ON FRONT PAG E N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A , A L P S A N D H I G H CO U N T RY
OCTOBER 9 - 15 | 2015
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Lexus hunting for new level of luxury
LEXUS, not usually seen as a predator, is on the prowl. The hunting grounds are the upper reaches of the medium passenger sedan sales segment and the lower branches of the premium car market tree. A major player in the luxury car market in Australia since the early 1990s, the Japanese marque is looking to broaden its appeal and has chosen a sports sedan, the IS 200t, with a blend of performance and economy to do this. A replacement for the IS 250, sharp prices characterise the range which consists of three variants; Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury, coming to the market at $57,500, $65,500 and
THE ALL NEW
By DEREK OGDEN $76,500, respectively, plus on road costs. Lexus throws down the gauntlet to rivals with the IS 200t bringing a stack of standard luxury features including pre-collision safety, active cruise control, reversing alarm, rain-sensing wipers and power adjustable steering column. The Luxury grade is on offer with an enhancement pack that includes a moonroof, adding $2500 to the price. The F Sport, adds styling and performance upgrades, including adaptive suspension, sporty pedals,
high friction front brake pads, 18-inch F Sport alloy wheels, sports front seats and different instrumentation. There are two other enhancement packs, one adding the premium Mark Levinson audio system and moonroof for $4000, while the second, at $6000, has automatic high beam and lane departure warning. The range-topping Sports Luxury model has standard moonroof, woodgrain trim, Levinson 15-speaker audio and electric rear sunshade. The engine is taken from the NX 200t compact SUV, switched the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged unit through 90 degrees to face north/south, and
hooked it up to the rear wheels via an eight-speed Sports Direct Shift automatic transmission. With help from a revised exhaust system layout, it comes up with 180 kW, 27 kW more than the IS 250 V6 it replaces, that’s more power than the Mercedes-Benz C250 and Audi A4 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines, while stop/start engine technology helps with fuel savings, particularly in congested WUDI² F Further savings can be made by locking in the transmission’s Lexus Drive Mode Select function to Eco as opposed to Normal.
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Now available for a test drive
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LEXUS LUXURY: The IS 200t turbo is the new face of this proven performer.
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