Despite the onslaught of blob looking crossovers having caused so many automakers to divest from sedans, these three continue to not only survive, but thrive.
The Lexus IS will likely not last past this current generation due to very low sales. It isn't thriving lol - Only Cadillac has worse sales in this segment with its CT4. The German 3 likely will remain in some form or another.
I don’t think these cars are thriving… Have you looked at the drastic drop in sales for these cars? They have been replaced by the Tesla model three instead
I'm always surprised at how BMWs perform in these brake tests. There's no nose dive, but the whole car sort of squats. That's almost physics defying and no wonder why they perform so good in braking as the rear end doesn't lose so much grip.
@@crazyone1067 Right. Most BMWs have always had the engine behind the front axle, so they are almost front-mid-engine layouts. The cars that nose dive the hardest have really long front overhangs with most of the weight ahead of the front struts. Proper mid-engine cars in these braking tests also tend to squat instead of dive. Interesting to see nonetheless :)
Old comment, but I was always intrigued as well so I looked it up. It’s called “anti-squat, anti-dive geometry” and you can see 80s Mercedes Benz do it in a more exaggerated way as well, because of their increased suspension travel. It’s really just old fashioned mechanical engineering. The suspension arms are designed “pitched” so that under braking loads the rear arms pull the car down and the front arms push upwards, countering the natural reaction. Pretty cool, maximizes traction.
I've had the pleasure of driving both the IS300 and the E46 BMW. I can honestly tell you that nothing drives like a BMW on the highway, it feels right at home and doing 160km/h felt incredibly undramatic. The IS300 was a joy to drive but I didn't really like the gauge cluster or the more 'boy racer' styling. I'd still choose the Lexus out of all these 3 simply because they're bullet proof
In the mid 2000s, I remember shopping in the segment for my parents and the prices were in the mid $30s. 10 years later, when I was shopping for a new one myself, things have quickly inflated to the $50s. Crazy!
Damm seeing an IS with only less then 500 miles on odometer is crazy! I currently own a 2004 IS with over 200k miles since 2011 automatic and stock and stills runs strong fun car
The is300 will always be the best to me. It best combines the fun of the bmw without the appalling unreliability and expense of upkeep. And before anyone cuts my head off over this, i have had both a 3 series bmw that was garage kept and pampered with less than 100k miles on it, and the lexus I had was sitting at over 190k miles when I bought it and had been thoroughly abused. It was still more reliable. Had 277k on it when some hick pretty much backed over it with his Ram truck in my work parking lot. It bent the windshield pillar so it was instantly totaled
I actually own a 2001 IS300, in Solar Yellow funny enough, but I also love the C and 3. I just find the Lexus to be the most characterful and unique. No denying the sweet sound of that Mercedes-Benz 3.2L V6, though.
You can unlock the most glorious sound from the is300 by putting on a "cold" air intake. I know that it's making the car perform worse in reality, but that induction noise makes it sound like the old inline 6 racers of the 60s
There's a reason the G35 came a couple years later. The G20 was a solid FWD car, but DOHC four cylinder with 145hp wasn't going to be running up against these all that well. G20 was more like a sophisticated alternative to a sport compact like the Escort GT, Civic Si, or of course the 200SX SE-R. J30 would have been the car here. At the time, that was the four-door Z. And even then, it was slotted in the larger Lexus GS and 5-Series class of car. With the weight and age of the J30, it still would have been trounced.
"Unfortunately the 330i steering is so overboosted it's almost devoid of any feeling" uhhhhhh, no? Like the E90, It's the least overboosted power steering in the segment and thus is tight and very nicely weighted compared to the F30.
There was a early run of 2001 330i where BMW NA added boost to the power steering to quell complaints of the power steering being harder to operate at lower speeds. So many owners complained BMW actually did a mid year refresh of the rack of fix the issue. Sounds like this car has one of the over boosted racks.
@@cadillacseville00 Ohhhh, that's interesting. Now I kinda wanna track down an early production run 330i to test out. An E46 with a lightweight steering feel is something I didn't know was real.
I found a ZHP at a yard and pulled the rack to replace my 325 boosted rack. The feel is incredible. Reminds me a lot of older more "analog" sports cars.
@@MatheusOliveira-cw9th No, it isn't. It mostly releases stupid shit, along with one or two models each production cycle that kick the Germans' asses to hell and back.
Where I live (and this is where the LS 430 is super common) I see this C class a lot more than the same gen IS tbh. Although most of them dinged and scratched up all over. This gen BMW 3 series are rare however the coupe being more common than the saloon weirdly.
