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Road test: Lexus IS300
The facelift of the Lexus IS300 and the cessation of marketing of the hybrid version brought this car a change of direction and this time to the sporty side.
How close is it to the group leader?
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Lexus
Lexus IS
Lex Motors
Keenan Cohen
Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 8:30 p.m.
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The deep grille aligns with Lexus' current drama (Photo: Keenan Cohen)
For many years, Lexus has established its hold in the local premium market, among other things, by paving the entire range of its models in hybrid versions.
And the possibility of driving a luxury car with an environmental image and on the way to saving a few shekels at the gas station certainly served it well.
But strategy changes that occur on one side of the world also affect markets on the other.
And so with Lexus' decision to reduce activity in Europe, we get the IS, the compact in the brand's offering from the United States after its facelift and now no longer with a hybrid petrol engine, but a turbocharged supercharger.
She also takes this opportunity to give her athletic care.
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To the full article
Excellent proportions and the F Sport package leaves its look fresh (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Outside and inside
Although it has been more than 7 years since the current IS was introduced, it is still a very handsome car, mainly thanks to its sporty lines and excellent proportions.
When on this excellent base the sportswear of the F-Sport version is worn with skirts, a tiny spoiler and these hoops, even in its silver color it manages to look special.
The cabin on the other hand ages less gracefully.
The quality of the materials is still excellent and so is the level of assembly, but the large plastic surfaces, the protruding multimedia screen and even the climate control display are already betraying their age.
There are those who will love the multi-button arrangement where everyone performs a specific action, for others it will give an old-fashioned feel.
Either way it also contributes to the impression of a cabin that is half a step behind its competitors.
The IS seats are one of the best we have encountered, as is the driving position (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The sports seats of the new IS were a pleasure from the first moment until the end of the test days, Lexus has put here a seat that manages to be very grippy and incredibly comfortable and it completes an excellent driving position that drives the driver "inside" the car.
Yes, the price is a less spacious and airy feeling than in the 3 Series for example, but with the sporty direction of the car it's something you can get.
Another step forward is the ability to control the multimedia screen also by touch and not just through the very unsuccessful touchpad and I am very gentle.
To control the temperature in the climate control activated by the sliding of the finger I could not get used to.
The driver's environment is already beginning to show its age, operation with additional touch to the screen (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
As always, there is a lot of equipment here, from heating and cooling the seats to the panoramic roof and the leather upholstery is carefully stitched.
The show in this version is also stolen by Mark Levinson's excellent audio system with 17 speakers.
Safety systems include automatic braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, similar detection at intersections on the left turn including activation of accidental evasion assistance, lane departure correction, adaptive cruise control with vehicle override function, road sign detection, "dead zone" vehicle warning and traffic alert Crosses in reverse.
The mirrors, are "American" with magnification in the one on the left, which requires an adjustment chapter.
Crowded for those sitting in the back, and in any case will only fit two (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Without a change in the wheelbase, the Lexus IS has the problem of an un roomy rear seat per se and especially in relation to competitors (with the possible exception of the Cadillac ATS and Alfa Julia which also suffer from a cramped rear seat).
Add to that a wide drive channel and a significant bulge in the center of the seat and you get a lukewarm grade for the back seat.
The trunk is average size with 450 liters, only reasonable cargo opening and anchor rings.
In the city and in the village
The transition to a turbo engine is the most significant change on the technical side.
The hybrid engine, which combined a 2.5-liter gasoline unit with an electric motor, is replaced by a supercharged 2.0-liter engine with 241 hp and 35.6 kg.
Another happy change is the replacement of the continuous box with such a planetary with 8 transmission ratios.
With the start of traffic the feeling here is of a more powerful car than before, the engine has very good responses in day-to-day running and does not need the artificial engine sound from the speakers (which can be muted) to know it is there.
Lexus took great pride in the car's recalibration and the work invested in suspension, weight reduction and adaptive shock absorbers to improve its dynamic capabilities.
