Lexus IS

The Lexus IS is a 4-door Sedan (automobile) / sedan / 5-door hatchback/station wagon from Lexus, built from 1998, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: Petrol engine. Tomoyasu Nishi (exterior: 1995) / 2003 facelift: Hiroyuki Tada (2002) drew it.

The background

The Lexus IS (Japanese: レクサス・IS, Hepburn: Rekusasu IS) is a compact executive car (D-segment in Europe) sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota, since 1998. The IS was originally sold under the Toyota Altezza (Japanese: トヨタ・アルテッツァ, Hepburn: Toyota Arutettsua) nameplate in Japan from 1998 until 2005 (the word Altezza is Italian for 'height' or 'highness'). The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model positioned below the ES in the Lexus lineup. It was the smallest car in the Lexus lineup until the introduction of the CT in 2011.

The first-generation Altezza (codename XE10) was launched in Japan in October 1998, while the Lexus IS 200 (GXE10) made its debut in Europe in 1999 and in North America as the IS 300 (JCE10) in 2000. The first-generation models were powered by a straight-six engine and available in sedan and wagon variants. The second-generation IS (codename XE20) was launched globally in 2005 with V6-powered IS 250 (GSE20) and IS 350 (GSE21) and Diesel-powered IS 200d/220d (ALE20) sedan models, followed by a high-performance V8 sedan version, the IS F, in 2007, and coupé convertible versions, the IS 250 C and IS 350 C, in 2008. The third-generation Lexus IS premiered in January 2013 and includes the V6-powered IS 250 and IS 350, turbocharged IS 200t/300, hybrid IS 300h and performance-tuned F Sport variants. The IS designation stands for "Intelligent Sport".

The engineering

Power comes from Petrol engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 1360 kg. It shifts through a 5-speed Toyota W transmission#W55 / W55 manual transmission / manual / 6-speed J160 manual / 4-speed Toyota A transmission#A47DE / A47DE/Toyota A transmission#A340H / A340H Automat. The wheelbase is 2670 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Lexus GS 460/F (for IS 500 F Sport Performance); assembly was at Kanegasaki, Iwate (Kanto Auto Works), Japan. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Peugeot 206, the Ford Focus, the Audi TT — show what else the money bought that year. Its Lexus stablemates include the Lexus ES (V20) and the Lexus GS 450h.

What it costs now

The money question first: $13,300–$22,900 is the typical asking range today, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $4,795–$6,595 a year. Insurance sits around $1,490–$2,310 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.