Should you buy a Lexus IS in 2022? Full Technicial Tour and Review

hello and welcome to the carcara channel in today's video we're going to take a look at the current generation lexus is or should i call it the handsome lexus is we're going to do a quick technical tour we're going to look at the interior the exterior we're going to do a full tour of the car to find out if this is a good car to buy or not we're also going to talk about some hidden features in the lexus is and more right after this let's start our technical review starting with the engine options there are three models in this generation currently on sale the is-300 the is-350 and the mighty is-500 so your is300 will have a 2-liter four-cylinder engine turbocharged the 8ar fts and then your is350 will have the 3.5 liter v6 the 2gr fks and then the mighty is500 will have the 5 liter v8 naturally aspirated 2ur gse now the is300 engine the 8ar fts is a regular four-cylinder there used to be a version of that engine very popular at some time now it's been replaced by the dynamic force engines that engine used to be the 2ar fe which was not turbo charged it was available many many models across the toyota and lexus lineup however it lives on in the lexus is 300 the 2gr fks which happens to be one of my favorite engines actually this engine in a slightly different configuration is found in cars like the toyota tacoma the toyota camry v6 the toyota avalon toyota highlander toyota sienna before they change to the hybrid this engine is very popular and it's a very good engine the 2ur gse and the g in the name of the engine stands for performance that is a very high performance engine makes a lot of power and it's naturally aspirated it is also a version of the it's just a smaller engine similar in terminals but it is geared toward performance that engine is a masterpiece and it's a big surprise to find it in a 2022 model now all these three engines they do have a few similarities they all have the d4s fuel injection system that system is great it uses direct and port injectors at the same time so you have the best of both worlds you'll use direct when needed port when needed and the major thing with this is you will not have carbon buildup because you have both systems not only direct injection only folks all these three powertrains are literally bulletproof the turbo engine being a question mark with reliability of the turbos however with good maintenance there hasn't really been issues reported this engine has been out for some time let's talk about the transmissions and the all-wheel drive system because they are kind of intertwined the transmission options there are three transmission options in this generation is depends whether you have rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive all the all-wheel drive models the is300 and the is-350 will have the tank transmission as i like to call it the a760h which is a different variant of this transmission of a transmission that is found in stuff like the sequoia the tundra the legendary lexus gx that's a truck transmission it's a very tough six-speed transmission super smooth this is the kind of transmission that makes you wonder why can other manufacturers make a transmission this good that is how good the six speed is possibly outdated but you know what it does the job well and you won't feel it shifting it's a very smooth shifting transmission on the rear wheel drive models on the is-300 and the is 350 you will have the 8-speed the aa81e basically a downgraded version of the b transmission in the is500 which is the aa80e it's a rear wheel drive transmission also very well constructed just has more gears shifts very fine it's a direct shift transmission just the is 500 has a slightly different transmission because there's a lot more power to handle and that transmission needed to be beefed up and that's really the only difference slightly different ratios and that's about it these transmissions are solid they don't really have many issues as long as the maintenance is kept which is every sixty thousand miles six years replace the fluid and you won't have any issues the all-wheel drive system is very similar on these on these cars between the is-300 and the is-350 they will both have the uf-1ae transfer case and there's something unique about this transfer case typically in sedans in most manufacturers they will have the prop shaft that goes to the front to drive the front to frontal to drive the front wheels on in the rear wheel drive configuration cars they will have it on the passenger side because the driver's side is very busy with the steering gear and all that stuff so i usually have it on the passenger side the is and equally the gs when it was still being made they were on the driver's side that's why we have the famous hump in the driver's foot well we'll talk about that in a little bit but it's a driver's side front prop shaft that goes to the front to a differential and there's a unique design of how the front differential is mounted unique to the is and the gs and i haven't really seen other manufacturers do it this way the drive shaft goes through the engine through the oil pan and out comes the drive shaft it's a very compact design it's actually a very smart design because the is not exactly a large car and to have all this stuff put in such a small package it's very smart and there is a center differential which uses a unique style limited slip differential it's a planetary type limited slip differential because this is a full-time all-wheel