2021 Lexus IS Review

2021 Lexus IS: Carfax Expert Review

• Trim Tested: IS 350 AWD F Sport
• Price as Tested: $57,845 (estimated, including destination charge)
• Likes: Premium, high-tech interior; comfortable front seats; smooth V6 engine
• Dislikes: Cramped rear seats; fussy infotainment system with too many buttons
• Changes for 2021: Lexus refreshed the IS for 2021. That means updated interior and exterior styling, more advanced driver-assist systems, and an updated infotainment system with an optional 10.3-inch infotainment screen.

The Lexus IS has never been a corner-hugging speed machine (I speak from experience – I recently owned an ’03 IS). And that’s okay. It’s a comfortable small luxury car with enough of everything – comfort, power, handling – to keep most people happy.

We tested the Lexus IS for a week, and these are our impressions.

How It Drives

Our model had the optional 311-horsepower V6 engine, and it felt strong at city and highway speeds. It isn’t as powerful as a 6-cylinder from Audi or BMW, but it was good enough for everyday maneuvers such as passing.

It also sounded nice, unlike many of the turbocharged 4-cylinders found in luxury cars these days. Our test vehicle also had the F Sport package, which adds a bunch of performance features such as 19-inch wheels and a limited slip differential (for better control during aggressive acceleration), plus more aggressive styling that includes dark accents inside and out.

The optional Dynamic Handling Package on our model lets you adjust the stiffness of the suspension. However, the IS is still more “comfortable cruiser” than “sport sedan.”

Interior Interior Comfort & Quality

Lexus’ fake leather (Nuluxe) is nicer than many automakers’ real leather, and the front seats are supportive and comfortable on long trips. The cabin is also nicely insulated from road noise.

The back seats are another story. With the front seat set for my 6-foot frame, the back seat didn’t have enough legroom. Look to the BMW 3 Series for a small luxury sedan with more rear-seat space. Truck space was so-so.

The whole IS cabin feels nicely put together and durable. Our F Sport test car had an all-black interior with white stitching and ash-gray, matte-finish wood accents. I’m not normally one for all-black interiors, but this one was premium and high-tech, especially at night, with all of the controls illuminated, along with the backlit analog clock.

Technology & Usability

My main complaints about the IS center on the complicated infotainment controls. The laptop touchpad that controls the infotainment system doesn’t bother me as much as it does other reviewers, but the plethora of small buttons does. The cabin is full of them.

It’d be best to spend some time learning what they all do in the safety of your own driveway. You don’t want to be scanning them, trying to find the right function, when driving at 65 mph. There are separate volume and tuning knobs, but they’re small.

The largest knob is the “Sport Mode” selector on the center console. I don’t get why that needs to be so much larger than the volume knob – you change the volume a lot more often than you change the Sport Mode. It’s not as bad as an Acura (their Sport Mode knob takes up half the dashboard!), but it’s still not optimal.

The new, optional 10.3-inch screen is super-wide. All IS models now come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but you can’t make it take up the whole screen, so there’s always a little side screen sitting there that doesn’t really give much useful information. It’s a wasted opportunity.

Not ready for a new vehicle? Find a used Lexus IS or a different used car

Carfax vehicle overviews let shoppers compare a vehicle’s specs against its competitors. However, some aspects of a vehicle – performance, comfort, usability – can only be evaluated through actual driving. That’s why we evaluate as many vehicles as we can, so you’ll know what to expect.