2021 Lexus IS - First Look
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The premium sedan may just be getting a refresh, but it's a comprehensive one that includes chassis tweaks and new tech.
It is a measure of the declining sales in the sedan segment that more and more manufacturers are reluctant to upgrade their once fiercely-competitive products with all-new models – i.e. new platforms – and instead relying on less cash-intensive mid-model refreshes.
That’s the case with Lexus’ iconic IS which, is in fact, undergoing its second refresh since 2013 without a major overhaul.
The most important aspect of this compromise is that the 2021 IS, though much revised, still rides on the existing New N platform rather than the latest TNGA-L technology that Toyota Motor Corp. has been rolling out recently. So, while much has changed, the basics – engines and framework – remain largely the same.
That said, it’s a pretty comprehensive refresh. From behind the wheel, the most dramatic change is likely to be the IS F Sport’s handling. Lexus calls it the “maturation of driving experience,” but really it’s just good, old-fashioned chassis hot-rodding.
First off, the N platform was made more rigid – more weld points, an enhanced C-pillar, etc. – and got new 19-inch rims, including some BBS items that Lexus says lose almost a kilogram of unsprung weight each. The coil springs, the stabilizer bars and A-arms are all made lighter as well, further reducing the suspension system’s weight. New shock absorbers – Lexus calls them “swing-valve” – that are supposed to reduce the velocity of the damping fluid for better control top off the chassis upgrades.
The downside of this platform refresh is that it it’s means the same old, same old in the powertrain department. In other words, the base engine in the IS300 remains a 241-horsepower turbocharged four, while there are two variants – 260-hp and 311-hp for the F Sport – in the IS350.
The good news is all these engines are so bloody reliable they’ll probably be still running long after internal combustion has been banned. And all the engines are available with Lexus’ excellent cornering-biased all-wheel-drive with a 30:70 front-to-rear torque distribution. On the other hand, the engines are fairly uninspiring and have been for years.
Mercedes-Benz has, by comparison, moved on to its high-tech – hybridized, turbocharged and sometimes supercharged – inline-six (by the way, early ISes used the superior I6 as well). BMW and Audi have both revised their powertrain selection. The IS definitely needs something new in the engine department if it is going to compete with the Germans. But, note to Lexus, if you really want to make it up to us, let’s see an IS500 with that oh-so-nifty 416-hp twin-turbo 3.5L V6. All will be forgiven then.
Interior-wise, all is recognizable — not a bad thing, since the IS’ cabin has long been a strong point. Time and technology, of course, have moved on. So, although Lexus’ controversial trackpad infotainment controller remains, it is supplemented by a touchscreen. The basic units measure some 8 inches across, but the top-of-the-line F Sport gets a ginormous 10.3-inch affair. And both are some 80 millimetres closer to the driver for less reaching and distraction.
And Lexus has gone way over the top in the stereo department, the previous 15-speaker 835-watt Mark Levinson affair giving way to 17 woofers and tweeters massaged by no less than 1,850 watts. You know, just in case standing in the front row at an AC/DC concert has lost its, uhm, volume.
As for the revised IS’s looks, it’s pretty much as before with new rocker panels, new headlights and, of course, an even more aggressive version of the companies “spindle” grille. Lexus talks about how its “three-dimensional, polyhedral structure that originates from the foremost tip of the grille to emphasize a sense of presence,” but in the end it remains as polarizing as ever.
Depending on your viewpoint, it’s either a gross case of overcompensation; or it inspires you to get your throttle on every time you walk up to the car. I’ll leave it up to you which gets triggered inside your medulla.
Courtesy: DAVID BOOTH & Lexus
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