Lexus IS 2010 News

Lexus has added special X pack editions of its sales-leading IS 250 and IS 350, ahead of a new model’s arrival later this year to continue the battle against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 in the luxury mid-sized sedan market. The upgrade packs - worth $9000 - echo special editions from 2011, and are a bid to boost the appeal of the outgoing model until the end of March.  Prices start from $58,990 for the IS 250X and $64,990 for the IS 350X. This represents an increase compared to the base model Prestige spec IS250 ($55,800), while the IS350 price remains the same. However, the special driveaway pricing and extra features are where the added value is found. The X range keeps the IS 250’s 2.5 litre V6 and the IS 350’s gutsy 3.5 litre V6, however gets extra equipment. While the IS 350 already has SATNAV and a reversing camera, these top spec features have been added to the IS 250 X special edition.  The value pack for both variants also includes six-head parking sensors, smart card key and sports pedals. And the ‘XTRA’ appeal coined by Lexus comes in the form of the red accented interior, with red perforated and red stitching. The outside gets a reworking with attractive 18-in alloy wheels, rear lip spoiler, aluminium scuff plates, HID headlamps with daytime running lamps and of course the special edition’s “X” badge.  

Toyota has announced the voluntary recall of 1.7m vehicles worldwide, including some of its luxury Lexus models, over a fuel leak.  This brings to approximately 12m the total number of recalls since 2009 when acceleration problems were blamed for fatal crashes overseas.The latest recall affects only 4844 Australian owners of Lexus IS250 vehicles built between August 2007 and February 2009.  Australian Toyota/Lexus spokesperson Laura Hill said there have been no reports of accidents or injuries here or overseas due to the fuel leak.She said only one of the 117 worldwide reports of owners smelling leaking petrol was in Australia.  Lexus will notify owners by mail to make an appointment with their dealer for the free repair."It takes between two and three hours," Hill said.  "It's a small repair; tightening the fuel pressure sensor to the fuel delivery pipe, or replacing a gasket if there is a leak."Vehicles affected overseas are powered by an Avensis engine which is not included in Toyota or Lexus vehicles available in Australia, she said.

If not quite as hot as the IS-F released last year, the IS 350 ups the ante within the mainstream IS lineup – midway between the IS F’s V8 grunt and the IS 250’s smaller 2.5-litre V6, now retuned for strict Euro 5 emissions regulations. The IS 350 features a gutsy 3.5-litre V6 powerplant clearly designed to compete with the bigger six-cylinder prestige offerings from BMW, Benz and Audi.  You’ll see the new IS 350 at the Australian International Motor Show alongside the newly facelifted IS 250 and the jaw-dropping LFA supercar. The IS 350’s new 3.5-litre engine develops a healthy 228kW and 375Nm, and is mated to a six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission.  Together with the IS 350’s trim dimensions and light weight, the package will see 100km/h on the dial from a standing start in just 5.6 seconds – a significant performance improvement over and above that of the IS 250. Something else that’s new, and hints at Lexus’s new sportier DNA – the IS 350’s ‘F Sport’ ID, together with more sport-oriented suspension, a unique wheel/tyre package, edgier front end plus HID xenon headlamps and LED-based daytime running lights. Pricing is, at the time of writing, still anyone’s guess. That’s due to be announced as the Motor Show kicks off – with the likely best guess in the $90,000 ballpark.

The punchy IS 350 finally joins the local line, Lexus is bringing the F-Sport sub-brand to Australian showrooms, and there are improvements to everything from safety to economy and emissions. There is unlikely to be any price hike despite the changes, although Lexus refuses to discuss showroom stickers ahead of the local IS unveiling at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. "It's a true facelift. It's not just a tickle," says Peter Evans, the new corporate manager for marketing and aftersales at Lexus Australia. It's suspension, it's daytime running lamps, it's the dashboard, its a whole bunch of stuff. And we'll have a range of IS 350 models, as well as the launch of F-Sport. We're planning to price it competitively against its competitors." But there is no diesel for the Lexus IS, as Toyota's luxury brand continues its commitment to hybrid cars in Australia. There is a diesel in Australia but Lexus will soon have the CT200h for Australia and Japanese sources point to a full hybrid in the next generation of the IS in around four years. The importance of the IS update is reflected in its position in Australia. "It's our key model for Australia. Ultimately there are three cars that should drive the brand, and this is number one," says Evans. "The car is doing well. We're happy with the IS but the one we're having more trouble convincing people to consider is the RX." European information on the IS upgrade points to cleaner engines which meet the latest Euro 5 emissions standards, with better efficiency and reduced emissions for the IS 250 automatic and IS 250 coupe-convertible. Exterior changes run to LED daytime running lamps in the nose, a new grille, new rear lamps and new alloy wheel designs. The F-Sport model picks up more of the impact of the V8-powered IS F, with a deep front spoiler, 18-inch alloys, and a big rear spoiler. Inside, there is a sports steering wheel with leather-and-alcantara trim.

