F-Sport v non - suspension/ride quality (&specs, again)

[Guest]

Hi all,

I am thinking seriously about buying a IS300, have been in a CT200 F Sport for just over a year and liked the look of the IS300 F Sport.: Is the F-Sport a much harder ride than the non F-Sport models? (be great to hear from those that have had both)

Also, I have read the long thread about specs, but is it fair to assume that specs broadly speaking go Advance>Executive>Luxury>F Sport>Premium?  Got my tin hat on for this question....(sorry) - I would ideally like the normal stuff plus nice fancy wheels (not the smallest onese) and heated/cooled seats, not sure why premium nav is better?

Thank you all,

Nick

[Mr_Groundhog]

The F-sport in silver with red seats looks amazing but I personally would not get it, given the state of the roads, and the cost of such oversized tyres.... Some of that is talked about in this thread, and I'm sure there was another on the same topic...

Edit: I found it:

 

[Linas.P]

Test drive would answer you question the best. I personally think that F-Sport (electronic/adaptive) suspension on the softest setting (normal) is about the same as standard suspension, but it could be set much harder when it Sport/Sport+. What makes F-Sport ride harder is larger 18" wheels compared to 16-17" on other versions. Tyres makes a major role as well - F-Sport originally shipped with many tyres that are just not great (Bridgestone Turanzas, Dunlop Sport 001s) and changing the tyres could make a massive difference. 

Best comparison would be to compare between F-Sport and Premier, as they are both have 18" wheels and see how much difference there is between them. The caveat - adaptive suspension was optional on some Premier cars so one need to make sure it is not fitted.

Either way - IS300h F-Sport ride is not really that hard. I can only compare it IS250 SEL and indeed when I had 17" wheels I would say F-Sport was noticeably firmer, but not less comfortable, but when I upgraded to 18" wheels I would say they were about the same. 

[IS300FSPORT]

F Sport all day! The pot holes are always going to be a problem, with any car really where possible just go slow on rough roads. Unless your in a BIG SUV on air suspension you cant get away from it.

The IS300H in F Sport trim has very balanced handling, yes ok tyres cost a bit more but it pays it self off in handling & comestically looks so much better IMO + get the odd compliment. It looks more expensive than it is coming upto 10 years Lexus were well ahead of their time with the exterior design. 

Without showing off now others can post their Non- Fsport & you will see where im coming from.

[Robertdt]

I tend to agree with both comments above, you really need to drive one to see if the car suits you, but for me it was F-Sport or nothing as the wheels, bumper and dash make all the difference IMO. When i was ordering my car i test drove a non F-sport model as they had no f-sport demonstrators available, the ride was a tad softer mainly due to the smaller higher profile starsky n Hutch tyres.  How harsh a car feels is all relative to what your used to, my other car is a DC2 Integra type-R, slammed on coilovers with about 11 additional brace bars, so my F-sport feels like a hot air balloon as i waft along to work on a morning. 

Rob

[J Henderson]

Compared to a CT200h, the ride will be noticeably better. Even the F-Sport model.

[Mr_Groundhog]

Each to their own of course, and I do agree that the F-sport looks better with that front grille, than mine.... and the seats seem a bit more plush. At the time I was VERY tempted by a unit they had in Cazoo: silver with red seats. The more I looked the more i liked it.
....BUT a 235/40/18 tyre mounted in a car that yields a torque of 221 nm is like fitting Ferrari tyres to a Fiat panda, and will see the car drinking a bit more too. I usually go for practicality and I really like my 17inch rims. The car is pretty agile with them, although if I was to be a Lexus designer I would have fitted 16 inches by default

[Linas.P]

37 minutes ago, J Henderson said:

Compared to a CT200h, the ride will be noticeably better. Even the F-Sport model.

That is good point - if we make comparison with CT then even F-Sport will be better, just whole different class of the car.

1 hour ago, Robertdt said:

I tend to agree with both comments above, you really need to drive one to see if the car suits you, but for me it was F-Sport or nothing as the wheels, bumper and dash make all the difference IMO. When i was ordering my car i test drove a non F-sport model as they had no f-sport demonstrators available, the ride was a tad softer mainly due to the smaller higher profile starsky n Hutch tyres.

Same here - digital dash alone make it feel like modern car and ride may not be as good as on car with 17" but still very decent. Or for that matter if you compare it with BMW 3-series with rock hard run-flats it will be much better as well.

[ColinBarber]

3 hours ago, Nick0 said:

Also, I have read the long thread about specs, but is it fair to assume that specs broadly speaking go Advance>Executive>Luxury>F Sport>Premium?

It depends on the age as the different grades come and go but from a price point of view it is SE > Executive > Sport > Luxury > Advance > F Sport > Premium

[Guest]

Thanks all, as usual, insightful knowledgeable input 😎

[Simonypvs]

I’ve just swapped my 17’s for a set of 18’s on my Executive model, as far as comfort goes there is not a lot in it. I did notice the steering felt a tad sharper, almost as if the tyre was not rolling on the rim.

Mine are from a Tesla model 3 so they are a tad wider than those fitted to the f-sport (and an awful lot cheaper).

[Notamech]

Mine is an executive that the previous owner fitted with 18inch f sport wheels. To me they look much better than the standard 17 inchers which is partly what drove my decision to buy this particular car. First few months i thought i made a big mistake as coming from an e class i found the ride very harsh - nearly intolerable. Even started looking up eBay to buy the standard 17 inch wheels. Then eventually i got new tyres and that transformed the ride quality. When summer rolled around the ride became even softer. Now im happy with it. Thing to note here is mine is the standard suspension with 18 inch wheels so not sure if the adaptive fsport suspension feels different. Personally i wouldn't want anything stiffer or more complex than the standard suspension as i find it good enough for normal driving and cheap to repair when the time comes.