Lexus IS
Lexus IS Lexus IS
INTELLIGENCE LEVEL
Intellectual sport (intelligent sport) - so stands for the abbreviation IS. The mind of the 2013 model car definitely increased, if only because one of the two power plants is now hybrid. The times when hybrids were considered (and not without reason) flawed in the past. In statics, the IS 300h is inferior to the purely gasoline counterpart only 30 liters of boot space (IS is the first Lexus full hybrid hybrid, in which the battery hidden under the boot floor barely affected its capacity).
According to the company tradition, the hybrid in motion informs the driver about the distribution of energy flows. I press the Power button - the Lexus Hybrid Drive installation silently comes on alert: a gasoline 2.5-liter engine rated at Atkinson's 133 kW / 181 hp and a compact electric motor with 105 kW / 143 hp. Torque is transmitted to the rear wheels via a continuously variable electronically controlled transmission (E-CVT). The total power of the Lexus Hybrid Drive reaches 164 kW / 223 hp.
Version 300h is a full hybrid capable of operating in gasoline, electric and combined modes.
He is the automotive industry today, a ball in which chips and microcircuits rule, and not levers and traction.
I roll out from the parking lot to the barely audible accompaniment of an electric motor. In urban mode, with speeds of up to 50 km / h and traffic lights, the Lexus often manages with an electric motor, drawing the average consumption even lower than declared - only 4.0 liters of gasoline. I'll try it faster. Pressing the gas floor pedal awakens the internal combustion engine, and the hybrid reaches 100 km / h in 8.4 s. Acceleration is moderately assertive, but confidence does not disappear at speeds beyond 130 km / h.
Like the older brothers GS and LS, there is the opportunity to play with the settings of the power plant, choosing the Drive Mode Select mode from several possible ones.
In EV we already drove only electric. Eco boosts hybrid performance by rebuilding throttle, transmission and climate control calibrations. Snow adjusts the response to the gas pedal to help avoid slippage on slippery surfaces. Finally, in Sport, the car ceases to desperately save and becomes livelier under a full throttle, allowing the tachometer needle to drift to the red zone. Well, for everyday driving - a neutral version of the Normal settings.
It was amazing to learn about the active sound control function ASC. To enhance the driving experience (in all modes except Eco and EV), the electronics, even when the gas engine is off, broadcasts an imitation of its sound through a special speaker!
I wonder how the gasoline version will respond? The voice of six cylinders will not be boring for sure, especially in the IS 250 F-Sport version. Here, they also conjured the issue, adding a sound generator to it. It picks up vibrations and vibrations of the intake system, converts them and transmits them to the interior, giving the timbre a sporty sound. Give me the music!
SOFTWARE
In my car, “Mark Levinson” with 12 channels with an output power of 835 watts, with 15 high-performance speakers. But even in the sound there is an economical note: GreenEdge technology allows you to double the volume with the same energy consumption.
Know-how: for the first time on Lexus, touch switches are used to adjust the temperature
Know-how: for the first time on Lexus, touch switches are used to adjust the temperature. Know-how: for the first time on Lexus, touch switches are used to adjust the temperature.
Few competitors with IS in multimedia talent. Judge for yourself: the new generation of Lexus Premium Navigation navigation system supports USB, AUX, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For the first time, multimedia can be controlled both through a 4.2-inch display on the dashboard, and using the 7-inch screen on the center console. It is possible to connect a smartphone with Internet access to the machine, and the system will display the navigation interface on the monitor. Navigation works with Google Local search databases, uploads Google Street View and Panoramio photos. But it’s more important for you and me that Lexus has agreed to cooperate with one of the Russian cork services, so that information about congestion will finally be available on the machine’s screen.
The freezing rain forced to raise the temperature in the cabin: I touch the touch arrows on the climate control unit - each press adds half a degree. I change the route parameters with my hand on the joystick controller a la computer mouse. Interesting? Yes. Conveniently? I admit, I have never learned how to accurately operate on-the-go tactile regulators without errors.
