Lexus reveals upgrades for 2023 IS

MANILA: Lexus has unveiled the 2023 IS, which offers new standard features and more luxury options.

For 2023, the IS 500 will come with new, dark-finished 19-inch Enkei alloy wheels as standard. Both IS 500 F Sport Performance variants will continue to offer the exclusive 19-inch Matte Black BBS forged alloy wheels as an available option.

A 2023 Special Appearance Package will be made available for the IS 500 F Sport Premium grade. This package comes with eye-catching Molten Pearl exterior paint, 19-inch Matte Black BBS forged alloy wheels, Black NuLuxe interior, and color-matched floor-trimmed mats with matching key gloves. Only 150 units of the 2023 IS 500 F Sport Premium with the Special Appearance Package will be made available.

Meanwhile, the 2023 IS 300 and IS 350 F Sport models will continue to deliver exceptional performance and exquisite craftsmanship. For 2023, the IS 350 will be available in a new F Sport Design grade for both RWD and AWD configurations. The new IS 350 F Sport Design is packed with carefully curated F Sport exterior styling elements including bumpers, grille, rear lip spoiler, badging, and 19-inch F Sport alloy wheels.

The IS 350 F Sport will receive a Handling Package for 2023 that includes Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), Torsen Limited-Slip Rear Differential on RWD models, and Drive Mode Select with Sport S/S+ and Custom Modes. Customers may also opt to add 19-inch Matte Black BBS forged alloy wheels to this package.

An exclusive Special Appearance Package will also be available for the 2023 IS 350 F Sport. It includes Incognito paint with Obsidian black hood and roof, Black NuLuxe interior, and 19-inch Enkei alloy wheels with dark finish. Only 480 units of the 2023 IS 350 F Sport with the Special Appearance Package will be produced.

The 2021 IS marked the beginning of a new era of vehicles developed at Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama with a standardized Lexus Driving Signature. Since Lexus first began operations, the Chief Engineer's vision and work have been responsible for each model's tactile feel, behavior, and execution.

A significant aspect of the Lexus Next Chapter, Lexus Driving Signature signifies a major transition in both the company's manufacturing process and culture. Through this process, the efforts of the Chief Engineer are concentrated on bringing the vehicles to a new level of performance and handling as designed by Master Driver and Brand Holder Akio Toyoda and Lexus International President and Chief Branding Officer Koji Sato. Delivering a new generation of Lexus vehicles with an unified brand identity that features responsive and linear control, exceptional handling, grip, and confidence, as well as enhanced ride quality and quietness, is the ultimate objective. These components are put under rigorous testing at the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama.

With the introduction of the current generation, the IS F Sport lineup was configured, with F Sport now being exclusively offered on the IS 350 F Sport that comes with a number of distinguishing visual and performance cues, including a unique front bumper with functional aerodynamic upgrades, a rear bumper, grille surround, rear lip spoiler, rocker molding, and more. F Sport models also have F Sport badges that adorn the sides of the vehicles.

The IS's striking exterior design aims for a provocative look, with muscular fenders that extend to complement the available 19-inch wheels. Although the wide and low form draws attention to the IS's high level of intrinsic driving performance, the openly aggressive sharpness cut into the side and shoulder character lines also adds to the sleek appearance.

The IS is equipped with slim headlamps and daytime running lights with an L-shape signature that extends throughout the lateral axis above the compact, lightweight lamp units. These headlamps help express a low center of gravity through low-positioned areas around the grille. They are complemented by lowered side character lines that extend all the way to the rear of the trunk. To go with the low-profile hood, available triple-beam LED headlights were also redesigned.

Rocker panels enhance the side profile of the IS, with a design that spikes up in the rear and a sharp overall contour that extends into the muscular shoulders over the rear wheel wells. A firm interior silhouette that wraps around from the sides is created by the gently sloping rear-quarter pillars, which contrast with the rear fenders to further emphasize the aggressive appearance.

The wider hips are emphasized by the low stance created by the rear fenders blending into the longer, lowered rear deck. Press-in mold construction, a stamping technology, is used to produce the rear deck design's three-dimensional form. Without a doubt, the L-shaped blade-style light bar that runs over the rear of the vehicle will catch the most attention right away.

The 2023 Lexus IS comes in 10 exterior color options: Ultra White, Eminent White Pearl, Atomic Silver, Cloudburst Gray, Iridium, Caviar, Matador Red Mica, Infrared, Grecian Water, and Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0.

On the inside, the IS comes with 10-way power driver seats, eight-way power front passenger seats, a dual-zone automatic control system with touch-sensitive controls, an available power moonroof, and SmartAccess with push-button start/stop.

The door trim on F Sport models has an embossed graphic pattern of intersecting lines that represent a new way for Lexus to showcase its Takumi craftsmanship.

