LEXUS is hoping a raft of high-tech features plus sharper looks will attract buyers to its latest IS sports saloon range.
Best seller in the Japanese company’s line-up, the IS has not only been revised for 2010 but been extended with a new F-Sport grade.
This new spec, available for both IS 250 and 220d models, takes its cue from the high impact styling of the IS F and is positioned in the IS line-up between the established SE-I and SE-L models.
Dedicated F-Sport exterior features include lowered suspension on the IS 250, exclusive 18-inch wheels and an IS F-style front grille and rear bootlid spoiler.
In the cabin there are aluminium sports pedals, IS F-style sports seats, steering wheel and - on the IS 250 automatic - gear lever, while the seats are finished in a combination of Alcantara upholstery with leather side bolsters.
A black-on-black interior colour scheme is complemented by black headlining and grey stitching detail on the front seats and steering wheel.
F-Sport models share a number of premium equipment features with SE-L grade, including rain-sensing wipers, HID headlights with AFS, 13-speaker audio system and memory settings for the front seats and door mirrors.
Lexus has also developed one of the most accurate and fast-responding navigation systems around. Using a 40GB hard disc driv, it provides Europe-wide coverage and is able to gather live local traffic intelligence in each country.
A further benefit of the HDD system is its ‘sound library’ function. Up to 10GB of disc space is available for owners to store audio tracks from CD – room for about 2,000 songs.
The touchscreen, full-map system is available as an option on SE and SE-I models as part of a package that also includes a rear park assist monitor.
For F-Sport and SE-L versions of IS, it is included in the optional Multimedia Package, together with a 14-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound System and the rear park assist monitor.
Lexus IS 250 SE and 220d SE have been given more street appeal for 2010 with 10-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels fitted as standard, in place of the previous 16-inch rims.
And there are also improvements in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. With manual transmission, combined cycle economy is now 29.1mpg, compared to 28.8mpg for the 2009 model; the new figure for the automatic is 31.7mpg (from 31.0mpg).
CO2 emissions have fallen from 231 to 227g/km for the manual and 214 to 209g/km for the automatic.
Prices are from £24,350 for the Lexus IS 220d SE model rising to £30,150 for the IS 250 SE-I automatic.
News | Road tests | Buying advice | Views | Special reports | Manufacturers | Used cars | New cars | Book an Ad | Dealers
