I took the new Lexus IS 350 out for a spin this weekend.  Wow!  I already decided that I would replace my IS 300 with a new IS 350 sometime next year, but Rick and I both wanted to go see it, drive it, and otherwise take in its essence in person as opposed to what we'd seen in various media.  Neither of us was disappointed.

The car is stunningly beautiful both inside and out.  Although it's dimensions are only slightly larger than my current car, it feels a lot more spacious.  My one complaint here is that the inside is not as exciting as the IS 300.  There's brushed nickle inserts, but nothing like the flashy chrome in its predecessor.  Perhaps, since I'm waiting for the second year model, they'll come to their senses and add some flare.  This is only a minor complaint, though, as the interior is beautiful, well proportioned and appointed, clean and refined, and equally fun and cool.

The outside of the car is equally hot.  When viewed from directly in front, it does present the IS feel, but Lexus took liberty with the design and came up with a body that is sportier and sleeker, relying heavily on the new LFA concept.

Oh, and it has some serious power under the hood.  My car has 215 hp, but the new IS 350 has 306 hp.  The difference was like night and day, both with and without the air conditioner running.  Like the IS 300, however, the power is stable and you get a fantastic feel for the road — tight steering, very little roll in turns, and a superior grip to the road (it helps to have larger tires on the rear of the car, something Lexus was remiss in putting on the 300 but corrected on the 350).  The suspension is tight enough to give a good feel for the road while also being luxurious enough not to spill my latte.

The price of the car is comparable to mine, give or take options, yet the product itself seems vastly superior; from backup assist to adaptive cruise control to heated and ventilated seats to a rear-facing camera to a great many other enhancements, this is definitely not your daddy's IS.

Driving one makes me want to go order mine now, but I will wait.  As I said originally, I've learned not to buy the first year model because minor things are corrected in the second year and, likewise, manufacturers often add to the vehicle based on customer feedback.  This happened with the IS 300 and is apt to happen with the new IS 350.

In the meantime, I'll drool over the car, flip through the marketing material and dream I already have it, constantly price and reprice the vehicle I'll eventually buy (even knowing it'll change), and ultimately be patient.

Besides, there is tremendous satisfaction in having a great car that's already paid for, like mine, so waiting another 12 months or so won't hurt me at all.  It will be tedious, though.