But these cars are often loss leaders in the grand scheme of total cost (R&D, safety and emission certification, marketing, etc). Their job is to create some buzz around the brand.
A group chat with some friends now scattered around Europe and Asia recently lit up with mention of a WRC homologation version of the Yaris. Not something I’d heard of and I suspect most in the US have not either, but in places where WRC is more popular it’s creating some buzz.
The G20 is a whole lot of meh. If Toyota can bring an actual driver’s car that is DIFFERENT than everything else in that segment which has more or less become all the same, I’d trip over myself for it. But then again I don’t choose cars based on apple carplays and huds and pano roofs and such.
Haven’t been impressed with what I’ve read and heard about the “new” IS, but maybe they will really impress. Toyota has been talking a big game lately when it comes to Lexus.
I was disappointed to see the GS retired last year. If Lexus invested in new tech, they wouldn’t need to create buzz. I am a sedan guy. The only Lexus sedans currently available are the ES (too boring) and the IS (too small). The GS was the perfect size for me, but I must not be type of buyer Lexus is looking to lure from the Germans.
My A4 lease will be up in a few months, and right now, I am leaning towards a 530i with M sport package.
I had read about the shared engine (and I think platform), but I had always thought it would be the GS, for some reason. But the IS may make more sense.
Yeah, I think is part of the problem I have w/ the RC and IS Fs. Combining sections of diff models just seemed oddly crude to me… And in addition to contributing to a wt problem.
Lexus didn’t exactly “invest” much to make this. It’s all old parts - Old engine, old platform, old transmission, etc etc. So it’s a very low cost, low risk product to offer the market and touch the hearts of enthusiasts, and as such it’ll be low production run as well.
Pricing will be in the $60k range to compete with the M340i/C43/S4. This is EXACTLY why Lexus is so adamant on calling this the “IS500 F sport performance” rather than an IS-F. They already made that mistake with the GS-F and everyone began comparing that with the far more powerful M5/C63.
The IS500 doesn’t appear to be aimed at the RS/AMG/M cars. It appears to be aimed at the mid level S/M performance/Sub-AMG.
Big V8 power I think is it’s only redeeming quality in that segment because lord knows it’s not really going to compete performance wise. Though, if it comes in under 64k, I think it would be a good value comparatively.
That’s the biggest deterrent for me as a former I3S owner and now drive a 2020 M340I. 3IS is ancient inside, the exterior refresh is welcoming with this second refreshed except the rear which i don’t like. The only great thing here is the V8 which gets my interest but then I doubt I will be able to live without HUD, power folding mirrors, ETC which Lexus IS to this day doesn’t offer. Then there’s that interior that to me is worse now than my prior 2016 IS. It will be difficult buying this car and having to live daily with that old interior. I will give it a test drive but i just think they could have made some real updates in the interior to differentiate from the 350.
People keep mentioning M3 but this thing won’t be in the same realm in the same way an M340i isn’t an M3 beater. IS500 lacks the suspension tuning, brakes etc that would make it an M3 competitor hence why they couldn’t label it as an ISF. IS500 is just the 3.5IS with the bigger motor, unique wheels, quad exhaust and slightly larger brakes basically what we refer to as a “frankenstein swap”.
This would require Toyota to actually spend money doing product development which they haven’t done in a while except to make CVTs and whatever the hell the UX is.
You laugh, I enjoy HUD and car having power folding mirrors, do you have a problem with that? I don’t have to enjoy the same things you do in a car. There’s a reason I drive an M340i and not a Camaro LT1 V8 and this isn’t a knock against the Chevy. We like what we like and those creature comforts are high on my priority list. A V8 alone isn’t enough to sway me to return to a Lexus IS. It’s no different than someone saying they wouldn’t buy XYZ car due to styling.
Besides no other marque has been criticized for infotainment like Lexus to this day and there’s countless people who wouldn’t consider one just based on that alone. Therefore , there’s no need to act as though my preferences are outrageous. I owned a 3IS for 3 years, the only thing that changed now is a somewhat better exterior, worse interior aside from the touchscreen navi and this V8. Buying the IS500 means I would have to compromise on my preferences and having to live with that lazy transmission which is nowhere the engagement level of the ZF8.
I vaguely recall reading an article that said that Lexus had given a preview of upcoming products to dealers and that the dealers were excited.
Lexus “accidentally” leaked a video showing a completely undisguised NX (both interior and exterior)… I use the quotes b/c the Japanese makes are generally so hyper protective of leaks (and protecting their cars even from spy pics) that I can’t imagine it’s an accident. The car is obviously hugely important for the brand. Lexus did trademark the “NX350” name, although who knows if it will be actually used.
And I can’t imagine that an RX based on a new platform will take much longer to be released.
I’ll believe it when I see it and experience with myself. I have been relatively unimpressed with recent Lexus and Toyota development, especially on the new platforms and architectures they’re slowly rolling out.
The message is clear to me, with the exception of the angular exterior looks, Toyota’s philosophy is to make slight changes and build on past success. On the surface it may seem like that’s the right strategy, but competition is stiff in many of their segments and they rarely are reviewed or rated near the top of their segments.
