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This is not really a new gen, but a 2nd, more extensive refresh (like what Lexus had previously done to the LS 460).
Same platform and same powertrains (there's a rumor that there may be an IS-F w/ the TTV6 from the LS 500, but I'll believe that when I see it).
People will still buy the Q50 (while it's still here) for its greater interior space (compared to the IS) and the lease deals that Infiniti usually offers on it; plus, the rumor is that the refresh isn't exactly aesthetically pleasing.
The new 2021 Lexus IS sports sedan was scheduled to make its debut today, but Lexus has made the decision to postpone the digital unveiling indefinitely. Lexus cites respect for "the recent global situation" as the reasoning for the postponement.
This week, Lexus released a simple statement on the digital debut of the 2021 IS. "Considering the recent global situation, Lexus has respectfully postponed the premier of the new IS, which was originally scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Japan Standard Time, June 10," it said. "Revised timing will be announced soon." With worldwide outpouring of civil protests in regards to the death of George Floyd, police brutality and the movement for police reform — all in the midst of a pandemic — it seems like a malapropos time to unveil a new car.
Autoblog reached out to Lexus for further clarification on when the car would debut, and the company said it hopes to have more news by the end of this week.
When it does debut, the next-generation sports sedan will utilize rear-wheel drive, and we expect all-wheel drive to be an option. According to a report from Motor Trend, the new IS will ride on an evolutionary modified version of its current "New N" platform, as opposed to an all-new setup, but that is unconfirmed. Like the current IS, the upcoming IS will likely offer both four-cylinder and six-cylinder powertrains options, though it is unclear what the power will look like. Stay tuned for more details in the near future.
The debut of the 2021 Lexus IS faces yet another delay and now has an unveiling on June 15, rather than the original plan to show off the new generation on June 9. The company offered no reason for pushing back the premiere an additional week.If it's any consolation, Lexus released a teaser showing more of the new IS. The video is just five seconds long, but our gallery below has screenshots showing some of the details.
This is the IS350 F Sport variant because the badge is visible on the fenders and rear. The sedan rides on wheels with a complicated design for the spokes, and Bridgestone Potenza tires wrap around them. A view of the rear fenders reveals that there is brushed metal trim around the windows, and it comes to a sharp point at the C-pillar. The fuel filler door has a trapezoidal shape.
At the back, the taillights run the entire width of the rear, including a skinny strip for the center section. At the edges, the lamps have sharp points. On this F Sport version, there's a tiny spoiler along the edge of the trunk lid.
Lexus isn't revealing much technical info about the new IS yet. There's a rumor of a range-topping IS 500 packing a V8 engine as a replacement for the IS F. It's not currently clear whether the IS 350 would continue to use the existing 3.5-liter V6 with 311 hp (232 kW) or switch to a new powerplant.
The exterior design looks good but everything else is a fail. This engine has gotten 5 more HP in 15 years, still a 6 speed auto on the AWD version, no more F Sport unless you get the 350.
Overall, very disappointed. Yeah, it finally got Apple Carplay and Android Auto, but it should have had that at least 3 years ago.
The exterior design looks good but everything else is a fail.
I find it as hideous as the rest of the Lexus lineup for the past several years. I owned and loved my 2002 GS430, and want to be a fan of the Lexus brand, but their exterior designs offend me so much that they're not even under consideration anymore. This new IS is no exception.
The exterior design looks good but everything else is a fail. This engine has gotten 5 more HP in 15 years, still a 6 speed auto on the AWD version, no more F Sport unless you get the 350.
Overall, very disappointed. Yeah, it finally got Apple Carplay and Android Auto, but it should have had that at least 3 years ago.
Sounds like this is their ILX. Old, unloved, and I’m guessing will need some serious discounts to move off the lots.
Wow it's a mild update rather than brand new for a 7-year old car. It stands no chance against the new 3 series. With only 15000 or so units sold in the US in 2019, it seems like there's not much future for the IS. With Toyota not investing into a new IS after 7 years seems to suggest that the writing is on the wall for the IS?
It's surprising Lexus even showed this chassis picture when it proves that the car is not new with so little use of lightweight materials:
Is this some white flag by Lexus that they no longer want to go up against the 3er, A4, and C-Class...but rather, Infiniti and Acura?
