As you can see from the handy flow chart above, we're now at what you should do if your vehicle continues to accelerate rapidly after release of the accelerator pedal. Toyota tell us "this could be an indication of floor mat interference.," which is somewhat of an understatement. If this occurs, in addition to praying to your preferred deity, click "next" to see what Toyota recommends the driver do (The rest of the information below is is straight from Toyota — no added snark. Well, maybe just a little.).

Step One: If it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the vehicle. 

Step Two: If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle.

Photo Credit: Deeleea @ Flickr

Step Three:Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.
 
If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.

Step Three-Point-One:If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.

Step Three-Point-Two:If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.

Your Toyota or Lexus should now be stopped and fiery death avoided. Hooray!

Photo Credit: Billselak @ Flickr

More pictures and the full story at Cars.com.

The Lexus IS is a car which probably doesn't have the following it deserves. Call it the last remaining bastion of brand snobbery, but the Germans simply garner more respect and accolades in the sport sedan segment. While the IS sedan doesn't have the pedigree of a 3-series or a C-Class, it actually has a more sports-biased chassis than either, but it's still something of an also-ran largely because there was nothing in the convertible and coupe segments.

There's not a whole lot of structure in the IS Convertible in common with the IS sedan. The 'vert gets beefed up in nearly every way, with side sills 50% taller, cross-vehicle beams under the rear seats and behind the rear seatbacks, a heftier A-pillar and substantial cross bracing underneath, in total the car is actually two inches longer than the sedan and 340 Lbs heftier. Despite all the reinforcements, the folly of adapting a closed car chassis for convertible duty is apparent in a bit more open-top cowl shimmy over rough pavement than we'd expect in a Lexus product.

Despite the transition to the two-door layout and the additional weight, the chassis is still a peach, it's easy to toss into a corner and control with the throttle, easy to catch as it transitions to oversteer and a hoot to throw through sweeping switchbacks. Unlike the sedan, the additional grunt from the 306 HP 3.5-liter V6 is much appreciated over the smaller 2.5-liter with 204 HP mostly due to the additional weight. The steering wheel-mounted manual-override paddle shifters work, but they're pretty pointless unless you've got transmission control anxiety. The canned programming does an admirable job of predicting your intentions. We did enjoy the snappy stops delivered by the F-Sport package and its giant cross drilled brakes and more aggressive wheels and tires, they also bring a dash of excitement to the look of the car.

With the three-piece aluminum top closed, things are fairly solid, quiet and conservative, while being as luxurious as the segment demands. The front seats are unique to the convertible and feature a new, thinner frame to maximize rear legroom, but unless we're talking a full family of midgets there's only room enough for two up front and bags in the rear. The only reason you'll ever use the power forward folding seat option would be to access the back seat storage shelves. A neat new trick in the audio system is the option to stream music from Bluetooth equipped handheld devices. One of the few flaws we found was the LCD touch screen tends to get washed out a bit by the sun with the top down, otherwise everything from the leather to the most inconsequential switches are top notch. After the 20 seconds it takes to fold the tin top away, trunk space is a bit snug, with room for a single golf bag, in top-up mode the trunk is comparable to most large sedans.

Much like every other Lexus on the market, this new convertible doesn't really have any glaring faults. Unlike the sedan, the IS C is a competent grand tourer, but not a sports car. It may look the part, but the lack of a more rigid body relegates it to cruiser status. Most importantly, the IS Convertible is a raging deal for the segment. It starts at $38k and the fully-equipped $43k model is still cheaper than the base 3-series convertible.

The Lexus IS350 2GR-FSE V6 is an update to the previous 3.0 V6 found in the previous IS and with 306hp at 6400 rpm and 277 ft-lbs of torque at 4800 rpm, it's no slouch in the power production realm. This particular cutaway is rather nice for checking out those mile-long long intake runners.

Click here to return to the Top Five Pieces Of Hot Engine Porn At SAE

Project IS F by Five Axis

Following its stunning debut in 2007, the Five Axis Project IS F went back to the shop for another makeover, this time in the engine compartment. With 416 hp on tap right out of the box, the standard IS F is no slouch. But the Project IS F concept brief included exploring the performance potential of its direct-injected 5.0-liter V8, so it now sports 5.8 liters while receiving ported and flowed cylinder heads, a new exhaust system and changes to the electronic controls. The upshot is enough power and torque to put an evil grin on even the most jaded enthusiast’s face

IS 350 with F-Sport Accessories

The IS 250/350 is Lexus’ entry point into the luxury sport sedan arena. It’s a tuner-friendly and robust platform that responds extremely well to performance upgrades. This car is fully loaded with all the offerings from the F-Sport performance accessory catalog. It also sports a new concept ground-effects body kit designed to complement the increased performance and aggressive stance provided by the F-Sport components.

IS F by Fox Marketing/Artisan Performance

Fox Marketing and Artisan Performance teamed to create this subtle yet aggressive makeover of the already aggressive IS F. The subtle part involves the numerous bodywork changes, which enhance rather than rethink the lines of the IS F, making it look even more muscular in the process. ‘Aggressive’ can be applied to the engine which gets the full twin-turbo treatment. Fox expects the changes will yield something north of 600 horsepower.

