Lexus upgrades range

New noses and tails are obvious on everything at the Lexus stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show as the Japanese luxury brand works to combat a new-model onslaught from its rivals at Audi, BMW and Benz.

Sadly, the only major mechanical difference is a go-faster differential change to Lexus' M3 rival, the IS-F. "It's minor facelifts. Just something to keep the cars fresh in showrooms. It's mainly grilles and lamps," admits the boss of Lexus Australia, John Roca. "We have changes to the IS, GS, LS and RX. They will flow progressively through the system. "The first one here is the IS, but we will probably hold the GS, LS and LX over until next year so they become 2010 models.

And Roca says the massive LX gets some visual fine-tuning. "The good news about the LX is we finally get 20-inch wheels," he says. "And there are some aero changes to the front and rear bars so it looks significantly different."

The changes to the IS-F are relatively minor, but anyone who drives hard will appreciate the addition of a Torsen limited-slip differential. Lexus says it slashes lap times at its Fuji Speedway course in Japan, where the IS-F is tested, by two seconds thanks to better cornering grip and traction for its V8 engine.

Otherwise, the cabin gets improved satnav and a USB input for the sound system, foldable headrests, a new steering wheel and better switchgear.

In Australia, the arrival of the updated IS-F — less than a year into its local life — also sees Lexus trying to spread the car's impact with a new ‘Sport’ model. "IS-F has been of critical importance in shifting Lexus' brand perception," says Roca.

The result is a tweaked IS250 with an F-Sport package. "The new car replaces the previous sports version of the IS range," he says. "It's for the customer that's looking at the IS-F, but cannot afford to make that sort of commitment. "It gets upgraded seats, a small spoiler, and tweaked sports suspension. It will become more of a true sports model. "It will sit in between the Prestige and the Sports Luxury, which remains the top of the range."