The IS comes standard with an eight-inch touchscreen for easy access to the controls. Lexus also offers an available 10.3-inch touchscreen on models equipped with navigation or the Mark Levinson Premium Audio Package. The IS’ multimedia system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and can be integrated with Amazon Alexa.

The available Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound Audio System has 17 speakers and a powerful 1,800-watt amplifier. With the help of two additional speakers and EQ tuning, the Mark Levinson system minimizes interference, enhances output, and improves overall sound quality. The audio amplifier comes with improved Quantum Logic Surround for playback of compressed sound sources and to deliver a 7.1 surround sound listening experience.

There are four powertrain options for the 2023 IS, depending on the grade.

The rear-wheel drive IS 300 is powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged and intercooled inline four-cylinder engine that produces 214hp and 258lb-ft of torque. In order to ensure linear response, the engine has an adaptive transmission control that helps in selecting the best gear for each driving condition based on driver input. With the Variable Valve Timing Intelligent - Wide (VVTi-W) system, the engine is not only powerful but efficient as well, switching between the Otto and Atkinson combustion cycles to achieve maximum efficiency. It is mated to an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift (SPDS) automatic transmission. It features a cutting-edge G-force Artificial Intelligence (G-AI) technology that tracks different performance metrics to determine the best gear selection.

The all-wheel drive IS 300, on the other hand, is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine that generates 260hp and 236lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The electronically controlled all-wheel drive system helps improve traction and grip by automatically adjusting the front-to-rear torque distribution. It maintains a 30:70 front-to-rear torque ration for optimum performance on dry roads, but in other circumstances, it can deliver as much as 50% of the power to the front wheels.

Those who want additional power can go for the IS 350, which is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 311hp and 280lb-ft of torque. The RWD version’s engine is mated to the same eight-speed SPDS automatic transmission found in the IS 300 RWD, while the AWD variant’s engine is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. The IS 350 RWD has a 0-100kph acceleration time of 5.6 seconds, while the IS 350 AWD has 5.7 seconds.

For those who aspire to push the limits of driving performance and excitement, Lexus offers the IS 500 F Sport Performance, which is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine that delivers 472hp and 395lb-ft of torque. The engine is also mated to an eight-speed SPDS automatic transmission.

The Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 is also standard on the 2023 IS. The Pre-Collision System (PCS), which includes Frontal Collision Warning (FCW), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB),, Pedestrian Detection, and Bicyclist Detection, comes with improved lens camera and millimeter-wave radar elements to expand the response range. The system can now detect not only the vehicle ahead but also a preceding cyclist during the day and even a preceding pedestrian during low-light conditions. Under certain circumstances, the system can detect an approaching vehicle when turning left, or a pedestrian when turning left or right. Emergency Steering Assist (ESA), one of the new PCS functions, helps the driver maneuver the vehicle while staying in its lane.

All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), on the other hand, can be activated above 48kph. It is designed to handle vehicle-to-vehicle distance controls down to 0kph and can resume from a stop. This feature also enables smooth overtaking of slower vehicles. Once the driver activates the turn signal while following a vehicle moving slower than the preset speed, the system will initially increase acceleration to prepare for lane changes. After the driver changes lanes, the vehicle will continue to accelerate until it reaches the initial preset driving speed.

Meanwhile, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/ SA) alerts the driver if it detects an unintentional lane departure at speeds above 51kph through steering wheel vibrations or an audible alert.  When DRCC is activated, Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) will provide a slight steering to help steer to the center of the lane by following visible lane markers or a preceding vehicle. LTA warns the driver through a visual alert, an auditory alert, or steering wheel vibration. The lane recognition performance of the IS has been enhanced with improved line and road edge recognition, lateral G performance, and greater control and stability after lane change.

Other Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 features include Intelligent High Beams that detect approaching or preceding vehicles and automatically switches between high-beam and low-beam headlights, and Road Sign Assist (RSA) that uses a camera to capture specific road sign information and display it on the multi-information display.

Pricing for the 2023 Lexus IS is as follows:

• Lexus IS 300 - $40,585 (approximately P2.34 million)
• Lexus IS 300 AWD - $42,585 (approximately P2.46 million)
• Lexus IS 350 F Sport Design - $43,660 (approximately P2.52 million)
• Lexus IS 350 F Sport - $44,910 (approximately P2.59 million)
• Lexus IS 350 F Sport Design AWD - $45,660 (approximately P2.64 million)
• Lexus IS 350 F Sport AWD - $46,910 (approximately P2.71 million)
• Lexus IS 500 F Sport - $58,270 (approximately P3.37 million)
• Lexus IS 500 F Sport Premium - $62,770 (approximately P3.63 million)

Photos from Lexus

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