dasbuch

I agree and this corresponds beautifully to what I was saying before -- there is no magic bullet for getting more power without trading off fuel efficiency. Many buyers will look at the mpg ratings of the new engine vehicle and think they are getting an extra 30 HP without any tradeoffs. If they use that extra power, they won't get the mpg benefits of the smaller engine. And in the meantime, they will get a noisier, higher revving engine that runs hotter and produces more vibration (so they are trading off a lot more than mpg).

There's already a marketing scam going like this with the existing 2.5L and 3.5L engines -- the published mpg numbers lead a buyer to believe there is going to be a mere 10% mpg difference between the 250 and the 350. Now go and read the *real world* mpg folks get between the two cars, its more like a 20-25% difference in fuel efficiency in real world driving. If the power is there the foot wants to use it. It's hard to drive a fast car in a way that it achieves its on-paper fuel efficiency range.

LexFather

Also If I recall Lexus said the turbo was made to feel as luxurious as possible. Some luxury 4 cylinders feel pretty obvious there is a small engine inside. They were not after the fastest 0-60 etc with the new engine.

dasbuch

I'm sure Lexus will do a lot to minimize things like noise and vibration of a smaller engine, but their measure of success will of course be how is the 4-banger compared to competitors? I'm sure Lexus will be as good or better than competition (most likely better), but a 4-banger is what it is and always will be, so it won't be as smooth as the 6.

It seems odd though -- turbo is a feature that performance / sports car enthusiasts tend to want. That category of buyer typically wants to hear the noise, feel the road, etc. so going to the trouble of introducing a more complex technology and finding ways to make it more like the previous simpler technology seems almost contradictory IMO.

jhs82

Actually, they had two.

IS220D, 2.2l 4 cyl diesel at 177bhp/400Nm.
Later replaced by the IS200D, essentially the same 2.2l engine, but with 150hp/340Nm and less emissions. On some markets, both were offered at the same time.

corradoMR2

Now that first impression reviews are trickling in for the NX200t, the 2L Turbo is raved by the automotive press for its smooth power delivery. Not the most powerful, but looking to be by far best in-class (among the 4 cyl turbos) in the NVH department. Lexus has kept true to its roots.

See https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...ws-thread.html

As for power, the engineers/Lexus have stated there is room for more and we can (or should) expect a few more ponies out of this engine for the upcoming IS200t, slated for MY 2016.

dasbuch

I'm sure it will be best in class, I just think a turbo 4 fundamentally is what it is and will never be like a 6 in certain ways. Remembering all the issues like carbon build up, etc Lexus had with the 2.5L for the first 4 years of production, and knowing that a turbo engine runs hotter and is more maintenance prone by design (in ways that aren't Lexus' fault), I think I would pass on this for the first few years.

That article says "it’s very close in output to both BMW and Cadillac offerings". I don't care enough about Caddys to even read reviews of them, but reviews I've seen of the BMW 320i describe the turbo as having much more vibration and noise than the IS250 in the same class.

corradoMR2

^^^Agree, tough to be a V6, but not all are smooth. The 250's yes - very buttery smooth and I don't expect the 200t's 4 Turbo to be as buttery smooth, but smoothest 4-cyl I will have ever owned/driven.