http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/lexus-is-coupe-close-to-confirmed-maybe-debuting-in-tokyo/ Autoblog Comments for Lexus IS Coupe close to confirmed, maybe debuting in Tokyo? http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/lexus-is-coupe-close-to-confirmed-maybe-debuting-in-tokyo/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/27/lexus-is-coupe-close-to-confirmed-maybe-debuting-in-tokyo/
I would have taken the original IS300 over the original G35 in a heartbeat. This generation's difference is a little smaller, but I still like the IS over the G. Maybe it's a personal thing.

I do wish Lexus had seen fit to infuse the IS with a little more "bad boy" than they did. The original IS was great that way--it was more raw than the 3-Series, and at the same time more trustworthy (in the the "it wont leave you with a $4000 repair bill" sense of the word), but it wasn't as muscle-car-crude as the G was. But the auto scribes complained about the lack of refinement and, as such, we have the current IS, which is nice for sure, but not the black sheep it was.

I think Lexus (and Acura, back in the Integra Type-R days) had a real chance at wounding BMW's dominance. The 3-Series was definitely going softer: both the IS and ITR could have tried a further-to-left-field strategy and out-sported BMW, but for some reason they went the other way. It's a real puzzler in Lexus' case as they already have the ES for people who want a cruiser--they could easily have made the IS sportier without losing buyers who probably would have opted for the ES anyway.]]>Jul 27th 2007 2:29PM