Vh_Supra26

iTrader: (1)

^Yeah but i think we can all agreed that more sportcars and coupe wouldn't hurt.

mrraider

Are they seriously going to stick with the current 4gr-FSE as the base engine? The competiton all moved to blown turbo 4s as their base offerings. Hell Caddy even has a 4 banger in the base ATS that beats the 2.5L, minus the carbon deposits.

spwolf

yes... with the update to the transmission.

spwolf

besides, base ATS has 2.5l 4cly non turbo

mrraider

The 8 speed is for the 350 only according to what I read. Mating it to the 2.5 would get some additional punch out of it though, similar to what Audi accomplished with the 8HP.

spwolf

it is, but 250 still gets update to the transmission like GS350 did... with downshift rev matching/blips, etc.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

honestly they need to put the 300 engine from the 06 GS300 that has 245 hp to replace the IS250

spwolf

sure, but it would be more expensive then... i dont think there is large difference between 3.0l and 3.5l in production costs.

pbm317

Lexus has stated their move to stagger body and powertrain changes, much like what most of their competitors do. Helps achieve meaningful mid-cycle refreshes and can help spur/maintain sales volume.

pavelekPL

I think later down the road Lexus's gonna add the 2.0T placing it between the 250 and 350 hopefully making it around 240is hp engine, or even replacing the 2.5l. I guess the time will tell.

Infra

iTrader: (1)

Lexus has the problem where people see the IS350 is naturally aspirated and would think that something w/ 240 HP might be "enough" comparatively, since their competitors for so long were right there with their top-of-the-line engine choice. (Audi's 3.2L and MB's 3.5L were only slightly above that mark). Of course, their dual fuel injection technology that provides greater mid-range torque places the 2GR somewhere between a "regular" NA engine and a blown engine is hard to explain to consumers.

Lexus won't introduce a more powerful engine in a 250 until they introduce the new engine in the 350. I guarantee it. People are attracted to the shiny and new, so despite even all that I said just above, the fact that the 250 had a "new" engine compared to the 350's "old" engine would leech sales.

Fizzboy7

Today's Autoblog article sounds like more disappointment. We were really pumped up from early speculation, but so far every reviewer at the Sant Anita test has sounded like they walked away let-down. I'm surprised, after the level the new GS has hit. The IS cannot slack off in any way with today's stiff competition and momentum Lexus is on right now. I hope the real-world tests glow a little more. Hoovey had me all excited that the next IS was going to blow everything else away, but so far it's not sounding like that at all (at least dynamically). Maybe I'm jumping the gun here. Did the new GS reviews at the Santa Anita preview match the real-world tests soon after?

Infra

iTrader: (1)

The article wrote "engine noise" but they meant "air induction noise". This is something the F Sport intake kind of does - I guess in the new IS they provide a means for the sound to travel into the cabin that's a bit more practical than a giant hole in the side of the intake right before the air filter.

Digressing, I read the article a few times, and I noticed that they never say they test drove the IS350 F Sport - meaning the dynamics they criticize are of the base IS350, which to me, it sounds like it handles exactly like one would expect/want it to! No one buying a non-sport sedan wants oversteer.

Hope I'm correct on this point and the actual F Sport version is just as great as the GS350 F Sport.

ydooby

They need to give the 2.5 the D-4S it deserves. Seriously they need to bing their base model up to a competitive level power-wise since the competition have all stepped up.

ydooby

Not sure, but I tend to think the "sound enhancers" the article is referring to the sound generator producing engine sounds from the audio system, except that for the V6 models it is simply reproducing what it records from the engine bay.I'm pretty sure they test drove the F-Sport versions of both cars. Only the F-Sport versions get the fancy gauge cluster and the Sport+ mode (on the IS350) after all.