2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport Review
TA - 2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport - Lexus welled by the base rendition of its IS extravagance car for 2016, supplanting the past IS250's little dislodging V-6 with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-chamber cribbed from the NX200t hybrid. It was a successful transplant—one that conveyed the lesser IS nearer to equality with lower trims of the Audi A4, BMW 3-arrangement, Cadillac ATS, and Mercedes-Benz C-class—yet it just went in this way. While the IS lineup all in all is somewhat handsomer and more element loaded for 2017, the supported four-pot IS200t—now otherwise called the IS Turbo—is still outflanked by lighter, snappier contenders.
You’ll be forgiven for confusing our 2017 IS200t F Sport test car with the 2016 version we reviewed previously. The two even share the same 18-inch F Sport wheels and wear the same Redline Red paint ($595). But look closer and you can spot where the new car went under the knife, its black-mesh spindle grille slightly more agape and its revised LED headlights a bit squintier. Larger air intakes flank the grille and flare out more prominently, while new LED taillights and rectangular exhaust outlets nicely accent the rear.
2017 IS200t F Sport Test Car - Eyes Front2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport - Lexus now includes collision-mitigation and lane-departure-warning systems, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams as standard on all IS models (a bundle it refers to as its Lexus Safety System+). Besides that new gear, additional updates for 2017 are limited to the interior. There’s a new cupholder layout, and the designers have futzed with a few of the dash and steering-wheel buttons, the analog clock, and some trim around the instrument binnacle, but most people will strain to see much change. Opting for navigation in the infotainment system also includes a higher-resolution 10.3-inch screen in place of the standard 7.0-inch unit, both of which are still clumsily operated via a mouselike controller on the console (the Remote Touch Interface, or RTI).
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That last component is one of our greatest doubts about the IS—and numerous different Lexus vehicles—on the grounds that the RTI over and over again requires the driver to turn away from the street to find the cursor on the screen. Notwithstanding a few amendments to the auxiliary catches and light haptic input through the controller, the setup is diverting by and by, especially with the broadness of data present on the bigger show. Furthermore, that is sad; our test auto's lodge was generally very wonderful, but comfortable, with all around supported game seats, a satisfyingly thick directing wheel, and a cool, Lexus LFA–inspired computerized instrument group. Raise situate space is to some degree tight for this class, however, and it's anything but difficult to knock your head when attempting to utilize the little back entryways.
That last component is one of our greatest doubts about the IS—and numerous different Lexus vehicles—on the grounds that the RTI over and over again requires the driver to turn away from the street to find the cursor on the screen. Notwithstanding a few amendments to the auxiliary catches and light haptic input through the controller, the setup is diverting by and by, especially with the broadness of data present on the bigger show. Furthermore, that is sad; our test auto's lodge was generally very wonderful, but comfortable, with all around supported game seats, a satisfyingly thick directing wheel, and a cool, Lexus LFA–inspired computerized instrument group. Raise situate space is to some degree tight for this class, however, and it's anything but difficult to knock your head when attempting to utilize the little back entryways.
2017 IS200t F Sport Test Car - Sporty in Theory
The back drive-just IS200t's four-barrel still creates 241 pull and 258 lb-ft of torque—alongside an unremitting acceptance ramble that penetrates the lodge. We'd certainly welcome the more noteworthy motor control managed by a manual gearbox—a choice a few of the IS's rivals still offer—however Lexus proceeds with an eight-speed programmed as the sole transmission decision. While by and large smooth and subtle in typical driving, it upshifts early and bumbles for proportions when pushed hard. Utilizing the standard oar shifters permits the tach to swing up to the 6100-rpm redline, yet there's a baffling deferral in the transmission's reactions to oar charges.
