Andyl
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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
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