Most of the reviews we’ve seen of the new Lexus IS have been fairly positive, with some criticizing the car for not having enough power in its base specification, the IS250, as well as the strong styling which is opinion-splitting, with very little chance of a gray area in between – you either like it, or you absolutely think it’s too much…

Now, after having driven the car for the first time, Consumer Reports confirms the above, adding that the IS is a very competent vehicle, from a dynamic standpoint, while the modern-looking interior that features more legroom in the back compared to the outgoing car is also a welcome change.

It’s reportedly not as sharp to drive as CR’s chosen benchmark in the class, the Cadillac ATS, but it is impressive, especially when fitted with the V6 engine, which adds about one hundred more horsepower over the base car’s figure.

The reviewer also calls it one of the best handling Lexus cars ever, so this should translate into a very nice IS-F model. Only problem with that is the wild styling pack for the current F-Sport models – it already makes the car quite noticeable, so we wonder how far they will go with the hot version…

By Andrei Nedelea

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