2021+ 3rd Generation Lexus IS (300, 350, 500) Megathread

[internalaudit]

I often use the 5 series for this example because the current model and previous and identical layouts and screen sizes except the newer model (top) has a lower dashboard because the screen isn't integrated like the older model (bottom) since you can see over the tablet.

Sounds like the stuck tablet designs offers better visibility because of the lower cowl?

With respect to scientific evidence on which design is safer, I wouldn't really know but I don't mind the stuck tablet unless it's way too up.

 

[mikeavelli]

1. I would pay money to drive on that track.
2. The new IS looks amazing. I can't stop saying that.

 

[Hamed Al Ketbi]

Okay overall, as design I can't complain. The facelift IS acutally stands out more as a small car compared to many, I could see that as a refresh design it looks pretty nice. However, I agree with everyone, the engine options are a big disappointment, I wish Lexus could've put more thoughts on that. But again it's a Lexus and they made this beautiful IS in a new track which no one ever thought. So who knows, maybe Lexus is hiding something very special we just need to wait and be patience a little more and see. Plus, don't foreget about the LC (F), LS (F) and LQ (F). Currently, I'm just thinking about the 4.0 V8 TwinTurbo. Let's just hope we hear about this soon!!

 

[joepac]

I have not looked at TMC private track, but can you imagine they built such a development focused track from scratch? That is some serious investment/research, I looks nothing like BMW's or Ferrari's tiny basic tracks. Why build if not for ultimate performance? I am sure the LC F will be perfectly fine tuned there, with the need to test on NR and set some lightning fast laps on many other tracks with testing. I also expect TMC/Lexus to have the capability of making the best handling BEV. Imagine a 500 PS SSB AWD AWS TV 2024 IS?

Ummm... What does "TV" mean? 🤔 I've tried looking online and it keeps referencing television commercials for cars 😔

Edit: nevermind! I think I figured it out! Torque Vectoring?

 

[meth.ix]

I think I figured it out! Torque Vectoring?

yep.

 

[mordecai]

Some of my favorite new IS shots:


Amazed at how Lexus made the IS look wider, just with the lines and proportion of the spindle grille.

Love the sculpture lines of the hood:

The C-pillar kink is the best I've ever seen from Lexus. The entire haunch/hips of the new IS screams athleticism. This is the best body surfacing I've ever seen from Lexus, with no random lines that are out of place or that does anything (see UX or previous IS)

The side profile is stunning, the new F-sport wheel design sings with the overall design, and love how larger wheel fills up the wheel well.

The regular non-sport IS300 looks amazing as well:

I prefer the saddle interior color of the non F-sport model as well. This shows off the interior updates much better than the F-sport model. And to be honest, Lexus needs to move away from "red = sporty" of their F interiors. It just seems so overdone, even BMW/MB have moved away from this. Having now seen more of the updated interior, I believe it's is now quite competitive with the class. It's not class leading, but to me this is better than the G70 and Q50 interiors. G70 is overrated to me, the only reason people like its interior is because the cross-stitched interior is "eye-catching" but other than that its interior is very barebones.

A few days after the reveal, I now think that IF Lexus advertises this well and actually stocks their dealerships, the new IS will be a sales hit for Lexus.

 

[suxeL]

One of the biggest drivers of the IS, is going to be lease rates. If this thing leases for more money then a 3 series alot of the current demographic that gets an IS is gone.

 

[LexsCTJill]

Great pics. Only I thin

Some of my favorite new IS shots:


Amazed at how Lexus made the IS look wider, just with the lines and proportion of the spindle grille.

Love the sculpture lines of the hood:

The C-pillar kink is the best I've ever seen from Lexus. The entire haunch/hips of the new IS screams athleticism. This is the best body surfacing I've ever seen from Lexus, with no random lines that are out of place or that does anything (see UX or previous IS)

The side profile is stunning, the new F-sport wheel design sings with the overall design, and love how larger wheel fills up the wheel well.

The regular non-sport IS300 looks amazing as well:

I prefer the saddle interior color of the non F-sport model as well. This shows off the interior updates much better than the F-sport model. And to be honest, Lexus needs to move away from "red = sporty" of their F interiors. It just seems so overdone, even BMW/MB have moved away from this. Having now seen more of the updated interior, I believe it's is now quite competitive with the class. It's not class leading, but to me this is better than the G70 and Q50 interiors. G70 is overrated to me, the only reason people like its interior is because the cross-stitched interior is "eye-catching" but other than that its interior is very barebones.