The back drive-just IS200t's four-barrel still creates 241 pull and 258 lb-ft of torque—alongside an unremitting acceptance ramble that penetrates the lodge. We'd certainly welcome the more noteworthy motor control managed by a manual gearbox—a choice a few of the IS's rivals still offer—however Lexus proceeds with an eight-speed programmed as the sole transmission decision. While by and large smooth and subtle in typical driving, it upshifts early and bumbles for proportions when pushed hard. Utilizing the standard oar shifters permits the tach to swing up to the 6100-rpm redline, yet there's a baffling deferral in the transmission's reactions to oar charges.
2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport - Our 3798-pound test car improved upon the performance of the 2016 model, despite weighing an additional 81 pounds and being shod with the same Bridgestone Turanza summer tires (225/40R-18 in front, 255/35R-18 out back). Lateral grip around the skidpad increased a decent amount, from 0.85 g to 0.88, and both the zero-to-60-mph and quarter-mile times (6.5 and 15.0 seconds) were 0.3 second quicker than before, with a trap speed 3 mph faster at 94 mph. However, the IS200t remains relatively porky and slow—a 2017 BMW 330i automatic is 229 pounds lighter and more than a second quicker to 60 mph. This Lexus is also thirsty: Our test car’s average fuel economy could only match the EPA’s 22-mpg city estimate, and the 31 mpg it returned on our 200-mile, 75-mph highway loop was 2 mpg below the EPA highway rating.
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2017 IS200t F Sport Test Car - Money Matters
The $3545 F Sport package is largely cosmetic, bringing aggressive bodywork and wheels, the fancy gauge pod, heated and ventilated front sport seats, a black headliner, and more. However, it also adds a stiffer, sport-tuned suspension that is still compliant over cratered pavement. A stout chassis and crisp steering give the IS200t quick reflexes and balanced back-road composure, yet it’s simply let down by the four-banger and excessive flab. This is not the lighter, more powerful IS350 that prevailed in a comparison test against the six-cylinder 3-series and ATS in 2013.2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport - The 2017 IS200t is all around prepared at a base cost of $38,800—a minor $500 more than a year ago—and trips to $42,945 in F Sport trim, which additionally obliges purchasers to spec blind side checking and back cross-movement ready frameworks ($600). Alongside the bigger infotainment show and the premium paint, our test auto additionally attached on a blasting Mark Levinson premium sound framework with route ($2835), front and back sonar stop helps ($500), a power raise sunshade ($210), and a warmed controlling wheel ($150) for a robust aggregate of $47,235. In any case, given that Lexus' overhauls for 2017 do nothing to make the IS200t feel as sorted as its more vivacious kin, the auto's best choice remains the $3155 upcharge for the $46,100 IS350 F Sport's 304-hp V-6—simply experiment with the mouse interface before you purchase.
The $3545 F Sport package is largely cosmetic, bringing aggressive bodywork and wheels, the fancy gauge pod, heated and ventilated front sport seats, a black headliner, and more. However, it also adds a stiffer, sport-tuned suspension that is still compliant over cratered pavement. A stout chassis and crisp steering give the IS200t quick reflexes and balanced back-road composure, yet it’s simply let down by the four-banger and excessive flab. This is not the lighter, more powerful IS350 that prevailed in a comparison test against the six-cylinder 3-series and ATS in 2013.2017 Lexus IS200t F Sport - The 2017 IS200t is all around prepared at a base cost of $38,800—a minor $500 more than a year ago—and trips to $42,945 in F Sport trim, which additionally obliges purchasers to spec blind side checking and back cross-movement ready frameworks ($600). Alongside the bigger infotainment show and the premium paint, our test auto additionally attached on a blasting Mark Levinson premium sound framework with route ($2835), front and back sonar stop helps ($500), a power raise sunshade ($210), and a warmed controlling wheel ($150) for a robust aggregate of $47,235. In any case, given that Lexus' overhauls for 2017 do nothing to make the IS200t feel as sorted as its more vivacious kin, the auto's best choice remains the $3155 upcharge for the $46,100 IS350 F Sport's 304-hp V-6—simply experiment with the mouse interface before you purchase.
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