Yikes! I didn't know the BMW 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine's reputation was
that bad (though I can't say I'm totally surprised).
If this particular Lexus city car rumor turns out to be true (and I'm not really convinced that it is), here's hoping that Lexus is smart enough to turn to Daihatsu if it uses a 3-cylinder engine. The Daihatsu-designed Toyota KR 3-cylinder engine family has won 4
International Engine of the Year awards in the sub-1.0 liter category. Pity that all the KR engine variants are no larger than 998cc. TheAxeMurderer's suggestion of the C-HR and Auris' 8NR-FTS 1.2-liter, 4-cylinder turbo makes far more sense, unless Toyota cooks up something new from the Dynamic Force Engine family.