- The Black Line Edition is a limited production, special trim IS 300 that will see only 900 units made for 2019.
- Lexus only sold 1,075 units of the IS last month, so 900 seems like overkill.
- The current IS has been around since 2014.
Lexus and Toyota have a habit of getting new costumes for their aging vehicles. They just released photos of the new IS 300 Black Line Special Edition. Of course, the Lexus IS, going on five years in its current iteration, isn't nearly as long-in-the-tooth as the Toyota Land Cruiser, for which the brand just created a Heritage Edition.
The special trim tacks on some unique bits on the already great to drive IS 300 F Sport. The package dresses up the sleek sports sedan with 18-inch, special split-spoke wheels with a Mazda-like "black vapor chrome" tint that gives the IS a more sinister appearance. You also get black side mirrors, regardless of whether you choose Obsidian (black), Ultra White, or Atomic Silver paint. LED headlights are standard.
The uniquely trimmed interior includes black perforated Nuluxe (aka, vinyl) seats with red accented inserts. Contrast red stitching shows up all over the interior, and there are red highlights on the borders of the center stack and on the door armrests. The steering wheel gets fancy black wood that has "distinctive shades of black that were created by a Japanese calligraphy shop dedicated to perfecting ink for more than 200 years." Wow, that seems like a lot of effort.
The trim is available on both RWD and AWD IS 300 F
It would be great to see Lexus redesign the IS, especially in light of the fact that its competitors have done that very thing. The BMW 3-Series is new, as is the Audi A4, and the Mercedes-Benz C Class. Genesis has the all-new G70 sports sedan.
