Lexus USA Announces 2016 IS Sedan with Three Engine Options

[Andyl]

Very odd to not offer AWD on the IS200t, but have to bring in another 3.5L to offer AWD. There is a problem with the turbo and AWD serious enought o make them off an entire new engine instead of the AWD option.

Now they can say the IS200t has more power than the 328i (240HP)

Kind of surprised they didn't wait until next Spring, since that would be the 3year mark for the car. They seem to have some interest in the sales title for 2015, which they are close to. I don't think they'll get there this year, anyway.
BD

Indeed, it is very odd to offer IS300 AWD with a detuned 3.5L V6 engine. I think this is a temporary solution as Lexus couldn't put AWD in the IS200t format and yet IS250 AWD is a weak offering in front of its competitors in North America.


FYI, IS300 AWD is not offered by Lexus Japan. Instead, they have just introduced IS300h AWD this year. And they don't ditch IS250 entirely yet..

Here is their lineup for 2016 in Japan --- it looks great on paper.

IS200t RWD
IS350 RWD
IS250 AWD

IS300h RWD
IS300h AWD

Note that IS350 AWD has never been offered in Japan for 3IS. I find AWD w/ 6 speed is simply a weak effort of Lexus to satisfy the cold climate in some countries such as US and Canada. Or to put things in a different perspective, Lexus doesn't want to invest in a new AWD design which is more compact and with better transmission.

To Lexus, IS with AWD contributes only a small portion of the market for IS which is sad as their direct competitors think otherwise (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc)


And here is their pricing in Japan --

http://lexus.jp/models/is/price/price/index.html

 

[Andyl]

No surprise with the announcement on the specs based on last month's annoucement in Canada. We also anticipated the US to have the 350 in RWD vs AWD-only in Canada.

RIP - Matador Red Mica, welcome Redline
And as rayaans mentioned, no US folks jumping for joy on the USB 2.0?

Finally, interesting to see how different the 2L Turbo engines look just based on the longitudinal engine layout and piping re-routing in the IS vs horizontal in the NX.

Matador Red Mica (3R1) for 3IS is not dead yet. It is simply not offered in North America. Interestingly, Lexus offers both Matador Red Mica (3R1) and Redline (3T2) in Japan for all configurations of 3IS.

Redline(3T2), as most of us know, is an existing color available for the current Lexus CT. In Japan, 3T2 and 3R1 are also available for CT sold in Japan as well.


http://lexus.jp/models/is/specifications/color/index.html

 

[corradoMR2]

Indeed, it is very odd to offer IS300 AWD with a detuned 3.5L V6 engine. I think this is a temporary solution as Lexus couldn't put AWD in the IS200t format and yet IS250 AWD is a weak offering in front of its competitors in North America.


FYI, IS300 AWD is not offered by Lexus Japan. Instead, they have just introduced IS300h AWD this year. And they don't ditch IS250 entirely yet..

Here is their lineup for 2016 in Japan --- it looks great on paper.

IS200t RWD
IS350 RWD
IS250 AWD

IS300h RWD
IS300h AWD

Note that IS350 AWD has never been offered in Japan for 3IS. I find AWD w/ 6 speed is simply a weak effort of Lexus to satisfy the cold climate in some countries such as US and Canada. Or to put things in a different perspective, Lexus doesn't want to invest in a new AWD design which is more compact and with better transmission.

To Lexus, IS with AWD contributes only a small portion of the market for IS which is sad as their direct competitors think otherwise (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, etc)


And here is their pricing in Japan --

http://lexus.jp/models/is/price/price/index.html

Matador Red Mica (3R1) for 3IS is not dead yet. It is simply not offered in North America. Interestingly, Lexus offers both Matador Red Mica (3R1) and Redline (3T2) in Japan for all configurations of 3IS.

Redline(3T2), as most of us know, is an existing color available for the current Lexus CT. In Japan, 3T2 and 3R1 are also available for CT sold in Japan as well.


http://lexus.jp/models/is/specifications/color/index.html

Good view points and your digging up of info in Japan, yet again!

 

[stj88]

No surprise with the announcement on the specs based on last month's annoucement in Canada. We also anticipated the US to have the 350 in RWD vs AWD-only in Canada.

RIP - Matador Red Mica, welcome Redline
And as rayaans mentioned, no US folks jumping for joy on the USB 2.0?

Finally, interesting to see how different the 2L Turbo engines look just based on the longitudinal engine layout and piping re-routing in the IS vs horizontal in the NX.

Sadly the engine bay is ugly and riddled with cheap plastic! How i miss the time's when manufactures actually put in the time and money to make engine's look good and not like plastic heaps of crap!


