Exterior changes include newly designed 17 and 18in wheels, front and rear bumpers, a revised front grille, and side rear-view mirrors with incorporated turn signals. The interior will receive an updated center cluster and foldable rear headrests.
Mechanically, both the IS 250 and IS 350 receive a revised suspension and steering tuning. In addition, the IS 250 will come standard with Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) with a cutoff switch, which was previously available only on the IS 350.
The 2009 IS 250 manual and automatic, IS 250 all-wheel drive, and IS 350 receive a 0.8-1.0% price increase of $300. This means that the IS 250 with manual transmission will carry a base price of $31,155, while the automatic starts at $32,325. The IS 250 with AWD will set you back $34,785, while the IS 350 has a base price of $36,605.
Launched earlier this year, the Lexus IS-F also will receive a few enhancements for the 2009 model year. New features include a revised instrument panel cluster, illuminated mirror controls, a newly designed moonroof switch, and a piano-black center-cluster finish for navigation-equipped vehicles. The 2009 IS-F will have a base price of $56,610, an increase of 1.1% or $610 over the current model.
Reader Comments
Thu Aug 14 2008 12:12 PM
Steve says
Can anyone say Sonata?
Thu Aug 14 2008 12:17 PM
Turkle says
I am not a big Lexus fan, but I really do hope that there is some kind of photo formatting issue going on. The car looks way too tall in the back end and has become "jelly bean" round out back as well. Red paint with the red lights does not help the image either.
Thu Aug 14 2008 12:22 PM
Laz says
Steve you hit the nail on the head...
Thu Aug 14 2008 5:03 PM
NoNameDenton says
Still prefer the BMW 3 series.
Fri Aug 15 2008 4:21 AM
amac says
Snore...
Wed Sep 3 2008 12:06 PM
ebirah says
I hope that they do something w/ the IS-F. I finally saw one in person & had to laugh. I understand why all the reviews complained about how cheezy & tacked on the exterior parts were.
Wed Sep 3 2008 12:33 PM
Gunnar says
Laz is that a bad thing, per se?
Wed Sep 3 2008 3:22 PM
Schinbone says
To me, the profile pic looks like a profile of the new maxima "4dsc".
Wed Sep 3 2008 7:53 PM
NoNameDenton says
Schinbone, I agree with that, there are similarities.
Wed Sep 3 2008 11:32 PM
Steve says
Wow ~ Are we looking at the same vehicle? I think it is one of the freshest designs on the road. The drive is just plain FUN
Thu Sep 4 2008 4:10 PM
AJ says
What's actually new here?? It looks exactly like the old one....
Thu Sep 4 2008 5:06 PM
PL says
Not that I like the IS or Lexus in general, but it's good that they're fixing the speedometer. The numbers facing the center of the circle wasn't that visually appealing. Now give us a manual 350 or F and maybe I'll consider it.
Thu Sep 4 2008 6:14 PM
james says
i can't shake the word 'corolla' when i see this. it just isn't that appealing aesthetically. the 3 series and revised A4 blow this outta the water lookswise
Thu Sep 4 2008 9:43 PM
HECTOR says
I went to the bathroom twice this morning and every time I left behind something the same color as the picture on the cover. I admit I'm not cool enough to drive around in a car that screams *I ate too much fruit* to everyone...
Sun Sep 7 2008 10:00 PM
Guber says
"Schinbone September 3, 2008 | 12:22 pm
To me, the profile pic looks like a profile of the new maxima “4dscâ€
Mon Sep 8 2008 12:14 PM
Mike says
I'd still buy my 3 series over this. You can't get a 6 speed in an IS350. Give it a real transmission and you'll have my attention.
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