Video: Developing the New Lexus IS

Posted by Kevin on March 31st, 2013

Much like the fourth-generation Lexus GS, the new IS was tested & tuned over 1,000,000 miles — here’s a promotional video showcasing the car’s development:

(On a loosely related note, I’ve decided to postpone the second half of my IS review due to the holiday weekend — it will now be published on Tuesday.)

Lexus IS: Second GenerationManufacturingTechVideos
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    BlackDynamiteOnline
  • March 31, 2013
The Pursuit Continues..... BD
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      blkpantha
    • April 1, 2013
    if Lexus produce a manual for the IS are you going to buy one?
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      Crux
    • April 2, 2013
    If Lexy produces a badass IS F with comparable driving dynamics & power train like its rival E92M or the future F82M. I will definitely buy that IS F in manual transmission.
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      Travis
    • April 2, 2013
    Last time I checked the ISF was rated as BADASS . Whats wrong with you people every review of the ISF prasies its performance and says its a legit fight to the M3 and the rest.
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      Crux
    • April 4, 2013
    Of course the IS F is a worthy performance sedan/coupe. #Legit?, sure it is. "Benchmark Car" not yet. IS F still has that synthetic fun feeling & until Lexus makes it a "WTF, they've gone mad!" it's not in the badass range yet. Watch this: Chris Harris & Co. > All reviews are not made equal. http://youtu.be/4KVgEtXWkvY
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      LS600h
    • April 2, 2013
    Black Dynamite will never buy a Lexus, manual or not. He's got an 12 year old Daewoo and will stick to it.
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • April 2, 2013
    Said the kid at the bus stop..... BD
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    Hamed Al Sayes
  • March 31, 2013
Perfection!!
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • March 31, 2013
    Perfection would have a manual transmission in a sports sedan. BMW is much closer than Lexus is, unfortunately..... BD
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    That's debatable. Today's sports cars and exotics don't all have manual transmission and the ones that do aren't necessarily quicker than their automatic tranny rivals. Don't get me wrong. I'm the first to admit the IS350 would be a blast with a 6sp manual but if Lexus found it quicker with the IS-F's 8sp auto. then I won't argue. Especially after 1,000,000miles of testing.
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      leozno1
    • March 31, 2013
    Like @facebook-550680597:disqus mentioned, that is very debatable seeing as how BMW's manual transmission in the 3 series is pretty mediocre and borders on abysmal.
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      Crux
    • April 2, 2013
    You guys are not getting it. It doesn't matter if the dual-clutch electronic gearbox's can Up/Down shift faster than your brain tells it too. These are cars are for the masses and they are no EXOTIC. Offering a manual is not about technicality, its just damn F'n FUN. To cramp up in California freeway traffic from shifting is the ultimate badge of honor. #Ifyougetityoujustwont
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      wasapasserby
    • March 31, 2013
    BD, Lexus *literally* sold one manual IS last year ("No manual this time. Lexus told us it thought it might have sold one [!] last year") bit.ly/YzHPRw
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • March 31, 2013
    People today don't know how to drive. You're gonna have to be more persuasive than "People don't buy them". That doesn't mean sports sedans are better with slushboxes. Not talking business cases, we're talking "Perfection". The perfect sports sedan, or sports car, has a manual..... BD
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      LS600h
    • April 1, 2013
    If you want a bare bones driving machine, you dont buy a Lexus, Merc or BMW. You buy a Catherham. You not only want a "manual"(as you call it) but you also want no ABS no servo-assisted steering and no VSC/ESP. You might as well say that people today, who have ABS, dont know how to drive.
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • April 1, 2013
    Why defend the lazy and shiftless (literally) unless you are among them? Making the perfect sports sedan is not about what's "in fashion". It's about pursuit of perfection, remember? BD
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      Hamed Al Sayes
    • April 3, 2013
    Well of course (The Perfect SPORT cars are that has a Manual-Trans) however I'm talking about in my place it's Perfection because in place MOST of the people that are driving SPORT cars are using AUTO-Trans so yeah :D... and NOW days all the SPORT cars are wether (AUTO-Shift or AUTO-Trans)///
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      LS600h
    • April 1, 2013
    "Stick shift" went out of fashion in the 90's in Europe. That's when americans still didnt know what that thing was. Manuals are dead, dead, dead.
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      Crux
    • April 2, 2013
