# 2006 Lexus IS250/350



## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Insider "official" news is that the 2006 IS will have a 265 hp 2.5L V6 and a 300 hp 3.5L V6 option. The 2.5L will start at $30k, fairly well loaded. 2.5L has an AWD option.

It's not clear if the 265 hp figure comes from a hybrid drivetrain, or is just a mistake - it's not likely from a 2.5L V6. 

I must say, if a 2006 325i costs me $40k, I'll take the Lexus and pocket the $8k or whatever. BMW better not get too greedy.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

they were considering a hybrid w/ rear ICE drive and front electric drive.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

HW said:


> they were considering a hybrid w/ rear ICE drive and front electric drive.


It's the only thing that could explain 265 hp out of a 2.5L V6. I'd expect more like 205 hp.

I would never buy a hybrid sports sedan - all that extra weight, what's the point?


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> It's the only thing that could explain 265 hp out of a 2.5L V6. I'd expect more like 205 hp.
> 
> I would never buy a hybrid sports sedan - all that extra weight, what's the point?


the extra weight may be only in the battery. would be really good if the designer would combine the function armature of the electric motor w/ the brake rotors. the motor stators/coils would be the extra unsprung weight on the suspension. so... it would be one integrated electric motor per wheel and makes for some really exotic traction control.


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

Did they say when it's being released like maybe a possible early release ... also any pics of it ?


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

HW said:


> the extra weight may be only in the battery. would be really good if the designer would combine the function armature of the electric motor w/ the brake rotors. the motor stators/coils would be the extra unsprung weight on the suspension. so... it would be one integrated electric motor per wheel and makes for some really exotic traction control.


15 years ago, A friend of mine in high school 'designed' a car that did exactly that. 4 motors, each acting as propulsion AND braking. I have a few of his sketches somewhere. A few of em pretty closely predicted some features and designs in cars that showed up in the last 6-7 years.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

AF-RX8 said:


> Did they say when it's being released like maybe a possible early release ... also any pics of it ?


They said fall 2005, one year away. No pics yet. 

Doesn't a hybrid need a generator too, off the driveshaft?


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## LeucX3 (Dec 26, 2001)

I hope the interior looks a little more upscale than the current one.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Well, there's this drawing of the IS, but i wouldn't put too much faith in it.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

Interesting. My crude translation nets the following:

The engines will be a base 2.5l and a 'sport' 3.5l, with the latter tuned by Yamaha, and will likely also see duty in the next GS/Aristo. It's being said that the 3.5l version is being designed to go up against ///M cars (um, too late; M3 is going V8). They are apparently using Crowns (the Japanese equivalent to a Crown Vic) as platform test mules, though the new car itself won't be much bigger than the current model.
----

If Yamaha does the kind of work they've done in the past, and if the 3.5l has Toyota "G" heads and the full blown VVTL-i treatment, I think we can see close to 100bhp/l out of that sucker with no forced induction.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

Kaz said:


> If Yamaha does the kind of work they've done in the past, and if the 3.5l has Toyota "G" heads and the full blown VVTL-i treatment, I think we can see close to 100bhp/l out of that sucker with no forced induction.


yep, yamaha did the ford sho engine and the current celica engine.


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> They said fall 2005, one year away. No pics yet.


Too bad it's so far away ... I also concur with Leuc and hope they update that interior, that was the major thing that always kept me from buying that car plus the backseat was too small ...


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

Kaz said:


> 15 years ago, A friend of mine in high school 'designed' a car that did exactly that. 4 motors, each acting as propulsion AND braking. I have a few of his sketches somewhere. A few of em pretty closely predicted some features and designs in cars that showed up in the last 6-7 years.


the motors can't do all the braking though right? they could maybe do their limit in braking depending on how much current the inverter hardware can take but they'll still need conventional braking.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

HW said:


> the motors can't do all the braking though right? they could maybe do their limit in braking depending on how much current the inverter hardware can take but they'll still need conventional braking.