Altezza 280T

 

[rayaans]

No surprise with the announcement on the specs based on last month's annoucement in Canada. We also anticipated the US to have the 350 in RWD vs AWD-only in Canada.

RIP - Matador Red Mica, welcome Redline
And as rayaans mentioned, no US folks jumping for joy on the USB 2.0?

Finally, interesting to see how different the 2L Turbo engines look just based on the longitudinal engine layout and piping re-routing in the IS vs horizontal in the NX.

Sadly the engine bay is ugly and riddled with cheap plastic! How i miss the time's when manufactures actually put in the time and money to make engine's look good and not like plastic heaps of crap!


Altezza 280T

First of all, it looks pretty smart.

Second of all, there's no point in Lexus making the engine bay pretty as it'll hardly ever get opened.

There's a reason the BMW, Audi and Merc engine bays look better. It's so you dont feel as bad when smokes coming out of it!

 

[ydooby]

So now the AWD IS350 is getting 8 speed automatic? The IS350 needs power bump badly. The engine can easily produce another 15 - 20 horsepower so I don't know why Lexus does not do it.

Sadly no. Car and Driver confirmed that the IS350 AWD will continue to use a 6-speed transmission. Lexus really needs a more competent engineering team!!

 

[CIF]

I'm sure the 0-60 time is very conservative and underrated.

 

[Tinhinnh]

No surprise with the announcement on the specs based on last month's annoucement in Canada. We also anticipated the US to have the 350 in RWD vs AWD-only in Canada.

RIP - Matador Red Mica, welcome Redline
And as rayaans mentioned, no US folks jumping for joy on the USB 2.0?

Finally, interesting to see how different the 2L Turbo engines look just based on the longitudinal engine layout and piping re-routing in the IS vs horizontal in the NX.

Sadly the engine bay is ugly and riddled with cheap plastic! How i miss the time's when manufactures actually put in the time and money to make engine's look good and not like plastic heaps of crap!


Altezza 280T

The engine bay looks fine except for the ugly cover with a giant hole.

 

[stj88]

Lexus fan boys to the defense! Engine bay looks like a total plastic mess! You know what looks fine? A RB26DETT, SR20DET, 2JZ-GTE, 3S-GTE VR38DETT, and excuse like it doesn't get opened so it doesn't have to look nice are total BS! Lexus should know that a premium car should feature a engine bay with neatly concealed hoses and wires and preferably have a metal valve cover and not a big piece of cheap plastic to cover up their cheapness!

 

[Gecko]

Lexus fan boys to the defense! Engine bay looks like a total plastic mess! You know what looks fine? A RB26DETT, SR20DET, 2JZ-GTE, 3S-GTE VR38DETT, and excuse like it doesn't get opened so it doesn't have to look nice are total BS! Lexus should know that a premium car should feature a engine bay with neatly concealed hoses and wires and preferably have a metal valve cover and not a big piece of cheap plastic to cover up their cheapness!

If you surveyed premium car buyers on their must-have features, I wonder where the appearance of engine covers and underhood dressing would rank.

Oh right, it wouldn't.

Why don't you let that go and talk about something that buyers are going to care about?

Moving on to more productive conversations, I have a feeling the IS 200t is going to be 0-60 in somewhere around 6.2 seconds, perhaps less. Still waiting for weight, which I have not seen released.

 

[Och]

Sadly, not much to be excited about. The two entry engines and awd only being available on the V6 is a sign of careless, sloppy engineering effort - not to mention that Lexus awd system is pathetic. Someone in my neighborhood bought a RC350 awd, and that thing with AWD has such a ridiculous lift that it looks like an SUV.

I don't have much faith left in Lexus.

 

[stj88]

Lexus fan boys to the defense! Engine bay looks like a total plastic mess! You know what looks fine? A RB26DETT, SR20DET, 2JZ-GTE, 3S-GTE VR38DETT, and excuse like it doesn't get opened so it doesn't have to look nice are total BS! Lexus should know that a premium car should feature a engine bay with neatly concealed hoses and wires and preferably have a metal valve cover and not a big piece of cheap plastic to cover up their cheapness!

If you surveyed premium car buyers on their must-have features, I wonder where the appearance of engine covers and underhood dressing would rank.

Oh right, it wouldn't.

Why don't you let that go and talk about something that buyers are going to care about?

Moving on to more productive conversations, I have a feeling the IS 200t is going to be 0-60 in somewhere around 6.2 seconds, perhaps less. Still waiting for weight, which I have not seen released.

They probably care pretty much or Lexus wouldn't have overhauled the look of the 5.0 V8 thats in the RC-F. They got allot of critique because the IS-F's engine bay was not on par with competition from BMW M and AMG.

