Lexus IS 200t with 2.0 litre turbo on sale September

The Lexus IS 200t goes on sale in September, delivering an IS with the new 241bhp 2.0 litre turbo petrol engine that arrived in the new Lexus NX.

Lexus may have a predilection for hybrid powertrains, but there are plenty of potential Lexus buyers who don’t feel the same. So the UK’s getting a new turbo 2.0 litre engine option with the arrival of the Lexus IS 200t in September, just as predicted a year ago.

We’ve already seen the new 2.0 litre turbo engine in the new Lexus NX (it will also be an option in the new RX), but putting it in to the BMW 3 Series competing IS is a sound move.

In the IS, the new engine will deliver 241bhp and 256lb/ft of torque, which is enough to get the IS to 62mph in seven seconds and on to a top speed of 143mph.

The IS 200t also gets dual intelligent variable valve timing (Dual VVT-iW) which allows torque to be optimised right through the rev range, allowing the IS to start up using the Otto cycle before switching to the Atkinson cycle for better economy, resulting in official economy of 40.4mpg.

Lexus hasn’t managed to sort out prices or specs for the new IS 200t, but with order books opening in September it shouldn’t be long before they are available.