Back in early August 2005, Germany's
Auto Motor und Sport broke the story that Lexus was planning a smaller-than-IS model, a 4-door hatchback labeled the Lexus BS. Their original article vaguely predicted 4 or 6-cylinder gasoline engines as well as a turbodiesel, all-wheel-drive and hybrid options and a launch date no sooner than the end of 2008.
Our initial inclination was to dismiss this story as wishful thinking or a far-flung rumo(u)r of shaky credibility. Then came another brief story (more of a short blurb, actually), containing more concrete information, from Germany's Automobilwoche, which is a German-language automotive industry periodical from the publishers of AutoWeek, Automotive News and Automotive News Europe. An English translation first appeared on the Just-Auto.com website and then spread throughout the Internet. Here's how it reads: "Lexus will launch a small car to compete with the BMW 1-series and Audi A3 Sportback in Europe from 2008, reported Automobilwoche. The Lexus BS will be based on the IS250 platform. At launch, engines will be a 2.5 litre V6 with 208 horsepower, and a 177 horsepower diesel with D-Cat technology (the IS250 and IS220d powerplants - Ed.), the newspaper said. A three litre six cylinder, 250 horsepower engine (the 3rd-gen GS300 engine - Ed.), and a hybrid version, will follow at a later date."
The old cliché expression "where there's smoke, there's fire" comes to mind in the face of this second report. In the rest of this article, we'll attempt to indulge in intelligent conjecture and analysis in predicting what to expect from the new "baby Lexus".
Entry-level luxury cars keep getting smaller
In the United States, the premium compact car segment is rather compact (pun intended). The first car that pops into many people's minds is the MINI, whose success in the U.S. has definitely exceeded parent company BMW's expectations. Following shortly on its heels was the Volvo S40/V50 (whose U.S. sales have been below expectations) and the Saab 9-2X, a North America-only gussied-up Subaru Impreza wagon that's been an outright sales failure, and whose future is hanging in the balance. Currently, however, all eyes in the U.S. are on the only other compact premium car sold here: the Audi A3. It seemingly got off to a strong start here in the States, but with its larger A4 sibling getting subsidized lease rates that make it cheaper than the A3, and A3 V6 Quattro S-Line prices firmly in Lexus IS350 territory, it's anybody's guess how long this success will last.
Once you cross the border into the Great White North, you find that our Canadian neighbo(u)rs get a couple of choices in this segment that we miss out on south of the border. The first of these is the Acura CSX (formerly Acura EL), essentially a Honda Civic with a different grille and lights, a leather interior and a slightly larger engine. The second of these is the more intriguing Mercedes-Benz B-Class. This is a FWD, transverse-engined tall 4-door hatchback with a "sandwich", two-level flat floor that looks like a VERY shrunken Mercedes R-Class. In Canada, it comes with a 2-liter engine in naturally-aspirated or turbo guises.
Cross the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and you'll find all the aforementioned choices available to you (except the Saabaru and the Acura), plus the tasty Alfa Romeo 147, a couple of entries from the "Italian Buick" (Lancia) and, surprisingly, a Cadillac. In much the same way that their U.S. entry-level CTS is actually larger than its BMW 3-Series and Lexus IS rivals, Cadillac's Europe-only BLS is not a small hatchback, but rather, a facelifted Saab 9-3.
BMW - the usual suspect
A review of the previous paragraphs reveals a couple of things. The first one is that all the cars previously mentioned are Front Wheel Drive platforms, or FWD "adapted" to AWD in a couple of instances. Also, the alert car enthusiasts might by now be banging on the computer screen and screaming "What about the BMW 1-Series? Why haven't you mentioned it at all? Your Just-auto.com quote mentioned it, for heaven's sake!" Relax, folks. This was done deliberately, for the BMW 1-Series is currently the only Rear Wheel Drive platform in this segment. If the rumo(u)rs are correct, the second will be the Lexus BS. As such, and given that the BMW 1-Series sits on a shrunken version of the 3-Series platform (much like the IS platform will be cut down to create the BS), the smallest BMW deserves its own separate, more detailed section of this article.
To ensure that we're truly comparing apples with apples, we visited the BMW United Kingdom site, this being the ideal choice because of the language and the fact that the 1-Series is sold there. Then comes the task of comparing 1 and 3-Series models as equivalent as possible. Our urge, naturally, was to go for the 130i M Sport and 330i M Sport models, the speed demon's top choices. A look at the spec sheet, however, tells us that the 130i M Sport produces 7 more hp than the 330i M Sport (265 hp for the 130i, 258 hp for the 330i), thus skewing the comparison. What we'll compare, then, are the 120i M Sport and 320i M Sport sedan models, both powered by a 150-hp, 2-liter 4-cylinder engine.
