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NEWS
Lexus unveils new IS in Oz
Important new production model joined by LF-CC concept, previewing IS coupe?Lexus has pulled the wraps off its upcoming third generation IS compact sedan earlier than expected. The company was set to unveil the car at the 2013 Melbourne motor show in June, with a full product launch to follow in July. The launch schedule remains, but the reveal plans were scotched with the cancellation of this year’s show.
So instead, the company brought it down to Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal, tying it in with the announcement of its new sponsorship of the Australian International Design Awards.
Lexus confirmed it will launch the new car in three variants – the IS250 and IS350 using the familiar 2.5- and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines, and the hybrid IS300h, bearing an all-new hybrid drive system combining a 133kW/221Nm 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four with a 105kW/300Nm electric motor.
Lexus claims a combined 164kW for the package, and while it doesn’t release an official combined torque figure, estimates by informed sources put it between 260 and 300Nm.
Lexus Australia is still finalising local specs and pricing, and isn’t saying whether the hybrid will sit atop the lineup, as it does for the larger LS, or beneath the IS350. But its claimed 0-100km/h figure of 8.5 seconds places it some way behind the current IS350’s 5.6 seconds (they’re yet to announce official figures for the new petrol cars). Performance counts for much in this sector, so take it as read it will sit midrange.
It will, however, be very economical and very clean: 4.9L/100km and 113g/100km combined cycle.
Even in the face of a lithium-ion onslaught across the rest of the industry, the company has stuck with Toyota’s trusty nickel-metal hydride battery chemistry, but incursion on boot space has been kept to just 30 litres. To help out there, the IS300h forgoes its siblings’ space-saver spare for a puncture repair kit or runflat tyres, depending on spec.
On the matter of size, the new car gets an extra 70mm of wheelbase, all to the benefit of legs dangling over the rear seat. While it’s still no LS, the improvement here is marked, with room for grown-ups in the back without those up front having to go too far forward and beyond the call of duty.
As part of the marque’s strategy to expand its customer base by offering younger, cashed up buyers a bit of excitement, the F Sport variant’s extra pizzazz extends to differences in the cockpit. Here, the IS350 F Sport on show had a snug feel without being cramped, with a clear declaration of sporting creds over other variants.
As an added extra for the design awards show, the company wheeled out the now familiar LF-CC coupe concept, further firming up its prospects of making series productions as an RC-badged coupe. There are several pointers to that happening, beyond the company’s repetition of the statement that it “hints” at things to come.
A good deal of the design language expressed through the LF-CC has turned up in the new IS. It’s also advanced enough under the skin to accommodate the new hybrid drivetrain. But most telling is that the company has already trademarked RC nomenclatures, including “RC350” and “RC F” with IP Australia and equivalent organisations overseas.
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Written byJeremy Bass
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