Here are my thoughts, as I was sort-of looking forward to this vehicle.
Front
- The grill is oversized and awkwardly shaped with weird transition mesh
- The headlights are small and poorly shaped. Curves AND sharp lines...
- The LED DRL's look like they were just tacked on.
- The front fascia/lower valence looks ricer (this IS an F-Sport IS250 model...)
Side
- The only part I mostly like. I like the character lines at the rear and the exaggerated hofmeister kink. The cabin looks properly set back in the chassis but unfortunately in such a small car means a large rear overhang to accommodate for a larger trunk and back seat (major complaints of the previous gen) The wheels look fine too for a '250' model in this case.
Rear
- Tails are too large and appear to extend further out the side then they do on the back
- The rest is crazy generic and the whole bumper/lower valence/exhaust looks like it could be on a $25k Camry...
Interior
- A cross between a new RX and CT200h with the analog clock and HVAC vents from the GS. Looks fine but not great to me.
- The ergonomics look terrible. Screen far away and out of reach (isn't touch), the primary controls actually angle AWAY from the driver... The cupholders leave no room for a passenger armrest or the driver to use the 'mouse-like' joystick to its front. The shifter is set really far forward, beyond the plane of the steering wheel. I am assuming no manual option will be there in this new gen.
- The gauage cluster, while LF-A inspried, and 'cool' looking, are excessively cluttered and borderline illegible (I know from experience) and could be quite confusing for the 30-50 year old women that frequently buy these things.
- The switchgear is right from the Toyota parts bin. Window/mirror/lock swithces. Plastic door handles. And other things I am sure in the overhead counsel and whatnot.
- Conflicting material finishes, mostly because of the use of Toyota switchgear mixed with Lexus bits. First thing I see is polished finish on the door handles next to the matte finish silver trim on the door panels. Just weird to me.
And then mechincally this car is virtually a carry-over form the previous gen. That means, unfortunately, the crappy 204hp 2.5L V6 and the decent 305hp 3.5L V6. Certainly no match for ANY of the newer cars in this class with their forced induction/direct injection applications.
Overall, FAIL...