2013 Lexus Is Revealed

[Lexus Nerd]

Other online reviews have also suggested that it needs to be seen "in the metal". The sheetmetal profile and colours apparently can't be appreciated through photos.

New information to hand:

- Run-flat tyres or tyre repair kit will be available for the IS300h, thus reclaiming much of the space lost in the boot through the battery pack. One assumes the space-saver spare is included with the IS 250 and IS 350, as it was with the 2IS.

- New IS will appear in Australian Lexus showrooms from 15 July.

[Andrew Cowley]

Gee this forum is slow sometimes.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/240773/2013-lexus-is-pricing-and-specifications

http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2013/medium-passenger/lexus/lexus-announce-pricing-for-third-gen-is-37543

[ISF-350]

Interesting.

Not sure what to make of that because one article states that the IS350 F Sport is priced from $73,000 and the other states from $84,000

Not sure which is correct. I'm hoping they have F Sport and Sports Luxury mixed up - F Sport is always mid-range on every other model, yet one of those articles states that it is "top of the tree" ... It would make sense that the 350 F Sport will be from $73,000 because that's only a minor increase over the previous model.

There's also no mention of Enhancement Pack prices. I managed to get the official brochure as a PDF in an email a few weeks back and according to that the only options available on 350 F Sport was:

Enhancement Pack 1:

Moonroof

Enhancement Pack 2:

Moonroof

Radar Active Cruise Control

Lane Departure Warning

Pre-Collision Safety System

Automatic High Beam

These differ from the IS250 F Sport Enhancement packs:

Enhancement Pack 1:

15-Speaker 835W Mark Levinson Audio System

Moonroof

Enhancement Pack 2:

Radar Active Cruise Control

15-Speaker 835W Mark Levinson Audio System

Moonroof

Pre-Collision Safety System

Lane Departure Warning and Automatic Highbeam aren't available on 250 F Sports...

[FrankyX]

Interesting.

Not sure what to make of that because one article states that the IS350 F Sport is priced from $73,000 and the other states from $84,000

Not sure which is correct. I'm hoping they have F Sport and Sports Luxury mixed up - F Sport is always mid-range on every other model, yet one of those articles states that it is "top of the tree" ... It would make sense that the 350 F Sport will be from $73,000 because that's only a minor increase over the previous model.

Yes i seen the same, surely the 350 F Sport could not start from $84k + On roads; $73k, i'm sure there'll be confirmation to follow.

Also, i have noticed that Lexus has taken the pricing model off their website; they are now only allowing you to cost up an X model on both 350 / . Last week i costed up a 350 F Sport and it came to $78k incl on roads and i would expect it to be similar or slightly higher.

Looking forward to getting my hands on one next week.

[Andrew Cowley]

So if you take an F Sport and add the enhancement packs, does that get you to Sports Luxury level?

[ISF-350]

More or less. From what I can tell from the brochure you miss out on the automatic/electric rear windscreen blind and front fog lights.

Even the 2IS F Sports were specced up very close to the Sports Luxury - there wasn't a great deal of difference between those either.

I'm over the moon that we get the better specced (European) F Sports rather than the US F Sports.

We get real leather (NuLuxe (vinyl) would of been a deal breaker alone for me), ventilated seats and more of the cool tech like radar cruise over the US models!

I'm thinking I will be ordering an IS350 F Sport in White with Red interior with Enhancement Pack 2 late this year for early production and delivery next year...

Enform is also coming late this year for the IS which should be cool :)

[Andrew Cowley]

Enform?

[d_porkypine]

Enform?

taken from the carpoint article linked above....

From late 2013, Lexus IS models will also be offered with an onboard application suite know as Enform. The system works in conjunction with smartphones to provide IS owners with on-road access to roadside assistance, navigation assistance, point-of-interest search functionality and weather services.

[Andrew Cowley]

Cool, thanks d_porkypine.

Hey so the F Sport has adaptive dampers. But not much info about it in the information so far. Anyone know anything?

[LEX51S]

Cool, thanks d_porkypine.

Hey so the F Sport has adaptive dampers. But not much info about it in the information so far. Anyone know anything?

It will have a similar set up to the new GS

Eco - normal - sport - sport +

Eco cuts aircon and all sorts of things.

Sport changes transmission shifts.

Sport + stiffens and supports a performance ride.