Hot on the heels of the LFA supercar the company once defined by its oh-so refined yet oh-so restrained philosophy has snuck a stunning rendition of its IS-F sportscar into the Tokyo Auto Salon to stand alongside some of the wildest after-market makeovers in the world.The Circuit Club Sports Concept — or CCS — is an in-house project from Lexus that concentrates on lifting the IS-F to a new level of visual graphics without changing the core mechanical package that already marked the V8 IS-F as a watershed in the Lexus philosophy."IS-F kicked off Lexus' entire sports and performance portfolio and we are looking forward to how the mindset behind it and LFA will shape our vehicles in the future," says Lexus Australia's new chief executive Tony Cramb.  "The IS-F CCS Concept is a great-looking vehicle and should Lexus ever consider such a vehicle for production, it would definitely be on our list."It is surely no accident that the bright orange and carbon fibre treatment of the CCS almost mirrors what BMW did with its track-only M3 GTS which was unveiled in Germany late last year.  While the CCS is designated as a ‘reference vehicle’ the show car is only a few simple steps away from at least a limited production run.It sits on exactly the same rear-wheel drive sports platform as the IS-F and boasts the same 311kW and 505Nm 5-litre V8 powerplant driving through an eight-speed transmission.  With a highlighted carbon fibre bonnet, roof, boot and rear wing along with much of the interior the CCS tips the scales around 25kg lighter than the donor car's 1715kg  not a lot in the world of racetrack trimming but importantly, the carbon fibre boot, bonnet and roof all work to lower the centre of gravity.There is also a stiffer track-tuned suspension package, huge carbon ceramic brakes, lightweight 19-inch forged magnesium wheels, a mechanical limited slip differential and a titanium sports exhaust system.  Lexus proudly points out that the CCS draws heavily on processes pioneered in the development of the LFA supercar, although the company doesn't specify just what has trickled down to the track baby.Cramb says the IS-F CCS is an exciting but logical extension of the marque's inclusion of sports philosophy in the more mainstream models.  "I've joined Lexus at a time when it is gearing up for some of the most exciting product in the brand's history — headlined by the LFA supercar," Cramb says."Lexus' commitment to performance inspired product is already evident in vehicles such as the IS250 F Sport and the LS460 Sports. Looking ahead, performance and hybrid vehicles offer a real opportunity for Lexus in Australia."  The first half of 2010 is expected to be a quiet time for Lexus with only minor product upgrading, including the refresh of the LX570 this month and a facelift for the luxury long-wheelbase LS 600hL hybrid in March.Lexus will have to wait until 2011 before the next round of halo cars arrive, the LFA and the Prius-based hatchback based on the LF-Ch Frankfurt concept.

The future for Lexus could be sprinkled with high-performance models as its F label becomes as important as an M badge at BMW. The chief engineer of the brand's breakthrough IS-F, Yukihiko Yaguchi, is already checking everything from the GS sedan to the RX soft-roaders for their potential for an F upgrade. He wants more and to do more, even if there is no firm plan. “It hasn't been decided yet but, yes, I would like to do that,” Yaguchi says at the Australian press preview drive of the IS-F at Fuji Speedway in Japan. “It is just an idea . . . but the IS F was just an idea, also.” Yaguchi made the $150,000 IS-F a personal campaign, battling management reluctance and limited support to produce a 5.0-litre V8 competitor for long-standing luxury performance vehicles from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. “I wanted to develop a new breed of animal for Lexus,” Yaguchi says. “In general our company produces rather rational cars and it was certainly a very difficult project . . . I cannot say what the future holds.” Lexus Australia boss John Roca hopes Yaguchi's IS-F will not be a one-shot wonder. “There is nothing on the drawing board at this stage, but you certainly wouldn't rule out similar performance derivatives of GS and LS in the future,” Roca says. “This (car) will also give our existing customers a boost. As much as we have had potential customers wanting to buy a Lexus had this type of vehicle been available, we also have existing customers who have clearly shown they are ready to move into a car of this type.”  

