Although the current IS is a Lexus model, it was originally sold in Japan under the Toyota Altezza name. Toyota unveiled the Altezza in Japan in 1998 and won the title of "Japanese Car of the Year" that year, and participated in an episode of "Initial D", which was not released in North America and Europe under the name Lexus IS 200 until 1999 and 2000.
The first generation IS 200 used a 2.0L 6-cylinder engine of 1G-FE, and there was also IS 300 at that time, which used the 2JZ engine of Toyota Bull Demon King, which could output thousands of horsepower, and was deeply loved by various tuning factories at that time, and another RS 200, equipped with a 3S-GE inline 4-cylinder engine, was put into various Asian races by Toyota TRD. IS's competitors are BMW 3 series, Mercedes-Benz C-class, because the German car in the 3.0L engine is also equipped with a manual transmission, and IS 300 only has an automatic transmission, and E46's 3 series is also a generation of classics, so the sales of IS is not as good as a year, in 2004 before the replacement, the annual sales in the United States have been less than 10,000 units.
At the end of 2005, the second-generation IS was launched, and the Altezza name was discontinued when Lexus was officially introduced to Japan. The second-generation IS is the second model to be produced according to the L-finesse design philosophy after the GS. In Japan, the United States, and Canada, it is sold in three models: the IS 250 and IS 350, the IS 250 is equipped with a 4GR-FSE V6 engine with 204 hp, which is available in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions, and the IS 350 is equipped with a 3.5L 2GR-FSE V6 engine with 306 hp. In Europe, there is also a 220D diesel version. There is only one 3.0-liter 3GR-FE V6 engine in the Chinese market, and in addition to the traditional 4-door version, there is also a 300C convertible version, both of which are models that currently have a high value retention rate in the used car market.
The IS is the third generation model currently on sale, unveiled in January 2013, and its design is derived from the LF-CC Concept that was exhibited at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, with a new family-style spindle-shaped design at the front. When it was listed in China, it was an IS 250, because it was changed to a 2.5L self-priming engine, but in 2014, it immediately ushered in a facelift, replacing the 2.5L self-priming with a 2.0L turbocharged engine, that is, the 8AR-FTS above the Highlander, so the 2015 IS was also renamed IS 200t.
The 2017 model also has a Face Lift, although the powertrain has not changed, but Lexus has replaced all its 200t models with 300, with Aisin's 8-speed automatic manual transmission, with a maximum horsepower of 245 horsepower, 25 horsepower more than Highlander, a maximum torque of 350 Nm, and the official 000 acceleration is 7 seconds. At present, the rear-wheel drive version of the 300 is mainly used in China, and in the United States and other regions, there is a 300 four-wheel drive version and a 350 equipped with a V6 engine, which can output 311 horsepower, and is also divided into rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. In addition, both the 300 and the 350 are available in an F Sport version.
The engine of the IS 350 was rated as one of the top ten engines of the year in 2009, and the 2.0T engine also performed very well, but the curb weight of the IS reached 1650kg, which is 40kg heavier than the four-wheel drive version of the CR-V, so the power of the IS is not as fast as those coupes in the same class.
Speaking of this 8AT gearbox, the smoothness of the shift does not need to be emphasized, its focus is on manual shifting, according to the manufacturer, IS in manual mode, 0.2 seconds can complete the shift, 0.2 seconds for the dual-clutch gearbox is really not fast, but as a traditional AT gearbox, this performance is quite satisfactory.
The handling of the IS is not very accurate, because it is not a performance car in essence, between performance and comfort, the Lexus will always focus on comfort, if you just drive a little faster, it will give you a quick response, but when you really go to the limit in the corners, you will find that the steering is not as refreshing and precise as it should be. Even though it has a sport mode, even if there is an F Sport version, even if it is a front double wishbone rear multi-link, it is always a Lexus.
The interior level of Lexus is also top-level, if the Mercedes-Benz interior represents the most typical European luxury style, then Lexus is a representative of Japanese elegance, but IS's Remote touch multimedia system is suspected of being too complex, compared with BMW i-Drive, Mercedes-Benz Command system, Audi MMI system, Lexus This system is more distracting to use while driving.
The biggest disadvantage of IS is that the cabin space is very cramped, and the process of getting in and out of the cabin is not too convenient, because it is a front-rear-wheel drive layout, coupled with the use of multi-link rear suspension, the space in the rear row is very limited, and the platform bulge in the middle is also very high, it does not have the power and handling of a coupe, but only the space of a coupe.
The Lexus has always been extremely reliable and has been called a "car that can't make mistakes", but the IS is the less reliable one in the Lexus lineup. Although the reliability is still higher than most opponents, the IS that is about 10 years old will still have more failures, so pay attention to maintenance.
In 2013, the Lexus IS was selected as the safest large family car by the E-NCAP (European New Car Safety Assessment Association), and it also performed well in the IIHS, receiving the best rating in all crash categories, making it the top safety model in the IIHS.
Lexus IS test report