So Lexus introduced the 2GR-FKS engine for the 2016 GS and has slightly higher outputs than the preceding 2GR-FSE. This same engine is going into the new IS. How much longer can they keep milking this? Is R&D too expensive for further enhancements to this engine?

As great as the engine is I cant imagine people would be excited for it with its obvious shortcomings (low end grunt, thirsty) vs modern turbos from competitors.

 

The 2GR-FKS has been in the IS300 AWD and IS350 since 2018. It’s in numerous products, like the RX, Highlander, Tacoma, outgoing Sienna, Avalon, and Camry. It’s going to be around for a long time.

 

Toyota has always run their engine line ups for far longer than most other manufacturers. The trade-off in performance and fuel economy is more than made up for in their outstanding reliability. Just ask any of us with a vehicle that's using the 4.7L V8... you can't break this engine.

 

What would a new engine design achieve? The future is in electric/hybrid etc, I don't think they want to waste money on new engines when their customers probably don't care. How much more power are they going to get from an ICE under existing emmisions laws?

 

Good point... not a whole lot of potential financial benefits in designing a new ICE. The current Camry‘s 4-banger though, can get remarkable fuel economy... back in 2018 I got 40+ mpg on a 6 hr trip averaging highway speeds of 80mph... in flat Florida.

 

All other makers are making updated ICE engines, no excuse for Lexus not to compete. The future is not fully cemented to be electrics as they don't sell aside from Tesla's, hybrids barely sell. Things can change especially with the enormous costs of electrics to already struggling car makers where they barely make a profit if any at all, the enormous cost of charging infrastructure which is lacking just about everywhere, they aren't saving the world/making the planet any more green, no country has the electric grid/capacity to charge tens of millions of electric cars.

 

Toyota just does not see it as profitable at this time. They make very few cars for the true enthusiast, their bread and butter is the mainstream, and they’ve been successful. Apart from the LFA and the Supra, high performance engines has not been much of a focus over the last 20-30 years.

Look at the new Supra... that alone speaks volumes about their philosophy regarding new engines.

 

LOL yeah the new Supra engine while potent and pretty nice is unfortunately not a Toyota Engine. I do wish Toyota would repurpose the LFA engine and put it into a high performance car. The exotics market seems to be picking up momentum and I would love to own an LFA or similar from Toyota/Lexus that I can drive as a daily and be confident in doing so.

 

IMO Lexus don't need cutting edge engines to compete in their lane. They'll never compete with the Euros so I guess they just stick to what they know and excel at. Which is disappointing coming from the company that made the finest sounding road vehicle in the world.

Perhaps not in the land of almost free petrol. Where I live year on year sales of hybrids/electrics are massively increasing as year on year diesel and petrol growth is in decline. To be fair the Tesla is the only mass market plug in electric that was built as an electric vehicle from the ground up, all other designs are compromised IMO.

It depends on how it is done. Hybrids save heaps of petrol and plug in electrics should be charged overnight. Solar panels charging a battery during the day which charges the car overnight. After the initial investment it's free power! I spend $4K a year on petrol just commuting to work so I'd make the 15K investment for solar back in a few years, considering it also wipes my general power bill.

Drools.

 

They'll never compete because they dont try. Lets be real here the competition in all markets has moved forward. It's not just Euro's offering high performance and high efficiency engines. Kia Stingers can be had for 65k and do 4.5 seconds. That is fast for the price and they drive well, sure they're nowhere near as refined as Lexus but it's $65000 compared to a $90000 IS. I just compared a Kia with a Lexus but come on, that kind of performance at the price cant be denied.

Dont get me wrong. I upgraded from a 2017 IS350 to a 2018 GS350. The 2GR is a peach to drive but competition has moved forward and I think Toyota/Lexus aren't doing enough to keep up.

 

This engine is known to be very reliable that's why I purchased my GS.

 

Toyota I would guess is a loooong way from running out of $$$!

 

incorrect. Hybrids outsell ICE. In countries with emission laws or goals, Lexus only promotes their Hybrids. It’s only in America where hybrids don’t sell because of the huge subsidy and money that goes into the oil industry.

Toyota sees the world for what it is and won’t be sinking money into ICE development. It’s all about hybrid , phev and hydrogen cell.