The 2014 Lexus IS: What the critics say
How did the 2014 Lexus IS fare with the critics? The price starts at $45,000.
Motor Trend
It’s “mission accomplished” for the Lexus engineers who were charged with making the brand’s smallest four-door more fun to drive. The first fully reworked IS in eight years has a bolder look, a stiffer chassis, a better steering system, and “enough grip, grunt, and gravitas” to “quite possibly outshine its German adversaries.” Step into the “beautiful environment” of the new interior and “you feel as if you’ve donned a slim-fit suit”—and perhaps won’t care that you can no longer get an IS with a stick shift.
Autoblog.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The most polarizing aspect of the 2014 will be the new exterior. If you’ve seen photos of the “slashed body-side” enlarged grille, you’ve “probably come down firmly” in either the Love It or Hate It camp. But in person, the change is less shocking—important for a car whose fun-to-drive score will matter less than “looks, comfort, content, price, and perceived prestige.” In those categories, the reliable IS will continue to rate high.
Autoweek
The base-model IS 250 “isn’t exactly a screamer,” but its tweaked V-6 remains “easily the smoothest base engine” among luxury compacts. Driving enthusiasts will opt instead for the IS 350, whose 3.5-liter V-6 can be paired to a “nicely tuned” new eight-speed transmission. Add the F Sport performance package and you really have something—perhaps “the most overtly sporting car” in its class.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The worst baseball franchises of the Wild Card era
The Explainer These teams have consistently failed to find a winning formula
By David Faris Published
-
Canadian takeover bid for Japan's 7-Eleven could change how the Asian country does business
In the Spotlight Would a foreign company upend konbini culture?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why are older workers staying on the job?
Today's Big Question And what does it mean for younger workers?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published