BMW, but just barely.

Lexus has been chasing the BMW 3 Series since it introduced the first IS 300 for 2001. That car, with its inline six and automatic, drove like a decade-old German sport sedan, almost raw in its responses, a delight to run hard, but distinctly lacking in luxury what with its hard plastic surfaces and stiff seats. A manual transmission came along for 2002, and a cool wagon model surfaced, too. But aside from in SoCal, the IS didn’t sell well, Lexus able to move a fraction of what BMW sold of the 3 Series.

Credited with starting the sport sedan movement and creating the concept of entry-luxury, the 3 Series has served as the benchmark since 1977, morphing over the years into a sedan, a convertible, a wagon, and a high-performance M version. The 1999-2005 model clearly led the pack in almost every way. Stylish, fun-to-drive, and comfortable, the 3 Series holds universal appeal regardless of gender, age, or socioeconomic status.

Each of these cars is completely redesigned for 2006. I didn’t flog them hard, sticking to my normal commute between Orange County and Long Beach. And while most people will think that the new 3 Series and IS are closer to one another than ever, I’d suggest that they have actually gotten farther apart.

The BMW is still the pure driver’s car. The moment you start the silky inline six, select a gear, and take off down the road the 3 Series comes alive under your feet, seat, and fingertips. I love the BMW’s Active Steering, which makes low speed maneuvering and parking a snap. And the driving position is perfect. BMW’s dedication to providing a proper driving environment, then, makes iDrive that much more quizzical. I don’t care how much time the BMW public relations team spends trying to sell me on this system’s benefits: Six actions just to thread my way to the radio station pre-sets is unacceptable. And I never did figure out how to get a map-view of my location. Plus, what is with the turn signal stalk that returns to center? Three times in less than 50 miles I wound up signaling a turn rather than a lane-change. Finally, the F1-style manual Steptronic shifter is counterintuitive. Yes, I know it’s set up like a racing car. Last time I checked, though, nobody in a 3 Series is downshifting under such severe deceleration force that the driver is thrust against the seatbelts or accelerating so hard that the driver is pinned to the seat, which means that pushing up to get a downshift and pulling back to get an upshift doesn’t make any sense.

As a daily driver, the Lexus is the better car. Want to choose a radio station? Push the “Audio” button and select your station on the touch-screen. Care to see your location on a map? Push the “Map” button and a beautiful high-resolution image appears, with simple zoom-in and zoom-out touch-screen controls. Perfection. And since touch-screens aren’t an industry trade secret, the Germans have no excuses. Better still is the fact that all controls are clearly labeled, located in logical positions, and operate with seamless fluidity. Lexus has even cribbed the handy twist-knob sunroof control from Audi and VW. And comfort, for front passengers anyway, is exceptional, with smooth supple leather and softly padded yet supportive seating. Just don’t try to get into the rear seat with your legs still attached.

Remember how I said the first IS 300 was raw in its responses, driving like a decade-old German sedan before Audi, BMW and Mercedes started loading them up with electronics? For 2006, that pure driving experience is gone, replaced with a bunch of techno-gimcrackery that I cannot appreciate. The brakes and steering are clearly inferior to the 3 Series, the former lacking feel and difficult to modulate, the latter a bit numb on center and lacking linearity off. During the morning rush, I jammed on the brakes when some punk in a tan Altima, who was playing tag with a buddy driving a black S-10, suddenly cut into my lane, and the Brake Assist system hauled me down to nearly a dead stop, feeding in more brake power than was necessary and causing the speeding moron in the black S-10 to whiz by on the right shoulder to avoid crashing into the back of the Lexus. Frankly, I don’t want some engineer in Japan determining what my requirements might be in that situation. Instead, just give me good brakes and call it a day.

OK, so the BMW is more fun to drive and has more space in the back seat, the Lexus is more comfortable, luxurious, and is easier to use. On styling, I’ll call it a draw. Each is artful, neither is particularly attractive. I’m certain BMW and Lexus don’t want to hear this, but after having a chance to take a longer test drive than any consumer might, I think I’d ditch ‘em both for a clean, low-mileage, certified-used 2005 330i or 2005 IS 300. For me, the deal breaker is the unnecessary technology. But if I had to choose between one or the other, I’d take the Bimmer and leave the navigation system, and its stupid iDrive system, off the order sheet. – Christian Wardlaw

Photos courtesy of Ron Perry