IS 350’s AWD system sends 70 percent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels, retaining the car’s sport sedan feel. When the rear wheels slip, the AWD system can divide power delivery half-and-half to either end of the car.

Lexus provides IS 350 buyers with numerous standard and optional safety features. Included on every car are seven airbags including a knee airbag for the driver, a four-wheel vented-disc antilock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, traction and stability control, and a Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system that manages the brakes, throttle and steering when software senses that a skid is about to occur.

In addition to this list of standard safety features, a reversing camera is included with the optional navigation system, an optional Adaptive Front Lighting System helps illuminate around dark corners, and an extra-cost Intuitive Park Assist system uses front and rear parking sensors to show the distance between the IS 350 and nearby object on the multi-information screen embedded in the gauge cluster.

Safety Connect service, part of the available Lexus Enform telematics system, is also important to note. It includes an SOS Emergency Button that can put someone inside the car in touch with a live operator to help in an emergency situation. It also comes with Automatic Crash Notification service, which engages if the airbags deploy. A live operator gets in touch with the IS 350 to see if occupants are OK. If the IS 350’s driver and passengers are unable to respond, the operator can immediately dispatch rescue personnel to the car’s exact location.

The only crash protection score given to the 2012 Lexus IS 350 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a 5-Star rollover resistance rating. Therefore, we must take crashworthiness guidance from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which has determined that the Lexus IS 350 does a Good job of protecting its occupants in a frontal- or side-impact crash, and an Acceptable job of protecting its passengers in a rear-impact or rollover situation.

If the Lexus IS 350’s crash-test results aren’t perfect, its reliability scores are about as close as it gets to flawless. Consumer Reports gives the car its highest rating for predicted reliability, while J.D. Power and Associates believes long-term dependability will be much better than average.

If you don’t think Lexus builds a credible sport sedan in the 2012 IS 350, consider the following statistics:

• It weighs a smidgeon more than 3,500 pounds and has 306 horsepower, producing acceleration to 60 mph in well under six seconds even with AWD

• The IS 350 can achieve a 144-mph top speed with rear-wheel drive and a 131-mph top speed with AWD

• The car isn’t just quick. It handles well, too, thanks to a 52/48 front-to-rear weight distribution.

Though it certainly doesn’t look like it, inside or out, the Lexus IS is now seven years old. A major redesign is due for 2013 or 2014, and that knowledge is anathema to entry-luxury sedan buyers who don’t want to have yesterday’s model parked in the driveway. If you don’t care about such matters, the Lexus IS 350 remains a solid choice in the sport-luxe market. Best of all, after seven years of production, its damn near bulletproof in terms of reliability.

-- By Christian Wardlaw