The cabin, fronted by a clear gauge package and a vaguely 1980’s BMW instrument panel, looks conservative and tasteful. Rear legroom is class competitive. Engine offerings include a 2L turbo four rated at 241 horsepower, and a 3.5L V6 that produces 260 and 311 horsepower in the IS300 and IS350 respectively. The V6 engines send power to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission. An IS500, powered by a 5L V8, is available by special order. The IS500 limits its appeal by being offered only in a rear-wheel drive format. The IS350 is smooth, fast and flexible and is a delight compared with some of the very vocal turbo fours that dominate this segment. The six-speed automatic transmission gets its job done with little fuss. Handling that inspires confidence is combined with a firm, yet compliant ride. The steering of the ID is nicely weighted, quick, but steady on the highway.

The base IS300 AWD features a comprehensive safety suite, a sunroof, ventilated front seats a heated steering wheel and garage door opening buttons. The Luxury trim adds navigation, parking sonars for front and rear, a memory system, a power-adjustable steering wheel and auto-dim door mirrors. The Ultra Luxury trim is equipped with a Mark-Levinson audio system and a 360 degree camera system. Compared with the Luxury themed Premium trim, the F Sport Design is equipped with bigger wheels and tires, a sporty exterior appearance package and a spoiler but deletes the ventilated front seats and garage door opener buttons. The F Sport 2 brings a power-adjustable steering wheel, navigation, a larger infotainment screed, front and rear parking sonar, a memory system, power-fold door mirrors, some unique cabin trim, ventilated front seats and garage door opener buttons, to the model range. The F Sport 3 is needed for the Mark Levinson audio system and a 360 degree camera system. Moving from the IS300 to IS350 costs $2830 on the F Sport 2 and $4810 on the F Sport 3. The rear-wheel drive IS500 is priced nearly $13,000 higher than the IS350 F Sport 3.

Above average reliability. Cheaper service costs and better durability than a comparable German-branded car make it better suited to people who buy their cars and keep them for the long haul, rather than lease them.