@@miltonmartinez6698 Says who? No it isn’t, otherwise people would only buy Lexus. Lexus gets outsold all the time by less reliable brands. You Lexus excuse makers will accept any old relic long as it’s reliable. It’s such a dimwitted outlook.
![The making of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W204) [FULL]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ih-Ia7oIqZM/mqdefault.jpg)
Despite the onslaught of blob looking crossovers having caused so many automakers to divest from sedans, these three continue to not only survive, but thrive.
The Lexus IS will likely not last past this current generation due to very low sales. It isn't thriving lol - Only Cadillac has worse sales in this segment with its CT4. The German 3 likely will remain in some form or another.
@@Stressless2023 Shame that Cadillac sells so few. Those are damn good sedans.
@@imnotusingmyrealname4566 I agree. The CT4 and CT5 are actually nice underrated cars and fairly good deals compared to their competition.
I don’t think these cars are thriving… Have you looked at the drastic drop in sales for these cars? They have been replaced by the Tesla model three instead
@@Wasabi9111 they're doing well enough actually that several of them have been, or are being redesigned.
E46 is timeless but the IS300 aged really well better than non LCI E46.
what’s funny is I’ve owned all of them I personally favorited the IS300
I'm always surprised at how BMWs perform in these brake tests. There's no nose dive, but the whole car sort of squats. That's almost physics defying and no wonder why they perform so good in braking as the rear end doesn't lose so much grip.
All about weight distribution amongst other things
@@crazyone1067 Right. Most BMWs have always had the engine behind the front axle, so they are almost front-mid-engine layouts. The cars that nose dive the hardest have really long front overhangs with most of the weight ahead of the front struts. Proper mid-engine cars in these braking tests also tend to squat instead of dive. Interesting to see nonetheless :)
It was impressive watching the BMW in the brake test.
Old comment, but I was always intrigued as well so I looked it up. It’s called “anti-squat, anti-dive geometry” and you can see 80s Mercedes Benz do it in a more exaggerated way as well, because of their increased suspension travel. It’s really just old fashioned mechanical engineering. The suspension arms are designed “pitched” so that under braking loads the rear arms pull the car down and the front arms push upwards, countering the natural reaction. Pretty cool, maximizes traction.
I always wished that Lexus would have offered this generation of IS with the Supra’s turbocharged version of the 2JZ.
Would've gotten more love than the supra itself 😆
The pinnacle of the 3-Series
I had the E46 330i with the 6-speed manual, now I have the E90 330i also with the 6-speed manual. Easily some of the best daily drivers BMW ever made.
The E90 330 made in 2006 will be a collectors item! Keep it nice
The E46 330i always looked better against the competition and after 20 years, still. Gorgeous sedan.
The W203 looks beautiful too, has aged very well.
@@hakeemsd70m yes has a soft spot for those too. Especially the later years.
@@hakeemsd70m I agree, nice car. small w211
The E46 is epic.
I owned one back In the day…. Brand new from the dealer
I had the exact same car, albeit a 2003 model. It was the worst financial decisions of my 20's but it was a gloriously driving, money pit👍🏽
Had mine 16 years. No repairs. Great to drive.
I've had the pleasure of driving both the IS300 and the E46 BMW. I can honestly tell you that nothing drives like a BMW on the highway, it feels right at home and doing 160km/h felt incredibly undramatic. The IS300 was a joy to drive but I didn't really like the gauge cluster or the more 'boy racer' styling. I'd still choose the Lexus out of all these 3 simply because they're bullet proof
In the mid 2000s, I remember shopping in the segment for my parents and the prices were in the mid $30s. 10 years later, when I was shopping for a new one myself, things have quickly inflated to the $50s. Crazy!
Do not be sad. In Turkey, these cars are 150-200 thousand dollars (320i-320d) and even those 20 years old are 20-25 k dollars. 😂
Damm seeing an IS with only less then 500 miles on odometer is crazy! I currently own a 2004 IS with over 200k miles since 2011 automatic and stock and stills runs strong fun car
amazing video thank you for archive
The bimmer the ultimate fighter, followed by the Benz, Lexus don't even come close.
Too bad the Mercedes suffered from rust!
Yes it's too bad, the W203 is easily my favorite C-class.
My kid has 2003 330 xi and he loves it 2 years and 25k miles later all is good. Very quick and great in snow
😂 those aren't quick
The is300 will always be the best to me. It best combines the fun of the bmw without the appalling unreliability and expense of upkeep. And before anyone cuts my head off over this, i have had both a 3 series bmw that was garage kept and pampered with less than 100k miles on it, and the lexus I had was sitting at over 190k miles when I bought it and had been thoroughly abused. It was still more reliable. Had 277k on it when some hick pretty much backed over it with his Ram truck in my work parking lot. It bent the windshield pillar so it was instantly totaled
Sheesh, watching the slalom of the IS300 as the front end bounces a couple of times as it transitions. Not something I expected to see on an IS.
