Lexus has introduced its 11th F Sport model in Australia, the Lexus IS 250C F Sport. Based on the current IS convertible, the F Sport adds a distinct level of sportiness and aggression to already sporty drop-top.
The F Sport package is available on almost all Lexus vehicles in the showroom. It adds styling tweaks inside and out, bespoke badges, unique interior trimmings, and a set of large alloy wheels.
In the IS 250C’s case, the F Sport comes with revised sports suspension with new bushings, retuned dampers, a special rear stabiliser bar, and sportier spring rates. Changes are made to enhance and improve the car’s driving character and handling.
Like the IS 350 F Sport (review here), the IS 250C F Sport gets an aggressive bodykit with sharper front and rear bumper bars and side skirts. The kit also includes a black mesh front grille with F Sport fog lights in the corners.
To top off the visual impact, the IS 250C F Sport comes with 10-spoke graphite-look 18-inch alloy wheels like the IS 250/IS 350 F Sport.
Inside, there’s a bespoke F Sport sports steering wheel and gear lever, black leather seats, special sill plates, and a unique black roof lining. There’s also contrasting stitching on parts of the trim in traditional F Sport theme.
Power comes from the same 2.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 as seen in the regular IS 250C. It produces 153kW of power and 252Nm of torque. It comes with an average fuel economy rating of 9.3L/100km.
Tony Cramb, Lexus Australia chief executive, spoke about the introduction of the 11th F Sport model, saying,
“F Sport has definitely resonated with Australian Lexus customers, with almost 50 per cent of IS 350 sales and one-third of CT 200h sales being F Sport models.
“Customers have come to appreciate the enhanced driving enjoyment and visual appeal that F Sport models bring, and IS 250C F Sport will be a welcome addition to the F Sport range.
“The addition of our 11th F Sport model reinforces the strength of the offering in Australia with F Sport models now available across our CT, IS, GS and RX lines, with the soon-to-be-launched LS 460 and LS 600h F Sport models rounding out the range.”
The new variant will officially hit the market in mid-November. Prices start at $82,300, excluding on-road costs.