[Lexus Nerd]

Here is the link to all official press releases and specificaitons for the 3rd Generation Lexus IS:

http://www.pressroom.com.au/press_release_detail.asp?clientID=3&prID=5065&navSectionID=2

Gee this forum is slow sometimes.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/240773/2013-lexus-is-pricing-and-specifications
http://www.carpoint.com.au/news/2013/medium-passenger/lexus/lexus-announce-pricing-for-third-gen-is-37543

Well done, Andrew, for finding those articles on 8 July. Lexus Australia's press Website didn't even release the official information until around lunchtime on the 9th.

Interesting.

Not sure what to make of that because one article states that the IS350 F Sport is priced from $73,000 and the other states from $84,000

Not sure which is correct ...

There's also no mention of Enhancement Pack prices ...

The manufacturer's price for the IS 350 F Sport is $73,000. On the road, it's $84,237 (NSW - other states will vary).

EDIT: According to the Lexus Australia pricing Web page, it's just $80,245 on the road.

So if you take an F Sport and add the enhancement packs, does that get you to Sports Luxury level?

Apart from the obvious differences in interior trim and wheels, and the differences ISF-350 noted, only Sports Luxury or a fully optioned IS 300h Luxury can have the two rear passenger airbags. The difference is about $5,500 after taking taxes into consideration.

EDIT: It's more like a $4200 difference.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Lexus Nerd

[Lexus Nerd]

Here's some further observations I've made:

- EMV pack in now standard in base grade, as are HIDs
- Yes, there are steps in the CVT transmission, just like in the GS hybrid models. Contrary to what has been reported in overseas reviews, the steps are not just sound effects.
- IS 300h has paddle shifters. (Some overseas variants do not have the paddle shifters - I suspect it's the European IS 300h Eco model, although even more frugal with fuel, that dispenses with paddle shifters as well as transmission steps.).
- Fuel consumption slightly increased on IS 250 according to ADR, but 0-100 km/h improved from 8.4 s to 8.1 s

The press release makes a big thing about the IS 300h costing only $3000 more than the IS 250. But what's even more interesting is that the on-road cost of a fully optioned IS 300h F Sport ($81,449 in NSW) is cheaper than a fully optioned IS 250 F Sport ($82,735), thanks to the luxury car tax concession on fuel-efficient vehicles.
EDIT: Even fully optioned, an IS 250 F Sport is still $3000 cheaper than an IS 300h F Sport.

As you would expect, there's a lot of new features in the 3IS - some already mentioned, but too many to mention all of them. But what about the downgrades, absent features or unexplained features? I've started a list so you don't have to look elsewhere ...

- Blind Spot Monitor not standard on entry-level packages. It's strange to have it unavailable on the Luxury grade, but obtainable on the less presigious Toyota Aurion.
- Difficult to understand what Enform "Destination Assist" can provide if sat nav already covers most locations in Australia. EDIT: I get it now. Enform allows you to look up a destination on your smartphone, and send the destination to the onboard system. This saves time looking up a destination on your Lexus sat nab when you've already looked it up on your smartphone beforehand.
- No heads-up display or self-parking. And yet, they're standard on a new Holden Commodore.
- Both fuel consumption and performance for IS 350 slightly inferior compared to the outgoing model (9.7 L/100 km, 0-100 in 5.9 s). This is disappointing, since the addition of an 8-speed transmission usually lowers fuel consumption slightly and provide the opportunity for faster acceleration at low gears. This can probably be attributed to additional equipment increasing the tare weight (the body itself is actually lighter).
- Entry models have identical front and rear 17" tyres, meaning narrower tyres and a less aggressive stance at the rear compared to the 2IS Prestige.
- No available foglamps for the F Sport. (Didn't they learn from the grumbling in Australia following the GS F Sport debut?)

Still, the standard equipment is impressive and, like ISF-350, I'm relieved that Lexus Australia didn't skimp on the standard equipment like we've seen for the US market.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Lexus Nerd

[FrankyX]

Will you be able to upgrade to the Enform system on the first release or will you have to wait until the 4th qtr 2013?

[coconut2001]

Here's some further observations I've made:

- EMV pack in now standard in base grade, as are HIDs

- Yes, there are steps in the CVT transmission, just like in the GS hybrid models. Contrary to what has been reported in overseas reviews, the steps are not just sound effects.

