Photo: Lexus
Recently we were wondering how great would it be for everyone if Lexus would ditch the 2.5-liter V6 engine from the IS in favor of the all new 2-liter turbocharged unit. Well, our little imagination exercise is about to become true, because Lexus already trademarked the IS 200t in Australia and Europe.
Why would this be good? It's simple the 2.5-liter V6 makes 204 bhp and 185 lb-ft of torque. It makes a bit of sense for the US market as an economic version offered instead of the IS 350 with the bigger 3.5-liter V6 because there’s no hybrid on the list here.
But in Europe and other places, the IS 250 is offered along with the IS 300h, which makes it look like an useless gas guzzler, mostly because engines over 2-liters tend to be taxed a lot. Needles to mention the fact that the hybrid makes 219 bhp and offers a much better fuel consumption.
So who in his sane mind would prefer an old 2.5-liter V6 instead of a modernized 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson engine aided by an electric motor which adds more hp and better fuel consumption?
As you can imagine, the 2.5-liter doesn’t have too many fans, but fortunately, it looks like the automaker will replace it soon enough. Trademarks applications for the IS 200t have already been submitted for Europe and Australia, making us believe the turbo IS will arrive next year along with the NX 200t.
The newly developed turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine makes 238 bhp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. Since it’s smaller than the 2.5-liter V6 and force inducted, it will also offer a better mileage. Official figures haven’t been revealed yet.
You may not get the same throttle response in the IS 200t as in the 250, but its 1,9xx cubic centimeters engine will avoid extra taxes in most countries. So you end up with more power and more money on the long term.
What we hope though, is for Lexus to mount it longitudinally in the IS and still have a rear wheel drive setup. The NX model on which the engine will debut has it mounted transversally, powering the front wheels by default. A thing that won’t really work for a luxury sporty sedan.
But in Europe and other places, the IS 250 is offered along with the IS 300h, which makes it look like an useless gas guzzler, mostly because engines over 2-liters tend to be taxed a lot. Needles to mention the fact that the hybrid makes 219 bhp and offers a much better fuel consumption.
So who in his sane mind would prefer an old 2.5-liter V6 instead of a modernized 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson engine aided by an electric motor which adds more hp and better fuel consumption?
As you can imagine, the 2.5-liter doesn’t have too many fans, but fortunately, it looks like the automaker will replace it soon enough. Trademarks applications for the IS 200t have already been submitted for Europe and Australia, making us believe the turbo IS will arrive next year along with the NX 200t.
The newly developed turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder engine makes 238 bhp and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque. Since it’s smaller than the 2.5-liter V6 and force inducted, it will also offer a better mileage. Official figures haven’t been revealed yet.
You may not get the same throttle response in the IS 200t as in the 250, but its 1,9xx cubic centimeters engine will avoid extra taxes in most countries. So you end up with more power and more money on the long term.
What we hope though, is for Lexus to mount it longitudinally in the IS and still have a rear wheel drive setup. The NX model on which the engine will debut has it mounted transversally, powering the front wheels by default. A thing that won’t really work for a luxury sporty sedan.
Google News