This has been the case for a while now. I don't think the TL and ILX (even combined) really matched up to the Germans sales-wise no matter which segment you chose... the TLX was a compromise.
Infiniti seems like it's been in trouble for a while. You don't kill off/merge two models together for no reason.
They will probably take things more seriously next generation, like Acura is finally doing now with the 2G TLX.
It seems as if Lexus is giving its 5.0 liter naturally-aspirated engine a bit of a farewell tour. Being that naturally-aspirated V8s are on their way out, making way for smaller turbocharged engines and hybridization, the Japanese brand’s free-breathing V8 is set to die off soon. Thankfully, Lexus is giving it one last hurrah in the form of an M3 competitor — the upcoming Lexus IS F.
The Lexus IS F has been dead for some time now but it’s getting a revival for this current generation of IS, according to this new report. Being that this is an odd time for such a car to debut, it seems as if Lexus is only doing it to stuff that glorious V8 into something else one last time before it has to put the engine out to pasture. No one is going to complain, though, because that engine is indeed glorious.
Last I drove a Lexus with the 5.0 liter N/A V8 was when I tested the LC500. While the that car had its many flaws, its engine was absolutely not one of them. The V8 might be underpowered compared to its turbocharged German rivals but its razor-sharp throttle response, linear powerband and absolutely epic noise make it far more enjoyable to use than any engine to come from Germany, save for the Audi R8’s V10.
Currently, Lexus’ V8 makes 472 horsepower in the RC F, which isn’t really enough to compete with turbocharged engines of similar or more power. It should have similar power when it makes its way into the Lexus IS F and it’s going to be slower than the G80 BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63 and Audi RS4, simply due to it not having those cars’ turbocharged torque punches. However, the Lexus will make the best noise of the bunch and it’s not even close, thus making it more enjoyable to use.
BMW’s S58 engine is a good sounding engine, the same goes for the AMG’s twin-turbo V8 and the RS4’s twin-turbo V6, but the 5.0 liter, atmospheric V8 from the Lexus IS F is going to be something truly special. In the LC500, the engine sounds like a greatest hits album of mechanical noise, compiling the best noises from American muscle cars and Italian exotics. It’s glorious.
Like with most BMW/Lexus comparisons, the M3 is likely going to be the better car overall. But the Lexus IS F is going to have a special wow-factor about it that’s going to be hard to resist.
Maybe I'm biased because i had an IS-F, but that engine was absolutely spectacular. Yes, the car was compromised in other areas, but that is still my favorite NA V8 of all time. For BMWBlog to praise it over BMWs own engine is indicative of just how awesome it really is. If you haven't had a chance to try out an IS-F or RC-F, you really should give it a go.
The S54 in the E46 M3 is also a spectacular motor, same with the F20/F22 in the S2000. Both are incredibly out of date and no longer sold anymore. The NA V8 in the ISF will be out of date before it even hits the market. Hell, it's been out of date for years now.
Not always about how good the engine is, it's about comparing to the current competition and, to that end, it will get bitch slapped by all the other modern motors that will have more power, torque, and efficiency.
Maybe I'm biased because i had an IS-F, but that engine was absolutely spectacular. Yes, the car was compromised in other areas, but that is still my favorite NA V8 of all time. For BMWBlog to praise it over BMWs own engine is indicative of just how awesome it really is. If you haven't had a chance to try out an IS-F or RC-F, you really should give it a go.
Not saying that V8 is not good... but it is not competitive in 2021... and IS-F is not a cheap car to begin with... unless Lexus's goal is to not sell any...
I would not be surprised if the B58 with M340i is faster than the upcoming ISF...
May not be "competitive", but sometimes that matters not. For instance, if they replaced the 1.5T in the Civic Si with a less powerful (i.e. less competitive) B18C motor, guess who will be first in line to buy it? This guy. 6MTs may no longer be competitive compared to fast shifting DCTs, yet enthusiasts still prefer manuals over DCTs. Sometimes something doesn't need to be better; it just needs to be.
You know Lexus has to sell cars to survive right? They are not in business to serve the few... that is why 6mt and those under powered but good engines are gone
You know Lexus has to sell cars to survive right? They are not in business to serve the few... that is why 6mt and those under powered but good engines are gone
When did I say anything about what Lexus should do as a business? All I said is that the engine is pretty great. Methinks you’re reading too much into it.