 

[TARS]

If there's anything to get excited about, it's the 2.5L 4GR-FSE being phased out.

 

[mmcartalk]

Very odd to not offer AWD on the IS200t, but have to bring in another 3.5L to offer AWD. There is a problem with the turbo and AWD serious enought o make them off an entire new engine instead of the AWD option.

Good point. Lexus manages to offer the 2.0T with AWD on the NX and the upcoming new RX. So, unless there is some kind of problem as to why it can't be offered on the IS200t like it was on the IS250AWD, (underhood space issues, maybe (?).......the IS is lower-stance and doesn't have as much room underhood to fit components as with the SUVs), I agree that Lexus should explain.

CIF seems to have come to the same conclusion.

It is because apparently, the 2.0T engine so far cannot be paired with an AWD system while in a longitudinal layout. Or, there is no room at this moment to pair the 2.0T and AWD inside the IS body.

I'm a former IS300 owner myself, and if AWD had been available back then with the straight-six, I would have scooped it up in a heartbeat.

 

[mikeavelli]

The funny thing is with all the complaining about the 2.5 V-6 it obviously sold very well. I wonder if Lexus expects any sales lift here and what is the strategy with marketing/advertising here? The power ratings are I think tops or near tops in class for a base engine and I doubt the price moves much.

We need a new V-6 yesterday!

 

[Lexus Cohen]

The funny thing is with all the complaining about the 2.5 V-6 it obviously sold very well. I wonder if Lexus expects any sales lift here and what is the strategy with marketing/advertising here? The power ratings are I think tops or near tops in class for a base engine and I doubt the price moves much.

We need a new V-6 yesterday!

I totally agree with you buddy.

 

[rayaans]

Lexus fan boys to the defense! Engine bay looks like a total plastic mess! You know what looks fine? A RB26DETT, SR20DET, 2JZ-GTE, 3S-GTE VR38DETT, and excuse like it doesn't get opened so it doesn't have to look nice are total BS! Lexus should know that a premium car should feature a engine bay with neatly concealed hoses and wires and preferably have a metal valve cover and not a big piece of cheap plastic to cover up their cheapness!

If you surveyed premium car buyers on their must-have features, I wonder where the appearance of engine covers and underhood dressing would rank.

Oh right, it wouldn't.

Why don't you let that go and talk about something that buyers are going to care about?

Moving on to more productive conversations, I have a feeling the IS 200t is going to be 0-60 in somewhere around 6.2 seconds, perhaps less. Still waiting for weight, which I have not seen released.

They probably care pretty much or Lexus wouldn't have overhauled the look of the 5.0 V8 thats in the RC-F. They got allot of critique because the IS-F's engine bay was not on par with competition from BMW M and AMG.

Comparing apples to pineapples there or what? You can't say "engine bay looks better in the competition" when you're comparing a base IS200T to a C63! That's as stupid as believing hemorrhoids are caused by your ass cheeks chafing.

You talk about cheap plastic - go on a BMW forum and look at their shite plastic engine bays.

 

[PTien]

So now the AWD IS350 is getting 8 speed automatic? The IS350 needs power bump badly. The engine can easily produce another 15 - 20 horsepower so I don't know why Lexus does not do it.

From my understanding, the 350 RWD will have the 8 speed and the AWD will continue to have the 6 speed..... Status quo!

 

[PTien]

Great upgrades. I do wish the new turbo was open-source so we could tune it.

LOL Keep on dreamin' with that one!

 

[Andyl]

If you surveyed premium car buyers on their must-have features, I wonder where the appearance of engine covers and underhood dressing would rank.

Oh right, it wouldn't.

Why don't you let that go and talk about something that buyers are going to care about?

Moving on to more productive conversations, I have a feeling the IS 200t is going to be 0-60 in somewhere around 6.2 seconds, perhaps less. Still waiting for weight, which I have not seen released.

Weight info is available but it is for the Japanese-spec IS200t.

Curb weight (車両重量) of IS200t is 1620kg for both Version L and F-Sport in Japan.

Note they have different standard equipment (e.g., Version L has standard auto power folding mirrors and F-Sport has standard L-tex fabric seat. Not to mention Pop-up Hood is standard)

As a reference, the weight of IS250 AWD

1660kg (Japanese spec/2016 IS)
1655kg (Canadian spec/2015 IS)

And for 2015 IS250 RWD

1580kg (Japanese spec/2015 IS)
1570kg (Canadian spec/2015 IS)

For Japanese spec 3IS, moonroof and Mark Levinson are always optional. (As per Lexus.jp web site, moonroof adds 20kg, Mark Levinson adds 10kg)

http://lexus.jp/models/is/specifications/specifications/is200t/index.html