Face Odyssey: Restyled Lexus IS Unwrapped in Beijing

by Steph Willems

Published: April 25th, 2016

face odyssey restyled lexus is unwrapped in beijing

The refreshed Lexus IS bowed today at the Beijing Motor Show, presenting an even hungrier face than before.

Lexus kept the well-defined proportions of the entry-level sedan intact, but went to town on the front end. The corporate spindle grille now sports a higher cinch point and spacetime-bending three-dimensional mesh.

Redesigned headlamps flank the new maw, with significantly enlarged air intakes poised to inhale the stars and spiral galaxies the grille missed. Performance models receive functional brake ducts.

Standard 10-spoke, 17-inch polished wheels brighten up the sedan’s flanks, while enhanced light guides in the LED taillamps and rectangular exhaust tips freshen up the rear.

Inside, the IS sees its multimedia screen grow from seven to 10.3 inches and gain higher resolution. Possibly in response to customer criticism, Lexus has added “Enter” buttons to the side of the center console’s Remote Touch Interface. A larger dose of safety now comes standard, via the Lexus Safety System + suite of driver’s aids.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the IS lineup, with vanilla and F-Sport models carrying over as before. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6 (in two flavors) both return.

[Images: Toyota Motor Corporation]

#2017LexusIS #BeijingMotorShow #F-Sport #Lexus #LexusIS #LexusIS200t #LexusIS300 #LexusIS350 #LuxuryCars #NewCars

Steph Willems

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5 of 58 comments

05lgt on Apr 26, 2016

This will look extra ugly with a front plate. Anyone else cringe when seeing these bigger more recent spindle grills with a plate tacked off to the side? It just does not work. Please fix it.

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- Corey Lewis on Apr 26, 2016
  
  Yup.
  
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Jthorner on Apr 26, 2016

When will the Large Mouth Bass front end look finally go the way of sagging pants?

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- Mcs on Apr 26, 2016
  
  Well, there is Tesla. At least the fish has kind of closed it's mouth. I also think that 05glt is right in that some of these cars, including Tesla, will look much better with a license plate on them. Some cars look better in person. For example, I think the Mazdoyotion iA looks better when you're standing next it - maybe because it's small.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Apr 26, 2016
  
  I have some thoughts on this. Audi started the trend back in 2004-ish. I think they're going to lead the trend away from it. If you see their new models there has actually been a reduction in grille space.
  
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