Photo: Car And Driver
For 22 years now, the BMW 3 Series has been the undisputed champion of the sports sedan segment. For almost all those years, the Lexus IS has been trying to take its crown but never managed to get even close.
Recently, even the Cadillac ATS entered the competition and is starting to emit claims for the throne of the BMW. Unfortunately for them, the engineers from Bavaria are still on top of their game. The guys from Car and Driver took the newest model of the IS for a comparison against its two main competitors.
The Lexus comes with a new design but keeps the same old 3.5-liter V6 engine under its bonnet. It has 310 HP and 277 lb-ft (375 Nm) of torque and comes fitted with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The Cadillac has a 3.6-liter V6 and 325 HP with an accordingly reasonable level of torque of 275 lb-ft (373 Nm). Unfortunately for the American contender, the transmission is handled by a 6-speed gearbox that feels sluggish at times.
The F30 335i M Sport comes as usual with the 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine and its 306 HP with 300 lb-ft (406 Nm) of torque and the ZF 8-Speed gearbox that is absolutely outstanding.
Winning every single performance test, the BMW is clearly still the best car in this segment. It manages to go from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.6 seconds, 1 second faster than both its rivals and 0 to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 11.8 seconds, 2 seconds faster than the ATS and 1.7 seconds faster than the Lexus.
Other numbers also confirm that the Bimmer should keep its crown (the 1/4 mile time, fuel efficiency and so on) but the guys from Car and Driver think that the Lexus should win the comparison by 1 point overall, just because of its slightly better feel of the road.
Don't believe us? Just check out their full story to see for yourself.
Via: Car and Driver
The Lexus comes with a new design but keeps the same old 3.5-liter V6 engine under its bonnet. It has 310 HP and 277 lb-ft (375 Nm) of torque and comes fitted with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The Cadillac has a 3.6-liter V6 and 325 HP with an accordingly reasonable level of torque of 275 lb-ft (373 Nm). Unfortunately for the American contender, the transmission is handled by a 6-speed gearbox that feels sluggish at times.
The F30 335i M Sport comes as usual with the 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine and its 306 HP with 300 lb-ft (406 Nm) of torque and the ZF 8-Speed gearbox that is absolutely outstanding.
Winning every single performance test, the BMW is clearly still the best car in this segment. It manages to go from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.6 seconds, 1 second faster than both its rivals and 0 to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 11.8 seconds, 2 seconds faster than the ATS and 1.7 seconds faster than the Lexus.
Other numbers also confirm that the Bimmer should keep its crown (the 1/4 mile time, fuel efficiency and so on) but the guys from Car and Driver think that the Lexus should win the comparison by 1 point overall, just because of its slightly better feel of the road.
Don't believe us? Just check out their full story to see for yourself.
Via: Car and Driver
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