Wheelbase
2660mm / 104.7" for the 1-Series
2760mm / 108.7" for the 3-Series
Reduction for the 1-Series: 100mm / 4"
Overall Length
4227mm / 166.4" for the 1-Series
4520mm / 178" for the 3-Series
Reduction for the 1-Series: 293mm / 11.6"
Overall Width
1751mm / 68.9" for the 1-Series
1817mm / 71.5" for the 3-Series
Reduction for the 1-Series: 66mm / 2.6"
Overall Height
1430mm / 56.3" for the 1-Series
1421mm / 55.9" for the 3-Series
Increase for the 1-Series: 9mm / 0.4"
Luggage Capacity (rear seat up)
330 liters / 11.7 cubic feet for the 1-Series
460 liters / 16.2 cubic feet for the 3-Series
(Note: The above figure sounds suspiciously high, but it's what's listed in the BMW International webside - Ed.)
Reduction for the 1-Series: 130 liters / 4.5 cubic feet
Curb Weight
1335 kg / 2943 lbs for the 1-Series (manual)
1435 kg / 3163 lbs for the 3-Series (manual)
Reduction for the 1-Series: 100 kg / 220 lbs
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) (manual transmission)
8.7 seconds for the 1-Series
9 seconds for the 3-Series
The 1-Series is 0.3 seconds faster
Acceleration 50-75 mph in 4th gear (manual transmission)
8.4 seconds for the 1-Series
9.1 seconds for the 3-Series
The 1-Series is 0.7 seconds faster
Fuel Economy
Identical for both models. We won't discuss numbers here, because the figures are in Imperial miles per gallon, which are different from those in the United States. The fuel tank on the 1-Series, however, is 13 liters (3.4 US Gallons) smaller.
BMW (as well as its MINI division) has the VERY maddening and frustrating habit of not releasing legroom figures for its cars. An almost 2-hour search of the Internet turned up empty. We'll just go with British automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson's comments: "...thanks to the prop shaft and all the other rear-wheel-drive gubbins, there is no space in the back. And I don’t mean that legroom is limited. I mean there is absolutely none at all."
BS - that name's got to go
As Edmunds' Inside Line so correctly noted at the end of their Lexus BS article, "Someone ought to tell them what "BS" means before they name the car!" Perhaps the fact that the odds are against this small Lexus being sold in the U.S. market makes them complacent about the meaning of those initials. On the other hand, it most likely will be sold in other English-speaking countries (such as Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and, possibly, India and Canada) where "BS" has the same connotation as in the U.S. It is most likely that, in Lexus Japan's mind, the "B" refers to international car size segments where this would be a "B"-class car (Indeed, that's precisely the name chosen by Mercedes-Benz, and probably on purpose, for its second-smallest model). Except for one basic fact, however: The Mercedes B-Class, the BMW 130i and the Lexus BS are really "C" class cars! Let us explain: According to Wikipedia, B-class cars are between 3630 and 4109 mm long (142.9"-161.79"). They list the VW Polo and Opel Corsa as B-segment cars. Using examples more familiar to North Americans, the MINI is right on the dividing line between the smaller A-class and the B-class, and the Chevy Aveo 5-door and Scion xA are examples of B-segment cars. The next size segment up (C-class) consists of cars between 4110 and 4449 mm long (161.8"-175.1"). With the BMW 1-Series at 4227mm/166.4", the Mercedes B-Class at 4270mm/168.1" and the Audi A3 at 4234mm/166.7" all falling squarely within that size segment, there seems to be no rationale for the BS name.
What to call it, then? A number of my.IS members have suggested the Lexus CS name (for Compact Sport). This is a sensible possibility, given that it's really a C-segment car. Another possibility is Lexus HS. The rationale behind this is twofold: the "H" would stand for "hatchback" (in English) or its French translation: hayon; and the letter "H" precedes "I" in the alphabet, much as the Lexus HS would be the Lexus IS' baby brother.
When will we see it?
Given that the small Lexus hatchback would be an adventurous and risky move downmarket (not to mention the poor sales of its larger spiritual predecessor, the Lexus IS300 SportCross), Lexus will surely "test the waters" with an LF-B concept (the LF-C moniker won't be used, to avoid confusion with the IS convertible coupe predictor of the same name, and LF-H would make people think hybrid powertrain). And, given the Euro-centric nature of this model, the concept debut would happen at either the 2006 Geneva Auto Show in early March, the 2006 Paris Auto Show in late September or the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. The following major shows for 2007 (Frankfurt and Tokyo in the Fall) could well see the production version.
Here's hoping that this model lives up to its potential as a smaller, 220-lb lighter Lexus IS and that the compact entry-luxury segment becomes popular enough to see it sold in North America. Tony and Steve, do we have the makings of another website?
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