drive car and it will need some type of limited slip differential let's talk briefly about the suspension brakes and steering on the is things seem very complicated in these three systems but they're actually simple and they're very well made this is something that has been carried on throughout the life of the alexis is the front suspension is a double wishbone very familiar setup pretty much have been tweaked and changed slightly but it's a bulletproof design that really does not have that many weak points in the rear you have a multi multi-link setup similar to the newer tnga cars like front wheel drive tng cars is a similar setup because it's a very good setup actually and they started trickling it down to other models throughout the toyota and lexus lineup but it's a very solid design doesn't really have many issues the brakes are familiar vacuum style booster these and the engines with the direct injections they will have a vacuum pump because vacuum will drop and you need some supply to that the front brakes are four caliper pistons very simple and very rigid very lightweight calipers they're aluminum in the rear the brakes are simple you have a single piston caliper works very well there is no longer parking brake inside the rotor head it's integrated it's electronic parking brake it just has a motor on the caliper and life is great and optional for the lexus is adjustable front suspension avs very simple to distinguish if your car has it or not just open the hood look at the strut top you will see the actuator and this actuator works in a very clever way and this system has actually been used in a long time because it's so reliable and works so well there's no reason to change it and over complicate it it's basically a stepper motor has nine steps it changes a little rod moves a little rod at top of the shock and that changes the damping force let's take a look at the exterior of the lexus is and in all honesty ever since the is came out it's always been a good looking car but in this generation lexus really outdid themselves this design is now went from very good looking to flat handsome very high-end looking design they did it perfectly it just looks stunning is the word for it yeah maybe they didn't change the engine options maybe they didn't change the chassis completely but you know what this is a major change the previous if you would call a generation is looked very good but this is very handsome there are very few cars out there that looks good from every angle the lexus is in this generation is one of them i love the design even those that dislike the spindle grille the spindle grille fits perfectly in this front end everything looks really nice bravo lexus for this redesign because it looks fabulous looks handsome i really love this redesign and the best part is they went less not more they have smaller headlights they have smaller tail light goes to prove the point less is more when it comes to design and this executes it perfectly let's talk about the interior of the is where the handsomeness from the outside moves inside as well i've always liked the interiors of the is because it was always driver focused it was always simple but elegant and things cannot be more true of that statement than here in the interior of the is there is one thing that i love about this generation is most cars are moving to more angular design everything is straight and big and tall but i love this slant of the center stack it has a slant look reminds me of the older sports cars you don't really see designs like this anymore because everything is going into spaceship age this keeps things simple that needs to remain simple and advanced where they need to be advanced i love the old-school shifter many people dislike it and fault the is for that but you know what wait until your battery dies on one of these newer cars with the button shifter and now you have to go through all these hoops to just to get the car moving you know what that battery is something that does happen this is simple you just pop a button pull it out of out of park and life is good and plus let's not talk about bad times let's talk about good times just this feeling of shifting a shifter into drive and into manual and doing all that it just makes gives it a little bit of a mechanical feeling that's good for cars that are drivers cars not just push a button and the thing starts rolling the interior materials are very nice they have a mix of high-end feeling but more of toughness everything you touch feels solid feels very well put together all the gaps are perfect this is a hallmark of the japanese-made cars their attention to detail is very high in the little things maybe not the finest leather maybe not the most high-tech stuff but that little attention to detail and the gaps and the fit and finish of everything is really high in the lexus is always been because they care this is an interior that doesn't shout show off in your face but it does shout i will still be exactly the same at 300 000 miles and they really deliver it in this one and typically with the f sport variant of fluxes you got these tight hugging bucket seats that are typically uncomfortable but something of a surprise to me it is actually it's a bucket seat but it's actually comfortable i have all kinds of back problems and i did not find the seat very uncomfortable yes it's a little bit tighter than normal but it's not uncomfortable they're actually very nice seats the material of the seat is very nice leather very soft very well put together