The IS has long held down the smaller side of Lexus’s sedan lineup, offering sporty performance and sharp styling but a less rowdy attitude than its rivals. It has evolved over the years, gaining more tech and safety features, but it retains the characteristics that made it popular in the first place, including strong predicted reliability ratings and lively naturally aspirated engines.
2025 Lexus IS Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2025 Lexus IS
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2025 Lexus IS
Unfortunately, the 2025 model year will be the IS’s last run on the market, as Lexus plans to discontinue the car. The automaker made minor updates to the IS for 2025, which were mainly limited to a few new features in the F Sport configuration. Changes in 2024 and 2023 were equally as minor. The last notable update took place in 2022, when the V8-powered IS 500 F Sport debuted.
Design
The IS is a perfect embodiment of Lexus’s recent design trends, for better and worse. It features the brand’s signature oversized spindle grille and has dramatically sculpted sides. The rear-end design is busy, with several lines, shapes, and components cluttering the car’s backside.
Powertrain
Lexus offers three powertrain choices for the 2025 IS. The base engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, which makes 241 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Two 3.5-liter V6 options are available, including the base setup with 260 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque and the range-topping six-cylinder with 311 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The IS 500 comes with a 5.0-liter V8, making 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. Most models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive (RWD), but all-wheel-drive (AWD) cars have a six-speed automatic transmission.
Interior
The IS seats five people on standard synthetic leather upholstery. Lexus offers heated and ventilated front seats, power seat adjustments, a heated steering wheel, and memory functions. While the front seats are spacious and supportive, the back seat feels cramped, especially for adults.
Technology
An 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard, but higher trims get a 10.3-inch touchscreen. Amazon Alexa functionality, HD radio, SiriusXM radio, Bluetooth, and 10 speakers come standard. Lexus offers a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, navigation, voice commands, and LED ambient interior lighting. The automaker’s recently updated infotainment interface is far easier to use and less distracting than previous versions.
Safety
The 2025 Lexus IS missed out on a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but it comes standard with a long list of advanced driver-assistance features. They include automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, traffic-sign recognition, a surround-view camera system, and more.
Pricing and Release Date
Pricing for the 2025 Lexus IS starts at $41,610 for the base IS 300 configuration. Moving up to the IS 350 pushes pricing to $44,935, while the top IS 500 F Sport starts at $60,595.