AbusiveWombat

400 hp is not accurate. why?
LS 430 = 290 hp
GS 430 = 300 hp

No way will Toyota squeeze out another 100 hp. They'll remain conservative and probably stick the 300 hp variation in.

Slamnasty

Are they planning on redesigning the IS before 2006? It's going on 5 years old already.

Christople

They better have a redesign of body... I still like the idea... just taking way too long...

Fanman

I seriously doubt the 400 hp figure given the one I saw at the LA Autoshow was putting out 340 hp, and was tweaked to high heaven. Also remember that while it might sound like it will beat up on the current 333 HP M3, they are slated to introduce a new M3 by 2006 or 2007 with a 400 hp V8.

under-rated

bahula03

they'll probably go mid 3's...that way they'll have lots of room to bump it up for a new m3. That and the target market for a maybe $40k lexus isn't gonna be the same as the market that pays for the $55k+ m3...not to mention the difference in insurance costs on 330hp vs. 400hp+. My $.02

Saab9-3

I talk quite often with Lexus insiders, and I know this: There will be a completely new IS, and it will come in at least 3 bodystyles- sedan, coupe, and convertible, with possibly a wagon variant. They were fooling around with slapping the turbos on the 2jz-ge, but that wasn't very Lexus-like, even for a performance car. The 4.3l aluminum V8 is smooth as silk and is almost exactly as light as the iron I-6, which would keep weight bias even without having to move many parts to the rear (battery, etc). Unfortunately, I don't think Lexus is planning on going for the M3's jugular with this car. I think they want something more on the lines of an S4- powerful, comfortable, torquey, etc. IMHO, this is not the right move. Lexus needs to gain some credibility as a performance car maker if it wants to have a chance of selling to any young people. Lexus needs to go back to its roots on this one. The company was started on the idea that they could build cars superior to the Germans at a much lower price. Give us a snarling, gurgling 400hp 4.3l, free of all the power-sapping software that is currently on it, jam it in the new IS body, and blow the doors off of the (current) M3 and S4.

And I do believe the 4.3l has potential. When lexus built it for the LS430, they designed it so that it produced the exact same amount of accelerative g-forces from just off idle to redline. Lexus had to absolutely kill whatever power it had in the midrange to be able to achieve that goal. Toyota engineers are smart. They can easily pull 400hp out of a 4.3 (the question is, will they compromise comfort and reliability to do it?)

AbusiveWombat

No question that Toyota can do 400hp out of the 4.3L but I don't believe they will. A 300+hp IS weighing in at 3200lbs is still going to fly. It will certainly be faster/on par with the current M3, TL, 300c, 350z, EVO, STi, RX8, S2000,...etc. In my book that's pretty quick. It will certainly be in the 13's. Getting into the 12's is pretty tough for a RWD production car...look at the difficulty the mags have had with the new C6.

Lexus has never given in on the horsepower wars so why should it now? My buddy has a GS400 and man is that engine sweet. It's possibly the smoothest engine I've ever driven with gobbs of power. I don't think Lexus needs to go after the M3. I would certainly take a 330hp IS over a 400hp M3 any day. Why? because ALL of my past BMWs have been crappy. They drive great but they've all had reliability issues. On top of that, a IS430 should fall directly between a 330 and M3 in price.

BPUKiller

No, but they did mention them on "Rides", but I forgot. I believe mid 13's and high 4's if I'm not mistaken.

Sam

BPUKiller

Actually the I-6 iron block weights the same as the aluminium V-8.

Sam