High performance ventilated disc brake on all four wheels provide the quick, smooth and linear braking expected of a Lexus sports sedan. High friction brake pads further contribute to the excellent stopping power and braking feel. The use of lightweight aluminum for brake components helps to reduce weight, contributing to fuel efficiency.
The unseen foundation of the IS’s direct and engaging sports handling, stability and ride comfort is high rigidity body structure. To achieve the balance of light weight with excellent rigidity that makes this sports performance possible, it required the adoption of innovative production techniques. They include the extensive use of body adhesive which enables the joining of panels over an extended area, and laser screw welding.
A key component of the IS’s exhilarating sports driving performance is a suspension system that is both agile yet stable, inspiring confidence with superb grip ad excellent response to steering input. To achieve these demanding and very sports driver-friendly characteristics, each element of the double wishbone front suspension was fine-tuned, and the stabilizer refined to provide superb steering repose and feel, helping to reduce roll while cornering, and contributing to ride comfort.
At the heart of sports driving and the interaction between the driver and the IS is the quick selection and changing of gears. With its astonishing linear acceleration, the 8–speed SPDS (Sport Direct Shift) blends sharp response times with the outstanding smoothness and efficiency of eight gears. For drivers it offers the refined characteristics of two exciting worlds: an 8-speed automatic transmission for smooth gear changes and exceptional ride comfort in normal driving.
i. 3.5-liter V6 engine
The sophisticated 3.5-liter engine delivers both exceptional power and excellent fuel efficiency. It integrates advanced technologies that include a D-4S fuel injection system that features both direct injection into the cylinders and port injection to balance high power output with fuel efficiency, and Dual VVT-I which increases torque and output, and contributes to better fuel economy and reduced emissions.
Careful attention devoted to aerodynamics contributes to the fuel-efficient performance and quite comfort of the cabin, even in high-speed driving. Aero stabilizing fins on the front doorframe covers and rear combination lamps contribute to handling stability and road tracking performance, while the aero stabilizing fins on the underbody covers help smooth airflow from front to rear under the car, further reducing drag.
An inspired refinement that heightens the thrill of sports driving is a finely-tuned intake sound generator that creates and emotional note to compliment that exhilarating power. It boosts the sound pressure level of specific frequencies in the engine air intake, to introduce a distinctly sporty engine sound when you accelerate in the mid-to-high rpm ranges.
AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension system) minutely controls the damping force of the shock absorbers independently on each of the four wheels, providing excellent stability, control and ride comfort in various driving conditions. The electronically controlled rear air suspension enables you to adjust vehicle height.
The electronically modulated KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) uses a hydraulic system that connects the front and rear stabilizers, and controls them in response to the driving terrain, to realize both excellent on-road ride comfort and off-road driveability.
The GX460 chassis was developed so that drivers can travel off- or on-road with near equal composure. Featuring a high-tensile steel ‘Body on Frame’ chassis, it is extremely strong, and provides outstanding resistance to twisting forces no matter how uneven the terrain. The rigidity of the chassis means that you can drive over the roughest country, cross rivers, and even climb mountainsides. These challenges were all faced and mastered by GX460 prototypes, which were driven for 30,000 kilometers off-road through the Australian Outback, followed by 70,000 kilometers on potholed tracks.