A few days after the reveal, I now think that IF Lexus advertises this well and actually stocks their dealerships, the new IS will be a sales hit for Lexus.

Great pics. Only thing I don't like is the line on the hood just above the grill

 

[joepac]

Some of my favorite new IS shots:


Amazed at how Lexus made the IS look wider, just with the lines and proportion of the spindle grille.

Love the sculpture lines of the hood:

The C-pillar kink is the best I've ever seen from Lexus. The entire haunch/hips of the new IS screams athleticism. This is the best body surfacing I've ever seen from Lexus, with no random lines that are out of place or that does anything (see UX or previous IS)

The side profile is stunning, the new F-sport wheel design sings with the overall design, and love how larger wheel fills up the wheel well.

The regular non-sport IS300 looks amazing as well:

I prefer the saddle interior color of the non F-sport model as well. This shows off the interior updates much better than the F-sport model. And to be honest, Lexus needs to move away from "red = sporty" of their F interiors. It just seems so overdone, even BMW/MB have moved away from this. Having now seen more of the updated interior, I believe it's is now quite competitive with the class. It's not class leading, but to me this is better than the G70 and Q50 interiors. G70 is overrated to me, the only reason people like its interior is because the cross-stitched interior is "eye-catching" but other than that its interior is very barebones.

A few days after the reveal, I now think that IF Lexus advertises this well and actually stocks their dealerships, the new IS will be a sales hit for Lexus.

I prefer the tan interior too. Red is "racy" but agreed a tad overdone. I wish the tan were available in the F sport. Or IF they make a stronger engine model.

 

[CRSKTN]

I doubt f sport will have one interior option, especially when there are so many exterior colors.

I definitely think their lighter interiors show off really well. I think we wont appreciate the difference until we can sit in them.

This thing is going to steal a lot of sales from style focused German brand shoppers. Definitely could take a lot from lease sales, if rates are right, but need to be mindful of impact to secondary market if resale value is meaningful to existing buyers.

 

[suxeL]

I doubt f sport will have one interior option, especially when there are so many exterior colors.

I definitely think their lighter interiors show off really well. I think we wont appreciate the difference until we can sit in them.

This thing is going to steal a lot of sales from style focused German brand shoppers. Definitely could take a lot from lease sales, if rates are right, but need to be mindful of impact to secondary market if resale value is meaningful to existing buyers.

The lease rates on an IS have been really good the last 2 years, due to super incentives (20% in some markets after dealer discounts + lexus cash). Buyer incentives were not so generous though.

 

[suxeL]

I prefer the tan interior too. Red is "racy" but agreed a tad overdone. I wish the tan were available in the F sport. Or IF they make a stronger engine model.

The tan interior looks great. The Lexus red interior was great back when i saw it on dealer lots in 2015, but after a while realized that it requires a bit of maintenance and tends to get dark oily reddish with age.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

The tan interior looks great. The Lexus red interior was great back when i saw it on dealer lots in 2015, but after a while realized that it requires a bit of maintenance and tends to get dark oily reddish with age.

The brownish tans interiors are sometimes HTF with certain vehicle color combos. I suppose the saddle tan interior that my mom's 2013 RXh was rarer than gray or black.

 

[LexsCTJill]

Isn’t a black interior the defacto interior among most luxury cars?Isn’t a black interior the defacto interior among most luxury cars?

I doubt f sport will have one interior option, especially when there are so many exterior colors.

I definitely think their lighter interiors show off really well. I think we wont appreciate the difference until we can sit in them.

This thing is going to steal a lot of sales from style focused German brand shoppers. Definitely could take a lot from lease sales, if rates are right, but need to be mindful of impact to secondary market if resale value is meaningful to existing buyers.

Isn’t a black interior the defacto interior among most luxury cars?

 

[Rob Grieveson]

I like it. Why do you need more power a 3.5 litre six cylinder and turbo four. It is not a racing car just a luxury sporty sedan, we are not wanting to win Formula 1 with it. Refreshed style very good imo. Next one will be Electric in all probability and we have seen the concept which looks good. Well done Lexus.

 

[Levi]

Not IS related, but I expect the new G86 to undergo the same changes, extensive exterior and interior restyling, FA20 upgraded to FA24, without turbo, weight and price low. Should make the car profitable, same as this IS. I am sure the new GT86 will look great in and out (except for stuck tablet).

