2023 Lexus IS

History/Overview

For a quarter century, the Lexus IS has gone up against some of Europe’s most desirable small luxury cars to fight for driving enthusiast dollars. The market for these entry-level upscale four doors is smaller than it used to be, but the segment remains important enough that Lexus gave its IS a significant update in 2021 and added the speedy IS 500 last year.

What’s New/Key Changes From Last Year

Lexus has made minor changes to the IS for 2023: a few trims get new standard kit, and the IS 350 AWD offers a new two-tone exterior option.

Available Trims

Lexus offers the IS as the IS 300, the IS 350, and the IS 500, which are powered by 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, 3.5L V6 and 5.0L V8 engines, respectively. All-wheel drive is optional in the IS 300, standard in the IS 350, and not offered in the IS 500. IS 300 and IS 500 use an eight-speed transmission, while IS 350 gets a six-speed.

Standard Features

IS 300 RWD comes with passive keyless entry, 10-speaker audio, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, heated/ventilated/power-adjustable front seats, NuLuxe upholstery, dual-zone A/C, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Outside, the IS 300 wears LED headlights, heated side mirrors with driver-side auto dimming, 19-inch wheels, and rain-sensing wipers. IS 300 AWD downgrades to 18-inch wheels and gets a heated steering wheel and a sunroof.

The base safety suite comprises blind spot monitoring, radar cruise control, automatic high beams, lane tracing assist, lane departure alert, steering assist, forward collision mitigation, pedestrian/cyclist detection, and left-turn intersection assist.

IS 350 AWD adds navigation, a 10.3-inch touchscreen, and reverse-tilt side mirrors.

IS 500 gains adaptive variable suspension, park assist, surround-view cameras, and upgraded LED headlights.

Key Options

IS 300 AWD can be optioned with 19-inch wheels and a power-adjustable steering wheel.

Other IS 300 AWD options include an F Sport 1 pack comprising active sound control, power driver lumbar, a rear spoiler, and cosmetic enhancements. The F Sport 2 upgrade adds navigation, reverse-tilt mirrors, park assist, a 10.3-inch touchscreen, and an auto-dimming driver mirror.

An IS 300 AWD luxury package brings driver lumbar, power steering wheel adjustments, navigation, reverse-tilt mirrors, park assist, a 10.3-inch display, and an auto-dimming driver mirror. An ultra luxury pack brings triple-beam headlights, panoramic view cameras, and 17-speaker audio.

An IS 350AWD special appearance pack adds adaptive variable suspension, triple-beam headlights, panoramic view cameras, park assist, and 17-speaker audio. An F Sport 3 bundle gets the adaptive suspension, triple-beam headlights, panoramic view cameras, park assist, and 17-speaker audio.

Fuel Economy

Lexus’s fuel consumption estimates are 11.0/7.6 L/100 km (city/highway) for IS 300 RWD, 12.2/9.0 L/100 km in IS 300 and IS 350 AWD, and 14.1/9.3 L/100 km in IS 500 configuration.

Competition

With the IS, Lexus competes with the Audi A4, Genesis G70, Volvo S60, BMW 3 Series, Acura TLX, Infiniti Q50, Cadillac CT4, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.