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| The Lexus IS is one of the more celebrated lines of Lexus cars and indeed by their own admission one of the lines that the Toyota Motor Corporation is most proud of. They are officially classified as being a cross between entry-level luxury cars and executive cars and therefore are considered just below the ES in terms of the price and the class of the actual automobile. The Lexus IS was first introduced in Japan and went by the alias of the Toyota Altezza, before the name changed to Lexus IS in time for construction of the second generation of cars. Lexus IS First Generation The Lexus IS 300 was the first Lexus IS vehicle to be sold in North America, although at the time the Lexus IS 300 made its debut the Altezza was already in full swing in Japan and a less powerful version known as the Lexus IS 200 was being sold in Europe. While the actual car series was initially constructed in 1998, the Lexus IS 300, a part of the first generation of Lexus IS vehicles, wasn't manufactured in the United States until the year 2000. The IS 300 was powered by 3.0 liter displacement engine with cylinders arranged in V6 format. There were also multiple designs for the IS 300 as in addition to the compact executive model that most people are familiar with, there was also a hatchback model marketed and sold under the name of Lexus IS 300 SportCross. In addition to that, the original Lexus IS vehicle, the Altezza, was sold in three different variants, all of which were very popular when the car was initially introduced into the Japanese market. The first of these was the Altezza AS200, which was known primarily for being a car that had a 6-speed manual transmission. The second was the RS200, which also had the same 6-speed transmission but in later years also had an optional 5-speed automatic transmission that customers could pay extra in order to receive. Finally, the last was the AS300 which had no manual transmissions and a choice between a 4-speed and a 5-speed automatic transmission. Some analysts claim that the lack of a manual transmission resulted in a slight downturn of sale potential for the AS300, but this has never become a consensus opinion within the community. By the time the Lexus made it to Europe and North America as the IS 200/300 respectively, a number of interesting innovations had been added to the car's interior that were not typical of a Lexus design. These included things like chrome instrument panels, something that Lexus cars were decidedly not known for before the introduction of the first generation IS models in both Europe and North America. Because of this change or perhaps in spite of it, IS model cars did reasonably well until Toyota decided to pull them from manufacturing and completely re-design them in time for the Geneva Auto Show in the 2005 calendar year. Lexus IS Second Generation By the time the year 2005 rolled around, many car companies were experimenting with a number of sub-classifications within a larger classification in order to denote slightly different engine specifications or even slightly different overall chassis designs in order to give customers greater choice. With that in mind, it was perhaps no surprise to insiders within the car industry that Toyota decided to adopt this wisdom for the introduction of the second generation of their Lexus IS vehicles and introduce three different models; the IS 250, the IS 250 AWD and the IS 350. As is typical with sub-classified cars within the same larger group, the difference between these three cars is not very large. The IS 250 features a 2.5 liter V6 engine that runs on rear wheel drive and is capable of 204 HP. The IS 250 AWD is essentially the same automobile, with the exception that it has all wheel drive rather than rear wheel drive; a move that has made it a more popular car in North America, with the IS 250 being more popular in Japan. The IS 350 adds more power with an extra liter of engine displacement and indeed has a 306 HP rating which has made it more popular in certain niche customer groups - mainly sports car enthusiasts. The main differences between the first and second generation Lexus IS is basically what one would expect; changes to safety features, design elements and related options that are mostly based on better technology being available in the construction of the automobiles. The second generation Lexus IS also saw the return of the car interior to the Lexus basics that, much to the dismay of many customers, were not present in the first generation of cars. While the first generation wasn't exactly far from being luxurious, the second generation clearly features a more luxurious interior. Lexus IS-F and the Future of the IS series The Lexus IS-F is arguably one of the most anticipated cars ever. Since the spy photos of a disguised IS-F appeared in car magazines in early 2006, there has been much speculation as to whether or not Lexus was planning on introducing an IS vehicle from its second generation into their F-Series line-up; cars that were primarily focused on performance with all other concerns being secondary. Much to the delight of the automobile community, Toyota confirmed these rumors in a press release given out in December of that same year. Then, about a month later at the North American International Auto Show, the IS-F was introduced to the general public. It features a 5.0 liter engine with a directly-injected V8 configuration capable of producing a whopping 417 SAE-HP with a two-stage intake system and a four tailpipe design that not only makes it high-performance, but it also makes it high-style. The car certainly didn't disappoint and there is currently speculation that only a limited number of IS-F models will be built for American markets; although neither Lexus nor Toyota has confirmed that rumor. One thing is certain, with the general enthusiasm that the market seems to have for Lexus IS automobiles and in particular the Lexus IS-F, the future is looking very bright for this line of cars indeed. |
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