What did you expect? They're not known for handling.
had one of those mercedes and it was the best little car ever. shame some drunk crashed into it
I actually own a 2001 IS300, in Solar Yellow funny enough, but I also love the C and 3. I just find the Lexus to be the most characterful and unique. No denying the sweet sound of that Mercedes-Benz 3.2L V6, though.
You can unlock the most glorious sound from the is300 by putting on a "cold" air intake. I know that it's making the car perform worse in reality, but that induction noise makes it sound like the old inline 6 racers of the 60s
I like how they used one bmw and Mercedes but like 5 Lexus for one video
I'll take the Mercedes Benz thank you.
If BMW only didnt use soooo many plastic coolant parts...
8:30 so that's where Chrysler got them keys
yup, a carry over from the time they were merged with Mercedes
The all new 1 year old Lincoln LS with the standard v6 should have been included and maybe the Caddy that jigs lol a'la Catera
Zigs, not Jigs
@@ohguy1991 it was a typo
I thought the IS 300 was some kind of one or two Jay Z supra, whatever engine
Had the BMW myself. Great car but cost me a fortune in repairs. Will never buy a BMW again.
Lol, I guess Lexus ran out of press cars. MW reused footage of the first IS300 review and had two different colored IS card spliced in 😂😂
They didn't add the Infiniti G20?
There's a reason the G35 came a couple years later. The G20 was a solid FWD car, but DOHC four cylinder with 145hp wasn't going to be running up against these all that well. G20 was more like a sophisticated alternative to a sport compact like the Escort GT, Civic Si, or of course the 200SX SE-R.
J30 would have been the car here. At the time, that was the four-door Z. And even then, it was slotted in the larger Lexus GS and 5-Series class of car. With the weight and age of the J30, it still would have been trounced.
N😮
G20 was fat at that time, the mid 90s were 2x as fun
I would take the Lexus over either of these two cars any day. Bulletproof reliability and great performance? Sign me up
MW complaining about the steering feel in the legendary E46???
krazyy
There's a reply to a comment that explains it. Basically BMW changed their mind. This car was most likely over boosted just like they said.
"Unfortunately the 330i steering is so overboosted it's almost devoid of any feeling" uhhhhhh, no? Like the E90, It's the least overboosted power steering in the segment and thus is tight and very nicely weighted compared to the F30.
Ikr..i dont think its over boosted at all
There was a early run of 2001 330i where BMW NA added boost to the power steering to quell complaints of the power steering being harder to operate at lower speeds. So many owners complained BMW actually did a mid year refresh of the rack of fix the issue. Sounds like this car has one of the over boosted racks.
@@cadillacseville00 Ohhhh, that's interesting. Now I kinda wanna track down an early production run 330i to test out.
An E46 with a lightweight steering feel is something I didn't know was real.
I found a ZHP at a yard and pulled the rack to replace my 325 boosted rack. The feel is incredible. Reminds me a lot of older more "analog" sports cars.
Wait! No Cadillac Catera? Lmao
Or Infiniti G20
Lol I got your point!
Cadillac is not in the BMW-Merc-Lexus league. Wth bro????
@@MatheusOliveira-cw9th Hey hey hey hold your horses! It was RWD with a V6 and a manual transmission option that's all that counted lmao.
@@MatheusOliveira-cw9th No, it isn't. It mostly releases stupid shit, along with one or two models each production cycle that kick the Germans' asses to hell and back.
only IS is still running till today !
Where I live (and this is where the LS 430 is super common) I see this C class a lot more than the same gen IS tbh. Although most of them dinged and scratched up all over. This gen BMW 3 series are rare however the coupe being more common than the saloon weirdly.
I don't see any Mercedes or IS in my area, but still see a lot of E46. That year of IS isn't known for being that reliable for a Lexus
I still see these BMWs and I still dont like them. The drivers are all bad. It's like BMW (and Audi) drivers don't have drivers licenses.
It's clearly the C and 3 are better cars by far. The IS300 seemed like a kit car by comparison. Half baked at best.
235k on my is300 before I sold it never let me down not once
@@miltonmartinez6698 Reliability doesn't change what the car was or wasn't.
@@MercOne you make no sense reliability is always the top standard
@@miltonmartinez6698 Says who? No it isn’t, otherwise people would only buy Lexus. Lexus gets outsold all the time by less reliable brands. You Lexus excuse makers will accept any old relic long as it’s reliable. It’s such a dimwitted outlook.
@@youtubeuser104 The real surprise would be if you could explain what either of them are.