- IS 300h has paddle shifters. (Some overseas variants do not have the paddle shifters - I suspect it's the European IS 300h Eco model, although even more frugal with fuel, that dispenses with paddle shifters as well as transmission steps.).

- Fuel consumption slightly increased on IS 250 according to ADR, but 0-100 km/h improved from 8.4 s to 8.1 s

The press release makes a big thing about the IS 300h costing only $3000 more than the IS 250. But what's even more interesting is that the on-road cost of a fully optioned IS 300h F Sport ($81,449 in NSW) is cheaper than a fully optioned IS 250 F Sport ($82,735), thanks to the luxury car tax concession on fuel-efficient vehicles.

As you would expect, there's a lot of new features in the 3IS - some already mentioned, but too many to mention all of them. But what about the downgrades, absent features or unexplained features? I've started a list so you don't have to look elsewhere ...

- Blind Spot Monitor not standard on entry-level packages. It's strange to have it unavailable on the Luxury grade, but obtainable on the less presigious Toyota Aurion.

- Difficult to understand what Enform "Destination Assist" can provide if sat nav already covers most locations in Australia.

- No heads-up display or self-parking. And yet, they're standard on a new Holden Commodore.

- Both fuel consumption and performance for IS 350 slightly inferior compared to the outgoing model (9.7 L/100 km, 0-100 in 5.9 s). This is disappointing, since the addition of an 8-speed transmission usually lowers fuel consumption slightly and provide the opportunity for faster acceleration at low gears. This can probably be attributed to additional equipment increasing the tare weight (the body itself is actually lighter).

- Entry models have identical front and rear 17" tyres, meaning narrower tyres and a less aggressive stance at the rear compared to the 2IS Prestige.

- No available foglamps for the F Sport. (Didn't they learn from the grumbling in Australia following the GS F Sport debut?)

Still, the standard equipment is impressive and, like ISF-350, I'm relieved that Lexus Australia didn't skimp on the standard equipment like we've seen for the US market.

Very comprehensive points there Lance, just wondering though with your two last points.

With the 2is prestige, doesn't it have the same 17 inch 8 width on all four corners, making it the same as the base 3Is?

And although the f sport doesn't have available foglamps, I wonder if lexus would be willing to bring the parts in from japan and retrofit them at the customers request.

I've seen elsewhere, joez doing it with parts sourced from lexus for the US model.

[Lexus Nerd]

Very comprehensive points there Lance, just wondering though with your two last points.

With the 2is prestige, doesn't it have the same 17 inch 8 width on all four corners, making it the same as the base 3Is?

And although the f sport doesn't have available foglamps, I wonder if lexus would be willing to bring the parts in from japan and retrofit them at the customers request.

I've seen elsewhere, joez doing it with parts sourced from lexus for the US model.

Since 2009, the 2IS Prestige has 225/45R17 (front) and 245/45R17 (rear) as standard.

You're probably right, there will be ways and means around the lack of available fogs (just as I'm sure that is the case with the 2013 GS F Sport). My list is probably a list of things that journos will complain about, not me. If I bought a new IS 350 for example, I wouldn't care about the fuel consumption: I'm getting the best performing 6-cylinder compact luxury sedan on the market, uncompromised by diesel fuel, CVT or turbocharging.

[coconut2001]

Very comprehensive points there Lance, just wondering though with your two last points.

With the 2is prestige, doesn't it have the same 17 inch 8 width on all four corners, making it the same as the base 3Is?

And although the f sport doesn't have available foglamps, I wonder if lexus would be willing to bring the parts in from japan and retrofit them at the customers request.

I've seen elsewhere, joez doing it with parts sourced from lexus for the US model.

Since 2009, the 2IS Prestige has 225/45R17 (front) and 245/45R17 (rear) as standard.

You're probably right, there will be ways and means around the lack of available fogs (just as I'm sure that is the case with the 2013 GS F Sport). My list is probably a list of things that journos will complain about, not me. If I bought a new IS 350 for example, I wouldn't care about the fuel consumption: I'm getting the best performing 6-cylinder compact luxury sedan on the market, uncompromised by diesel fuel, CVT or turbocharging.

Oh right, tyres from factory, the my10 prestige wheels i had were 235 or 245 all round so I could do the 4 corner swap.

