They're finally unifying their look, and not dusting off some Toyota and branding it as a Lexus

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=101980

 

Looks kinda like a Scion TC to me....

 

Yeah, I definitely see some of that ...

However, looks more like a miniature GS to me I guess

 

Yuck. WAY less attractive than the previous IS, which I really liked. The rear end looks bloated and thrown together at random. The huge bumper just looks stupid. It doesn't look sporty, just Lexus-y. BORING.

 

I have an IS300 sport cross (wagon) as my other car. I like the interior treatment.

 

yawn

 

Spiderx - how does the power on the IS300 compare to the MINI's? We were considering a Sportcross when we got the MINI and may still pick one up used someday.

 

My Sport Cross is stock and is going to stay that way. My Mini is anythng but stock. The Sport Cross handles better than the IS300 sedan due to the larger rear tires and different rear suspension, however it only comes in an automatic. It has pretty good power but my Mini pulls longer and harder and is faster. The Lexus is quiet and turns in amazingly well and is comfortable on long drives. I do not like the dash or the shift bezel.....they look too Japanese....I prefer European. It is a nice car and I bought it with 14K on ebay for $22.9K with 2 1/2 years on the warranty. Good car but I am not in love like I am with the Mini. Probably the perfect "sensible" second car for a guy that has to carry stuff and likes to drive, not ride.

 

I think I'm the only one who thinks the IS is pretty hot. You gotta remember, that this is Lexus ... This is definitely a departure for their usually conservative styling

 

I like it. The front bumper is a little involved but I think
I will gradually get use to it. It looks much better than the current
IS.

back 5 years ago i couldn't get the IS300 cause my funds went
on a down payment for our home. i think by the time my
current beater's lease is done, I can get one of these this time.
:smile: ofcourse I would need to test drive it first and at least wait
until the 2nd year model.

 

Ditto on the waiting for the 2nd year model.

I got rid of a 1st yr model IS because of serious chassis issues. I figured since the IS existed as an Altezza in Japan for a while, that they might have had all the kinks ironed out ... It wasn't so

 

EW! Looks very uninspiring and plain. Very Tokyo. No charactor - I'd even take the current 3 series over it (I like the pervious gneration the best).

 

Photos are inadequate because there is no sense of scale. I like it though. The front reminds me of the Mazda RX8 with its stark composition of 5 elements. The rear is boxy, spartan and uncontrived. The arched profile bears a family resemblance to an older model sporty Lexus and current model Scion TC. The current model looks a bit busy due to the fussy details on a small car. If the new one is the same size it could be quite handsome because its features have been pared down to almost nothing. If it is much bigger it might look underdetailed. According to the article it will be a powerful car. Way to go Lexus.

 

i like it.. as kenchan already said.. the front end is quite complex... but its just one of those things.. overall.. japanese cars all heading towards a certain clean design that seems to be the new wave of industrial design around the world...

what kinda power are we expecting.. will there be the TRD 280RS again?

 

The artcles says
"for U.S. customers is the 3.5-liter V6 will produce upward of 300 hp and should easily propel the IS 350 from 0 to 60 mph in the low-five-second range, quicker than BMW’s new 330i by nearly a second and substantially faster than the IS 300’s 6.8-second time."


i think it's plenty fast. :smile:


>Looks very uninspiring and plain. Very Tokyo. No charactor -

Hey, I was born in Tokyo and Japanse. watch wat you're saying fool!
hehe

 

I think that this is what cars will look like from now own. Others have commented on contrasting elements. It's the type of thing that inspires love/hate reactions. Well, well, it seems pomo has finally taken over automotive design!

 

The IS350 is heading in the right direction for us younger guys, I suppose.

 

Interesting observation. I wish someone would provide me a holistic view. I wonder if pomo happens in the auto industry the way it occurs in society--when the struggle is over and prosperity begets boredom. IMHO in the auto industry technological challenge seems to be the constant against which all else seems merely salesmanship (I do not mean to denigrate the most pervasive phenomenon since the discovery of sex appeal, but engineering ought to be the basis of a machine)--especially the packaging.

Recall when cars sprouted fins after WW2 (and in the heady 1920s when we attained our first "classic age" of automotive design)? The jet age exuberence of the 50s was transformed into bizarre sculpted shapes in the 60s from the 1961 Lincoln Continental to the 1968 Dodge Charger. The oil crisis of 1973 and CAFE standards sobered things up for awhile--cars became boring. And that was accompanied by safety and insurance regulations and the seemingly impossible emissions standards--and cars got even worse. With design resources aimed at fuel efficiency and safety cars began to look practical and dull (even during the go go 80s). The 90s emphasized improved production methods modeled on Japanese assembly lines. Perhaps the more recent integration of IT into automobiles is being resolved (designers always anticipating the technocrats) so we have entered another era of the stylists' navel gazing (or omphaloskepsis for the erudite). I think Chrysler has taken the lead once again (pace Virgil Exner) with its bunker-looking sedans and wagons while others, such as BMW, are trying to accustom the public to rolling shape-shifted boxes that hint at famous contemporary architecture (but why?).

So maybe the pomo phases of automotive design recur, but I wonder if, in the era of the designer label, there will be more or less cross-brand influence in car styling. I hope other car addicts on NAM can enlighten.

 

Was checking out some j-magazines the other day and it stated that
in Japan the price of the 2L is in the $30K range, but the 3.5L is in
the $40K range.

im not sure if I want to be spending $40k+ on this car (will need to
test drive for sure). I think the max I would spend is $35K + a few
options if there are any I want (aero parts). I know I'll be wanting
some expensive 2pc or 3pc wheels too to dress her up a bit on top
of that...so final budget probably $40K-$42K?

 

One of the things I like about my IS 300 SC is that it is RWD. Is that still true of the new model?

 

Yep, it's gonna stay a RWD car.

I would hope that fully loaded (without nav), that it would be under 35K

I like how Lexus does their optioning. Nav or no Nav, that's how simple it is!

 

I actually like it a lot.

 

Good heavens. I just read my post about pomo, above, and am appalled. Such gibberish. Must have been on designer drugs then. Way off base. Sorry.

 

Oh is it that simple? Kinda like how Acura does it with their TL's and TSX's
I suppose. That's a good way. I hate dealing with little options that the
dealer tries to put on at excessive prices.

 

Yawn twice.

Why would I want one?