Cars : 2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport
Cars : 2014 Lexus IS 350 F Sport
The chief engineer for the 2014 Lexus IS stood in front of us and said the development target was to be the most fun-to-drive car in the segment. He said this with a straight face, no less.
Huh? Is this really what's going on at Lexus? Sure, the GS likely is the best-handling and most fun-to-drive car in its segment, but that car has always been a bit of an outlier. So now the IS has targeted the BMW 3-series, right as the BMW 3-series lost a bit of its own direction. Each of the two companies appears to be running to where the other one just was. It makes no sense.
Here are the important details about the next-gen Lexus IS that debuts next week in Detroit: New looks, obviously. Better, for the most part. The harpoon-shaped LED driving lights look good. The big mustache-look grille may take some getting used to. It's about the same height. There will be three models: an IS 250, and IS 350, and an IS 300h hybrid. No mention (yet) of an IS-F. The 250's powertrain is largely carried over; the 350 now uses a variant of the current IS-F's eight-speed automatic. (The 250 continues on with six forward gears.)
The preproduction cars we drove were equipped with the F-Sport package, as seen above, which includes comfy seats, Lexus' "Drive Mode Select," and, on IS 350 models, active suspension and steering. More immediately visible, however, is the ultra-cool LCD gauge panel that, like the LF-A supercar, features a moving ring that tricks your eye into thinking the tachometer itself can slide out of the way to make room for additional information.
But stepping from the old IS into the new car, the most noticeable change is the seating position: Lexus lowered the seat by almost an inch, and you now feel like you're sitting in the IS, rather than on top of it. The automatic shifter falls easily to hand and feels expensive, and the IS' stability control can be fully defeated. We're off to a good start, it would seem. (Read More)
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