Oh yes… Toyota's luxury brand released the first images of the new Lexus IS yesterday. And you know what? ! (translating: it's crazy!).
It seems that Lexus officials "woke to life" and finally decided to score points in the so dramatic war of the "premium" segment. This new IS saloon seems to us (at first glance) perfectly capable of fighting side by side with cars like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4. This new IS is much more aggressive and dynamic than the previous generation, but the main highlight goes to the striking and huge double trapezoidal grille – a detail that we could already see in the LF-CC and LF-LC prototypes.
The version we see in the images is, of course, the top-of-the-range version (F Sport), which has an aerodynamic package composed of beautiful and larger alloy wheels, specific grille, lowered suspension and chassis with more dynamic adjustment. Therefore, it is to be expected that the more modest versions do not come with such boldness.
Inside, you can see the inspirational features of the Lexus GS – just look at the lines of the dashboard and center console. Also noteworthy is the absence of a speedometer, this time being replaced by a digital panel with several viewing modes.
For engines, the Japanese brand has already made it known that for the European market, this IS will not have any diesel version and will only come with an IS250 gasoline version and a new 100% hybrid version, the IS300h. Later, the IS family will welcome the coupé and cabriolet variants.
The official presentation of this Lexus IS is scheduled for next week, at the Detroit Motor Show, and then all the details of this new Japanese bet will be known. Lexus also announced that this new model will go on sale next summer. We'll see…
Text: Tiago Luís