Then there's this - the IS F. If Godzilla wore a business suit, this is very likely the car he’d drive to work. The first in a series of specialised “F” cars for Lexus, it’s Japan's answer to Germany's high-performance V8 mid-sizers such as BMW's M3 and Audi’s RS4. Carsguide was given a preview ahead of its appearance at the Australian International Motor Show on Thursday. The Lexus is the first ultra-fast sports sedan from Toyota's luxury division. An apparently 5.0-litre V8 has been shoehorned into an engine bay that normally hosts a powerplant of half that capacity, driven through the world's first eight-speed direct sport shift gearbox and the rear wheels. In order to be competitive with the usual suspects, the F car needed to achieve the 0-100km/h sprint in less than five seconds – 4.9, which is their precise claim. Lexus product planning manager Jeff Shafer relates preliminary specifications of “more than 300kW and more than 470Nm” to move its approximately 1.7 tonne kerb weight, distributed 54:46 per cent front-to-rear. As to the nomenclature, the “F” code signifies those special vehicles that are removed from the Lexus engineering and development mainstream. And, as it happens, much of the IS F development took place under Yukihiko Yaguchi at Fuji Speedway at the foot of Mt Fuji, an aptly volcanic backdrop for the car in question. Shafer is one of the chosen few to have driven the near-production IS F. While he says that Mr Yaguchi was “adamant that the IS F had to have the instant sensory elements of driving” it also needed to be sufficiently civilised to be a daily driver. In both respect, Shafer says the IS F is well-served by its all-new eight-speed Direct Sport-shift Transmission (DSS). A new torque-converter lock-up control was developed that allows for a direct, crisp gear change through the constant lock-up of the torque converter in second through eighth gear. In Drive mode, the transmission is skewed toward smoothness, and the torque converter allows for enhanced launch capability. For more frenetic deployment, manual mode allows fingertip shifting via the steering wheel-mounted paddles - the fastest changing of its type, Shafer says. Downshifts are accompanied by automated and precise throttle blips to match engine RPM to vehicle speed. Unlike the current and conventional IS, the Drive mode can be temporarily overridden by the paddles without engaging manual mode. So you can engine brake into a corner in your chosen cog and allow the torque converter to take over as you emerge. A smarter-than-ever Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management System (VDIM) manages power delivery, braking response and suspension settings, all of which are changeable at the push of a button. Indeed, this newest VDIM has three modes, with the Sport mode providing what Shafer says is greater latitude before the electronic safety measure intervenes. Of course you can simply switch the thing off altogether and go your hardest, so it’s a good thing that this is underwritten by purpose-specced Brembo brakes. The standard wheels are custom 19-inch forged-alloy BBS number shod with 225/40R19s at the front and 255/35R19 for the rear. Of course, the F rides on a dropped and tightened suspension. These are also the subtlest visual hints the F is a departure. Other exterior pointers run to a bonnet that bulges to accommodate the bigger engine, a bespoke body kit and quad exhaust pipes. The interior is similarly understated but striking with aluminium composite trim, special surface treatments and F logo on the steering wheel and rear-centre console. The most obvious departure from the norm is that the F seats four not five, albeit in cosseting and supportive sport buckets. No doubt some will find the visual cues insufficiently bling, but anything more overt would be at odds with the executive express segment at which Lexus are aiming. The metallic blue of the car we were shown is the range’s signature colour, one that is intended to suggest a “flame when it gets to 1500 degrees”. On the face of it, the IS F will be hot enough for the Germans to feel the heat. See this car at the Australian International Motor Show  

Other brands before it have taken on a sideline of “hero car” models where sports looks and high performance earn the brand extra status. Lexus can make this move with justification: Lexus cars do race in various categories overseas, including at the famed Japan Fuji Speedway. And it's that first letter, F, that will mark the Lexus premium performance vehicles. First car in Australia, in about a year, will be the IS-F based on the existing compact IS250 which now has a 2.5-litre V6 engine delivering 153kW of power. The IS-F hot version will be aimed at European performance sedans. There's even talk of it running a five-litre V8 of 300kW, an eight-speed transmission (from the LS460 flagship saloon, perhaps) and limited slip differential to get better power to the ground. Lexus Australia manager John Roca says the IS-F signals the expansion of the Lexus range outside its traditional luxury-vehicle segment. “This IS-F is the embodiment of performance,” he says. “Just by looking at the vehicle, you know that it is something special. It will be the ultimate in performance cars and Lexus's first performance-specific model.” Lexus sister brand Toyota is about to release its performance version here, the TRD Aurion - the V6 has been supercharged to give a predicted 235kW of power. Holden performance arm HSV is doing well in sales while Ford has its Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Mitsubishi is preparing a supercharged 380 V6, with 230kW of power being suggested.