Lexus IS - first pictures and details
It's official! The first pictures of the all-new Lexus IS have finally been revealed. Join us for a detailed look at the newcomer, which hits the road this summer.
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New Lexus IS: prices and specifications
February 13th, 2013 by Will McManus -
We’ve seen the pictures and got up close and personal with it in Detroit and we can finally reveal that the stunning new Lexus IS saloon will arrive on UK roads in mid July, priced from £26,495.
New IS has received an incredible response since its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January, and we can now reveal the full lowdown on the car.
The line-up includes the first full-hybrid IS, the IS 300h, as well as the petrol-powered IS 250. Both versions feature rear-wheel drive and will be available in Lexus F Sport specification. All versions of the third-generation IS showcase Lexus’ new focus on rewarding driving experience and bold design, featuring the brand’s signature spindle grille.
The entry-level IS 250 SE is priced from £26,495, while the IS 300h SE will cost £29,495. The IS 300h will use the new 2.5-litre full hybrid system, announced at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, giving it CO2 emissions below 100g/km and zero car tax.
Lexus dealers have opened their order books today, and the first customer deliveries will be made from mid July.
The IS range comprises four grades – SE, Luxury, F Sport and Premier. Here’s the breakdown on how they are specified.
Lexus IS SE specification
The entry point to the new range is the SE, priced from £26,495 for the 2.5-litre IS 250, and £29,495 for the 2.5-litre full hybrid IS 300h. This model is generously equipped, and includes 16” alloy wheels, drive mode select, cruise control, smart entry and start, dual-zone climate control air conditioning, power-fold heated mirrors, HID headlamps with dusk sensing function, eight airbags, 60/40 split rear seats (IS 250 only), Lexus display audio with DAB and Bluetooth connectivity and a temporary spare wheel (a tyre repair kit is supplied with IS 300h).
Lexus IS Luxury specification
Likely to be the biggest selling model in the IS range, the Luxury is priced from £27,995 for IS 250, and £30,995 for IS 300h. It adds 17” alloy wheels, Lexus Park Assist, rain-sensing wipers and 60/40 split rear seats for both IS 250 and IS 300h versions.
Lexus IS F Sport specification
The F Sport is priced from £30,495 for IS 250, and £33,495 for IS 300h, and adds further sport cues to the interior and exterior design, including 18” 10 spoke F Sport alloy wheels, sport suspension with lateral damping system, an F Sport mesh grille, instrument meters inspired by the Lexus LFA, aluminium sports pedals and leather trim on the steering wheel and gear lever.
Lexus IS Premier specification
Premier models are priced from £35,495 for IS 250 and £38,495 for IS 300h. Premier offers the highest standard equipment, including 18” 5 spoke alloy wheels, automatically folding wing mirrors, eight-way power-assisted leather seats including heating and ventilation functions, an electrically operated steering column, 7-inch HDD full map satellite navigation system with dynamic route guidance, rear view camera and connected services and a high-quality Mark Levinson sound system with 15 speakers and 5.1 channel surround sound.
Lexus IS accessories
Black leather upholstery is available on Luxury and F Sport models. Pricing starts from £1,400 for six-way adjustable leather seats with heater function (available on Luxury models only). F Sport customers can also specify eight-way adjustable leather seats with heater and ventilation functions for £2,300, in either black or dark rose leather.
7-inch HDD full map satellite navigation system featured as standard on Premier models is available as an option on the rest of the range for £1,995.
Premier models can be equipped with a sunroof for £1,000. Metallic or mica paint can be specified on all models for £610.
Lexus IS colour range
SE, Luxury and Premier models are available in an eight colours: Velvet Black, Arctic Pearl, Satin Silver, Sonic Titanium, Mercury Grey, Mesa Red, Atlantic Blue and Celestial Black.
F Sport models are available in F Sport White and Ultra Blue, colours that are unique to this model.
Read more of our posts on the Lexus IS here, or find out more on the Lexus website.
Dhaval Pujara says: I think it will be the best selling car for Lexus as it will be revolution and will compete with BMW 3 Series, Merc C Class and Audi A4 market. i’m looking forward for my self.
