Lexus IS

Japanese car-maker Lexus was gunning for Mercedes-Benz and BMW with its third-generation IS, launched in July 2013.

Depending on how you looked at it, the styling of the IS was either a watering down of its stunning LF-CC Paris motor show coupe concept, or a classy re-imagining of the previous generation’s design.

Australia counted as the third largest market for the IS globally, and Lexus planned to keep it that way by maintaining competitive pricing and high levels of specification.

Powertrains included the familiar 153kW/252Nm 2.5-litre V6 in the IS250 and the 233kW/378Nm 3.5-litre V6 in the IS350 that were both carried over.

Meanwhile, a new hybrid IS300h variant paired a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery for a total output of 164kW, producing official combined-cycle fuel consumption of 4.9 litres per 100km.