The IS F is making a comeback, sort of...

Remember the Lexus IS F? Of course you do. The 416-horsepower (310-kilowatt) sports sedan hit the market in 2006 and was capable of sprinting to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in just 4.7 seconds, with a top speed of 169 miles per hour (271 kilometers per hour). While Lexus hasn’t even hinted at the hardcore F models' return, new rumors suggest a more-powerful IS 400 could be available in just a few years.

A 400-hp (298-kW) Lexus IS is coming, according to the website Driving Enthusiast. It would use the same 416-hp biturbocharged 3.5-liter V6 found on the new Lexus LS, and either the same 10-speed automatic or a new eight-speed automatic. It would also include a few warmed-over features from Lexus’ F Sport division, including bigger wheels, larger brakes, and a stiffer suspension.

The proposed IS 400 wouldn’t be a hardcore M or AMG rival, though. Instead of going up against sports sedans like the M3 or C63, it would compete more directly with sporty sedans like the Q50 Red Sport and the Jaguar XE S. Both of those cars come powered by a biturbocharged 3.0-liter V6, and produce 400 and 375 hp (279 kW), respectively.

But that 400-hp IS won’t happen at all if Lexus decides to kill off the nameplate entirely. Lexus is reportedly reconsidering the future of both the IS and the GS, taking a "strategic look" at their position within the lineup. The two cars could be discontinued in place of the new ES exclusively, and a more expansive range of SUVs and crossovers, starting with the small UX.

If Lexus does green light an all-new IS, we should see it sometime in 2020. Reports suggest that the proposed 400-hp model has been in the works since 2015, but will finally be built alongside the new generation.

Lexus is allegedly moving forward with development of a next-generation IS sedan, and these renderings provide a glimpse of what the car could look like.

Almuraba says that these renderings were recently created by Japanese artists who’d been given a look at the vehicle’s design by Lexus. The speculative renderings, sourced from a Japanese car magazine, depict the IS receiving an overhauled exterior design radically different than the one we’re familiar with.

Take a look at the front, for example. While the company’s spindle grille has been retained, it has been enlarged for the new IS and incorporates a new mesh design. Additionally, a pair of overhauled headlights are found on either side of the grille, drastically altering the look of the sports sedan.

Viewed from the rear, the new IS looks even more intriguing. The taillights are new but just as dramatic as those of the current model. Elsewhere, there’s a bulging decklid, an extended bumper with dual exhaust tips, and new horizontal reflectors.

As recently as June this year, the Japanese automaker admitted that it was taking a “strategic look” at the IS and GS and had yet to decide if the two would be updated or killed off entirely. If it’s true that preliminary designs of a next-generation IS have already been shown to select individuals outside of Lexus, it seems likely that the automaker has decided that the premium compact sedan will live on.

Lexus only managed to sell 26,482 units of the IS in the United States in 2017, a dramatic decline from the 51,358 models it sold in 2014. However, it is the larger GS which is proving even less popular. If Lexus kills of the GS, it will be free to make the IS slightly larger without encroaching on sales of the bigger ES.

The current generation Lexus IS never spawned a BMW M3-fighting IS F variant, and that was really a shame. Instead, Lexus focused on the GS F and RC F, the former being an M5 fighter. Neither experienced stellar sales and it doesn't appear that they'll be replaced when their respective product cycles come to an end. Fortunately, that’s not the case for the IS.

According to Lexus Enthusiast, via Japanese language news site Response, the luxury brand not only wants to bring back the IS F, which was last sold back in 2014, but wants to do it right. That means horsepower and potentially lots of it. The report indicates the new IS F could come powered by the same 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 found in the current LS 500 flagship sedan, where it produces 416 hp. This is the second time we've heard this rumor and we're happy to also report Lexus has yet to deny it.

Clearly that won’t be enough to effectively challenge the next M3, the Mercedes-AMG C63, or the Audi RS 4, so Lexus will definitely need to increase output but sources indicate that won’t be a problem. And because the GS and GS F will very likely soon be gone completely, Lexus will increase the size of the IS in order to help fill the segment gap.

The latest BMW 3 Series has also grown in size compared to its immediate predecessor, and Lexus apparently has no problem doing the same. But while the new M3 is due to arrive in about a year, we likely won’t see the reborn IS F until around 2022, at the earliest.

The reason for this is because the next-gen IS has to arrive first, likely for 2020. Expect it to ride on Toyota’s new TNGA platform and come powered by a 2.5-liter inline-four with 185 hp connected to an electric motor for higher total output. A newly developed turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four with just over 300 hp is up for consideration as well. A 10-speed automatic transmission will likely be paired with at least one of those engines and, possibly, the twin-turbo V6.

It sounds like BMW hardware will make its way to more Toyota products than we thought. If a new report from Japan's Best Car magazine can be believed, the next-generation Lexus IS sports sedan will get the same 335-horsepower, 3.0-liter, turbocharged straight-six found in the new Supra.

The BMW-sourced B58 engine can also be found in the Toyota coupe's Z4 platform-mate as well as the IS's natural rival, the BMW M340i. As a comparison, the current IS 350 makes 311 hp from a 3.5-liter V-6. In addition to the Bimmer I-6, the report also says the next IS can be had with a 2.0-liter turbo, 2.4-liter turbo, or as a 2.5-liter hybrid.

The Japanese car magazine goes on to say that the IS F will be making a comeback with the help of the in-house twin-turbo V-6 found under the hood of the surprisingly popular LS 500. The last IS F was based on the second-generation IS, went out of production in 2013, and used the company's now-ubiquitous 5.0-liter V-8. The nameplate went missing for the current-gen car.

Somewhat coincidentally, the old V-8 IS F and the current twin-turbo LS 500 both produce exactly 416 hp.

The Lexus IS is the Toyota luxury arm's entry to the ultra-competitive compact premium sports sedan segment that consists of BMW's genre-defining 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, Cadillac ATS, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Infiniti Q50, Genesis G70, and Acura TLX. At least, I think that's everyone.

Designed primarily to be a thorn in BMW's side, the IS is a fine car but was never as celebrated or popular as the 3er. Perhaps aping one of the Bavarian's engines can help turn that ship around.