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Amy Coulthard says:
Thanks for your comments, Dhaval.
We’re pleased you like the new Lexus IS, if we can help you with anything please let us know.
Kind regards.
D says: It looks bloody awesome.. I want one
vasilis says: Hello. A very nice car indeed, but the IS250 premier is now more expensive than the ( better equiped and bigger) GS250Luxury + MarkLevinson after your recent GS offer !!
IS there a mixup with pricing?
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Hi Vasilis,
Thanks for your feedback.
The GS 250 Luxury price which you refer to is an offer that is currently available. The IS 250 Premier is a list price.
We recommend speaking to your local Centre directly for the latest offers: http://www.lexus.co.uk and ‘Find a Centre’.
Have a great weekend.
Ian P. says: The new model looks sensational and I can’t wait to see it. However, I was disappointed by the spec pricing.
Is it correct that the base models come with cloth seats? (To upgrade to “leather/heater” is GBP 1400 extra, and even then that is on top of the Luxury trim only. This seems extortionate.)
I would also be concerned at GBP 1900 for the Sat-Nav – equivalent Audis are just 500 for this. Why the differentiation?
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Hi Ian,
Many thanks for your comments and we’re with you, we can’t wait to see the new IS on the road.
We appreciate your feedback and would like to address your points. The fabric/Tahara seat trim combination on New IS is a premium alternative to the fabric in many other cars in the segment. In addition, our cars feature high value additional spec such as Xenon headlights, DAB and Smart Entry (keyless) that are, again, not standard on many similar models in the market.
Our optional navigation package also offers customers additional value including a DVD player, back-up camera, voice recognition, connected services ability, HD display and a speaker system upgrade.
When considering the technology, refinement, emissions, power and tax advantages (of new IS Hybrid), we hope this places the new IS as an even more compelling option.
You may well be interested in seeing this video from Lexus about the new IS: http://ow.ly/hORP8. This will help to explain the position this new model will hold for us.
Please do let us know if you’ve any further questions,
Many thanks.
KP says: Having had several BMW’s, I then had an IS250SEL for 5.5 years and was very pleased with everything except two important features namely, road noise and the very hard ride/suspension. I would expect a luxury car to have a comfortable & quiet ride, especially on our roads. Will the new car be improved here and/or will there be a “comfort” adjustment for those who do not want a hard/noisy ride? If the above problems are sorted, this car will be a winner!
D Booth says: Why are national newspaper adverts for the new IS today saying price is not yet available when it is clearly being shown on the Lexus UK website?
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Good morning,
Unfortunately, when these adverts were sent to print the new IS pricing wasn’t available. In future editions these will be up to date.
Many thanks for your comment.
Rob says: Is there any early pictures of a car in sonic titanium? It looks a potentialy great colour but i would like to see it on a real car before ordering it
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Hi Rob,
I’m afraid we do not have an image of the new IS in the Sonic Titanium colour as yet. We are currently working on a preview brochure which will be available in approximately April, we are hoping this will include this colour reference. As we have confirmation, we will let you know.
Thanks for your interest and we will continue to keep you updated here on the Lexus Blog.
Kind regards.-
Hi Amy,
Thank for your response last week regarding Sonic Titanium. I want to make a final decision next week to order an IS300h F Sport with Red leather, and would really like to take a chance on Sonic Titanium as it has the potential to look really classy if the eventual colour is not too gold or even worse ‘beigy’. I just wondered if you know anyone who is going to the Geneva Motor Show and if by any stroke of luck there is a car in that colour on display that they could get photos of. You can understand my dilemma, I don’t want to compromise on another colour and then find Sonic Titanium would have been perfect. Conversely I don’t want to pick Sonic Titanium then be disappointed and wish I had picked White.
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Hi Rob,
Very good news to hear you are hoping to make a final decision about ordering the new IS!
We understand the importance of this decision. We have had a couple of photos through from the Geneva Motor Show for you, we will send these to you by email.