 

[Sebass]

I like it. Why do you need more power a 3.5 litre six cylinder and turbo four. It is not a racing car just a luxury sporty sedan, we are not wanting to win Formula 1 with it. Refreshed style very good imo. Next one will be Electric in all probability and we have seen the concept which looks good. Well done Lexus.

I am in no way saying you can not have this opinion my friend, but the fact that you say we don't need more powerful engines because, "We are not wanting to win Formula 1", is ridiculous. All of the competition has increased in power and now they all offer options that far surpass the IS 350. Back in 2006, the IS 350 had an impressive 305 horsepower, and the only way to get something faster in the competition was to move up to the top of the line M, RS/S, and AMG models. Now, however, most of the competition has mid-tier performance models such as the C43 AMG, S4, and M340i. If from 2006 - 2020, the IS 350 was given a new engine in the 350 models, and if it had increased in power at a normal rate with each generation, then it at this point would have been in-line with those midtier performance options from its competitors. But no, in the span of 16 years, the IS 350 has kept the same exact engine, and seen only an increase in 6 bloody horsepower. To add insult to injury, since the original IS F Lexus has not offered a higher performance variant that sits above the IS 350. Hell, at this point most of the competitions 4 cylinder turbo models are just as fast if not faster than the IS 350.
Do I think this mildly redesigned IS will get a more powerful engine? Yes. I find it unlikely that Lexus would mention the question of a more powerful IS without delivering sometime in the future. However, the amount of slack they have shown the IS for the past generation deserves to be heavily scrutinized. You saying that we don't need a more powerful engine, and talking like our expectations of one are unrealistic, is just insulting, and makes it appear as though you haven't seen nor care about what the competition is doing.
Every car manufacturer in the luxury subcompact Sport Sedan segment except for Jaguar, offers a performance version whether it be a mid tier performance model like the C43 AMG, or a full blown performance model like the C63s. You know which company in this segment doesn't?
This Guy... This guy right here.

 

[James]

Totally agree not looking for the fastest car in the segment but hell we got to be close! We look sporty but under the hood you got to be sporty as well.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

I am in no way saying you can not have this opinion my friend, but the fact that you say we don't need more powerful engines because, "We are not wanting to win Formula 1", is ridiculous. All of the competition has increased in power and now they all offer options that far surpass the IS 350. Back in 2006, the IS 350 had an impressive 305 horsepower, and the only way to get something faster in the competition was to move up to the top of the line M, RS/S, and AMG models. Now, however, most of the competition has mid-tier performance models such as the C43 AMG, S4, and M340i. If from 2006 - 2020, the IS 350 was given a new engine in the 350 models, and if it had increased in power at a normal rate with each generation, then it at this point would have been in-line with those midtier performance options from its competitors. But no, in the span of 16 years, the IS 350 has kept the same exact engine, and seen only an increase in 6 bloody horsepower. To add insult to injury, since the original IS F Lexus has not offered a higher performance variant that sits above the IS 350. Hell, at this point most of the competitions 4 cylinder turbo models are just as fast if not faster than the IS 350.
Do I think this mildly redesigned IS will get a more powerful engine? Yes. I find it unlikely that Lexus would mention the question of a more powerful IS without delivering sometime in the future. However, the amount of slack they have shown the IS for the past generation deserves to be heavily scrutinized. You saying that we don't need a more powerful engine, and talking like our expectations of one are unrealistic, is just insulting, and makes it appear as though you haven't seen nor care about what the competition is doing.

Preach.

Every car manufacturer in the luxury subcompact Sport Sedan segment except for Jaguar, offers a performance version whether it be a mid tier performance model like the C43 AMG, or a full blown performance model like the C63s. You know which company in this segment doesn't?
This Guy... This guy right here.View attachment 4130

Lmao what? Even Jaguar has an upper level performance sedan too (though it's a little subpar but you get my point). Lexus is literally the only one without an upper level performance sedan right now.

I agree with everything else you're saying btw. I laughed when he said that Lexus isn't trying to be in F1 like wtf?!?!?!

 

[Levi]

This Jaguar is reality:

Not to forget the most crazy in this class, the Alfa, basically a 4 door F(errari)1:

Even AMG didn't make an AMG C Black Series.