Just like it did last year with the all-new GS, Lexus invited the press to meet its next generation IS sedan before it unveils the car to the public at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in mid-January.
Among those who received an invitation was U.S. comedian and television host Jay Leno who traveled all the way to Japan and the Fuji Motor Speedway to try out a pre-production prototype of the 2014 IS that was covered on the outside, but not on the inside, thus affording us our first view of the dashboard.
Leno hints at a longer wheelbase and a sportier chassis setup aimed to compete primarily against the BMW 3-Series and from the looks of things, GM’s newcomer in the segment, the Cadillac ATS.
We’ve already established that both the exterior and interior lines of the new IS will look a lot like the LF-CC Concept, which is to be expected since the study will eventually enter production as the coupe version of the series. However, at this time, we don’t know if Lexus will use the IS Coupe nameplate or if it will follow the example of BMW with the 4-Series and create a new LF moniker.
We’ve heard that in North America, the new IS will be offered in two flavors at launch, the IS 250 with a 2.5-liter V6 and the IS 350 with a 3.5-liter V6 linked to an 8-speed automatic transmission. An F-Sport grade with a sportier suspension and styling will be available for both engines.
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