We hope this helps and if there’s anything you need further please let us know!
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I like the new Lexus IS and Iam looking foward to seeing plenty of them on the roads
Andy Hamp says: Hi,
It looks really great and the price is competitive. it’s just such a HUGE shame that the UK won’t be getting the AWD version they get in the States 
… i had the pleasure to drive one of the last generation AWD cars for a couple of weeks last year and really didn’t want to give it back. I would have been heading to my local dealer with the deposit if you had done …
Any idea when you might be getting any cars to test drive ?
Andy
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Hi Andy,
Thank you for your feedback and we’re sorry for your disappointment here, we have passed on your comments to our Product Development colleagues.
The new IS showroom and demonstrator vehicles are planned to be at Lexus Centres from mid July.
If we can help with anything further, please do let us know.
Kind regards.
Is it just me or does the design remind anyone else of the (American) Pontiac G8? Have the designers said what their inspirations were?
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Hi Daniel,
The new IS has taken some design elements from the LF-LC concept, you can find the inspiration for this model here: http://ow.ly/ijldM.
We hope this helps.
Jim D says: I’m due for a new company car shortly and my company really encourage environmentally friendly motoring. So I’m keen to know what the B.I.K figure will be to see if it’s worth me waiting for this car to arrive at the dealers.
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Hi Jim,
Thank you for your interest in the new IS!
Unfortunately, this information has yet to be released. We are expecting to have this confirmed over the next month so we will be sure to update you here on the Lexus Blog.
If there is anything further we can help with in the meantime, please do let us know.
Kind regards. -
In reply to JIm. From personal experience of buying a CT200h on business, if you can wait for your car until July (first availability) then order an IS300h now. Our CT200h is 10% BIK (the lowest) 100% write-down tax on purchase price and zero road tax – an absolute no-brainer. And the ownership experience has been great, average 45 mpg and I drive it in Sport mode. Even though the new IS will not be quite as tax beneficial as the CT 200 (but I’m guessing less than 109g/km) I am confident enough to be ready to pre-order one next week to replace the CT. And just for good measure, if you have not experienced a Lexus before and you like the look of the IS then I have no hesitation in recommending the car. I think the new IS is going to lead the Lexus brand forward but don’t tell everybody as they will all want one.
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Paul says:
The F Sport doesnt seem to offer leather. I need to order a car in the next month or two. Could anyone tell me if leather is available and at what cost. Also when will lease rates be available to lease companies?
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Hi Paul,
For both the IS 250 and IS 300h F Sport models, leather sports seats are available as an option at £2,300. These feature front heated and cooled seats which are electrically adjustable with memory.
Do let us know if you need any more from us, very happy to help.
Best wishes.
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Thanks Rob, I need the prices to come out to know that I can qualify for one! The website quotes less than 100g/kg CO2, so it sounds great. I just need to know if the lease price will be right to suit my allowance!
I looked at the CT, but its just too small, otherwise it makes a great choice!-
Thanks for your interest in the new IS, Jim.
We’ll be sure to update you with this information here on the Lexus Blog as it is released.
If there’s anything else we can help with in the meantime, please let us know.-
I’ve got some prices on contract hire, and its in the ball park so just got to wait to test drive now! Can roof bars be fitted? My only concern is that I’d be downsizing a little and would need to be able to use a roof box at times.
Cheers -
Hi Jim,
That’s great news! Thanks for your interest.
Yes a roof rack is available as an accessory for the new IS, your local Centre will be able to help you with further information on this.
If we can help with anything further please let us know.
Have a lovely week.
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Charles says: Lexus IS 300h: I am looking at changing cars in July and would be able to order one now if I know the OTR list price and if the driving position is ok. Can you advise if demo models are available in the UK for this car now and can you advise if a full price list with specifications is available?
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Hi Charles,
Thank you for your interest.
Demonstrator vehicles will be available in Centres from mid July, your local Centre will be able to provide you with more specific dates. You can find full specification and pricing details through our website here: http://ow.ly/jV8rw.
Please let us know if we can help with anything further.
Kind regards.