2021 Lexus IS 300 review: Still so close to greatness

Despite the company’s aim on crossovers and SUVs, Lexus does even now make activity sedans. Bypass the brand’s loved ones-haulers and you are going to find the compact IS, a sweetly styled 4-door which is been closely refreshed for 2021.

I say “closely refreshed” since, when the IS’ underpinnings and motor selections are mostly the identical as in advance of, the sheetmetal receives a great makeover. In shorter, the IS seems to be brilliant. The Grecian H2o blue of my IS 300 tester is stunning, and the redesigned spindle grille neatly tucks amongst the new headlights. I never assumed I would close up liking Lexus’ huge grille, but it seriously is effective on the IS. There is certainly a awesome minor kick towards the rear when you see the motor vehicle in profile, which emphasizes the wider hips. The point that the LED running lights span the width of the trunk support with that large stance, too.

The IS’ system may be the identical, but Lexus’ engineers designed a amount of tweaks to the suspension parts and increased physique rigidity for superior total managing. It is effective, too — the steering rapidly responds to my inputs and is awesome and significant. This motor vehicle feels nimble in a way that past IS products have not.

What hasn’t changed are the powertrains, and this is also in which points get a minor complicated. The base IS 300 with rear-wheel push works by using a two.-liter turbo I4 with 241 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque and an eight-pace automated transmission. The IS 300 AWD — which is what I have here — receives a obviously aspirated 3.5-liter V6 with 260 hp and 236 lb-ft, but downgrades to a 6-pace automated transmission. Stage up to the IS 350 and you are going to get a a lot more impressive version of the identical 3.5-liter V6 with 311 hp and 280 lb-ft. The IS 350 RWD has the eight-pace car and the IS 350 AWD receives the 6-pace car. Unusual, I know.

The 6-pace transmission in this IS 300 AWD is really gradual to answer and won’t seriously inspire sporty driving. I are not able to get the transmission to downshift when braking for a corner, even on the IS’ most intense Activity Additionally push setting. Paddles on the steering wheel solve that problem, but the shifts are hardly quick. The motor is potent and delivers linear energy shipping, and the chassis is seriously superior, too, but the transmission seriously prevents the IS 300 from currently being correctly entertaining.

Gas economy is not the IS 300’s potent accommodate, with the all-wheel-push version only EPA-believed to return 19 miles for each gallon in the city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg blended. In excess of the study course of a couple times, I’m averaging just about 21 mpg. The turbocharged IS 300 RWD, in the meantime, returns 21 mpg city, 31 mpg highway and 25 mpg blended.

The IS 300 is terrific for highway cruising, with supportive seats, an exceptionally silent cabin and a comparatively robust suite of driving aids. The regular adaptive cruise control has entire-pace coverage, which is awesome, but you are not able to mix it with lane-maintaining assist for easier highway driving like you can in a BMW 3 Series or even a Mercedes-Benz CLA.

New for 2021, the IS can be optioned with a ten.3-inch colour touchscreen running the Lexus Enform infotainment program. The screen is positioned nearer to the driver than in the prior IS, and the touch capabilities are a godsend. Sure, Lexus’ silly touchpad controller is even now here, but I are not able to advise any person use it, primarily because it’s so hard to function when driving. Lexus must seriously just acquire it out.

Even though I’m glad the user practical experience is superior, the Enform style and design itself even now just isn’t terrific. The menus and submenus are disorganized and hard to work by way of, while, luckily, Apple CarPlay and Android Vehicle are regular. Also, the backup digicam is awful — it won’t fill the entire screen and it’s fish-eyed, blurry and distorted. Backup cameras have been regular safety needs for decades now inadequate resolution is unacceptable. You can get a panoramic-see digicam as an choice, but it’s $1,400. Occur on.

I do not individually enjoy my tester’s darkish-tan-about-black inside, while other Roadshow staffers disagree (to every their have). You can get a awesome red-about-black choice, and which is way a lot more my design and style. All the cabin supplies glance and sense terrific, but there just isn’t a great deal in the way of inside storage. There is certainly home for a h2o bottle and probably a modest pill in the door pockets, but there just isn’t seriously any location to put your mobile phone. There is certainly no wireless charging pad obtainable, both.

The 2021 Lexus IS 300 begins at $40,025 which includes $1,025 for desired destination, and my nicely-equipped tester arrives out to $47,975. If you do not want the additional traction of all-wheel push, I say adhere with the RWD IS 300 or improve to the RWD IS 350, merely since of the a lot more contemporary eight-pace transmission.

Unfortunately, the Lexus IS 300 competes towards a bunch of seriously terrific selections. The BMW 3 Series is the most evident competitor, and the 330i is a lot more economical and has superior tech. I will also say that I enjoy, enjoy, enjoy the Kia Stinger, which seems to be brilliant, is terrific to push and is a authentic value proposition, too — a twin-turbo V6 version with AWD prices as a great deal as this loaded IS 300.

There are a good deal of motives to like the 2021 IS. It seems to be terrific, the inside is comfy and it’s nicer to push than in advance of. But put towards its competitors, the IS — primarily the IS 300 — continues to tumble shorter. Until the powertrains and tech get a authentic improve, the IS will usually be a single move guiding.