Yeah, you would probably have to have some sort of mechanical brakes. What about making part of the motor case act as a rotor/drum? And if solenoids can be made strong enough, you wouldn't even need hydraulics by having electrically actuated calipers/shoes (though how you'd handle fail-safe is another story I guess)... :dunno:


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

AF-RX8 said:


> Too bad it's so far away ... I also concur with Leuc and hope they update that interior, that was the major thing that always kept me from buying that car plus the backseat was too small ...


:stupid:


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## AK (Jan 19, 2002)

I looked at buying an IS300 a few months ago. There were two big negatives about the car that turned me off:

1) It did not have folding rear seats, and the roof rack options were not as good as those on BMWs. I did not want to have limited cargo carrying for my "versatile" car.

2) It gets very poor fuel economy given the size, weight, and performance of the car. 18/24mpg is unacceptable. The 330i is much more powerful and gets 21/30mpg by comparison.

Other than those two items I like it.

I will say that 265hp seems very high for only 2.5L. Unless it's turbocharged, it would have to rev very high to get those numbers (think along the lines of an E46 M3, ie, 8000 rpm redline). That seems out of character for a Lexus, especially for the "base" engine. But who knows...


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

AF-RX8 said:


> Too bad it's so far away ... I also concur with Leuc and hope they update that interior, that was the major thing that always kept me from buying that car plus the backseat was too small ...


It's the crappy gas mileage that scares me off the current model - plus if I had the budget right now I'd buy an E46.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

AK said:


> 2) It gets very poor fuel economy given the size, weight, and performance of the car. 18/24mpg is unacceptable. The 330i is much more powerful and gets 21/30mpg by comparison.
> 
> Other than those two items I like it.
> 
> I will say that 265hp seems very high for only 2.5L. Unless it's turbocharged, it would have to rev very high to get those numbers (think along the lines of an E46 M3, ie, 8000 rpm redline). That seems out of character for a Lexus, especially for the "base" engine. But who knows...


is it because the engine is the same as the engine from the non-TT supra. :dunno: it's an older engine than the m54 and m52tu for that matter.

265 is possible ... if you're honda!


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

Kaz said:


> Yeah, you would probably have to have some sort of mechanical brakes. What about making part of the motor case act as a rotor/drum? And if solenoids can be made strong enough, you wouldn't even need hydraulics by having electrically actuated calipers/shoes (though how you'd handle fail-safe is another story I guess)... :dunno:


yep, that would be the best in weight savings. making the brake rotors act as part of the motor. not sure how it would do with all the heat generated from mechanical braking though.


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

At the NY Int'l Auto Show Lexus showed off a wicked convertible hardtop 4 seater that some claim is the basis for the new IS...


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## Matthew330Ci (Sep 9, 2002)

the older honda s2000's put out 120 hp/liter.

the honda b16 from the late 80's put out 100 hp/liter.

i think it's a little pathetic that toyota needs someone else to design their high revving high-output NA engines.

honda > toyota.


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## Hercules (Jul 15, 2002)

Matthew330Ci said:


> the older honda s2000's put out 120 hp/liter.
> 
> the honda b16 from the late 80's put out 100 hp/liter.
> 
> ...


 RX-8 engine ... 1.3L -> 238hp


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Hercules said:


> RX-8 engine ... 1.3L -> 238hp


1.3L - what is that, the amount of oil you have to add every week? :thumbup:


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Latest pics of the new IS.


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## xspeedy (Apr 10, 2003)

Looks a bit like the Pontiac G6. The jelly bean is back in style. Maybe Ford will bring back the old Taurus from 1986.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

er... I dunno...


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

xspeedy said:


> Looks a bit like the Pontiac G6.


No, that prize goes to BMW.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

xspeedy said:


> Looks a bit like the Pontiac G6. The jelly bean is back in style. Maybe Ford will bring back the old Taurus from 1986.


