2021 Lexus IS Megathread

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joepac

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... And this presentation reminded me a lot of when Kathleen Kennedy was waxing poetic about the "exciting" new Star Wars sequel trilogy... It just seems like talking a lot but saying nothing...

Aight I'm done...
 
CRSKTN

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Seems their focus was adding value and styling around the edges. They upped the sound system, and safety systems significantly. In car infotainment is better too.

Are the engines disappointing? Hell yes. Lexus at least make a new engine cowl so it's not so blatant.

Will it sell? I can see it.

The LSS+ 2.0 on it alone gives it near supercruise functionality.
 
Joaquin Ruhi

Joaquin Ruhi

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bogglo said:
why is nobody asking real question about engine and transmission?
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Yeah, I was surprised and annoyed that so many A-list car journalists that normally ask more in-depth stuff were reduced to so many lame softball questions. In fact, Kevin (Krew) asking about the new Shimoyama race track and Jaime Gabaldoni at the end about IS F were probably the only smart questions of the lot. I expected more from everyone else.
 
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internalaudit

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meth.ix said:
How long do y'all think Lexus will drag this refresh of the 3IS on for? I'd say 4 years at the very least.
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2024 until that BEV sedan shows up or if it's not the RX. 2022 likely will be the NX.

At least know we know what they mean by New Lexus going forward.
 
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suxeL

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CRSKTN said:
Seems their focus was adding value and styling around the edges. They upped the sound system, and safety systems significantly. In car infotainment is better too.

Are the engines disappointing? Hell yes. Lexus at least make a new engine cowl so it's not so blatant.

Will it sell? I can see it.
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True, but I wonder if value was the end all, why the deep reskin? Still think this will command a premium over the current version for at least launch +/- 6 months but then its back to the usual deep incentives for affordable leases with the so-called (Gym Tan Laundry Lease crowd)
 
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mediumhot

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joepac said:
... And this presentation reminded me a lot of when Kathleen Kennedy was waxing poetic about the "exciting" new Star Wars sequel trilogy... It just seems like talking a lot but saying nothing...

Aight I'm done...
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LOL. Super long Press Release is also repeating some stuff all over the place and that Lexus Driving something is just another PR move. Oh well. It's a great exterior design, I wish they did it sooner. Looks super contemporary. Again I will repeat myself that interior has been it's Achilles heel since day one and they still haven't done nothing about it two facelifts later. I don't mind carryover engines but new TLX will wipe the floor with it with both four and six cylinders.
 
Gecko

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Joaquin Ruhi said:
Yeah, I was surprised and annoyed that so many A-list car journalists that normally ask more in-depth stuff were reduced to so many lame softball questions. In fact, Kevin (Krew) asking about the new Shimoyama race track and Jaime Gabaldoni at the end about IS F were probably the only smart questions of the lot. I expected more from everyone else.
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The questions that were shared during the presentation are ones Lexus chose to answer - not a reflection of what was submitted.
 
yiantony

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Gecko said:
So, the details are out now: https://pressroom.lexus.com/2021-lexus-is-agility-and-athleticism-expand-pure-driving-performance/
  • Significantly redesigned exterior - seems like every panel - and it looks great
  • Minor interior changes: touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa
  • Carryover powertrains, even the 6AT on the IS 300 AWD
    • V6 now only available on the F-Sport model
  • Suspension updates - refined at Shimoyama
    • New Lexus Dynamic Handling package available on the F-Sport
  • Marketing angle: pure sports sedan/"go all in"

I am trying to think about who will realistically buy this car...
  • Lexus loyal? Probably not: With no engine or meaningful interior updates, I don't see many current IS or GS customers making the switch -- it's just not worth it. Maybe a handful of folks? No appeal to the ES shopper, most likely.
  • Price conscious shoppers? Nah: The spec sheet tell me this car needs a value proposition to sell, but even with aggressive pricing, I doubt Lexus can go toe-to-toe with the Germans on lease rates, which is how most of these cars are sold.
  • Reliability shoppers? Maybe: There are always some shoppers who value Lexus reliability and longevity and want to buy - I think this IS will have some appeal to those shoppers. This is a much smaller portion of luxury shoppers.
  • Driving Enthusiasts? Yes, specific ones: I think this is Lexus' best hope based on the product that was delivered, but it's going to be a specific enthusiast subset who I think of as grown up/more affluent GT86 shoppers, or maybe a Supra shopper who needs 4 doors? The IS is down on power and MPG, but if Lexus can deliver on this promise of being the best handing and best feeling sport sedan, I can see the group of people who "love to drive" but don't need crazy horsepower finding it desirable.
  • Love the exterior design? Yes. Easy sell based on emotion. If you love it, you want it.
I want to give Lexus credit for how the exterior looks and for the work that was put into the suspension, but among it's competitive set, this IS is a hard sell in the mass market. The comments we've seen about Lexus "considering" an IS 500 with V35A-FTS have to be a joke... if Lexus was going to drop a new engine option, this would have been the day. Next month or next year is not the time considering the lifecycle of this car. V35A-FTS has now been around for long enough that it could have been included in this launch if that was in the plan.
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They made some improvements in other parts except for the engine and transmission to appeal enthusiasts, which is pretty ridiculous. As a 3rd gen IS350 fsport owner I find no reason to upgrade, not any. The only selling point to me would be the overall better package, and to the buyers who don't care about specs. The research on the sporting part sounds unnecessary if that's true. However, I really doubt there is any heavy investment here.
 
Gecko

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FloridaBoy98 said:
Lexus really wants to kill the IS the way they did the GS. I laughed when the engine options popped up. What was the purpose of this refresh?
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This is my read 100%. A final swan song for reasonably affordable, RWD Lexus sedans. No engine/transmission update and an interior that's 90% the same will be enough to kill sales and have them say, "See? Nobody is buying this car. Let's can it."
 
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The one week delay is to avoid using this model release as a cause for looting, just like when the Vancouver Canucks won the Stanley Cup in the 90's.

Had they lost, there would still have been looting, I'm sure.
 
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