Lexus IS F Sport Blackline Edition embraces the darkness

Darkness continues to descend on all corners of the automobile market, and that includes Lexus, where the 2020 IS F Sport goes dark with the Blackline Edition.

In contrast to last year's IS 300 F Sport Black Line Edition, the 2020 Blackline Edition (now one word) can be had as either an IS 300 or an IS 350. Once again, the package contains dark-finish split-spoke 18-inch wheels, a similar dark-chrome grille surround, and black mirror caps. This year's color choices are Obsidian (black), Ultra White, or Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 — the latter replacing last year's silver.

The interior features black and gray Nuluxe (synthetic leather), this time with Indigo Blue accents rather than red. Lexus also tosses in triple-beam LED headlights, navigation, blind-spot monitoring, a heated wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a SmartAccess card key.

Powertrains are the same as in the standard IS F Sports. The IS 300 with rear-wheel drive uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making 241 horsepower, while the all-wheel-drive IS 300 gets a 260-hp 3.5-liter V6. The IS 350 models, both FWD and AWD, have a more potent, 311-hp version of the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter six. Prices range from $46,225 to $52,010 (with destination fee).

The 2020 IS F Sport Blackline Edition joins the recently announced NX 300 Black Line Edition in a darkened corner of the showroom, where the two models can argue about the spelling of their name.