  I have a G6 ad in front of me and this looks about as much as a G6 as Pam Anderson looks like Dr. Phil.


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## xspeedy (Apr 10, 2003)

Kaz said:


> I have a G6 ad in front of me and this looks about as much as a G6 as Pam Anderson looks like Dr. Phil.


Not in the face or butt in particular, but the overall shape of the car. A stretched jelly bean with the wheels way out at the corners. Everything is just rounded over. No angles anywhere to be seen.


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

xspeedy said:


> Not in the face or butt in particular, but the overall shape of the car. A stretched jelly bean with the wheels way out at the corners. Everything is just rounded over. No angles anywhere to be seen.


We must be looking at completely different pics, since I see straight lines and creases aplenty.

Straight cutlines, straight driprails all the way into the trunklid, creases in the top and bottom of the bumpers, wedgy head and taillights, etc.

And the G6 isn't exactly a 96 Taurus, either.


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## Matthew330Ci (Sep 9, 2002)

meh... not bad.

the rear 3/4 angle looks sort of like the new mazda 3 sedan...


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## Jspeed (Dec 23, 2001)

Hercules said:


> RX-8 engine ... 1.3L -> 238hp


Rotary engines are like 2-stroke engines. For each revolution the whole 1.3L displacement goes through combustion. 1.3L rotary -> 2.6L 4-stroke.


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## Jspeed (Dec 23, 2001)

Dawg90 said:


> Latest pics of the new IS.


That's not bad at all, except that I don't like the headlights being so slanted.


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

xspeedy said:


> Looks a bit like the Pontiac G6. The jelly bean is back in style. Maybe Ford will bring back the old Taurus from 1986.


That group of pics reminds me of the mazda 3/6 family.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

blueguydotcom said:


> That group of pics reminds me of the mazda 3/6 family.


3 sedan yes. Which is a very nice looking car, it just has that cheap look you find on $14k cars - the cheap paint, etc. You won't have that on the Lexus.


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## LeucX3 (Dec 26, 2001)

I think it looks like the Mazda 6, not the 3.


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## BlackChrome (Nov 16, 2003)

Finally! No more 'Altezza' taillights!  


Dawg90 said:


> Latest pics of the new IS.


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## sunilsf (Sep 22, 2003)

Looks like a G35Coupe rear-ended a Mazda6.... not bad at all! Looks a bit long, though.
Hopefully, they fixed the quality of the interior.


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## AF (Dec 21, 2001)

Sweet !!! I am loving that design ...almost Coupe-like from the rear !!!


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

Hercules said:


> RX-8 engine ... 1.3L -> 238hp


rotary engines are essentially 2 stroke motors, so the equivalent displacement relative to a 4 stroke is 2x displacement; 2.6L

which doesn't explain why it get's 6.0L gas mileage  

supposedly Lexus was going to make an IS430 :yikes:


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## Weaselboy (Jul 7, 2002)

Nice looking car! Hopefully this will be good competition for the new E90 and apply some price pressure.


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## swchang (Oct 5, 2003)

Dawg90 said:


> Latest pics of the new IS.


Wow, that's beautiful. If it handles well, it'll be my next sedan.


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## Fzara2000 (Jan 22, 2004)

Something about the front screams out "'01 Toyota Camry!"

The back as some mentioned, looks like the Mazda 3-sedan. I don't know. We'll have to see the engine, the road feel, the engine noise, price points, and how well they care about this car to actually market it rather than marketing the RX-330 constantly.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Fzara2000 said:


> Something about the front screams out "'01 Toyota Camry!"


I think you're thinking of the previous gen Lexus ES300, the front looks just like it. Looks great from the rear though - something no recent BMW can claim.


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

Definitely looks to me like a Mazda6 or 3 from the front--not a bad thing, as I think Mazda's done a great job turning their car designs around. The rear 3/4 shot looks best to me.


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