So you're not at least a bit dissapointed at the fuel consumption figures? I read in the comments on the above and other articles being mentioned and people seem to bring it up quite often.

Though its not like we didn't see it coming with internals being the same as the outgoing model. But i guess thats what the 300h is for, which leads to your interesting point about a fully optioned one being cheaper than a fully optioned is250 and then what the advantages of buying a is250 is other than the base mode/entry for the 3is.

[dis-lex-sic]

_{Cars in the showrooms Monday guys........who is going to have a look?}

_{Have been so busy lately and haven't posted for a while.}

_{As I mentioned many months ago and much earlier in this thread the car needs to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.}

_{Start price for the range Luxury IS250 @ $55,900 is awesome given the spec...it is equivelent to the prestige with EMV that was $58,492.}

_{I'm off to drive it at Phillip Island so will report back after that.}

_{Chris & Lance....you strangers....give me a call...got an invite for you both. :)}

[coconut2001]

The Motor Report review

[Lexus Nerd]

So you're not at least a bit dissapointed at the fuel consumption figures? I read in the comments on the above and other articles being mentioned and people seem to bring it up quite often.

And although the f sport doesn't have available foglamps, I wonder if lexus would be willing to bring the parts in from japan and retrofit them at the customers request.

I've seen elsewhere, joez doing it with parts sourced from lexus for the US model.

Perhaps a little disappointed, because even a 0.1 L improvement would have been a nice feel-good bonus.

It also somewhat disappoints because I like seeing a Lexus silence its critics. But with relatively high consumption figures, critics - who are used to reviewing German luxury cars with turbochargers - are given something to complain about. Having said that, it is said that a naturally aspirated engine is more "fun to drive" than a turbo with the same power output. And if that "fun to drive" factor costs me, say, an extra $2500* in a $84,000** car, I say it's worth it, even if the critcs don't agree with me.

(* Based on 2.5 L/100km penalty compared with BMW 335i twin turbo; 12,000 km per year over 5 years; $1.70 per litre of fuel. Actual cost difference could be lower when considering the higher cost of turbo engine maintenance, all other things being equal.)

(** Approximate NSW driveaway cost of base model IS 350.)

[dis-lex-sic]

Drive.com.au

http://smh.drive.com.au/new-car-reviews/first-drive-review-lexus-is-20130710-2poyj.html

And it's fair to say, the IS300h is no grandpa's car.

IS300h will be popular.

[Lexus Nerd]

Will you be able to upgrade to the Enform system on the first release or will you have to wait until the 4th qtr 2013?

According to the press kit,

"All new IS 250, 300h and 350 sedans produced from May 2013* will be ready for the activation of Lexus' own connected mobility solution, scheduled for release in late 2013."

[FrankyX]

Will you be able to upgrade to the Enform system on the first release or will you have to wait until the 4th qtr 2013?

According to the press kit,

"All new IS 250, 300h and 350 sedans produced from May 2013* will be ready for the activation of Lexus' own connected mobility solution, scheduled for release in late 2013."

Yes I understand that 'Ready for Activation', meaning it is already incorporated into the software awaiting subscription activation; however what I'm more so wondering is if a car that has not been made ready for activation, such as the cars arriving now, can they be upgraded to be 'ready for activation', rather than having to wait until 4th qtr?

[ilv1004s]

well i read it again it says ALL NEW
SO which means ALL of the new?

so im guessing All of the new IS models will have the kit ready to be activated

[FrankyX]

Yes i have confirmed that today after a few calls also; it is installed in the car ready to go, but awaiting activation in September.

After which I have ordered my Starlight Black, IS350 F Sport today. To say that I am a little excited is an understatement! :D

Will be available for collection in 7-10 days.

I may have to change my profile name from FrankyX to FrankyF. I like it!

[ilv1004s]

Yes i have confirmed that today after a few calls also; it is installed in the car ready to go, but awaiting activation in September.

After which I have ordered my Starlight Black, IS350 F Sport today. To say that I am a little excited is an understatement! :D

Will be available for collection in 7-10 days.

I may have to change my profile name from FrankyX to FrankyF. I like it!

Whooo hooo congrats mate!!!!!

good to see a 2IS onwer stepping up into the 3IS

Lead the charge!

sadly i wont be getting a 3IS

ill be going head with a 4GS instead