No way, man... those are all midsized vehicles. Lexus's midsized vehicle is the GS, and the new IS is 3/4 scale of the new GS, which would more than likely be filed under "Compact sedan".

 

I think he meant the RL competes with the mid sized vehicles, not the IS. The RL shrunk from an almost full sized car in MY04 to a "regular" midsize car in MY05. Sales volume wise all of the mid sized sedans are fairly equal in terms of drivetrain - all have a 6 cyl from a low of 245HP in the GS to a high of 300 in the RL.
The IS350 has very little to do with these cars except a similar engine.

 

Got it. Thanks for clearing that up

 

I just hope the power is as advertized this time lexus!! And not have a repeat like it did with my car!!!

I mean a stock "225 hp" rated sc300 should not be dynoing in the 150 and 160 rwhp range... Makes me think my car really has 180-190 bhp in reality. (I doubt even the worst of the trannies is sucking up that much power! Come on lexus admit it power was overinflated with this car! Just like ford did with the 1999 Cobra!) I guess lexus is lucky this car didnt come out recently and thus got away with it this time.

If this new IS350 will be rated at 300+ hp then it well better be putting 255+ rwhp!! The (IS250 should do no worse then 170 rwhp!

 

The IS350 is pretty significant because it marks the first time since the 1998 GS400 that Lexus decided to move to the top of the heap in terms of power. I believe that the 1998 GS400 made a class leading 300 horsepower when it came out in 1997.

Infinit probably won't counter with increased power until the redesign of the G in 2007. Means that the IS350 should remain at the top at least for 2 years.

However, Lexus announced that the IS350 will go 0 to 60 in the "high 5's", which wouldn't really be that head turning in this class.

It is possible that the IS350 will do 60 in the low 5's, but I wouldn't count on it. The Avalon (3490 pounds) actually weighs slightly less than the IS350 (3525 pounds) and does 60 in 6.6s.

The Avalon uses the 3.5 GR with 280hp/260 torque and a 5 speed. So can the IS350, with 20+ more hp, 15+ more torque, and an extra gear shave off more than a second to 60? I'd say probably not.

Just idle speculation on my part.

 

I suspect the IS will have much more aggresive gearing with the 6 speed, even more aggresive than the GS, thus lower times. Lexus has always been accurate or conservative with figures.

 

Everytime I see a post that seems to doubt that Lexus is going to deliver on it's promises on this new car I have to remind myself of this graphic. Has Lexus ever lied before? I really think there are folks that still don't believe this car will be over 300hp. But there it is in color.

 

haha i think even with that pic some people would still don't believe

 

"The optional engine has not been announced, but our understanding is that a 320-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 will be available. This would provide the resulting IS 350 with substantially more power than the current BMW 325i, Infiniti G35, or even the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. " [Yahoo! future car reviews]

 

Two of those cars are not even in the same league as the IS350. What is the point of bragging about all of this 300+ HP when it can't even beat a lowly 255HP 330?

 

The latest Motor Trend Mag say's a V8 option is a possibility.

 

Biker, the member you responded to was merely quoting a source, not 'bragging'.

At this point no one except maybe Lexus, including yourself and everyone else in this thread, knows if it will beat a "lowly 255hp 330".

Please watch the antagonistic wording of your posts. If you have any response to this request, you can PM me so this thread can get back on track.

 

Even though I am quite satisfied (and surprised) with the 300 HP+ announcement, we have to realize that pure performances are not the primary goal of Lexus vehicles while they may be for BMW.

Furthermore, beyond the power of the engine, a number of specific technical aspects can impact on sprint performances. If you consider the Chrysler Crossfire and the Lexus IS300, with very similar power, the first will do 0-100 in 6.5 secs the second will do 0-100 in 8.2 secs. (manufacturer figures). Using some tricks such as specific gear ratios, a car manufacturer can choose to improve sprint capabilities of a given vehicle.It may not be the ultimate goal of Lexus.

Future will tell.

 

well, we will wait and see. if they do, power to them. would like to see how they market the cars too as well

 

Would you rather see an IS450h or a V8 IS ?