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2021 Lexus IS debuts with new styling and greater emphasis on handling

The reveals keep on coming today. Lexus just took the wraps off the 2021 Lexus IS sport sedan, the fourth generation of its small, sporty four-door. It may not look all that different on the outside, but Lexus is making heady claims that the driving experience is going to be the real head turner. We’ll start with the looks, though. Lexus has only revealed the 2021 IS in F Sport trim, which is the most aggressive of all the models. The spindle grille again sits proudly in front. (Apparently, even non F Sport models have mini spindles within the grille design, so we hope you like spindles.) YouÂ’ll also see a new air intake below that grille. ItÂ’s meant to direct air to the brakes and assist in cooling. The slimmer headlights with a new LED pattern look sharp. Along the side, Lexus has implemented new rocker panels that kick up into the rear fender for a more aggressive stance. The view from the rear offers up the most noticeable change. Lexus has gone with the full-width taillight design, stretching the red element from one side of the trunk to the other. Those taillights feature more intricate sculpting, and the rear valance is finished in a glossy black. Lexus changed the exhaust tip look, too, opting for ovals this time. But, onwards to the performance. The powertrain lineup hasnÂ’t changed a bit. A Lexus IS 300 with rear-wheel drive continues to be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It makes the same 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque as before, and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission only. However, Lexus says itÂ’s been updated for “adaptive transmission control” that is better at choosing the appropriate gear for the driving situation. An all-wheel-drive IS 300 is also available, but itÂ’s equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 that makes 260 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. The all-wheel-drive IS 300 is also continuing to send the power through a six-speed automatic transmission exclusively. The system can send as much as 50% of torque to the front axle. The tip-top IS is the IS 350. ItÂ’s equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 311 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. With rear-wheel drive, itÂ’s equipped with an eight-speed automatic, but the all-wheel-drive version is equipped with a six-speed auto. Lexus says the rear-drive IS 350 will get to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, while the all-wheel-drive car gets there in 5.7 seconds.

2021 Lexus LS 500 F Sport First Drive | The Midas Touch

There was one glaring problem with the Lexus LS 500 prior to this year’s refresh: the Remote Touch infotainment system. To put it simply, it was a nightmare to use and a potential deal breaker. As it does in other Lexus products, Remote Touch featured a large display controlled by a laptop-like touchpad that was difficult and distracting to use. Lexus has surely tired of hearing the complaints from reviewers and customers alike, and for 2021, there's a touchscreen. Hurrah! That's clearly the biggest update for the 2021 Lexus LS 500, but the four-door flagship is treated to a number of other improvements for its mid-cycle freshening as well. Considering the totally new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is bearing down in the LexusÂ’ rearview mirror, itÂ’s smart timing. Lexus allowed us to live with both the 2020 and 2021 LS 500s for a couple days to ensure weÂ’d notice every last difference between them. It takes a sharp eye to see what designers have massaged on the exterior. Look closely, and youÂ’ll notice the snazzy Z-shaped headlight fixtures have lost the Z. ItÂ’s a cleaner design, but does subtract from their flashiness. The big spindle grille is present and accounted for — Lexus applies a darker finish to it this year. ItÂ’s still as shouty and in-your-face as it gets for a car in this class, which isnÂ’t easy considering the 7 SeriesÂ’ new snout. Lexus had to redesign the dash for the touchscreen to be reachable. The large 12.3-inch widescreen that was shoved way back and nestled under a hood in the previous two-tiered dash design has been pulled way out to stand on its own in tablet-like fashion for 2021. The illuminated graphic panel that was adjacent to the infotainment screen is gone. The look is ultimately less integrated and harmonious, but at least itÂ’s usable now.  2021 Lexus LS 500 F Sport View 27 Photos Improving how the LS 500 drives was also on LexusÂ’ to-do list with this update. ItÂ’s still powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, but Lexus is using a new piston design that makes the engine quieter when cold. The wastegate control was updated to improve both performance and efficiency, and the 10-speed automaticÂ’s shift logic was re-calibrated to be smarter when the driver asks for power. Even with the changes, output is unchanged at 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s enough to get our rear-drive LS 500 F Sport from 0-60 mph in just 4.6 seconds, all while leaving a long patch of rubber in our wake.

Buyers resent low inventories, prices over MSRP, study says

Vehicle inventory low, vehicle transaction prices high, customers fretting … welcome, J.D. Power, to the era of supply and demand. In a recently published survey from one of the auto industryÂ’s top analytical firms, findings show that customers' satisfaction with vehicle purchases in the United States this year has dipped for the first time in 10 years. The 2022 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that overall sales satisfaction has dropped to 786 (on a 1,000-point scale) from 789 in 2021. In that year, higher than expected trade-in values softened the effect of new vehicle price increases. But in 2022, on top of trade-in prices shrinking, many dealers elected to charge more than the ManufacturerÂ’s Suggested Retail Price, a factor that did not sit well with buyers. “When dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business," said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. Satisfaction among buyers who paid more than sticker price is 757, while satisfaction among those who paid the sticker price or less is 850, the Power report said. The lack of dealership inventory was also a customer irritant, J.D. Power found, a point that automakers and their dealers may want to consider. Many have maintained, or considered maintaining, a smaller inventory in the wake of the pandemic, keeping costs down and driving more customers toward factory orders. Regarding those consumers shopping for electric vehicles, the survey said that more than a third of them “failed to get instruction on EV charging before they left the dealership, which notably affects satisfaction.” Said Sutton, “Salespeople donÂ’t need to show gas-powered vehicle buyers how to fill their tank, but they do need to show EV buyers how to charge their vehicle.” There are positives to the Power conclusions, however, especially for Alfa Romeo dealers. The Italian brand ranked highest in customer satisfaction among premium brands with a score of 833, with Porsche a very close second (831) and Lexus (819) third. Alfa is on something of a roll these days, with its compact Tonale crossover due for release in the spring, and a new sports car in the works. Meanwhile, in PowerÂ’s “mainstream brand”” segment, Buick ranked first with a score of 825, followed by Dodge (816) and Subaru (804), all performing higher than the industry average.