How the Lexus IS 300 engine has changed over the years

14 March, 2024

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The first Lexus IS 300 was launched in 1998 with a 3-liter six-cylinder in-line engine with an output of 213 hp.

A version of the famous Toyota 2JZ engine, this powerplant was exceptionally smooth and pleasant to rev, taking the IS to 60 mph in around eight seconds.

It didn’t make as much power as in other applications, such as under the hood of the fourth-generation Toyota Supra, where turbocharging helped produce more than 300 horsepower and much more torque accessible from much lower in the rev range.

But even without the turbocharger, the engine of the first generation IS 300 was and is the favorite of many enthusiasts.

For the second generation of the IS nameplate, which arrived in 2006, Lexus dropped the IS 300 designation and replaced it with two six-cylinder models, the IS 250 and IS 350.

These had 2.5-liter and 3.5-liter V6 engines, producing 204 hp and 306 hp respectively.

Since they had a V6 setup, as opposed to the inline configuration of the older engines, they were not as smooth and sonorous as before, but they still provided adequate performance.

You could also pair the smaller engine with a six-speed manual transmission, but not with the more powerful IS 350, which was only available with an eight-speed automatic.

Lexus brought back the IS 300 name for the third generation of the model, which it launched in 2014. It came with a 3.5-liter V6 producing 260 hp, exclusively mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.