Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Rumorpile: Next Lexus IS To Be "Revolutionary"

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    July 10, 2012

    Lexus is in the middle of refreshing their entire lineup, giving them a bold look and some sport. So far, Lexus has unveiled the new GS and ES, and a refreshed RX. Coming up is the LS and following behind is the next IS.

    ''When you're a challenger brand and you're No.4 [in sales], you can't afford to be evolutionary,'' said Lexus Australia corporate marketing manager, Peter Evans to Drive.com.au.

    So what are we expecting with the new IS? Exterior design will have Lexus’ now trademark spindle grille wrapped in a coupe-like sedan.The interior will have a richer and more upmarket feel.

    As for the next IS' base, speculation points towards a modified version of the Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S platform. This would help spread development costs for Toyota.

    Source: Drive.com.au, Motor Authority

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    It will no doubt be ugly, and probably not a very good sports car, since Lexus never figures out how to make something sporty. But if they start with the GT86 chassis it should be light, if they use the 8-speed as the base transmission and turbo the the 2.5L four and 3.5L V6 they could have some good powertrains. But my guess is we see carryover engine and transmission and they'll be sunk.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The new ES was supposed to blow the Lacrosse out of the water too....

    I was surprised to see the LaCrosse has been outselling the ES...I had assumed it was the other way around...I rarely see LaCrosses (or any Buicks) compared to Lexuses, esp. the ES..

    Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Well the ES is nicer than the Lacrosse, but the ES also costs more than a CTS. So it should be nicer than a Buick and a $37k car should sell less than a $30k car (in similar segments). Plus the current ES has been around since 07 or so, it is pretty stale. Although the 2013 car will look and drive in a stale fashion anyway.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think they will Toyota parts bin together the new IS, that is why it won't be as good as the Germans, and it till be styled to look like every other Toyota, with chrome on front so you can tell it is a Lexus and not a Camry. This is why the Germans are good, the 3-series isn't pieced together from a parts bin, it is designed with purpose. This car will be a Scion chassis, Camry transmission, corporate V6, Avalon styling, etc It is just a mishmash of mediocre parts.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think they will Toyota parts bin together the new IS, that is why it won't be as good as the Germans, and it till be styled to look like every other Toyota, with chrome on front so you can tell it is a Lexus and not a Camry. This is why the Germans are good, the 3-series isn't pieced together from a parts bin, it is designed with purpose. This car will be a Scion chassis, Camry transmission, corporate V6, Avalon styling, etc It is just a mishmash of mediocre parts.

    You mean just like Audis, Bentleys and Porsches are?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The Es is not at all 10k nicer than a Lacrosse.

    Maybe not $10k nicer, but it is nicer. Lexus build quality, as far as panel gaps and leather/wood quality is better than what Buick has. The ES and RX are all they sell since they do offer entry level luxury that appeals to people that don't care about driving dynamics, in those 2 cars cases, people over 70 and soccer moms. The rest of the Lexus lineup is a decade behind the Germans.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think they will Toyota parts bin together the new IS, that is why it won't be as good as the Germans, and it till be styled to look like every other Toyota, with chrome on front so you can tell it is a Lexus and not a Camry. This is why the Germans are good, the 3-series isn't pieced together from a parts bin, it is designed with purpose. This car will be a Scion chassis, Camry transmission, corporate V6, Avalon styling, etc It is just a mishmash of mediocre parts.

    You mean just like Audis, Bentleys and Porsches are?

    Audi interiors are top notch, and their cars offer good fuel efficiency considering how quick some of them are. Porshce 911 Turbo S 0-60 in 2.7 seconds and 25 mpg, and Bentley is Bentley. There is no mishmash of mediocre parts in those cars. They have Lamborghini and Bugatti too, that group of brands is pretty good. Where as Lexus is all Toyota has, and most of the Lexus line is mechanically a twin to a Toyota product. Personally I don't care for Audi, Porsche or Bentley, but they are not parts bin junk for $35-45k like most Japanese and American luxury brands try to build.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I think they will Toyota parts bin together the new IS, that is why it won't be as good as the Germans, and it till be styled to look like every other Toyota, with chrome on front so you can tell it is a Lexus and not a Camry. This is why the Germans are good, the 3-series isn't pieced together from a parts bin, it is designed with purpose. This car will be a Scion chassis, Camry transmission, corporate V6, Avalon styling, etc It is just a mishmash of mediocre parts.

