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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.

Forget LCD displays, the Lexus UX concept has hologram orbs

Two weeks ago, Lexus revealed the UX concept for the Paris Motor Show. The company only showed one photo of the exterior, but did give a generic description of the interior, saying it would have "imaginative technologies for an immersive driver experience." Now we know what that means: holograms! Yes, Lexus has done about the only thing that can impress in this world of high-resolution automotive displays – it brought instruments and infotainment into the third dimension. In the process it has somewhat reimagined the way occupants interact with the car as well. We're guessing the name UX, which stands for user experience in the tech world, was intentional. The large crystal-shaped box in the center console stands out immediately. The company says the box will display climate control and infotainment options in full 3D for the driver and passenger. The instrument cluster gets the hologram treatment as well with an orb floating in the middle and the ability to display both analog and digital information. No word on whether a small, blue Princess Leia will appear in the console asking for help. The UX's interior has a few other nifty surprises. The windows are electrochromic, so they can be darkened as needed (similar tech is already in use on some car roofs). The passenger side of the dashboard has a large, finned sound bar that can be removed. We're not entirely sure the thinking behind that feature, but we suppose it would be nice as a stereo for a picnic or a day at the beach. To cap things off, Lexus included the concept car staples of touch-sensitive buttons and side-view mirror cameras. As for when you'll see hologram displays in future Lexus models, we have no idea but wouldn't count on them coming anytime soon. We have a more optimistic view of the Lexus UX concept itself. With crossovers as popular as ever, we expect to see an attractive production model with these bulging fenders and a steeply raked windshield in a year or so. Related Video: Image Credit: Lexus Design/Style Paris Motor Show Lexus Technology Emerging Technologies Infotainment Crossover 2016 paris motor show interior design lexus ux concept

Camaro SS facelift and dune-riding the new Mercedes-Benz GLS | Autoblog Podcast #579

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Reese Counts and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. First, they talk about the newly refreshed Chevy Camaro SS. Then they dish on the cars they've been driving, including the Lexus UX, Lexus GS F and Volvo V90, as well as riding in the new Mercedes-Benz GLS. After that, they ask the question, how many AMG cars is too many? Finally they turn to car buying, and suggest potential vehicles for a shopper on Reddit for the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #579 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Camaro SS facelift Cars we're driving: 2019 Lexus UX 2019 Lexus GS F 2019 Volvo V90 Cross Country 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS ride How many AMGs is too many? Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: