Last Chance: The 2026 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT
Regular readers know by now that I am not a Luddite, not a technophobe. If anything, I'm an early adopter. But the same week that I had the Lexus IS 350 F Sport, I also had the Cadillac Optiq V-Series, a technological tour de force. And one of those days, when I had a bunch of things to do in a bunch of places around town, I walked out into the driveway with both sets of keys in my pocket and said to myself:
"Just give me the car. I don't want to learn, to adapt. Let me just get in and drive."
I chose the Lexus.
The Lexus comes by its simplicity honestly. It is quite literally a product of a different age, with this generation debuting for the 2014 model year. That means development started more than 15 years ago. There have been facelifts, including one this year, but the basics of the IS have not changed in all that time.
It is very much an analog machine in an increasingly digital world.
Power for the IS comes from Lexus' venerable 3.5-liter V6, with 311 horsepower, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. It is rear-wheel drive and yes, that is an honest-to-goodness dual exhaust, not a cosmetic imitation. Zero to 60 happens in 5.9 seconds and the fuel economy---well, it's pretty old-school, too. An EPA-estimated 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway.
Trunk space? Kinda tight, really. 10.8 cubic feet. Just as a point of reference, a Toyota Camry has 15.1 and the Honda Accord a whopping 16.7 cubic feet.
The interior---relatively straightforward. Also kinda tight for anyone confined to the back seat, where there is only 32.2 inches of legroom. Another point of reference: You can get 34.8 in a Corolla, and 38.0 in a Camry.
The base price of the 2026 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT is $45,000 ($46,295 including destination). That money buys a healthy list of standard equipment (see the window sticker at the end of this review).
Our tester had some extra-cost options. A panoramic view monitor, intuitive parking assist with automatic braking and rear cross-traffic braking was $1,100. The Ultrasonic Blue Mica paint added $395, deleting the rear spoiler put $200 in the credit column, a power moonroof was $1,100 and a trunk mat/key glove/cargo net and wheel locks package was $313.
Bottom line on the window sticker: $49,703.
That strikes me as a fair, if not maybe even bargain price for this level of performance and feature content.
Now. About that headline. "Last Chance".
2027 will probably be the last year of this generation of Lexus IS and it will either vanish from the lineup entirely or be replaced by an all-new and likely all-electric IS. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
But there is a lot to be said for a simpler, more direct, get-in-and-drive performance vehicle, and if you want one in your driveway, the time to do that may be now.
2026 Lexus IS 350 F SPORT at a glance:
Price: $45,000 base/$49,703 as tested
Engine: 3.5-liter V6
Horsepower: 311
Torque: 280 lb-ft
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3,986 lbs.
0-60 Acceleration (manufacturer data): 5.9 seconds
EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway
Fuel tank capacity: 17.4 gallons
EPA Range Estimate: 383 miles
Class competitors: Acura Integra Type S, BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Genesis G70
