"Lexus IS Leaps Forward"

[LostBoy]

Its no C&D or Top Gear piece...but it's an impression, nonetheless.

Lexus IS Leaps Forward

Lexus IS leaps forward
The Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 24 2005


The quickest version yet gets PETER LYON's pulse racing.



There's a revolution happening at Lexus. Tired of being accused of derivative styling, and of producing very formal, proper models that stay well within the envelope of inspired design and class-leading handling, the upmarket Toyota division is reinventing itself.

And at a proving ground on Japan's northern-most island of Hokkaido, Drive was one of the first to jump behind the wheel of the all-new IS, the entry-level model charged with breaking the Lexus mould. And the news is good; by this writer's estimation the new Lexus IS350 is the most delicious piece of hardware to come from the Toyota group since the Supra or even MR2 of the early '90s.

Slightly bigger in every dimension and with a 60mm longer wheelbase, the new model mixes Lexus traditionalism with new sharp lines including a high muscular belt line ending in a tight stylish tail-light treatment.

The new IS is based on the Japanese-spec Crown and comes with a choice of two engines: a 2.5 litre V6 borrowed from the Crown sedan and the newly developed

3.5 litre V6 flagship unit. However, as engine output has not yet been finalised, Lexus could not give us exact figures. But not wanting to steer us in the wrong direction, chief engineer Suguya Fukusato told us we can expect to see the new line-up in showrooms generating around 165kW for the 2.5 litre and a hugely impressive 233kW for the 3.5 litre. No official acceleration figures were available, but I put my stopwatch on the IS350 and recorded a 0-100kmh time of around 5.9 seconds and 7.2 seconds for the 2.5 litre. Power is instant and progressive, offering a far more compelling experience than its predecessor.

The paddle-fitted six-speed sequential gearbox effortlessly passed through the gears and a top speed of 265kmh reveals true top-end power. Engine torque is strong from 2000rpm and with the smooth-changing automatic you have torque on tap at just about any speed. The exhaust sound has been given a beefy, metallic note to add sportiness.

On the road, the highly rigid chassis and sporty suspension package provide some of the best handling in the segment. The cabin is quieter than any car in its class with road noise and vibration minimal. The interior employs soft-flowing contours, superb materials, an exquisite 13-speaker Pioneer sound system and nice little touches, such as illuminated rings inside the speedo and tacho that indicate when a certain speed or preset rev count has been reached.

We can expect to see the new IS at the Sydney Motor Show in October.

[Minpin]

When i first looked at it, it looked like a Scion Tc to me. But now i actually like it. :D  :D      

[BMWDave]

I love the interior, but it looks immensely busy.

[Raza]

It looks unnaturally aggressive, like a drunk and angry midget.  This is incredibly ugly, slab sided, and looks like a Pontiac Grand Prix at the back.

I can't stand that they ruined the IS.

[mazda6er]

I really like the looks of that car. Much better than the current one, which I believe was based directly off of a Toyota sold in Asia or Europe. I like the interior, although Dave is right, it looks like it has about 45 million buttons, switches, vents, etc. I hope the price is right. If this thing comes in at around 32K with a decent option package, I'd love to have one.

[TBR]

I really like the looks of that car. Much better than the current one, which I believe was based directly off of a Toyota sold in Asia or Europe. I like the interior, although Dave is right, it looks like it has about 45 million buttons, switches, vents, etc. I hope the price is right. If this thing comes in at around 32K with a decent option package, I'd love to have one.

The current model was based off of the Altezza which is sold in both Asia and Europe with a 2.0l engine (don't know if it is an I4 or I6). As for the new model, I like it, but the interior looks extremely busy, almost pontiac busy, in the picture shown.  

[BMWDave]

I really like the looks of that car. Much better than the current one, which I believe was based directly off of a Toyota sold in Asia or Europe. I like the interior, although Dave is right, it looks like it has about 45 million buttons, switches, vents, etc. I hope the price is right. If this thing comes in at around 32K with a decent option package, I'd love to have one.

The current model was based off of the Altezza which is sold in both Asia and Europe with a 2.0l engine (don't know if it is an I4 or I6). As for the new model, I like it, but the interior looks extremely busy, almost pontiac busy, in the picture shown.

Yup.  Although it looks 100 times bettre than pontiacs, busy as it is.

[TBR]

I really like the looks of that car. Much better than the current one, which I believe was based directly off of a Toyota sold in Asia or Europe. I like the interior, although Dave is right, it looks like it has about 45 million buttons, switches, vents, etc. I hope the price is right. If this thing comes in at around 32K with a decent option package, I'd love to have one.

The current model was based off of the Altezza which is sold in both Asia and Europe with a 2.0l engine (don't know if it is an I4 or I6). As for the new model, I like it, but the interior looks extremely busy, almost pontiac busy, in the picture shown.

Yup.  Although it looks 100 times bettre than pontiacs, busy as it is.

Only because it uses smooth, low gloss materials. But, the design is just as bad imho.  

[BMWDave]

I really like the looks of that car. Much better than the current one, which I believe was based directly off of a Toyota sold in Asia or Europe. I like the interior, although Dave is right, it looks like it has about 45 million buttons, switches, vents, etc. I hope the price is right. If this thing comes in at around 32K with a decent option package, I'd love to have one.

The current model was based off of the Altezza which is sold in both Asia and Europe with a 2.0l engine (don't know if it is an I4 or I6). As for the new model, I like it, but the interior looks extremely busy, almost pontiac busy, in the picture shown.

Yup.  Although it looks 100 times bettre than pontiacs, busy as it is.

Only because it uses smooth, low gloss materials. But, the design is just as bad imho.

I dont think the design is as bad.  Take a look at this:



The Lexus interior looks fine, just its very busy.  The Pontiac interior is just blah.

[TBR]

Look at the right air vent and tell me that that isn't too pontiacish for a lux car.

[BMWDave]

Look at the right air vent and tell me that that isn't too pontiacish for a lux car.

I agree that it is, but otherwise, besides the buttons, I think the car has a nicely designed interior.

[Colonel Cadillac]

I like the interior quite a bit, and maybe we'll get a better perspective when the wheel is on the other side  

[TBR]

That air vent is really bothering me. What were they thinking?  

[R33 GT-R]

They had probably just finished watching animated porn and had a flashback during the design process.

[TBR]

They had probably just finished watching animated porn and had a flashback during the design process.

Either that or maybe they meant for it to be a circle but they decided that it would be better to wait and draw it after they had had a few drinks.