2023 Lexus IS Offers New Appearance Packages, Modest Price Bump

What’s New?
Tech, Safety and Standard Features
F Sport Appointments
Trims, Pricing and Release Date
Versus the Competition

After a full redesign for 2021 and a V-8-powered 500 F Sport Performance introduced for 2022, the Lexus IS compact sport sedan rolls into 2023 with familiar powertrains, performance specs and tech features. Minor updates include limited-run appearance packages for the 350 and 500 F Sport, a new F Sport Design option and Handling Package for the 350 F Sport, and a modest price bump across the board.

What’s New?

The updates for the 2023 IS are mainly aesthetic. The Special Appearance Package for the 480-unit 350 F Sport features Incognito paint accents, a black hood and roof, and 19-inch Enkei alloy wheels; on the 150-unit 500 F Sport Premium, it includes Molten Pearl exterior paint, black synthetic leather seats and 19-inch matte-black forged-alloy wheels. The latter is now available as an option on all 500 F Sports.

2023 Lexus IS | Manufacturer image

The new 350 F Sport Design variant comes with exterior F Sport styling cues including a trim-specific grille, bumpers, rear spoiler, 19-inch wheels and badging. A new Handling Package adds an adaptive variable suspension, Torsen limited-slip rear differential for rear-wheel-drive variants, and Drive Mode Select with Sport S/S Plus and Custom modes.

Powertrains

Four powertrain options are again available for the IS. The base 300’s 241-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine pairs with an eight-speed automatic transmission on RWD models; the all-wheel-drive 300 swaps the four-cylinder for a 260-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic. The 350 F Sport splits the difference between the 300 and 500 with a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 311 hp; RWD models get an eight-speed automatic transmission, while AWD versions employ the six-speed automatic. And under the hood of the RWD-only 500 F Sport Performance is a 5.0-liter V-8 making 472 hp and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Tech, Safety and Standard Features

Standard features inside all IS models include Lexus’ NuLuxe synthetic leather seats (heated front seats come standard with AWD), dual-zone automatic climate control and an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa integration. A larger 10.3-inch screen is available with the Navigation Package, and you can add Mark Levinson 17-speaker premium audio atop that. The base 300 rides on 18-inch wheels and gets standard LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights.

A suite of safety and driver-assist features can be found across the IS lineup as part of Lexus Safety System Plus 2.5: Forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and bicyclist detection, lane departure steering assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go come standard.

F Sport Appointments

F Sport models add a heated and leather-trimmed steering wheel, bolstered heated and ventilated front seats, unique interior trim with black geometric design, and perforated synthetic leather upholstery. The 500 F Sport Performance adds black logos on the steering wheel and doors, F Sport startup animation and a 360-degree camera system for the Premium variant. Exterior cues include trim-specific front and rear bumpers, grille surround, rear spoiler and exhaust tips, and larger 19-inch wheels, while the 500 F Sport Performance adds a raised hood, quad exhaust system, unique badging, a power moonroof and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Trims, Pricing and Release Date

2023 Lexus IS | Manufacturer image

The 2023 Lexus IS is on sale now with a starting price of $40,585 for the base 300 (all prices include a $1,150 destination charge); AWD adds $2,000 to the 300 and 350 F Sport. All returning models see prices creep up $270-$310 over model-year 2022.

300: $40,585 (up $310)
350 F Sport Design: $43,660
350 F Sport: $44,910 (up $210)
500 F Sport: $58,270 (up $270)
500 F Sport Premium: $62,770 (up $270)

Versus the Competition

The Lexus IS competes among luxury compact sport sedans including the Acura TLX, BMW 3 Series and Genesis G70 — and like the IS, each of these rivals offers a higher-performance variant. The 2022 TLX starts at $39,995 and $54,795 for the performance-oriented Type S; the 2023 3 Series starts at $43,295 and $55,765 for the M340i; and the 2023 Genesis G70 starts at $40,245 for the base trim and $45,745 for the 3.3T.