Dan Neil of the L.A. Times gave a very positive review to the new Lexus IS. His comments on the styling stood out to me:

Man, this is one frothy bit of styling. Even the taillight lenses have little meringue-like peaks whipped into them. The cat's-eye headlights are right off Grandma's nightstand. The dorsal contours plunge down the roof rails, onto the hood and into the bumper in the shape of a divining rod over an east Texas aquifer. The triangular fog-light apertures and bumper opening follow the same V-shaped contours, which ultimately has the effect of giving the car kind of a happy, slightly stoned grin. Heading aft, the rising shoulder lines leave the midsection of the car looking thick and slack below the windows and create something like an optical illusion: The rear wheels look smaller than the fronts.

Dan Neil's Review

My personal opinion is that the new IS is one of the best cars out there. Performance of the IS350 is hard to beat. Even the IS250 has adequate power. Though less powerful than the old IS300, the power that it has is easy to reach. and everything about the car is smooth. The interior appropriately befits a Lexus. The price is good for what you get. However, I still haven't warmed up to the styling.

It is a very attractive vehicle. I sat in one at the Auto Show. It feels bigger than the 3-Series or C-Class. It even feels bigger than the G35. It makes me think that the IS will continue to appeal to a different type of buyer. I don't see a lot of ES buyers switching over so I'm trying to figure out if Lexus will continue making the ES after the next generation or drop it entirely if the Avalon finally becomes a success for Toyota.

I'm sure I'll get dragged to the Lexus display at LAIAS, so I guess I could check it out...but I have never been a fan of Lexus. BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti...sure but not Lexus.

It is a very attractive vehicle. I sat in one at the Auto Show. It feels bigger than the 3-Series or C-Class. It even feels bigger than the G35. It makes me think that the IS will continue to appeal to a different type of buyer. I don't see a lot of ES buyers switching over so I'm trying to figure out if Lexus will continue making the ES after the next generation or drop it entirely if the Avalon finally becomes a success for Toyota.

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Hmmm.....I got into some of them and thought the exact opposite.....very tight and confining inside....far LESS interior room than the new 3-series....or a CTS....or a G35, etc.

However, I do like the styling and powertrains.....but I'm one of the few that would never buy one because I want a manual transmission in my sports sedan and shouldn't have to settle in the lower-powered version just to get one.

I'd get a 330i 6-speed, or a CTS 3.6L 6-speed, etc.....

It's good.....but I don't see it unseating the 3-series.....

Meh.... I don't think the styling is all that great. The entire package is okay, sure, I mean, after all it is a Lexi. But, that's all Toyota needs to be THE best manufacturer in the business is styling raves, so Dan Neil is obviously "Giving dues" and in the all important LA Times to beat all. Anyway, the lighting treatment is old news... GM has been doing detail lighting for a few years now (SSR, Lucerne is one of the more attractive, CTS, STS, XLR) and BMW has been doing it for a few GENERATIONS of their cars. As for the overall look of the car.... Just looks like a pissed off anime character to me; hardly as attractive as any european entries or american entries.

Nothing will unseat the 3. Its the Camry of the entry-lux world and so commonplace it lacks any novelty anymore. That's certainly accounts for some level of IS, CTS, and G35 sales.