The Brief: 2017 Lexus IS 200t

Posted by: Mathieu St-Pierre in Reviews March 14, 2017 0

Lexus has done the unforgiveable to their once brilliant IS sedan; they’ve diluted and killed the car’s mystique. It was an unexpected gift from the automotive geniuses at Toyota and gave hope to driving enthusiast (read: BMW, Audi, Mercedes owners looking for reliability) that an alternative existed. Then, they killed it, nay, crushed, maimed and obliterated a young living legend.

You might have guessed that I was a huge fan of the original IS. Then, I reviewed a 2006 IS 350 and a 2008 IS F and gave up. The fizz was gone; the greatness had been sucked out. And yes, even the 400+ horsepower F fell massively short of how good the 215 horsepower IS 300 was.

For 2014, things got better, kind of. Design wise, I can deal with it, both inside and out. But then, Lexus released a detuned 255 horsepower 3.5-litre V6 IS 300 and I wept. They brought back the name but they chocked the poor V6 and threw in AWD. A more disheartening experience could only have included a 3-speed automatic transmission instead of the 6-speed…

My hopes then lied solely in the IS 200t, with the promise that its 241 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder and lower curb weight could make it all great again. In short, it’s the best of the IS line-up due in large part to its 258 lbs. of torque available at 1,650 rpm, and 8-speed automatic tranny. The drive is decent with responsive steering and brakes. The cabin’s layout is original and I like it but sadly, the praise ends there.

Because you opted for a smarter 200t (over a 300 AWD), you do not get a heated steering wheel or navigation. Oh, and forget about AWD because you don’t deserve it at $40,150. If you cross over to the other side of the street, a BMW 320i xDrive retails for a grand more but on a 48-month leases, peanuts. Fine, you still don’t get a heated wheel or nav but, well, you understand.

Every time I get behind the wheel of a new IS, my expectations go through the same process as did the original IS 300. Lexus needs to sort out this car and give it a real personality. The Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Infiniti Q50 are far more interesting.