Lexus IS: 2nd Generation

Lexus USA will be offering an F-Sport option package on all RWD IS 250/IS 350s that borrows from the IS F — here’s what’s included:

• An all-new suspension with tuned steering
• New 18″ alloy wheels with a dark super-chrome finish
• A front lip spoiler and a rear deck spoiler
• Dark super-chrome front grille
• F Sport heated front seats with a microfiber insert and leather side bolsters
• Aluminum Sport Pedals with Rubber Inserts
• IS F styled steering wheel
• F Sport badging on the steering wheel, shift knob and doorsill scuff plates

The IS F’s Ultrasonic Blue color will also be available with the F-Sport package, here’s the full gallery:

I’m pretty impressed with the full package, and I’m a big fan of the wheel design. Price is of yet unannounced.

Lexus USA has announced details on the 2011 IS, and as expected, the model will be receiving some minor updates for new year:

• The HID headlights have been redesigned and now include LED daytime running lights. Update: HID lights are optional on the IS 250 and standard on the IS 350.
• The front grille & front bumper have been reworked.
• The taillights have had an update, along with the tailpipes.
• The steering wheel has been tweaked, and the glovebox now has a nice chrome accent.
• New 17″ wheels are standard, new 18″ wheels are optional.

However, the bigger news is that along minor cosmetic update, the IS 350 will now be available in All-Wheel Drive, which brings the grip and improved traction to the IS’ more powerful engine option.

Here’s the full gallery:

Lexus’ full press release after the jump, and there’s plenty more information to come — next up: details on the new IS F-Sport package.

Continue reading this article…

Members of My.IS & Club Lexus gathered last weekend in Toronto, Ontario for some time at the track and a highway cruise:

There’s plenty of photos to look through in the My.IS thread — this one caught my eye with the red:

Looks like a fun event, I’m hoping to attend myself next year.

(Thanks Vinh!)

Lexus USA will be formally submitting their recall of approximately 138,000 Lexus vehicles next week with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall will apply to certain 2006, 2007 & 2008 GS, IS, and LS models equipped with 4.6 and 5.0L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines. Here’s the full breakdown:

• GS 350: 2007-2008
• GS 450h: 2007-2008
• GS 460: 2008
• IS 350: 2006-2008
• LS 460: 2007-2008
• LS 460 L: 2007-2008
• LS 600h L: 2008

The recall is due to the possibility of foreign material contaminating a small number of valve strings in the engine, which may cause abnormal engine noise or idling, and in extremely rare cases, the engine may stop while the vehicle is being used. However, Lexus estimates that “the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %)”, and that no accidents or injuries have been reported due to this issue.

For some additional background information, I recommend this recent Autoblog article, which included this photo of the offending part:

Finally, some logistics for owners:

Lexus will send owners of the involved vehicles a recall notification via first class mail.  Owners are requested to contact their local Lexus dealer for diagnosis and repair after receiving their notification.  The repair will involve replacement of the engine’s valve springs at no charge.
 
Owners can continue to drive their vehicles. If symptoms are noticed, such as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance, the vehicle should be brought to a Lexus dealer for service.

[Source: Autoblog & Lexus]

Toyota has announced today that they may be recalling 270,000 Lexus cars after discovering a problem with the 4.6L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines used throughout the lineup — from the Wall Street Journal:

The auto maker has found a problem with the valve spring of 4.6 liter V8 engines and 3.5 liter V6 engines installed in the Lexus LS460, Lexus LS600h, Lexus LS600hL, Lexus GS350, Lexus GS450h, Lexus GS460 and Lexus IS350 and the Toyota Crown.

The problem could cause the engine to stall, the Toyota spokeswoman said.

Of the 270,000 vehicles powered by the affected engines, 90,000 were sold in Japan and the rest overseas.

Toyota has received 200 complaints about the engine problem, the spokeswoman said, and no related accidents have been reported.

It’s important to note the 270,000 units would only account for a fraction of vehicles with the 4.6L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines, meaning this recall is likely due to a temporary manufacturing issue. This is backed up by a Voxy NZ article:

Routine long-term reliability tests in Japan have discovered a manufacturing flaw in some springs, which could cause abnormal engine noise or unstable idling.

Debbie Pattullo, National Manager for Lexus New Zealand, says the springs will be replaced over the next few months, purely to remove the possibility of future problems.

Even more than that, here’s a quote from Mike_TX of Club Lexus, who was affected last year by what seems to be the same issue:

According to them, there is a set of robots that assemble these engines. In late 2007/early 2008, one of the robots was found to be out of adjustment, such that when it installed the spring, it scraped it and caused a “score” mark on it. That small score mark created a weak point that can cause a failure of the spring after thousands of cycles.

At this point, it’s all speculation, but more details are sure to be released shortly.

Another detail about the 2011 Lexus IS has emerged — check out this brand new interior option, Sunrise, which is almost certainly limited to the Japanese market:

This is pushing at the very outer limits of interior color combinations, but I have to admire the very idea of these special editions — especially something so eccentric.

(That said, certainly not for me.)

(Thanks Charles!)