    You mean just like Audis, Bentleys and Porsches are?

    Audi interiors are top notch, and their cars offer good fuel efficiency considering how quick some of them are. Porshce 911 Turbo S 0-60 in 2.7 seconds and 25 mpg, and Bentley is Bentley. There is no mishmash of mediocre parts in those cars. They have Lamborghini and Bugatti too, that group of brands is pretty good. Where as Lexus is all Toyota has, and most of the Lexus line is mechanically a twin to a Toyota product. Personally I don't care for Audi, Porsche or Bentley, but they are not parts bin junk for $35-45k like most Japanese and American luxury brands try to build.

    You mean just like a 25K VW GTI doesn't share the engine with a 50K Audi A5? You mean how a Phaeton doesn't share its components with a Bentley? You mean how the Tuareg is not based on the same platform with Cayenne and Q7? Should the list go on?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    You mean just like a 25K VW GTI doesn't share the engine with a 50K Audi A5? You mean how a Phaeton doesn't share its components with a Bentley? You mean how the Tuareg is not based on the same platform with Cayenne and Q7? Should the list go on?

    Golf GTI (widely thought to be the best hot hatch of the past 25 years by the way) doesn't have the 8-speed transmission or chassis or interior trim of an A4 or A5. The 2.0T engine is shared, but every automaker shares engines. They do platform share on SUVs, but the Touareg is also more expensive than an SRX, RX350 or MKX. So they aren't really starting from a mediocre product, and the Cayenne and Q7 have different engines and transmission.

    I'm not saying VW doesn't share stuff across the range, but for the most part their luxury brands have plenty of exclusive equipment and it is differentiated from the other brands. They aren't doing what Lexus, Lincoln and Acura do, and take a $25k family sedan and change nothing mechanically and just change the interior and front and rear fascias and call it a luxury car.

    That being said, I wouldn't buy an Audi, they aren't as good as BMW or Mercedes.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • I have to say that I am very excited by this potential competitor to the Cadillac EscaladeIQ. Both Full size Luxury SUVs. Interiors Yes I know the Genesis is a concept and the suicide doors and flip chairs will not make it to production, but I do hope those chair designs do as they look very comfy and supportive. I have to say that I really like the exterior styling of the Genesis even more than the Escalade.
    • Yeah, it doesn't seem super space efficient.
    • So three major problems with this car, one, terrible Jellybean external shape, not impressed at all with the style. Second is the buttonless dash having everything via a touch screen and rotary knob, terrible safety issue as your eyes will be off the road more than on trying to find the right option in the right menu. Third is the center pack clearly cuts into valuable leg space based on their own picture. This is a hard pass.
    • Great Masculine shape, really digging the style they did here.
    • First seen at the Shanghai Auto Show (see article: Polestar 4 - The New Breed of Electric SUV Coupe), Polestar brought the Polestar 4 to the New York International Auto Show for North Americans to see in person. Polestar calls the Polestar 4 an "electric SUV 4-door coupe". Outside of that marketing speak, the Polestar 4 is a slightly lifted four-door hatchback about 190 inches in length, or roughly 2 inches shorter than a Toyota Camry.  Built without rear glass, the Polestar 4 makes use of a rear camera for visibility astern. Polestar 4 features a plethora of standard content, including 20-inch 5 V-spoke black diamond cut alloy wheels, panoramic glass roof, adaptive cruise control, 360 parking camera with 3D view, energy saving heat pump, front-illuminated Polestar logo, e-latch doors, power-operated tailgate with soft close, Polestar digital key, wireless phone charging, and 8-way electrical driver seat and 6-way electrical passenger seat. The fastest production car the brand has ever developed to date, Polestar 4 can accomplish a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds and in top spec can produce 544 horsepower. Long-range single-motor variants have 272 horsepower and a targeted EPA range of over 300 miles. All long range variants have a 102 kWh battery capable of 200 kW charging on a DC Fast Charger and 11 kW on home level-2 charging. Google built-in is ... built in and includes Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play. Polestar continues to offer a leading connected in-car experience. As with all other Polestar cars, regular over-the-air updates allow for new features and improvements to be sent remotely to all vehicles. Pricing starts at $54,900, with orders opening in April for deliveries in the latter half of this year.   View full article
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings