GS69

All New 2014 Lexus IS

What’s Akio Toyoda to do? He’s the head of what is currently the world’s largest automaker. Factories stamp his almost-name on millions of cars each year. And yet he’s not all that crazy about most of them. Imagine the frustration.

Messing with 1 of the most successful corporate recipes in any industry seems like a bad idea. Still, part-time racer Toyoda wants to make his company’s cars sportier, and he’s slowly getting his way. 1st came the nearly $400,000, 553-hp Lexus LFA, which Toyoda-san took to the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring before it was even in production. Then came the Scion FR-S, a sports car for those who don’t own sports teams. Next up: bolder designs at Lexus aimed at drivers who care, starting with last year’s GS. Borrowing the GS’s look and philosophy, the 2014 IS made its debut at the Detroit auto show, tightly packed in PR words such as “engaging” and “dynamic.”

Design
Lexus says the 2013 GS introduced its new family styling, dubbed L-finesse. While its characteristic spindle-shaped grille already has been applied to the company’s full lineup, the IS is only the 2nd car to be drawn from nose to tail in the new design language. In the IS, L-finesse hits its stride. The gaping grille, squinty lighting elements, strong shoulder lines, flowing greenhouse shapes, and burly fender bulges make the car look like a bona fide sports sedan.

PowerTrain
IS F fans will be thrilled to learn that their idol shares some power*train bits with the new car, though they may be less thrilled to learn that it’s not the 416-hp octo-pot, but the octo-cog automatic transmission. With 8 gear ratios behind it instead of just 6, the IS350’s carry-over 3.5-liter V-6 should at least hold the line on fuel economy and acceleration against an increase in curb weight. The base IS250 still will have the direct-injected 2.5-liter V-6 backed up by a 6-speed auto. Neither engine will see much of a change in output from the 204- or 306-hp ratings of the ’13 models.

Other markets will get an IS300h, but with the CT200h and ES300h both available here, Lexus figures it has that end of the hybrid market covered. And after selling basically zero IS250s with manual transmissions, the DIY shifting option is out, too. Buyers of either engine will still be able to opt for all-wheel drive, although only with the 6-speed automatic.

PlatForm & Chassis
The new IS uses a scaled-down version of the GS’s basic architecture. Against the previous IS, it’s 3.4 inches longer, 0.4 inch wider, and 0.2 inch taller. Significantly, its wheelbase grew 2.7 inches, netting meaningful boosts in space for both people and stuff. More size means more weight, though, and the IS has gained nearly 200 pounds compared with the outgoing car.

Last year’s basic control-arm front suspension carries over, but engineers stiffened the anti-roll bar by 20 percent and reduced spring rates, aiming to better balance comfort and reflexes. (This combination of tweaks was also part of  the IS F’s 2011 mid-cycle transformation.) A new, compact multi*link rear suspension is inspired by the GS’s and minimizes intrusion into the trunk. As with the old car, the next IS will offer a Drive Mode selector with 3 (IS250) or 4 (IS350) drivetrain and *suspension settings. Electrically assisted power steering, also derived from the GS, goes into all IS versions, but Lexus’s variable-ratio system is available only on the IS350. F Sport models such as the 1 pictured here get firmer suspension and steering tuning.

Interior
Lexus’s rhetoric about sportier products is perhaps no more evident than inside the new IS, where an LED instrument panel gets inspiration from the just-discontinued LFA. As with the LFA, the IS has an adaptive center gauge, although the tach on this 1 doesn’t go to 10,000 rpm, sadly. A redesigned driver’s seat sits lower than in the previous car, and the steering wheel telescopes farther to allow a wider range of drivers to find their perfect seating positions. With the wheelbase stretch allotted mostly to the rear, and with thinner front seats, back-seat passengers will be more comfortable. Additional space and increasingly driver-oriented cockpits intrigue us, but Lexus’s boast of touch-sensitive HVAC controls has us shuddering with thoughts of the frustrating consoles already in Fords and Cadillacs.

From the driver's seat
While you’ll wait until midyear to drive the new IS, we’ve already been out for a brief spin in a prototype. We came away with hope. This IS feels as if it has matured in every aspect. It’s a little less raw than the old car, but its limits feel higher and better defined. There’s still some sportiness left to eke out, though. We’re rooting for Mr. Toyoda.

052SI

Thanks for posting this.

052SI

Looks likes they mentioned the 200lb increase again...could it be true?

pianospike

This was the article I was referring to in that other thread where the 200lb increase was mentioned. So I don't think they have mentioned it twice, unless it has appeared somewhere else where I haven't seen it.

RX808

Will there be a place for a front license plate?

052SI

I read it elsewhere online in another CD article, either way glad its not accurate.

Fizzboy7

This dash is so much more modern and sporty than most other competitors, especially the new Q50. I'd say it's the best part of the new IS. It's even more swept back and driver-oriented than most sports cars.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Yes of course..!!!

There are TWO pre marked dimples which are there to receive the self tapping screws which will hold down the proper US Spec / other regions license plate brackets..




~ Joe Z

pianospike

Well, until I see final specs come out, I'm still a tad wary. Here's another mention of a 200 pound weight gain.

http://eaglesrant.com/a-look-at-the-.../nathan-hunter

052SI

Well it appears they reference CD, so maybe that's where they got it from?

Civic Si-r

Yeah when I originally read that the car gained 200lbs (3900 LBS), and have the same 306 HP V-6 motor. First thought that came to mind, its gonna be a pig. It needs to go on a diet before it is released to the public or better yet give it 350HP to offset the 200lbs.

spwolf

there is no such gain, euro specs are revealed.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

200lbs?? I thought they said initially it was 50lbs to make it 3700lbs total for the IS350. There's no way this car is 3900lbs when the GS doesn't even weigh that..

spwolf

its 20kg from comparable 2IS... and euro specs show that base is also 5 kg lighter than previous base... so maybe 20kg was for f-sport for instance in the US, since Europe spec it is hard to say it is heavier at all

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for clarification