See Anything You Like? Next-generation Lexus IS Looms

I must make a confession. Of all the vehicles on the market today — a diverse crowd if there ever was one — no car’s rear end annoys me more than that of the Lexus IS.

The brand’s sporty compact offering went in a controversial direction for its third generation, entering the 2014 model year with half-melted ice cream cone styling. Seems the taillights suffered worst from the heat, as the red plastic managed to bleed nearly all the way down to the rear wheel well. And the first-gen was so clean!

For Gen 4, it seems Lexus is prepared to correct this mistake.

A teaser image has landed of the revamped 2021 IS ahead of its June 9th debut — a reveal that would have taken place in Detroit, had a certain spiky virus not jumped from the animal kingdom to humans.

While little can be seen of the IS sedan, one feature Lexus thought important enough to highlight happens to the one that caused your author so much nausea and anguish these past several years. For ’21, the IS dons an uninterrupted, full-width taillight — a feature Corey would label “heckblende” despite that being an awful word no one should ever use. Let’s hope the unit and all associated plastic remains in its own neighborhood.

For the first time in a while, there’s sedan excitement in the air. Last week saw the debut of Acura’s slinky new TLX, which represents a concerted effort on behalf of the brand to rekindle interest in attainable premium three-box sport. Time will tell if Lexus put as much thought into the new IS.

The model that brought us Altezza taillights two decades ago has, like the TLX and earlier TL, seen its fortunes wax and wane over the past twenty years. The third-gen IS’ debut year of 2014 saw the model hit a post-recession high, though the peak was lower than that seen in 2007. Last year, the aging sedan recorded its lowest sales volume since 2005, with just 14,920 units leaving lots.

That’s less than a third of the sales the IS enjoyed back in 2014.

Currently offered in (2.0-liter) four-cylinder IS 300 and (3.5-liter) V6 IS 350 guise, with either rear- or all-wheel drive, the model offers F Sport variants of each of its models. V6 engines are becoming harder to find in Toyota products, as well as in similarly sized rivals, which could mean the new IS either stands apart or joins the crowd. Lexus has always had one wary eye on the Germans, meaning it’s likely to keep V6 power under hood if at all possible.

As well, given parent corp Toyota’s desire to (finally) be seen as a purveyor of exciting products, the pressure will be on to offer something with impressive specs. Will a hybrid show up, too? Another good question; it would be in line with Lexus’ product direction, for sure.

[Images: Lexus, © Timothy Cain/TTAC]