Used 2022 Lexus IS

The Lexus IS is a competitive choice in small luxury sedans. If you like the idea of a premium sedan that’s fun to drive, but it’s also safe and reliable, few cars can balance luxury, driving engagement, and value quite like the IS. Not to mention its eye-catching aesthetic.

The big news for the 2022 Lexus IS is the return of a V8 option. The new Lexus IS 500 F Sport is a muscular sport sedan powered by a mighty 5.0-liter V8. It also adds a sporty appearance package that leaves no room for doubt in this car’s intentions; going fast in style and luxury.

The IS competes with German luxury sedans like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. You could also say it competes with American and Japanese entries like the Cadillac CT4 and Infiniti Q50.

Aside from unimpressive fuel economy and not much room in the back seats or trunk, the IS is a well-balanced sedan that does just about everything else well.

The Lexus IS is a fun car to drive no matter which of the three available engines lies under the hood. The handling is agile, and the steering is precise. The IS is fun on winding back roads while still being comfortable on the highway.

The base 4-cylinder engine powering the IS 300 is just okay. Its performance and fuel economy aren’t awe-inspiring compared to most base engines in this class. It gets more exciting if you upgrade to the V6, especially in the IS 350 models with over 300 horsepower. This V6 is a good fit for this chassis.

The F Sport trim of the IS 350 is more than just an appearance package. It improves performance with a cold air intake, upgraded exhaust, bigger tires, and a Torsen limited-slip differential in the RWD models. This is a fun sport sedan if the IS 500 isn’t quite in your budget.

As of this writing, we haven’t driven the V8-powered IS 500 F Sport, but our expectations are high. We’re hoping for a worthy successor to the IS F, and it looks like Lexus got it right, but we can’t make a conclusion until we get behind the wheel.

The inside of the Lexus IS is pretty nice, but the interior quality isn’t quite up to par with class leaders. It’s around the middle of the pack in its competitive class when it comes to interior refinement. That said, if this is your first luxury car, you’ll likely be impressed.

The seating is plenty roomy in the front seats, but the back seats are a little tight. That’s to be expected for this class, but some rivals are roomier in the back. High-quality synthetic leather upholstery is standard. Surprisingly, genuine leather isn’t available.

The trunk of the IS has 10.8 cubic feet of space, which is below average for this class. 60/40 split folding back seats give you more room when you need it.

The Lexus IS has a sharp and futuristic look with a resemblance to the Lexus RC coupe. It has a sharp light signature, the characteristic Lexus spindle grille, and a rear light bar spanning the width of the back of the car.

The look of the Lexus IS can change a bit depending on the trim. For example, the IS 350 F Sport has a sporty appearance package with 19-inch staggered-width wheels and a unique front-end. The IS 500 has a muscular look to match the V8 under the hood with quad-tip exhaust, a 2-inch bulge in the hood, a black rear lip spoiler, and 10-spoke Enkei wheels.

The size of the compact Lexus IS is similar to the Cadillac CT4, Genesis G70, and BMW 3 Series. Unlike some previous generations, the IS is available exclusively as a sedan.

LEXUS SAFETY SYSTEM+ 2.5
The standard safety tech suite in the Lexus IS includes advanced driver assistance tech like automatic emergency braking, full-speed adaptive cruise control, steering assist, and more.

IS 500 F SPORT
The new Lexus IS 500 F Sport is powered by a mighty V8 engine creating a modern sport sedan with old-school muscle.

The Lexus IS has a nice list of standard features. Standard features include NuLuxe synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, two USB ports, 10-speaker audio, push-button start, blind-spot monitoring, and LED headlights.

The standard infotainment system is an 8-inch screen loaded with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa. The standard safety tech suite in the IS is the Lexus Safety System+ 2.5. It bundles automatic emergency braking, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, and road sign assist.

All-wheel drive is a popular option for the IS. On top of adding AWD, the IS 300 AWD also adds a V6 engine and heated front seats.

An available IS 300 Premium Package adds a list of premium features without the price going crazy. It adds 19-inch wheels, a power moonroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming mirror with a universal garage door opener, the Lexus Memory System, a power-adjustable steering column, a rear center armrest, a power rear sunshade, front door scuff plates, and black open-pore wood trim.

A Comfort Package adds a heated steering wheel, a power moonroof, heated and ventilated front seats, and black Geometric interior trim.

You can also add a 10.3-inch infotainment system with navigation, voice control, and Mark Levinson premium audio.

The IS 350 F Sport upgrades to a more sport-tuned version of the V6 in the IS 300 with more power and torque. RWD is standard, and AWD is optional. It also adds a sporty appearance package with 19-inch wheels, a cold air intake, an upgraded exhaust, a digital gauge cluster, a heated steering wheel, and cooled front seats.

An available F Sport Dynamic Handling Package turns up the sport sedan credentials of the IS. It adds an adaptive suspension and a Torsen limited-slip differential to RWD models.

The IS 500 F Sport kicks things up a notch with a stout V8 engine under the hood. Other standard features include a unique appearance package, bigger brakes, the contents of the Dynamic Handling Package, a power moonroof, and front and rear parking sensors.

An available IS 500 Premium Package adds Mark Levinson premium audio, navigation, a 360-degree camera, triple-beam LED headlights, and a power rear sunshade.

A special IS 500 F Sport Performance Launch Edition will be limited to 500 units in North America. It’s essentially an appearance package for a loaded IS 500 with two-tone black and gray Ultrasuede upholstery, silver ash wood trim on the steering wheel, and an exclusive Incognito paint color.

There are three engines available under the hood of the Lexus IS. The base engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4. If you upgrade to the IS 300 AWD, you get a V6 with more power and less torque than the base engine. The IS 350 has a more sport-tuned version of that V6 producing over 300 horsepower. Finally, the IS 500 F Sport is powered by a powerful 5.0-liter V8.

Rear-wheel drive is standard in the IS. All-wheel drive is optional for the IS 300 and IS 350, but the IS 500 is RWD-only. RWD IS models use an 8-speed automatic transmission, and AWD models use a 6-speed.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 (IS 300 RWD)
241 horsepower @ 5,800 rpm
258 lb-ft of torque @ 1,650-4,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/31 mpg

3.5-liter V6 (IS 300 AWD)
260 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
236 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000-4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/26 mpg

3.5-liter V6 (IS 350 RWD, AWD)
311 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
277 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/28 mpg (RWD), 19/26 mpg (AWD)

5.0-liter V8 (IS 500 RWD)
472 horsepower @ 7,100 rpm
395 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/25 mpg