The facelifted Lexus IS sedan has now arrived in Malaysia. It comes to the Malaysian market in two powertrain options: a turbocharged inline-four petrol in the IS 200t, and a 2.5 litre hybrid setup in the IS 300h. The IS 200t comes in three forms; Premium, Luxury, and F Sport, with a solitary trim level specification for the IS 300h. The V6-engined IS 350 has been given a miss here.

A 1,998 cc turbocharged petrol engine with VVT-iW valvegear produces 241 hp at 5,800 rpm and 350 Nm between 1,650 and 4,400 rpm. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, propelling the 200t variants from 0-100 km/h in seven seconds flat, onwards to a 230 km/h top speed.


The IS 300h hybrid employs a 2,494 cc naturally aspirated inline-four petrol producing 178 hp at 6,000 rpm and 220 Nm of torque between 4,200 and 5,400 rpm; the electric drive motor gives 105 kW and 300 Nm, fed by a 192-cell Ni-MH battery for a total system output of 220 hp. Thus equipped, the IS 300h does 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h.

Along with the visual updates that grace the facelifted compact sedan, an all-LED light setup features here; triple-LED lenses distinguish the IS 300h from the IS 200t, which employs Bi-LED projector items. The 17-inch wheels provide rolling stock for the IS 200t Premium and the IS 300h, with run-flat tyres now standard for both variants. The IS 200t Luxury and F Sport variants are shod with 18-inch wheels and tyres, with a staggered setup for wider rears.


Inside, the IS 200t F Sport and IS 300h gain the Mark Levinson Premium Surround audio system providing a 5.1 channel surround sound via a 15-speaker array with GreenEdge technology, while an Auto Volume System adjusts sounds levels for the best sound reproduction in the front and back of the car. For the IS 200t Premium and Luxury variants, a Lexus Premium 10-speaker audio system with DVD player is installed.

The Lexus’ Remote Touch Interface (RTI) gains a revised human-machine interface design, now including Enter and Back buttons for easier operation. Automatic engine start/stop is now standard on all Lexus IS variants.


Safety-wise, all variants of the facelifted IS are equipped with 10 airbags, while the active safety suite comprises ABS, EBD, traction control and VSC. Also included is a tyre pressure monitoring system, along with Park Assist and a Rear View Monitor System. Save for the Premium, all others also get blind spot monitors and the Rear Cross Traffic Alert, the latter for added safety when reversing out of a parking space.

The facelifted IS comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage manufacturer warranty; the IS 300h hybrid gets an eight-year warranty for its hybrid drive battery. The IS 200t Premium starts the range at RM 297,800; the IS 200t Luxury at RM 332,000; the IS 200t F Sport at RM 366,000; and the IS 300h at RM 412,000. The entry price goes unchanged, but the rest of the range have had their prices slashed, by up to RM 40k in the case of the top-of-the-range hybrid.