operates very well and i love the seats even in the f sport and this one the space in the back seat is not the biggest of course this is after all a small sports sedan it is okay if you're a shorter driver in the front that way you don't have to put the seat all the way back but if you're a taller individual you're going to push the seat all the way back and the rear leg room will suffer and we cannot talk about an f-sport variant of a lexus model without talking about the iconic gauge cluster one thing about this gauge cluster is that is the fruits of the lfa the lfa had that design and now it trickles down to many of the f-sport badged models the whole gauge actually moves physically a motor moves the center part to the side when you to access the side menu this is something super cool but always cool gimmicky things like that make people wonder how much is this going to cost when it breaks down because it people assume it will but you know what leave it to lexus to make things like that that typically will break not break because this thing is very reliable it works really well and this is where the japanese shine in things like this makes your mind wonder how do they make something so prone to breaking last this well and which makes this a really cool thing to see knowing it's not gonna break your bank one day and then we have one small elephant in the room when it comes to the interior of the lexus is or actually a few other lexus models as well they have sport badge the asc or active sound control basically a computer generated sound to make the driver feel like the engine is louder it has more tone and pumps a for lack of better a fake sound through the speaker to give you the impression that the car is louder now car guy purists will hate this because they feel like this is fake and the car is that's goes against everything they believe in but you know what i am a car guy purist i've driven this car for a week and i can see one benefit perhaps a different point of view as a car guy purist i have owned loud cars and you know that look on your neighbor's face at four o'clock in the morning when you start your car it is a horrible feeling and that one day where you have a massive migraine you're going home and this loud car is just humming in your ear it's very annoying but here you have a compromise you can have the sound when you are on a windy road bit of road and you're enjoying the drive but then when you really don't want it you just shut it off because it's actually the car is not loud outside it doesn't attract unwanted attention from the blues it gives you the impression that things are loud and it doesn't bother your neighbors at four o'clock in the morning when you start the car i can see it because it's actually doesn't feel like a fake sound it feels genuine and for those who are interested it doesn't actually use the existing speakers of the radio it uses one singular speaker and in the lexus is it's right here behind the dash underneath the ac vents in the center stack it's just one speaker uses the amplifier for the for the stereo system to amplify that sound and it goes by pedal input and vehicle speed very simple system works very well and you do have an adjustment on the side if you want to raise it lower it or completely shut it off let's talk about some hidden features with lexus is and they all have to do with holding a button down first one is the mode button on the steering wheel if you press and hold it it'll actually mute the radio it's not marked they used to be marked in the past but they're no longer marked if you press and hold it mutes the radio the other thing is the lane tracing assist if you press the button on the steering wheel again once or twice or you keep pressing it back and forth it's gonna change between warning and assist but it'll never shut off but if you press and hold it it'll actually shut off the system completely and one last one which i think is a big deal if you ever take this thing on the track and you press the traction control button it'll actually only switch between traction control off vsc on or both on but if you again press and hold it it'll disengage everything and now you are on your own be careful with that mode and try not to use it in slippery surfaces and be aware that all systems will be shut off including the vsc which is vehicle stability control let's talk about some things that i don't like about the lexus is no car is perfect of course the first thing is which is really annoying the turn signal stock in most cars you turn turn signal stock it physically goes down stays down until you turn the wheel and then mechanically it disengages not in the lexus is for some reason at some point this was a fashion to have the one click turn signal where you click it it turns on and stays on but the stock goes back to the middle super annoying and doesn't really work well and i wish lexus would have gotten rid of it and just put an es 350 stock in the is350 they didn't do that and we continue on with this updated model of the lexus is with the annoying turn signal and of course the wipers as well the wipers are less annoying but the turn signal super annoying the second thing that is actually kind of a design limitation to a point the hump of the all-wheel drive of the transfer case folks many wonder why does alexis is have that hump and after much thought this is the best that i can come up with it's not a confirmed thing this is just my opinion this drive train has like we talked about in the beginning of