No more teasing. Lexus has finally released all the images of its redesigned IS, which is on display starting today at the 2016 Beijing Auto Show.
Up front, the IS features new headlamps. The front intakes on both the IS and IS F SPORT have grown in size to take in more air. Lexus says, “The new grille folds back at a higher point, changing its top and bottom proportions that enhance its sporty feel with a visually lower center of gravity, while blending effortlessly into the reshaped hood.” F SPORT models wear a metallic jet-black grille with a 3-dimensional F-mesh pattern and functional brake ducts.
The standard 10-spoke 17-inch wheels have been visually tweaked. So has the palette of colors available on the IS; Deep Blue Mica and Graphite Black Glass Flake have been added for the 2017 model year.
Out back, Lexus has fitted the IS with new taillamp internals and rectangular chrome exhaust finishers.
Although Lexus has given the IS a makeover, it went further than skin-deep. It’s given the interior a larger, 10.3-inch high-resolution multimedia display screen. The sides of the Remote Touch Interface (RTI) on the center console now include “Enter” buttons to make it more user-friendly. Designers have made the panel that holds the audio and ventilation controls fit between the knee bolsters. Other touches around the cabin include stitching on the gauge pod hood, new cupholders, a larger leather-wrapped palm rest for the RTI, and the replacement of the Moonstone and Ivory colors with Chateau, “a new light shade that blends the elegance of Ivory with a more modern light-gray hue.” The Lexus Safety System + brings the combination of the Pre-Collision System, Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beam (AHB), and Radar Cruise Control.
Unfortunately, the specs on the three engine offerings in the next IS haven’t been upgraded like the sheet metal and creature comforts have been.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.