Iron was almost lost behind all this software … IS not only looks completely different, more decisive - it is 80 mm longer and 10 mm wider than its predecessor, the wheelbase has grown by 70 mm. The outgoing sedan did not shine for rear passengers, in the current version an additional 85 mm is promised for the legs, as well as 20 mm between the central pillar and the front corner of the seat for a more comfortable fit. I try. Alas, although there is more space, the feet still do not climb under the front seat, and I retract my head into the shoulders to avoid contact with the rear pillar.
You can immediately distinguish a gasoline version from a hybrid only by the inscription Start Stop Engine on the engine start button instead of Power
You can immediately distinguish a gasoline version from a hybrid only by the inscription Start Stop Engine on the engine start button instead of Power. You can immediately distinguish a gasoline version from a hybrid only by the inscription Start Stop Engine on the engine start button instead of Power.
From the driver's seat, the increase in size is not felt: I perfectly get comfortable with a grasping steering wheel with transmission control petals - in a moderately soft embrace of very nice memory seats. But all the emotions are immediately pulled away by the front panel, at least unusual: look at the two-story structure with the display shifted to the windshield - you will not see such expression in your competitors.
The deserted track slowly takes the IS 250 to the mountains, but the crew is absolutely calm. The machine will monitor tire pressure (AL-TPWS), warn you out of the row (LDA), its adaptive cruise control, which is part of the Pre-Crash Safety collision avoidance system, will insure against dangerous proximity.
The three-spoke steering wheel in the spirit of the LF-A supercar is supplemented by shift paddles for transmission control
The three-spoke steering wheel in the spirit of the LF-A supercar is supplemented by shift paddles for transmission control. The three-spoke steering wheel in the spirit of the LF-A supercar is supplemented by shift paddles for transmission control.
The gasoline version is softer and quieter than the hybrid, more power with less weight does the trick - the air sedan registers turns. Although the understatement in his manners is still felt: you have to screw in the IS turn, breaking the understeer. Moreover, for the F-Sport version with the active AVS suspension (we will not see it in Russia), the picture does not change radically. Even in Sport S + mode, which increases the force on the steering wheel and the stiffness of the shock absorbers, IS writes an arc with slack, at a critical moment yanking me by the stabilization system. Or is it necessary? So the integrated dynamics control system VDIM decided, combining the system of directional stability, stabilization, brake force distribution, steering? But there are competitors in the face of the BMW 3 Series - he is fervent and more accurate in the limit. There is a Mercedes “C-Class” with its recognized ride. So who are you, Lexus-IS?
The washer and the Drive Mode Select buttons allow you to select one of the driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Sport + (F-Sport version), EV (hybrid)
The washer and the Drive Mode Select buttons allow you to select one of the driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Sport + (F-Sport version), EV (hybrid). The washer and the Drive Mode Select buttons allow you to select one of the driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Sport + (F-Sport version), EV (hybrid).
His name is not only an abbreviation. In English, is is the present form of the fundamental verb to be. And this is exactly what characterizes the car: Lexus is, or, in Russian, “Lexus-IS”, is today the Japanese automotive industry, a ball in which chips and microcircuits rule, not levers and traction. Get used to it!
ALL FOR SPORT
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The F-Sport package, in addition to the design elements of the body and wheels, the sound generator, the active suspension and the burgundy trim, is distinguished by a combination of instruments with a dominant tachometer and digital speedometer.
ALTERNATIVE OPTION
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In the segment of premium family models, the Germans are traditionally strong. The share of Mercedes-Benz C-Class reaches 35%, and BMW 3 Series - 27%. The previous generation IS occupied only 0.2%, but the company hopes to rectify the situation with the advent of the third generation, increasing sales in Russia to 800 units annually. Whether the plan is realistic, we will find out closer to the fall, when prices will be announced and orders will be accepted.
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MOVED
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For the first time at Lexus, a slightly open hood (PUH) in combination with a lowered nose is designed to minimize the likelihood of serious injuries for pedestrians in the event of a collision. PUH uses sensors in the front bumper and determines the moment when a person gets under the car. Drives immediately raise the hood by about 70 mm, increasing the distance between it and the engine and allowing the hood to deform to mitigate the impact.
