Over the past few years, Lexus has been busy revamping its roster with next-generation models, both petrol-powered and electrified offerings alike. The carmaker’s local stable, in fact, is headlined by the likes of the all-new LX600, LM, RX, and RZ.
There’s one model in particular, however, that’s yet to receive a major overhaul in years: the IS. While it has gotten a mid-cycle refresh a while back, performance-wise, it’s still almost the same car we saw back in 2013. Save for the LSD update late in 2022.
Having said all that, the IS is still a sales leader in its segment despite what some consider a near-senior status. How come? Well, I was recently able to take this out for a spin—read on to see what I’ve discovered.
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Styling
The IS may be long in the tooth, but it remains to be one of the most eye-catching cars you’ll see on the road today. I reckon it’ll turn more heads than a newer car with hyper-aggressive styling would. That speaks volumes of Lexus’ unmatched design philosophy.
The last facelift this IS generation received made it apt for this era, with snazzy headlights flanking the signature spindle grille. The size of said grille is just right—it isn’t too small so it doesn’t look disproportionate to the front fascia, and it’s not too wide so it doesn’t take up too much real estate up front. The air intakes on the edges of the bumper pair with the grille’s pattern quite nicely as well.
More sexy bits can be found at the rear, where the IS is adorned by a massive lightbar accentuating the back. Props to Lexus for not going overboard with performance parts like the rear spoiler as well, so the sedan’s able to keep its classy overall look.
Interior
Inside is where the Lexus IS350 F Sport starts to show its age by a bit. It’s the controls on the center console that feel a bit dated here. While I still prefer knobs and actual buttons for the A/C and the head unit, the design here feels… so last decade. But actually, the real kicker here is the CD player. What car rolls out of the factory in 2023 with a built-in CD player?
All that being said, this one’s still an absolutely gorgeous interior. It being old doesn’t really take away anything from just how tastefully Lexus designed this cabin. The Alcantara accents and red leather are very easy on the eyes, and they make for a pleasant place to sit in. The seats are plush and comfy—the kind of premium you’d expect from a Lexus vehicle.
The clock on the dash is also a unique and beautiful touch. But apart from its looks, it also reminds you of the luxury and artistry that you’ll find both in a timepiece and a Lexus.
Space-wise, however, the IS isn’t that generous. Average Filipinos will fit fine in this car, four adults will probably be the limit. All that being said, you should still note that this sedan isn’t exactly marketed as a tourer, so all things considered, the second row still is quite nice.
Out back, you also have a deep and sizeable trunk that can fit multiple golf bags. Yes, that’s very important information. You can also fit a few luggage items here, and there’s more than enough space for four overnight bags.
Engine performance
At the heart of the IS350 F Sport is a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 that generates a very healthy 312hp and 380Nm of torque. This engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and boy is it one heck of a setup.
That NA powertrain—despite it not being the most powerful V6 out there—is just a joy to play around with. Throttle response is instantaneous, as there’s no spooling turbo to worry about whatsoever. Power delivery is smooth and feels very linear, and you’ll have plenty of oomph whether for overtaking or just simply getting up to speed on the highway.
But the thing about this engine is that while you know there’s so much power on tap, it feels very tame when you stay light on the pedal. If you want a more relaxed drive, you can go easy on the gas and it won’t ever feel like you’re heavily underutilizing your powertrain. And when you do want to turn it up, you can just switch to Sport mode and floor this thing—it’ll fly off the line. And if you want to make full use of that V6 powerband, you also have paddle shifters at the ready… but not that you’d need to be doing any of those things anyway, right?
Now, I’ve driven cars in the past with extremely powerful engines similar to that of the IS350 F Sport, but not a lot of them feel as refined and as flexible as Lexus’ engine. But of course, there’s a huge drawback here: fuel economy. In terrible Metro Manila traffic, I got about 3-5km/L, and the best I could get along the highway was around 9km/L. Not really ideal if you intend to use this as a daily driver.
Ride and handling
But if you do take the IS350 F Sport for drives outside of the daily city commute, you’ll realize that this sedan really is a legitimate sleeper. You’d easily mistake this for a luxurious executive car when it’s actually more of a driver-centric machine. Like I said, passengers will be fine, but it’s the driver here who’ll truly appreciate this Lexus for what it is.
It’s not just a typical luxury sedan, but it’s also a very capable one that you can have tons of fun with on weekends. The commendable throttle feel it has is complemented by precise and heavy steering. I do feel it could lose some weight for when you’re, say, maneuvering around a parking lot, but you’ll forget about all that when you’re driving through mountain passes. Body roll is insignificant, and it never feels like you’ll ever lose control even when you tackle corners quickly. There’s a limited-slip differential here, too, but I wasn’t driving this thing that hard to have to rely on the LSD at any point in time. That does show you that this could be a capable track car if you wanted it to be.
But going back to steering feel, it’s not exactly something you’ll be complaining about when you’re in the city. It’ll still be fairly easy to drive, and it’s going to be comfortable at that—at least for a relatively sportier sedan. You will feel the bumps on the road, yes, but vibrations are suppressed and not a lot of noise gets into the cabin. We reckon had those 19-inchers and thin tires been exchanged for slightly smaller wheels with chunkier rubber, the ride would be even better.
Extra features
Despite the IS showing its age, Lexus still did an excellent job updating the sedan with the tech it needs to keep up with the times. For starters, it has a 10.3-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, which is something you won’t find in cars from 10 years ago.
The sedan also comes with advanced driver-assist systems like lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control, all of which work seamlessly during actual use. When you’re cruising on the expressways and these features start kicking in, the car will feel anything but dated. If I could change one thing though, I’d probably remove the stalk control for the cruise control. Toyota seems to like doing that, but I hope at least for the next iteration of the IS, they could mount those controls on the wheel instead.
I’d also probably remove the trackpad on the center console. It might’ve looked cool at the time the IS was launched, but these days, it isn’t functional for most drivers anymore, especially with smartphone connectivity at our fingertips. I did try using it for the sake of it, but I’d still rather stick to Waze and Google Maps via CarPlay for navigation. That square thingamajig with all the lines and the Lexus logo does look pretty cool, though, I admit.
Verdict
A decade in, the IS350 F Sport still remains one of the top dogs in its class in my opinion. It speaks volumes of how Lexus built this car. It’s sporty but refined, and despite its age, it can still go toe to toe with some of the young bloods in the market.
There’s still no word when Lexus plans to replace the IS range. But once it does decide to do so, competitors better be ready, because I’m sure it’ll be even better than the IS we see today.
SPECS: 2023 Lexus IS350 F Sport
Price: P4,228,000
Engine: 3.5-liter gasoline V6
Power: 312hp @6,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,800-4,900rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Layout: Rear wheel-drive
Seating: 5
Score: 9/10
More photos of the 2023 Lexus IS350 F Sport:
