For 2006, Lexus split the IS into two cars: the 250 and 350, both rear-wheel-drivers with V6 engines. The 250 will also have an all-wheel-drive option. We figured the 250, with a 204-hp V6 and six-speed manual gearbox, would be the hot setup. And the IS 250 feels great to drive; the action of the clutch is smooth and progressive, and the gearbox is positive-even if the 1-3-6 gates are a bit close together. And the brakes: The brakes are better than we will ever know, because we never had the nerve to use all of what was there.
Driving out to the track, we felt no big difference between the two. But as we drove the six-speed 250 flat-out at Willow Springs-just as fast as we could-every time we checked the mirror, there was a guy in an IS 350 right on our tail.
Both cars have dual VVT-i, and both cars have sophisticated direct-injection engines. But the 350 has the 2GR-FSE 3.5-liter V6, rated at 306 hp at 6400 rpm. There is 30 percent more power; it comes on earlier, and the top end rips.
We prefer the six-speed manual, and you can't get one on the IS 350. But it turns out the A760E automatic transmission-also a six speed-is sweet. It has paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, so you can blip up and down like snapping your fingers. It's also smart: If you have the throttle pegged at 5000 rpm, and you shift into sixth, it will wait to upshift until the fastest shift point arrives, around the 6000-rpm red line. So if you're driving in a straight line, stoplight to stoplight, you never bog the engine. Which means, unless every shift is perfect, the automatic is always going to be faster than the manual. Lexus states zero-to-60 mph for the IS 350 should time out in 5.6 seconds and a quarter mile in 14.2. Top speed is 142 mph for both cars, but 130 mph for the all-wheel-drive 250.
On a road course, the IS 350's secret weapon is Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM), an electronic system based on the 350's bigger, four-piston disc brakes. VDIM ties in the ABS and other specialized brake functions with the stability control, traction control, power steering and throttle input. If you are about to run off the road, it organizes an instant fix, beeps once or twice, and that's it. You wouldn't even know what happened. So out at the track, you drive fast and exceptionally smoothly, and the next thing you know, the guy in the IS 250 is in your way.
Compared to the current IS 300/Altezza, this new IS is bigger, faster and way, way smarter-and better-looking by far. It makes the Altezza look like last year's cell phone. It's also quieter, smoother, more comfortable, more fuel efficient and more aerodynamic. The interior layout is sophisticated. The gauges, the shifters, the controls-everything-is driver-focused, like a performance car. Seductive interior mood lighting is orchestrated using an array of hidden LEDs and incandescent lights. There is luxury built into this performance car, so when you're not at the track, you can appreciate the ride.
The electronics and mechanics are well integrated. For example: The tire pressure monitor has a multimode switch that allows drivers to reset the pressure limits. It becomes possible to tune the tires for different uses-cruising, mileage, autocross-and the instruments will understand what you are doing. It will also accommodate an alternate wheel and tire set, in case you have something different in mind, without compromising the instrumentation.
Lexus is still coy about pricing. We guess the IS 250 will start under $30,000-figure $29,999-and the 350 will be more like $35,000 out the door.