Lexus is test drive since 2009 sedan

Become yourself

Lexus is the time of imitation is over
The creators of Lexus have always tried to please consumers from the United States. The debut of the new generation Lexus IS showed that Toyota’s policy has changed about its premium brand. Lexus is now addressed not only to the Americans.
IS debut coincided with the start of Lexus cars in the Japanese market. Recall that this brand was created by Toyota specifically for the United States, and in Japan these cars were not sold before. In the fall of 2005, 150 Lexus salons were opened in the rising sun. Sellers for them were dragged to maintain VIP clients in Ritz hotels and fashionable boutiques.
Apparently, in Toyota, they considered that the updated Lexus brand is ready for a real battle with Audi, BMW and Mercedes not only in an all -Unit American, but also in the sophisticated Japanese market. This year, the premiere of the GS business class, the RX400H hybrid SUV, has already taken place there, and in January the representative of the LS sedan will appear there.
Russian consumers value both American and Japanese automobile cultures. The Lexus brand has long been understood and accepted. It is no coincidence that, in terms of the number of cars sold, Russian Lexus dealers take second place in Europe after the UK. At the same time, the RX300 parquet SUV is one of the most popular cars in its class in the domestic secondary market.
However, in the segment of prestigious compact sedans against the background of the Audi A4, BMW of the 3rd series, Mercedes C-class the previous generation of IS looked pale. This car was not represented in the interior of the official Lexus dealers, and the positions of its competitors in the Russian market looked much stronger. When asked why the previous generation of IS was not sold in Russia, the development director of Toyota LLC Motor Ruslan Romansyuk answered as follows: everything his time. The new generation of an IS car is a higher level compared to the predecessor of the level. Now Lexus IS will be able to compete on equal terms with strong rivals from Germany.
Made for yourself
I created this car for myself. Under his driver's sensations, said Suguya Fukosato, chief designer of the new Lexus. Fukosato has every right to such a statement. He is the author of modern Avensis, Celica, the MR-2 medium-measurement coupe and the previous generation Corolla cars. The new IS is a real Japanese car that was created by a real Japanese engineer.
There is not a single quote from competing models in the appearance of the new Lexus. IS - perfectly verified machine: clear lines, minimum front overhang, self -sufficient appearance. It is as if she was fashioned from a whole piece of metal. The body parts are adjusted for sure: the width of the gaps between them does not exceed microscopic 0.35 mm.
Aerodynamic resistance coefficient of the new IS 0.27 is one of the best in the class. Thanks to careful sound insulation and close to ideal aerodynamics in the car’s cabin, it is very quiet even at speeds of 200 km/h. The designer thought out every little thing. For example, the area of \u200b\u200brear -view mirrors was increased by 40% compared to the previous model. However, this fact in no way worsened aerodynamics. On the contrary, according to Fukosato, with cleaned mirrors, the maximum speed of IS becomes a couple of km/h lower.
IS interior style cannot be attributed to the new-fiber Hi-Tech or the classic. Only plastic, which is used in the decoration of the lower part of the dashboard and the central console, does not correspond to the general expensive appearance. During the 3-hour trip, only one ergonomic miscalculation managed to notice: the microclimate control buttons are too small.
By the nature of the suspension, the rear -wheel drive is located between Audi and BMW. Lexus is not so sharply and aggressively reacts to the turns of the steering wheel, like a treshka BMW, not as assembled and shot down as the Audi A4 Quattro. However, this car seemed comfortable to me. At the same time, IS is able to give the driver a fair portion of adrenaline at the moments of passing fast turns. The car does not roll, holds the arc tenaciously, does not slip out the front of the turn, however, it does not allow revenge on the tail, straightening the trajectory by adding gas. The Lexus designers managed to achieve ideal weighting on the axes of 50/50. And this indicator is one of the most important for the quick passage of turns and the feelings of the car.
Compact prestigious cars such as Lexus IS are usually bought by young, but already held people who prefer an active lifestyle. They believe that their cars should have a sports temperament and have a rich complete set. Lexus is fully meets these requirements.
IS has become the first Lexus model, on which they will begin to install a diesel engine (turbocharged, 2.2 liters with a capacity of 177 hp). However, such cars are made specifically for the European market. The only modification with a 2.5-liter V6 engine (power 204 hp) and an automatic 6-speed gearbox with the possibility of manual switching will be delivered to Russia. A version with a more affordable 4-cylinder engine will not be produced. There are four IS configuration options. Already in the database it is provided for the VSC course stability system, the SMART KEY remote central lock (there is no need to get the key from the pocket to open the doors and start the engine), ten airbags, an on -board computer and the Acoustic System of the Mark & \u200b\u200bL Evinson speaker system with 12 columns and a subwoofer. The price of the base model is $ 41,600. For comparison, the BMW of the 3rd series with a motor of similar volume and power costs almost $ 10,000 more expensive.
You can order a leather salon with wooden inserts, 17-inch wheels (the standard version is equipped with 16-inch), looking around the corner of bixenon headlights, steering wheel and armchairs with electric drive and memory. The top equipment IS will cost $ 49,700.
 
Igor Komarov
 

Source: Wheel (company)