Lexus improves its IS sports sedan, but is it enough?

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(May 18, 2013) When Lexus first burst upon the scene in late 1989, it was a revelation if not a revolution. Toyota, which had no upscale brand to which it could send customers once they outgrew its mainstream offerings, was taking on the overpriced Germans, BMW and Mercedes. Audi, at the time, was in the midst of the 60 Minutes-hyped unintended acceleration nonsense, and was not a player.


Coming out of the starting gate with a $38,000 full-sized luxury sedan that undercut the competition by nearly $15,000 made folks sit up and take notice; as did the car’s enviable build quality, quietness and solidity.

To be honest, Toyota scrambled to fill out the Lexus line, rebodying the front-drive Camry to create the entry-level ES, poaching the rear-drive Toyota Aristo/Crown to create the GS, trimming out the Toyota Land Cruiser to the create the LX, pulling the RX crossover off the Highlander, and chopping the LS down to create the SC coupe. It was a busy decade.

What Lexus didn’t have however, was a sporting entry-level car to attract younger buyers to the brand. The RX and ES models drove sales volume, but appealed to buyers either looking for a second vehicle or unwilling to move up. They were destination vehicles, not rungs on the ladder. By grabbing the Toyota Altezza and launching it as the IS, Lexus placed a marker meant to attract young, performance-oriented buyers while giving it time to create a small rear-drive sedan that was more Lexus than Toyota.

The biggest problem for the IS has been that it is something of the proverbial redheaded stepchild in the Lexus lineup. Unlike BMW’s 3 Series, you cannot draw a single, unbroken line between it and its larger siblings, or list the DNA points that make them blood relatives. They are too dissimilar. Also, from the start Lexus has been short on personality, much less point of view. It relentlessly pursued perfection, but did so at the expense of the brand’s humanity. It was the luxury vehicle choice for the planet Vulcan.

Recent moves to add a more sporting flair to the Lexus line are meant to rectify this and, once again, put the brand on the same path as its German competition. The Leonardo Fioravanti “L-Finesse” styling has been heavily modified by cuts, creases and a spindle grille the former Pininfarina designer (Ferrari Dino, 365 GTB Daytona, 288 GTO, etc.) never imagined, and that weren’t part of his design agreement with Lexus.

Perfection is still part of the equation, but sportiness is now an equal partner. All of this makes the 2014 IS, the third generation of the little rear-drive Lexus, less of an outcast.

As with any entry-level luxury car, the IS does not have a single audience. It not only is designed to appeal to those moving into the Lexus line, but also those moving down from a larger model. Plus, it must catch buyers moving out of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS and Mercedes C-Class, and bring them into the Lexus fold. It’s a tall order. It’s also a long one. Lexus added nearly three inches to the wheelbase to make the rear seat more hospitable, and added nearly one-half inch to the car’s width to improve its stance. Leg room is up by one inch in the front and 1.6 inches in the rear.

This may seem trivial but, in comparison to the second-generation IS, the new car looks more planted, and has a rear seat that is more than just a leather-covered storage area. In addition, the driver and front passenger’s hip point has been lowered by 20 mm (0.79 in), cowl height has been shaved, and the steering wheel angle was reduced by three degrees. Not only is the view forward better, you feel more a part of the car.

The weight of the body is down by 22 pounds, thanks in part to the use hot-stamped high-strength steel and aluminum. Eighty-two feet of structural adhesives combine with laser screw welding (two technologies borrowed from the Lexus LS) to enhance body rigidity, and braces were added between the A-pillars and apron to enhance steering response and roll feel. In addition, the number of pieces necessary to assemble the revised rear body section have been reduced, new underbody bracing added and a new rear subframe designed.

If that wasn’t enough, the engineers resonance-tuned the cowl panel and floor pan, increased the steel thickness in the cowl and central floor panels, added a new dash center brace and crossmember, and used sandwich steel in the dash to reduce noise. In fact, a number of noise reduction measures were taken to retain the almost eerie silence Lexus models have been noted for from the beginning.

IS 250 engine gets plain black shroud.

The front suspension uses upper and lower multi-links with double-joint suspension arms, coil-over monotube dampers and an anti-roll bar. Yaw response has been improved by quadrupling the rigidity of the steering rack bushings, doubling the rigidity of the front lower arm bushings and raising the steering gear ratio by 8%. In addition the spring rate of the front coils have been lowered while increasing front roll distribution and anti-roll bar rigidity. Out back, the multi-link rear suspension (borrowed from the GS) separates the coil spring and damper, relocates the toe-control arm, and takes up less room than the unit it replaces. This last item also increases luggage space.

