When it comes to luxury car brands
, few can compete with Lexus
. The Toyota subsidiary has a long reputation for merging comfort and innovation. While Lexus' iconic spindle grille does garner a lot of attention, the brand does have one downside: not all of its models are available in every country. The Lexus IS 200 was largely sold in Europe and Australia before branching out, and we’re glad the U.S. got a taste of it.
History of the Lexus IS
The Lexus IS has a long history, so much so that it actually predates the Lexus brand itself. In the mid-’90s, Toyota executives decided it was time to compete with other luxury cars. Specifically, they were aiming to design something that could go toe-to-toe with the BMW 3-Series or the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
From this ambition, the Toyota Altezza was born, but it would later be rebranded as the Lexus IS (IS standing for Intelligent Sport). It initially carried an inline-6 engine, but that would be swapped out for a V6 in future iterations.
After being successful in Japan, it was time to ship out the IS to foreign markets. It would be rebranded again as the Lexus IS 200. The Lexus IS 200 would fulfill its goal of prying customers away from other luxury brands and is still available in most international markets today.
Can you buy a Lexus IS 200 in America?
The Lexus IS 200 was mostly designed for the European and Australian markets. Even older models of the IS 200 remain popular in Australia today, as documented by CarsGuide
. This left many Americans wondering if they would be able to drive a Lexus IS 200 of their own. The US, and Canada for that matter, would get the chance to drive a Lexus IS 200, although it would be under a different name. The equivalent Lexus IS 200 that could be found in most markets would be sold as an IS 300 in North America.
Sure, you could probably find some minuscule differences between the international Lexus IS 200 and the North American IS 300, but for all intents and purposes, the two are pretty much the same car.
The Lexus IS 200 vs. other IS cars
Today, Lexus sells the IS as its own model in the US. The 300 (sold as the Lexus IS 200 in other markets) is the base trim for this Intelligent Sport vehicle. Even for being the standard trim, it is a pretty impressive vehicle.
The 2022 Lexus IS 300 comes with a 2.0-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine. It can only produce 241 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Not too bad, but these numbers don't exactly scream "sports car" either. Rest assured, there are higher-end trims for those who need something with a little more gallop.
Buyers of the Lexus IS can have upgraded versions that carry a V6 or V8. At the highest end of the spectrum is the IS 500 F Sport. This beast carries a 5.0-liter V8 which produces 472 hp and 395 lb-ft of torque. Sure, it costs about $30,000 more than the IS 300, but power rarely comes cheap.
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