May not be "competitive", but sometimes that matters not. For instance, if they replaced the 1.5T in the Civic Si with a less powerful (i.e. less competitive) B18C motor, guess who will be first in line to buy it? This guy. 6MTs may no longer be competitive compared to fast shifting DCTs, yet enthusiasts still prefer manuals over DCTs. Sometimes something doesn't need to be better; it just needs to be.
This is getting more and more not true which is why more and more cars aren't being offered with a manual.
You said you will be in line to buy the B18C if they put it in the Civic in 2020.... so you are implying that there are people who will buy the underpowered ISF because it is a good but non-competitive engine ...
You also said enthusiasts prefer 6mt over DCT..... sure, maybe here on the forum online, but how many are actually buying 6mt over DCT in reality?
So, I am saying Lexus is not in business to serve the few....that is how analogy works, no? I think you said more than just "the engine is pretty great"
You said you will be in line to buy the B18C if they put it in the Civic in 2020.... so you are implying that there are people who will buy the underpowered ISF because it is a good but non-competitive engine ...
You also said enthusiasts prefer 6mt over DCT..... sure, maybe here on the forum online, but how many are actually buying 6mt over DCT in reality?
So, I am saying Lexus is not in business to serve the few....that is how analogy works, no? I think you said more than just "the engine is pretty great"
Damnit, you go me there. This is why sleep deprivation sucks; can't even remember what I wrote anymore.
As an outlier in a shrinking segment, the 2021 Lexus IS faces an uphill battle. Product planners know this, so they've priced the new model below most of its main rivals without compromising on content or performance.
Unveiled in June 2020, the 2021 IS range consists of the entry-level 300 and the sportier 350 F-Sport, and each is offered with rear- or all-wheel drive. Pricing for the rear-wheel drive IS 300 starts at $40,025 including a mandatory $1,025 destination charge, which represents a mere $440 increase over the outgoing 2020 model. Adding all-wheel drive raises that figure to $42,025. Motorists who step up to the 350 F-Sport will need to pay $43,925 if they want power sent to the rear axle, or $45,925 if they want it channeled to the four wheels.
The list of standard features includes 18-inch wheels (an inch bigger than before), numerous electronic driving aids, power-adjustable front seats (10-way for the driver; eight-way for the front passenger), dual-zone automatic climate control, and an eight-inch touchscreen that's nearly five and a half inches closer to the driver than the outgoing model's. Motorists can pay extra for 19-inch wheels, a power-operated moonroof, and a 10.3-inch touchscreen. And, at last, the IS is available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Lexus shuffled its trim hierarchy for 2021, so the F Sport package is no longer available on the IS 300, but it's fitted to every IS 350 built for the American market. It bundles a cold-air intake, a specific exhaust system, a sound generator, 19-inch wheels, a sprinkling of F Sport badges, plus a body kit that adds bits like a rear spoiler and a diffuser integrated into the rear bumper. Heated and ventilated front seats are included, too.
Power for the rear-wheel drive IS 300 comes from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which develops 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It's bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission. While you'd assume the all-wheel drive model simply gains a pair of driven wheels, the transformation is more complex. It also receives a 3.5-liter V6 with 260 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque on tap, plus a six-speed automatic transmission. Lexus notes the system can send up to 50% of the engine's output to the front axles.
Selecting the IS 350 brings an evolution of the 3.5-liter six that's rated at 311 horses and 280 pound-feet of twist. It spins the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, or the four wheels with two fewer gears. In its quickest configuration, which is with six cylinders and two driven wheels, the IS hits 60 mph in 5.6 seconds.
When it arrives in showrooms this fall, the IS will compete in the same arena as the Audi A4 (which comes standard with all-wheel drive), the BMW 3 Series, and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. For context, these sedans start at $40,145, $42,245, and $42,395, respectively, after the destination charge is factored in.
What's next?
Lexus may still have a few IS-related surprises up its sleeve. Unverified rumors claim the IS range will gain a flagship, high-performance model aimed at the M3 and the C63. Tentatively called IS 500, it will reportedly offer the naturally-aspirated, 5.0-liter V8 we know and love from the IS Fthat retired in 2014 and from the RC F.