As expected, four-wheel disc brakes are standard, with the IS 250 using 11.7-inch vented rotors up front and 11.4-inch solid rotors in the back. All-wheel drive models get 13.1-inch vented front rotors, while the IS 350 increases the size of the rear rotor to 12.2 inches, and switches from solid to vented discs. To make the brakes more responsive and increase pedal feel, pedal stroke has been reduced and the brake booster has been modified. Plus, the IS comes with an panoply of safety systems, including: ABS, Traction Control, Brake Assist, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Vehicle
Dynamics Integrated Management with Vehicle Stability Control, Smart Stop and Hill-start Assist.

IS 250 F-Sport

Unlike Europe, Japan and select other markets, there will be no IS hybrid offered in North America. CO2 emission requirements make this model necessary in Europe, while the CT and ES hybrids fill this space in the US. Our base engine is a 2.5-liter V6 with 204 horsepower at 6,400 rpm, and 184 lb-ft of torque at 4,800. It mates to the current IS model’s six-speed, paddle-shift automatic transmission, and can be ordered with either rear- or all-wheel drive. (These drive configurations also extend to the IS 250 and IS 350 F Sport models.) Lexus claims a rear-drive IS will travel from 0-60 mph in 7.9 seconds, run the quarter mile in 16 seconds, top out at an electronically limited 140 mph and return 21 city/30 highway/24 combined on premium fuel.

If that’s not enough, buyers can opt for the 3.5-liter V6 with 306 horsepower at 6,400 rpm, and 277 lb-ft of torque at 4,800. This engine gets the eight-speed automatic fitted to the current IS-F and, when the driver selects Sport mode, the “G-force Artificial Intelligence” controller checks the car’s onboard G-sensor to determine driving status and optimum shift points.

It may be a dumb name, but Lexus insists this system optimizes gear selection (no upshifts mid corner) and the engine’s torque characteristics for best performance. Like the IS 250, the IS 350 is available with either rear- or all-wheel drive, and claims the rear-drive version can sprint from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, run the quarter mile in 13.8 seconds, has an electronically limited top speed of 143 mph, and returns 19 city/28 highway/22 combined on premium fuel.

There is more of a cockpit feel to the new IS. The display zone, punctuated by a 7-in multi-display unit, sits higher, as does the starter pushbutton. In addition, the air conditioning and audio control panels have been designed to reduce glare, and also sit higher and closer to the driver’s line of sight. With the repositioned steering wheel, starter button and shift lever, the 2014 IS personifies the old cliché about controls that fall readily to hand.

Take a broader view of the interior, and the bright trim, hand stitching (found on the gauge hood, knee pad, console lid and shift boot), horizontal orientation of the instrument panel, and the raised stripe on the upper speaker that sites along the vehicle centerline all point to an attention to detail that is second nature to Lexus. The cockpit feels snug but roomy, and is free of the stylistic flourishes found on the vehicle’s exterior. A crisp, clear gauge cluster sits directly ahead, and F Sport buyers are treated to a gauge package pulled from the LF-A sports car. Nice touch.

The standard eight-way power front seats get reshaped (and longer) lower cushions for more thigh support and better fit between seat and passenger. Heating and ventilation are available with either leather or NuLuxe trim levels, the front headrests are power operated, ordering the Luxury package adds a two-position driver’s seat memory, and all IS models get a 60:40 split/fold rear seatback; the first Lexus model ever to offer this feature. I could bore you with color choices, options, trim finishes and more, but the essence of this car is how it performs.

On the Road… Briefly

Lexus laid out a gymkhana course divided into distinct sections, and designed to highlight different aspects of the car’s performance and behavior. Controlled exercises like this have their purpose. However, artificial confines often don’t let you explore multiple aspects of a car’s personality at once. So it was off to the public roads to see just how the IS would handle everyday bumps, thumps, irregularities and situations.

As it had on the gymkhana course, the IS (a 350 in this case) steered precisely around corners, but imparted little life or personality through the steering wheel. It obviously checks all the boxes on the engineer’s test sheets, but lacks the feel that lets you know exactly what the wheels are up to at every moment. This isn’t as bad as it sounds as BMW’s 3 Series, the segment’s benchmark, has lost some of the vibrancy its steering once exhibited, and both cars go where you point them.

Still, it’s unfortunate that the IS doesn’t have the immediacy or nascent steering purity found in the much less expensive Scion FR-S. With it, and an engaging but supple suspension tune, it could easily tempt buyers out of their Audis, BMWs, Cadillacs and Mercedes instead of just providing a Japanese-built analog.

Where the IS shines is in the combination of luxury, precision and sense of occasion. This is where Lexus sedans have always shone, and the IS is no different. The emphasis may be a bit more overtly sporting, but the hallmarks that brought the brand this far are still present.

All of which goes to prove that claiming you are the sporting equal of your better established and more sporting competitors is not the same as being their equal. With the 2014 IS Lexus has shown the ability to reach farther than many had expected, but not enough for this “digital” vehicle to viscerally excite the analog animals inside.

The Virtual Driver