the video has a transfer case with the front prop shaft on the driver's side most cars of this segment of this small compact have it on the passenger side for a very specific reason so you would not have the hump on the driver's foot well so you would have it in the passenger foot well but this style of powertrain was designed for right hand drive in japan originally when it was designed and it just never changed and it remains the same and it became a problem for left-hand drive only because if you were sitting in the passenger side you wouldn't have the problem with the hump and if that was the driver's seat it wouldn't be an issue but for us in the left-handed world or the correct side it is a problem and it's very annoying so what is the final verdict on the lexus is folks in this segment you'll find many other models that are cutting edge more sporty they handle better and all this stuff but you will have a very hard time finding another car in the segment that is built like a tank folks the luxus is is built like a tank for lack of a better words the attention to detail and the build quality both inside outside drivetrain everything is short of a tank there is no other way to describe it this is a very well made car and it's very tough and owners that have kept these for a long time even the previous generations know that this is a very well made car and the lexus is typically in other reviews and the general public's eye is faulted for being outdated and old and on the verge of going out but actually being outdated a little bit is the best part because the lexus is does not do one thing very very well and flops the rest it does so many things good not the best but very good that it makes it a great package overall for as a car it handles well and now it looks really really good has good technology but also has that hint of old school things that are solid the way the doors open the way the interior feels the way the shifter is mechanical the way it drives in the way that you know when you take this to a track and you really push it to the limit it's not going to just blow up two days out of warranty because this is a very tried and true chassis and platform this is a fun car to drive is it the most fun in this segment it is not but is it gonna be there putting smiles on your face a 200 000 mile plus it is gonna be because it is built like a tank this platform on which this lexus is built on is actually have been really fine engineered and perfected to a point where they have very little common problems maintenance also is nothing compared to other cars in this segment with their very finicky electronics and almost they feel like fragile and these very tiny little things that you have to treat with love otherwise they will throw you out and bankrupt you but this is a tank you can mistreat it and it'll still be okay one thing i will say about the maintenance of the is generally is a lot less than cars in its segment but compared to other lexus models like the es350 for example rx 350 this is going to be a little bit more but nothing that will bankrupt you you just gotta keep the maintenance take care of this car and you really have this car for a very long time and that high price you paid will start to make sense when you hear all your friends with their fancy bmws and mercedes constantly in the shop draining their banks one bill at a time the way i see it is this and this is my final recommendation if you're the kind of person that wants a very nice sports sedan not really too much into the performance you prefer gas mileage over performance simplicity over performance get the is-300 you're going to be very happy with it if you want the most performance and the ver possibly the very last true muscle car with a giant v8 that takes no compromise from a little turbo supercharger nothing just a true v8 in 2022 then the is-500 is for you but if you want a middle ground where you still have decent gas mileage but you have good performance not the best performance not the best gas mileage the is 350 is for you in my opinion i really like the is350 like the one behind me it has its flaws it could be outdated but overall it's a great car and the best advice i can give you is if you buy one of these buy it and keep it for a long time because that high price initially when you buy it new will make sense 10 years down the road because this is the kind of car that will not bankrupt you and 10 years down the road it'll still feel drive and operate exactly the same way as when it was new because they are really built like a tag and lexus did a fine job updating the exterior to keeping it exciting good looking and flat handsome in my opinion folks i hope this video was helpful informative i hope you learned something new if you like it consider giving it a thumbs up if you're not a subscriber consider subscribing to the channel check out some of my other videos and until the next video folks may the lord bless you and keep you and you have yourself a wonderful day

Channel: The Car Care Nut

Views: 185,128

Keywords: Lexus IS, lexus is500, lexus is300, lexus is250, lexus is350 f sport, lexus is350, lexus isf, lexus is500 f sport, lexus is 350 f sport 2021, lexus is 500 f sport 2022, doug demuro, scotty kilmer, lexus review, lexus is review, car review, lexus is technical review, technical review, car technical review, car mechanic review, the car care nut, lexus is 350 f sport 2022

Id: XwlDPNDn9dY

Length: 23min 50sec (1430 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 26 2022