The Lexus IS Still Won’t Die, Returning for 2027 with a Green Special Edition
tags:- After skirting death for the 2026 model year, the Lexus IS has managed to evade the reaper once again and will return with a 2027 model.
- For 2027, the sports sedan adds a special edition that comes with exclusive green paint, green stitching, and a suite of options to help it stand out.
- The special edition will be limited to 350 units for North America. Pricing won’t be announced until later, and the car should be on sale by the new year.
If an automaker replaces or updates all of the components of a car through three facelifts performed over 11 years, do you still have the same car? Or something new entirely? Does it matter if that car has never even gone on a single pilgrimage to Delos? In any event, whether the Lexus IS we have now is the same Lexus IS we had when the current generation launched in 2014 is moot. What’s important is that with sales rising in 2026, the IS has skirted death once again and will return for the 2027 model year.
Lexus is bringing the aged sports sedan back once again, and as with every year dating back to 2022, the automaker is giving the IS a limited-edition appearance package. For 2027, the special edition IS comes with an exclusive green paint called Envious, which is paired with black seats that are accented with green stitching. Every IS equipped with the appearance package will ride on a set of black 19-inch BBS wheels and come with the otherwise optional handling package. For rear-drive models, the handling package includes a Torsen limited-slip rear differential.
Starting with the 2026 model year, Lexus pared the IS lineup to remove the base IS300 and the V-8-equipped IS500, leaving the IS350 as the sole torchbearer. The switch means that every IS sold new comes equipped with a 311-hp 3.5-liter V-6 mated to either an eight-speed automatic transmission for rear-drive models or a six-speed automatic for all-wheel cars.
The special appearance package for the 2027 IS will be limited to just 350 units for North America. Lexus promises to reveal pricing information soon, and since the automaker announced that the new model year is expected to arrive by the start of 2027, we don’t expect we’ll have to wait too long.
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Jack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1.
After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf.