Video: 2014 Lexus IS

This is a rear-wheel drive sports sedan that competes with cars like the BMW 3 Series, the Cadillac ATS, the Mercedes C Class. A whole slew of them in the 30 to $45,000 range. We're going to take a look at what sets the new IS apart. The IS employs Lexus's Spindle Grille and everything about it is very three-dimensional now. Lexus's blue framed logo here sits kind of recessed in the grille. It comes down and joins a lower opening along the bumper in the upper portion of the grille. Very interesting here, that you get some separation here with sheet metal, between the headlights and these running lights down below. Kind of cool there. Close similarities to the Lexus GS, and back here, where you have tail lights that kind of come in right here. The IS 250 and IS 350 will compliment the IS Hybrid, as well. The 350 here has twin tailpipes. The IS Hybrid that we just saw, actually hides those tailpipes. You can't see them as well. Same, slightly industrial, sort of stacked appearance here as you get in various other Lexus models these days. Material's quality appears to be pretty good. Got padding where it counts, and Lexus Remote Touch Controller here controls a lot of the action up here on a center screen above the center of the dashboard. One thing we wonder about are these capacitive temperature controls here. We've taken issue with them in other cars systems, from GM to Ford. They get rid of buttons and they have these touch sensitive areas here. They actually seem to work okay if you just push really hard and kind of drag your finger up and down. Not the worst execution, but again, we kind of questioned capacitive buttons overall. Let's check out the backseat. One of our big complaints about the last IS was how small the back seat was. Thanks to an extra three inches of wheelbase in its successor, backseat room is actually pretty good here. I'm about six feet tall and that's where I would sit to drive. I've got a good amount of leg room leftover, and the seat sits reasonably high off the ground. One thing you do get with a rear-wheel drive car though, is a large floor hump here. Kind of robs a little bit of foot well space, makes the center seat hard to really sit in. Headroom, not quite as good, but overall not a bad setup here. Especially considering where the car used to be. More important than ever for this segment is how well the cars drive. We won't know that until closer to the IS' on sale date, this coming summer. So stay tuned for more. (car engine revving)