The completely new Lexus IS is so full of technology that it might be easy to overlook how well the car functions as a basic, fun-to-drive sports sedan.
Lexus is eager to bust out of its role as a maker of luxurious but conservative automobiles. They want to make performance and style as much a part of the marque's appeal as finely tailored cabins and cutting-edge amenities. Therefore, the target for the new IS models is no less than the BMW 3 Series. Of course, BMW is a proclaimed target for many car makers, but Lexus and parent company Toyota are not given to idle boasts or hopeless goals, and now they want to become known as the best driving machines from anywhere, not just Asia.
With that in mind, Lexus has introduced two all-new models, the Lexus IS 250 and IS 350, featuring a choice of V6 engines and available all-wheel drive.
The new IS 250 and IS 350 are considerably larger than last year's IS 300 models and they're stuffed with creature comforts. They look sporty, with bulging muscles and a purposeful stance. Their looks are backed up with genuine sports sedan attributes: rear-wheel drive and handling and performance aspirations tuned more for driving than, say, the softer, front-drive Lexus ES 330. For the most part, the new IS models deliver on the promise. We enjoyed driving them, particularly the more powerful IS 350. It's fast, it sticks in corners and it stops with authority. The IS 350's VDIM electronic stability control steps in very early to keep the driver out of trouble. The IS 250 AWD model's all-wheel drive makes it a good sports sedan for the Snow Belt.
Lexus calls its new direction in design "L-Finesse," which the company says is defined by "simple yet elegant" forms and a muscular exterior that is "sporty yet sophisticated."
We'll leave those descriptives to the eyes of the beholders, but there's no question the new IS looks sporty, carrying forward the themes first seen in recent Lexus concept cars and in the production GS models. Its stance is purposeful, with hips elevated like a sprinter in the blocks, muscles tensed, ready to spring. The nose presents the fierce glare of a car that wants to be first in line. The steeply angled hood, made of weight-saving aluminum, is framed by the determined glower of projector beam headlamps and a deep front spoiler and large intake. It's unmistakably Lexus but visually fresh.
Despite being 3.5 inches longer, 3.0 inches wider and with 2.4 more inches of wheelbase and 1.9 inches of rear track, the additional size was used to good effect, allowing extra interior room as well as a more substantial platform on which to integrate the complex suspension and numerous subsystems.
Long sessions in the wind tunnel ensure the IS slips through the air with quiet stability. In addition to the distinct aerodynamic wedge of the overall shape, a number of small details contribute to the exceptional coefficient of drag (0.28). A front underbody structure creates downforce between the front wheels, a small air kicker integrated in the taillamps helps separate turbulence from the rear corners and reduces drag, and a small trunklid spoiler increases rear downforce.
Lush with creature comfort, trimmed with upscale materials, and crackling with electronic wizardry, the interior environment of the new IS models is pure Lexus. Nothing escaped notice in the totally new environment. Even the front sunvisors were redesigned to help absorb noise.
The new keyless entry and pushbutton ignition is so handy we wish this system were standard on every car. It also removes a potential safety hazard, a dangling set of keys, from the steering column and eliminates one of the most abused components from any future repair orders.
A bit roomier than the outgoing model, the cabin is still more sports car than family sedan. A prominent central console clearly establishes the driver and front-passenger zones. The controls wrap around the driver with every gauge and switch within easy scrutiny or close reach. The new Optitron gauges are larger and easier to read than the previous cluster, and their light-saber indicator needles, "ignition on" meter movement and dynamic redline indication are cool modern.
The standard black cloth upholstery is handsome and provides better grip in the corners than the optional leather or perforated leather. The metallic accent trim is appropriately placed around the cabin, and the optional bird's eye maple accents are beautifully crafted, each piece hewn from a single chunk of wood to ensure a perfect match from panel to panel.
The new, more efficient climate control system features a sophisticated temperature calculation system called Neural-Net, a new humidity sensor, a micro dust and pollen filler and, in IS 350 models, a smog sensor that detects excessive hydrocarbons and automatically reverts to a special recirculation mode until the atmosphere clears. A must-have option is the package that offers the heated and ventilated front seats. Like keyless entry, once you've tried these seats, there's no going back.
Still, for all its quality materials and refinement, the interior left this writer a little cold. It wasn't a case of inferior design or materials, but the cockpit seemed to lack a signature element, such as Volvo's floating center console, that could have made the IS cockpit as distinctive to sit in as it is to watch race off into the distance.
Once underway, there's little to criticize. The new Lexus IS, in both rear- and all-wheel-drive forms, can do everything the safe and sane driver might ask of it. It's fast, pulls enough g's in the corners to make a seasoned sailor carsick, and stops with authority.
