Phillip31

Here's the article.....thanks to my.is
http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/ar...vf=2&bg=1&pp=1



Lexus IS leaps forward
The Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 24 2005

The quickest version yet gets PETER LYON's pulse racing.

There's a revolution happening at Lexus. Tired of being accused of derivative styling, and of producing very formal, proper models that stay well within the envelope of inspired design and class-leading handling, the upmarket Toyota division is reinventing itself.

And at a proving ground on Japan's northern-most island of Hokkaido, Drive was one of the first to jump behind the wheel of the all-new IS, the entry-level model charged with breaking the Lexus mould. And the news is good; by this writer's estimation the new Lexus IS350 is the most delicious piece of hardware to come from the Toyota group since the Supra or even MR2 of the early '90s.

Slightly bigger in every dimension and with a 60mm longer wheelbase, the new model mixes Lexus traditionalism with new sharp lines including a high muscular belt line ending in a tight stylish tail-light treatment.

The new IS is based on the Japanese-spec Crown and comes with a choice of two engines: a 2.5 litre V6 borrowed from the Crown sedan and the newly developed 3.5 litre V6 flagship unit. However, as engine output has not yet been finalised, Lexus could not give us exact figures. But not wanting to steer us in the wrong direction, chief engineer Suguya Fukusato told us we can expect to see the new line-up in showrooms generating around 165kW (221 hp) for the 2.5 litre and a hugely impressive 233kW (312 hp) for the 3.5 litre. No official acceleration figures were available, but I put my stopwatch on the IS350 and recorded a 0-100kmh (0-62 mph) time of around 5.9 seconds and 7.2 seconds for the 2.5 litre. Power is instant and progressive, offering a far more compelling experience than its predecessor.

The paddle-fitted six-speed sequential gearbox effortlessly passed through the gears and a top speed of 265kmh (164.6 mph) reveals true top-end power. Engine torque is strong from 2000rpm and with the smooth-changing automatic you have torque on tap at just about any speed. The exhaust sound has been given a beefy, metallic note to add sportiness.

On the road, the highly rigid chassis and sporty suspension package provide some of the best handling in the segment. The cabin is quieter than any car in its class with road noise and vibration minimal. The interior employs soft-flowing contours, superb materials, an exquisite 13-speaker Pioneer sound system and nice little touches, such as illuminated rings inside the speedo and tacho that indicate when a certain speed or preset rev count has been reached.

We can expect to see the new IS at the Sydney Motor Show in October.

saleem

seems like the good old MKIV supra days are not outnumbered yet 220 hp and 312 hp respectively .. sounds very promising .. now I think I will finally be making the plunge to a IS250 full loaded stick .. cant wait

XeroK00L

GREAT REVIEW!!

So...the Canadian IS250 and IS350 are tuned a whopping 19hp and 2hp weaker than the Australian IS250 and IS350??? Or Mr. Lyon just got the wrong numbers? It's hard to believe Lexus is starting to tune their vehicles differently in different markets as they never did that before. Just doesn't seem right.

I'm hoping to see the acceleration numbers from Car & Driver soon. After all, they did the Avalon from 0-60mph in 6 seconds flat. We should be able to expect something better than ~5.8 secs to 60mph from them.

GFerg

Sweet, this is the best news I heard all day!! However, the engine output specs are still not specific as he said around 221hp and 312hp. Getting closer, but still not exact. Good to know that they ran times that were consistant with what Lexus predicted for the new models. If I see at least a 5.6 sec run to 60mph for the 350, I will be extremely happy(not that I'm not happy with 5.9, thats still blisteringly fast for an automatic in this class.)

And did he really say 165mph top speed??? YO, that is just insanity!!!! I wonder if Lexus will give it a limiter like what the Germans do(I guess because of that German Gentlemans Agreement)?? I hope not, but its likely they will.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

221 horsepower? insane. that's so much more than anything else we've been hearing. i'm don't particularly believe this guy who claims the speakers are gonna be pioneer units.

Gojirra99

That's a very good review , can't wait to get a chance to drive the car, even if it's an automatic.
0-100 Km/hr. ~= 0-62 mph with 5.9 sec. is not bad for an automatic, but not as fast or faster than the G35c 6MT as some have speculated, but we have to wait for C&D to test the car, as somehow they seem to always get the fastest times. Offer a 6MT for the IS350 ASAP I also doubt they were given the exact specs. though, I couldn't see why they would tune the IS350 with 2 hp difference for different markets.

saleem

have you guys noticed flipside hasnt posted in a few days .. he should be able to give us some info as usual about this .. I remember longo lexus almost a couple of months ago confirmed 220 something for the IS250 and 325 for the IS350 .. but this review is just awesome .. cannot wait for the car to come out .. and whatever happend to the info on the so called event at longo in august some time that flip had mentioned .. no new info on that yet .. its almost july already !

saleem

The IS250 has to beat the magic mark of 6.7 seconds 0-60 on the stick shift compared to the bmw325I stickshift and its already on par at 7.2 seconds with the automatic .. and the IS350 is gonna be a class leader but price will be the deciding factor in that class compared to the 330 bmw ... lets see what happens ..

STIG

to be honest, I am not quite impressed with 5.9s run to 60 but then again, 0-60 time doesnt usually means anything. if 6 speed 250 can run around mid 6, i would probably go with 250 stick.

Gojirra99

Again, it's more like 0-62

STIG

Does it really matter???

ok so, it's 5.8999999999999999s for 0-60 then

jrock65

We haven't been "hearing" 201 hp for the IS250 and 310hp for the IS350. Those are official Canadian numbers. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but Canadian Lexuses have always had the exact same power rating as the U.S. spec. Maybe it'll be different this time, but I doubt it.

Wouldn't be surprised if other parts of the world get higher power ratings. A lot of times, U.S. models are detuned because of tough Cali emissions laws.

jrock65

I highly doubt that the IS250 will outaccelerate the 325i. The 325i uses a more powerful 3.0 and is lighter to boot.

Faraaz23

I realize there is a lot more to a car than 0-60.... but with six gears, and the whopping tq and hp coming from the 350, 5.9 is kinda dissapointing. An M3 with slightly higher hp and much less tq. is well below the 5 mark to 60. I was hoping for a 5.2 or 5.3.

Also, I hope there is no electronic nanny on the new IS much like there is on the new GS430. I don't believe a pure performance sedan should have all those intrusive electronics that cannot be fully switched off. I also wish for more direct steering. I've driven a new GS300... it handles well but doesn't have all that much feeling in it. Guess we just have to wait a few more months!

jruhi4

Given that both European and Canadian specs list the IS250 at 201 hp, I feel a bit skeptical about the 221 hp claim (I want it to be true, of course), but I can't dismiss that claim, either, for 2 reasons:

1) The 4GR-FSE 2.5-liter V6 produces 212 hp in the JDM Toyota Crown and Mark X.

2) The article attributes the 165kW (221 hp) figure to a direct quote by Lexus IS chief engineer Suguya Fukusato.