LEXUS IS350 VS 318D or 320D VS MB C180 or CLA180

[weekdaywarrior]

Hi guys,

I'm soliciting for opinions on the above mentioned brands and models for consideration as a daily driver. Budget is PhP 2.7M to PhP 3M.

I have to admit that I am a stranger to all of them as I have never owned any from the three brands but here are my initial impression from visiting the showrooms of all three brands.

IS350 - very modern and handsome styling (exterior and interior), very capable V6 engine and with the most luxurious feel of the three with high quality materials used in the interior. I find the driver/front passenger seats the most supportive and comfortable (vented seats) and good legroom. However, there is no NAVi and the car has a low ground clearance.
318D - twin turbo diesel engine is nice, looks bigger than the IS and has higher ground clearance. However, the car has very basic features and the interior doesn't feel as luxurious that the Lexus in fact, it looks and feels very cheap to be honest, with all the plastics and low quality man-made leather used in the interior. Overall, I feel that the 318D is a bit dated.
C180 - looks a bit boring to me from the outside but has an acceptable interiors design and quality wise and looks the biggest of the three. I'm not sure if the car's power is comparable to the other two (sorry for my lack of knowledge on this). The CLA was suggested as an option but there was no unit available in the showroom so I was not able to see it though I saw the GLA180 (in the lower end of my budget) and somehow I liked the exterior but hated the interior (too aggressive for my taste with sub-par materials in my opinion).

Any inputs you may have would be highly welcomed. I don't care much for fuel consumption nor resale value so I'm just concerned about quality, performance and bang for the buck.

Thanks.

[StockEngine]

bro you didnt mention prestige-kidding.

as previously discussed here in the forum a month or so back, the is350 is the bang for the buck.

fastest 0-200 in the price range 🙂

whats the grnd clearance? 135mm?

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[Egan101]

The features and specifications of the IS350 and IS350 F-Sport are more comparable to German compacts in the 4M price range. Some say it is even better fitted than a 328i which is around 4.3M already. Thank goodness for JPEPA which makes the IS350 a bargain for the luxury compact category.

[lowslowbenz]

If you want something truly German.

Stop here: 1995 Mercedes Benz W124 E5 5E | *******

[babkalakal]

318 is single turbo. They may call it twin power, twin scroll or twin entry but it is only still one turbo. Twin here just refers to the inlet portion of the turbo.
Pinaka headache free ownership here and dare i say luxurious would be the lexus

[c_cube]

IS350, after 1.5 yr of ownership, absolutely zero regrets. Perhaps not as pretigious as the german brands but it's cheaper to maintain especially if you'll be keeping it long term



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[weekdaywarrior]

Thank you gentlemen for your inputs. It looks like most of you have validated my impression of the IS350. Will be test driving it in the next days and hopefully pull the trigger next week. The only remaining question is .... what color to chose

[dcph172]

IS350, after 1.5 yr of ownership, absolutely zero regrets. Perhaps not as pretigious as the german brands but it's cheaper to maintain especially if you'll be keeping it long term



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How much average pms cost mo sir? Every when/how many kms?


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[c_cube]

How much average pms cost mo sir? Every when/how many kms?


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If i remember correctly, 16k for my first year.

Every 10k kms or once a year whichever comes first

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[Walter]

Wow, PMS is just like a Toyota Innova ...