Everybody wants a piece of BMW action these days. That’s because even though it’s got a rubbery feel and a more relaxed chassis, the 3-Series is still the king in its market segment. Cadillac was the first one to actively chase the Germans with their brand new ATS sedan, lighter than we thought Americans could build.
Lexus is next to challenge the F30, with the currently top-secret compact sports saloon. Locked inside a garage at Fuji raceway, the 2014 Lexus IS seemed safe from prying eyes, but actually it’s been filmed and scooped by Jay Leno, the denim chin himself.
Keeping Jay company is Fu Yuma, chief engineer at Lexus, who is a man of very few words. But obviously, even though he won’t say anything on camera, Leno got information from mister Yuma.
This video provides us with some interesting pieces of scoop information: the car is 70 mm longer than before, has a standard eight-speed gearbox and its V6 engine makes 306 horsepower (American hp probably). We can also clearly see that the grille is a spindle design, something invisible before in our spshots.
We also get to see inside the car. It looks like the center console is tall and rises just a bit to meet the dash. This is clearly inspired by the Lexus LFA setup and looks very sport. Though we can’t see it clearly, the navigation screen seems to be at the very top of the dash, and there’s also a new three-spoke steering wheel design. We also like the chromed air vents, which are now very low in the center because of the display moving upwards.
In case you didn't get the memo, the 2014 IS will make its official debut at the Detroit Motor Show. However, there's a small chance it will be shown in Japan before the end of this year.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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