07:19AM - 04.02.'14
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News Source: autoblog.com
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Long regarded as one of the best driver's cars of all time, the BMW 3 Series has always been targeted by luxury automakers trying to create their own exciting, bang-for-the-buck sport sedan. For years, BMW has managed to ward off would-be rivals to its iconic 3 Series, but the combination of a softened F30 and solid, hard-hitting competitors could soon relieve the car of its crown. While the all-new Cadillac ATS has received the most publicity in this segment since its introduction, the 2014 Lexus IS has come on strong in its third generation to put plenty of heat on the 3 Series as the current-best luxury sport sedan. The IS might be Lexus' most important launch in some time, as a new, strong attempt to draw younger buyers into showrooms. Rather than taking the same conservative path as the preceding IS, Lexus attacked the new car's design with enthusiasm. Exaggerated exterior styling, while certainly polarizing, definitely gets this car noticed. We've certainly noticed the 2014 IS, with a couple of first drives (for the IS 250 prototype and the IS 350 F Sport) and a Quick Spin so far. This time around we had a chance to get a little more intimate with a staple of the new IS lineup: the non-F Sport, rear-wheel-drive IS 350. In a segment that seems to get more crowded by the year, the 2014 Lexus IS makes a strong first impression with styling that could have been off-day work of surrealist painter, Salvador Dali. Both front and rear, the lines of the 2014 IS look to have been carried over from a clay model that sat out in the sun too long. While contemporaries like the Cadillac ATS and BMW 3 Series have an understated elegance, this entry-level Lexus offers in-your-face aggression that is impossible to ignore. Starting with Lexus' new signature spindle grille up front, the most distinctive elements of this car's styling are the two-piece headlights. Instead of combining two elements, Lexus separated headlights and daytime running lights into distinct parts, leaving the IS with small scalloped lenses above and Nike-swoosh-shaped LED running lights below. At the rear, the long, frowning taillights take some getting used to, but the LED elements give it a distinct appearance when lit. One of the most impressive views of the 2014 IS is its profile, which reveals a neat visual flow toward the rear of the car with the rocker panels angling up and forming the leading edge of the taillights. Even with that neat detailing, we thought our tester's 17-inch wheels looked a size or two small in their wells. Lexus also focused its styling attention inward, giving the IS an interior layout that is more attractive than the outgoing car. Interior design direction from new family members ES and GS is in evidence here. The main display screen is now positioned higher up on the dash, making it easier to see while driving, and also adding dynamism to the two-tiered instrument panel. As an added bonus, the new IS also has a much cleaner center stack. The new console features just a handful of buttons and an analog clock, while the prior unit had a front-and-center touchscreen with almost double the number of buttons. The refreshingly simple stack has easy-to-use capacitive touch sliders for the dual-zone climate control and actual buttons for all other HVAC and audio controls. Not equipped with the mouse-like Remote Touch Interface controller, the audio screen menu is controlled using a rotary dial. Even the base IS gets a new LCD screen in the gauge cluster, as well. In terms of comfort, the 2014 IS is unabashedly a driver-centric car. It may be larger than the outgoing model in almost every dimension, but it is still surprisingly small inside. Drivers are afforded plenty of space, but we would be hard-pressed to find a more cramped rear seat in the segment. The IS' sport-bucket-like rear seats provide five inches less legroom than the 3 Series (or nine inches less than the new Toyota Corolla, to offer more perspective). |