    It went out of fashion? You meant hipsters made it unpopular. Since when does having a proper gear box became a fashion statement? Manuals transmission LIVES bruh!
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      Crux
    • April 2, 2013
    I love Lexus, but I can certainly attest that BMW is still miles ahead of Lexy & Merc when it comes to their Sport Edition offerings. You need to offer a manual transmission to your 'SPORTY' lineup.#Truth
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      Travis
    • April 2, 2013
    Miles ahead ? Then why did the Lexus GS-Fsport beat out the BMW 5 M-Sport in a recent comprasion ? Why are people saying BMW has gotten soft and their cars have gotten heavy and tech laden ? Get your head from under old rocks BMW isnt what it was before.
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      Crux
    • April 4, 2013
    You mad bro? Give me the link of a legit car journalist who said that GS F-Sport beats out a F10 M-Sport. Which variant of GS F-Sport & F10 went heads up? I'll admit I may have overstated the "MILES AHEAD" of it's competition a bit. But according to Junichi San, BMW is still on top of the game. I'll take his word over your people any day. thank you much.
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    Mike DeLorca
  • March 31, 2013
Really like the "PURSUIT OF ULTIMATE "FUN TO DRIVE" message out there......only LEXUS can test like no other....."ENDLESS CHALLENGE" of "PERFECTION"
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    wasapasserby
  • March 31, 2013
Cadillac ATS, best chassis in its class: numerous spy shots of it spending time on the Nurburgring. Lexus GS, best sedan in its class in a MT comparison: spy shots of it spending time on the Nurburgring. Lexus IS: no spy shots of Nurburgring time during its development, leading to a reveal with mixed reactions. It's worrying that the only time a camoed IS has been shown on Nurburgring is for a few seconds in an advertisement.
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      OlFius
    • April 1, 2013
    I'm not worried, I've just bought one, delivered at the end of July.
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      blkpantha
    • April 1, 2013
    WHAT COLOR? F SPORT OR LUXURY?
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      OlFius
    • April 2, 2013
    F-Sport, with options: metalic color, leather pack and LED fog lights. Color decision was a tough one: Satin Silver (1J4).
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      LS600h
    • April 1, 2013
    You think Nurburgring offers anything else than whatever other racetrack elsewhere? It doesnt!
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • April 1, 2013
    So now you're calling Lexus a liar. Great...... BD
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      darkride
    • April 1, 2013
    Does this not classify as spy shots of 3rd-gen IS/RC circling the 'Ring. Dated: July 18, 2012.
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      wasapasserby
    • April 1, 2013
    Good call, I stand corrected.
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      darkride
    • April 1, 2013
    Let's hope this was actually a test vehicle, and that someday we may see a RC-F.
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    PG
  • April 1, 2013
Why does Lexus always make such a fuss out of testing the car for a million miles? Everybody else does it as well...
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      BlackDynamiteOnline
    • April 1, 2013
    Not necessarily. Many run simulations in the testing center, and don't actually use real-world conditions..... BD
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      blkpantha
    • April 1, 2013
    if they tested the LEXUS GS for a million + miles and the vehicle came out with great handling and great driving dynamics; it works didn't it many people praise the GS for its performance fun to drive and other stuff... if something works for you wouldn't you keep doing it until it doesn't work anymore, I only seen Lexus mention 1 million miles once that's with the GS and now IS I haven't seen other mention such things ... and also what's wrong with testing their car for a million + miles? you want a rather unsafe dull vehicle
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    Brett
  • April 1, 2013
My IS22d has a manual gearbox so I guess I can drive then, but the IS-F 8 speed box in paddle shift mode also works extremely well, guess Lexus can build both and make them work, point is when can you use the cars potential. I would rather be sitting in a car that has done 1 million miles testing then only 100,000, the point of the testing is to make sure the engineering of all component last and quality is at the utmost when we the consumers get the end product. Most USA built cars are falling apart before leaving the production line, it is the dealers problem to fix, hence the closely avoided bankruptcy ( government bailout ) of the two USA major manufactors.
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I bought my lexus rx450hybrid suv 2009,the price here is a lot cheaper than the price in Philippines,cnt afford to have one there,is sky high the ptice>
    J
    so smooth to drive ,beautiful and prestigious vehicle,i love it.....

J