This rigidity is certainly felt as well.
It's not that the current model is a bone crisis, but it is definitely the one with the pleasant and relaxed rollout that I remember from the previous version.
The gasoline-electric unit is replaced by a 2.0-liter turbo engine 241 hp (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
And with the promise of that dynamism we also got to the driving roads where she was supposed to pay the check.
As the pace increased, it became clear that this car shows a real gap in the capabilities and level of performance of its assemblies.
While the chassis is excellent, tight and one that knows how to handle side forces and deceleration without getting excited, and while the shock absorbers, especially in Sport and Sport Plus mode produce excellent body control.
The fast and precise steering is also with a good score, the brakes only get a "fine" score, but the ones that were missing most of all in a business that was supposed to work in harmony were the engine and gearbox.
Precisely the two most significant variables here failed to convince.
The engine, which was very pleasant for administrative use, lacked crushing power, explosive power and flexibility when loaded with a demand for fast pace.
The gearbox, both in sport mode and in manual operation was not sharp and fast enough in its responses.
So at some point after trying and trying just realizing that you need to change the style and work mostly on momentum, use the shock absorbers, chassis, excellent grip of the Bridgestone Potenza tires and the driving position to produce a fast and smooth pace, and less looking for the aggressive action, which is limited Non-slip differential.
With the abandonment of a hybrid engine, it is also possible to part with the excellent fuel consumption it had in the past for 11.5 km per liter in very moderate use and up to 8.3 when weighing in even strong driving bursts.
The adaptive shock absorbers also managed to provide reasonable comfort on 19-inch rims (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
Summary
The current situation in which Lexus finds itself when it withdraws from the hybrid niche, along with the "discovery" of European competitors' plug-in versions has not forced it to change strategy.
On the face of it the choice to focus on its sporty aspect (which meanwhile is a bit dull in most competitors) is natural and understandable.
But in order to fill this niche convincingly not enough chassis and good suspensions, there also needs to be cabin youth, a more exciting engine and more successful communication with the driver.
At a price of NIS 280,000 and NIS 295,000 for the test car (upgraded seats and that excellent audio system), the IS300 is at a seamless point where it is cheaper than the BMW 330e and Alfa Julia and Luca (NIS 310,000 and 320,000, respectively). ) That they are the "standard" for behavior in this group and stronger than it and the base versions of the Volvo S60, Julia and Audi A4 that have a hard time offering good value for money.
Is at the seam in the price between the base versions and the stronger versions of the competitors (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
But in the absence of the hybrid trick that set it apart - this is the competition she has to face.
But I have another offer for those who are already considering going for interesting and unconventional alternatives like Lexus and prefer to stay away from German and traditional luxury brands - if performance and sporty twist is what you are looking for, for the same amount Skoda has the spacious Superb in its end version, Valkia has the excellent Stinger GT, and at least on paper (because it has not yet been tested) the Tesla Model 3 in the senior performance version and a range of more than 550 km.
Replaces the savings with a turbo gasoline engine (Photo: Keinan Cohen)
The most advanced is the most lucrative
Compulsory insurance starting at NIS 54 per month
By the insurance company WE SURE
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On the technical side: the Lexus IS300 F SPORT
Engine, propulsion:
petrol, turbo, 4 cylinders, rear
volume:
1,998 cc
Power / rpm (5 hp):
5,800 / 241
torque / rpm (kg):
1,650 / 35.7
Transmission:
automatic , 8 gears
Dimensions:
Length (cm):
471
Width (cm):
184
Height (cm):
144
Wheelbase (cm):
280
Trunk (liters):
450
Performance:
Acceleration 0- 100:
6.9 seconds
Maximum speed:
230 km / h
Competitors:
BMW 330e, Alfa Julia Volocha, Volvo S60, Audi A4
Price:
NIS
295,000
(test), NIS 280,000 (base)
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