#LexusIS #Fsport #LexusIS500

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This Lexus IS is possibly the best looking car I’ve tested in the last 2 years

The downside to that is that this IS, even in its new generation for 2021, brings a N/A v6 to a turbo 4 banger fight

So today we’re going to see if the old school can hang with the more modern competitors

We’ll start where we usually do, behind the wheel

I know I said this was a N/A v6 and it is, but it makes a pretty punchy 311 hp and 280 lbft

It goes through a 8 speed gearbox to all 4 wheels and that makes the 60 run good for 5.6 seconds

5 and a half seconds sounds fairly quick objectively, and it matches the outgoing C300, but let’s consider the BMW 330xi does it in 5.2

That’s the benefit of having forced induction peak torque around 2000 rpm rather than 5000

Ok, so it’s not the quickest thing on the block, but the Lexus cars never are and in this segment that shouldn’t really bother you.

The benefit of no turbo and extra cylinders is the exhaust tone

It develops as you climb the rev band - it’s obviously not as good as the V8, but just wait until we get the IS500

Sound and theater has always been the Lexus staple for me. Wrap me in a luxurious interior and assault my ears with a nice induction and exhuast tone and I’m good. BUt let’s talk dynamics.

This IS is 200 lbs shy of 4,000 lbs so it’s not light for its size.

The brakes work quite well and the steering is actually decent and not totally numb

Tip in is good and you have a multilink rear suspension set up, but there’s 2 problems

One is the gearbox is lazy. I’ve complained about Lexus 8 speeds in the RCF as well. Upshifts take longer than I want and downshifts aren’t crisp even in sport S+

The other issue is defeatable, but if you leave the stability control on you’re going to have a bad time. The computer will cut power anytime you try to add throttle mid corner

And that makes me very sad

But this is a Lexus at the end of the day and they’re not pretending to be sportscars so let’s talk abut some more Lexus-y things.

The exterior design, like I said in the intro is fabulous and it looks better in person than it does on your screen right now.

The front is aggressive, the wheels fit perfectly, and the rear hips are wide and muscular.

With a 2 inch taller hood and quad stacked exhaust the IS500 is going to be the perfect sport sedan for me.

Then on the interior the backseat is small, but useable to put adults in as long as you’re not driving cross country

Then the front of the cabin isn’t honestly a huge departure from the previous gen. As far as layout is concerned.

It still has my favorite climate controls in any car and the heated and cooled seats and heated steering wheel buttons are nice and easy to get to.

Trackpad infotainment is a bit of a bummer cuz we know the new NX that was leaked gets the next-gen touchscreen unit

Fully digital cluster with the moving circle is cool, but it doesnt move when you select sport mode so that’s lame. I guess you gotta save something for the LC

Ultimately, the build is superb as you’d expect from lexus and it’s the small attention to detail that really wins me over with these cars, but I do with it had a more modern looking dash and a bigger sunroof.

So some final housekeeping as we head into final thoughts.

The IS is slower than competition due to no turbos
Even with the v6 It gets about the same fuel economy and sounds better
Dynamically it’s not as sporty as the others but no surprise there
The interior is more special and bette built, but less intuitive
The exterior is worlds apart from the BMW, Merc, and Audi

So the moral of the story is if you want something that comfortable and looks excellent you’ve the best in the segment here

But me, I’ll be waiting for Fall when we get the IS500 with the RCF V8 and gearbox

Thanks