However, for those who might want to use the full potential of the IS 350, such as for time trials or autocross, the electronic aids dampen the thrill, especially that wonderful dance of throttle and steering that controls a vehicle's slide through a corner or around the cones. A certain amount of drift is allowed, but then the algorithms start clacking away in VDIM's brainworks and the rhythm of the car's sideways progress is interrupted, everything but an admonishing voice ordering the car to slow down. It's what the IS won't do that mars an otherwise exceptional driving machine. It just doesn't make the driver work hard enough to go really quickly, and it doesn't allow the really quick driver the chance to go more quickly.
If it's really quickly you want to go, the IS 350 is the way to go. Unless winter weather invades some of your year, in which case the IS 250 AWD's increased grip is a welcome new option. The AWD model is actually heavier than the IS 350, so it's not a street-legal rally racer, but it hauled us over the San Gabriel Mountains, on fabled Angeles Crest Highway, without exposing any dire penalties due to its weight.
It hadn't fared so well earlier in the day, at Willow Springs International Raceway, the "fastest racetrack in the West." In that hyperventilated environment, the IS 350's muscular torque and free-revving engine pulled the car around the hilly course with almost lackadaisical ease. Despite temperatures that rose above 110 degrees, none of the assembled Lexi stumbled or misfired, even though they were being flogged relentlessly by a sweaty crowd of eager journalists.
Because of the hot, slippery track surface, the tires constantly fought for grip, but the advanced chassis electronics kept everyone on the pavement. It was easy to challenge those electronics because of the car's inherent balance. Oh, what fun it would be to drive totally unencumbered by the safety systems.
We recommend getting the automatic. Though our traditional side still likes clutch pedals and manual shift levers, the new generation of manual automatics is so responsive that it takes a really good manual gearbox to draw us away from the auto-shifter. The IS 250's manual six-speed doesn't quite fit that description and isn't quite good enough to make us opt for it in lieu of the optional automatic. The paddle-shifted automatic is mostly wonderful, though driver control is never complete to help protect it against damaging shifts.
Three models are available for 2006. The Lexus IS 250 is powered by a new 2.5-liter V6, which sends its 205 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission or an optional, newly developed paddle-shifted six-speed automatic.
Joining its rear-drive stablemate is the all-wheel-drive IS 250 AWD, available only with the automatic.
At the top of the range is the IS 350, with a new 3.5-liter 306-horsepower V6 coupled to the paddle-shifted automatic transmission.
Befitting a luxury marque, the IS models are loaded with standard equipment and offer a rich array of options. Notable new equipment included in every IS model is SmartAccess keyless entry and pushbutton engine start, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, driver and front-passenger knee airbags, a 13-speaker audio system and dual-zone climate control.
Standard exterior items are fog lamps, projector beam headlamps, puddle lamps on the underside of the outside rearview mirrors (which are also heated), dual polished stainless steel exhaust pipes, infrared and ultraviolet reducing glass on all the windows, and a color-coordinated front airdam.
The standard running gear is 17-inch five-spoke aluminum wheels fitted with low-profile high-performance radials. Rear-drive models get 225/45R18s in front and 245/45R17s in back, a sportier staggered setup to increase rear grip. The IS 250 AWD has 225/45R18s at all four corners. Within the wheels are large and effective disc brakes, vented at the front and clamped by aluminum four-piston calipers. Augmenting the big brakes are ABS, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and Brake Assist. Vehicle Stability Control and traction control (TRAC) comes with every IS 250, while the IS 350 gets TRAC as well as the more sophisticated Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM).
Interior features on all models start with the 194-watt 13-speaker stereo with a six-disc in-dash CD changer, digital signal processing, electronic crossover network and built-in theft deterrence. It's satellite-ready and includes a new audio input jack in the center console that accepts any external audio source (iPod, Walkman, etc.) to the AUX input.
Options are grouped into several packages, beginning with a Premium Package, featuring leather trim, 10-way power seats, leather console, and rear armrest storage. A Premium Plus Package ($N/A) includes perforated leather trim, heated/ventilated seats, leather console, rear armrest storage, and wood interior trim. The Performance Luxury Plus Package offers perforated leather trim, heated/ventilated seats, 10-way power seats, leather console, rear armrest storage, auto-dimming memory reverse tilt-down mirror, 18-inch wheels, sports suspension, sport pedals, metal scuff plates, driver and front-passenger seat memory, high-intensity discharge headlamps with AFS (that automatically swivel to light up corners when the steering wheel is turned), rain-sensing wipers, and a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with memory.
Audiophiles will want to consider ticking the option box for the Mark Levinson audio/navigation system. It adds an additional speaker, advanced discrete amplifier technology with 300 watts and 7.1 channel speaker architecture. Other stand-alone options are the navigation system, which features voice activation, a rear backup camera (a great safety feature) and Bluetooth; Park Assist; Pre-Collision System with Dynamic Radar cruise control; headlamp washers; power moonroof; and 18-inch wheels with summer performance tires. Aftermarket accessories include a high-performance exhaust system, two different styles of 18-inch wheels, and a body kit and rear spoiler.