IS F by Import Tuner Magazine/TEIN

Import Tuner Magazine and TEIN suspension company put their collective heads and expertise together to create an IS F that’s focused on track performance, while still remaining practical for the street. Weight reduction, added chassis stiffness, special suspension and big sticky tires take care of the corners, while a comprehensive nitrous system boosts the engine for bursts of overtaking power. Coming soon to a track near you.

IS F by 0-60 Magazine

With track performance a common theme among IS F builders, 0-60 Magazine ups the ante on their IS F project with a supercharger to tease out another load of horses from the big V8. Carbon fiber body components reduce weight while lowering the center of gravity and a custom roll cage adds stiffness and protection. A beefy brake-
upgrade kit was added to balance the performance equation.

IS F by MotorworldHype.com

MotorworldHype has taken another path that is a bit less aggressive, yet more easily accessible for the average consumer. Lots of carbon to reduce some unwanted mass and a well-rounded package of suspension, brake, engine and cosmetic changes provide sharper responses in all directions.

LX 570 by ICON 4x4 Design

ICON specializes in 4x4s that are typically off-road oriented. But they envisioned something different for the plush yet rugged LX 570. Their approach here is to give the LX a clean and stealthy appearance through clever use of colors and trim, then top with performance improvements to further enhance the appeal of Lexus’ premier luxury utility vehicle.

[Source: Lexus]

For one, the new IS will get new wheels, more colors and a revised stability control system for the introductory model. More important is the news that the Lexus IS convertible is closer to a reality as Lexus has apparently trademarked the names IS250C, IS300C and IS350C. While we hope C stands for Wagon, we're not holding our breath.

[My.IS, Motor Authority via Motive Forums]

...and that commenter is rkwadd, who put fellow commenter TampaRon in his place during the debate over the Lexus IS 350 with this:

Nothing like comparing apples to oranges to point out how bad the oranges are at being red. Stop comparing the BMW 330 with the Lexus IS 350. The match up should be BMW 330(6.7 seconds)/IS 250 (7.9 seconds). Your IS 350 is priced with the BMW 335. So your 5.6 seconds can suck the 335's 4.9 second dick.

#1
When you hit 75 mph, an orange ring lights up inside the speedometer. When you get close to redline, a red ring lights up inside the tachometer. And when you hit 100 mph, the once orange speedo ring glows red. Red on red, baby.

#2
With 3.5-liters pushing out 306 horses, this is a very quick car. Bloody fast? Not exactly, but that orange ring pops up more often than not.

#3
Needs a clutch pedal! Manumatics r 4 teh sUx.

#4
We dig the radar-guided cruise control as it makes long hauls quite effortless.

#5
With the sunroof there is no headroom, the steering wheel angle changes far too much as you raise the wheel, the seats offer no bolstering and the side mirrors are so massive that they create blind spots behind the A-pillars.

#6
When you shift into reverse, a backup camera turns on. And flashed across the bottom of the screen is, "Check Surroundings For Safety." Luckily if you get close to something it beeps, so you can yell, "No, you check surroundings for safety."

#7
Supposedly has air conditioned seats, but you would never know it. Even cranked all the way.

#8
The Mark Levinson 87 speaker, 97 billion watt stereo is worth its weight in gold. It simply sounds brilliant. The sparkling acoustics even delighted my iPod, which decided to pump out a fantastic shuffle list consisting of King Buzzo's solo album, the Fucking Champs, Cop Shoot Cop, Hella, Mastodon, Slayer, Killdozer, NoMeansNo, the Minutemen, Opeth and Teeth of the Lion Rule the Divine. Yes, we always listen to death metal when we roll in a Lexus.

#9
Only the legless and those prone to masochism need apply for entrance to the rear seats.

#10
The navigation system has the most utterly useless voice recognition system yet released. We said, "Thousand Oaks" and it activated fast food icons. In all fairness, that's pretty brilliant. Though when we said, "Handjob" it switched itself off.

#11
Strong, aggressive brakes. However, hard driving induces fade.

#12
You can disable the traction control, though we'd advise against it. While sublime in a straight line, corners are not the IS 350's forte. Especially considering those seats. Best to live and tell about it.

Why you should buy this car: It s faster than a BMW 330i and looks sharp enough to draw blood.

Why you shouldn t buy this car: Driving a 300-horse sports sedan without adequate chassis control or progressive brake feel is like dating a bulimic supermodel.

Suitability Parameters
· Speed Merchants: Yes
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: Yes
· Hairdressers: Yes
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: Yes
· Working Stiffs: No
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: Yes
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals
· Manufacturer: Lexus
· Model tested: IS 350
· Model year: 06
· Price as Tested: $35,440
· Engine type: 3.5-liter V6 DOHC 24 valve, VVT-i
· Horsepower: 306hp @ 6400 rpm
· Torque: 277 ft.-lbs. @ 4800 rpm
· Redline: 6600 rpm
· Wheels and Tires: 17 X 8 aluminum alloys, [optional] Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40YR18 (front) 255/40YR18 (rear)
· Drive type: rear wheel drive
· 0 - 60: 5.3 secs.
· 1/4 mile: 14.2 secs.
· Top speed: 142mph
· Fuel economy city/highway: 21/28
· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: NR

[by Robert Farago]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus IS 350, Part 1; Part 2 [internal]

Exterior Design ****
The Lexus IS reminds me of the Egyptian goddess Isis. More specifically, my mind casts back to the tale of Nephthys, a less immediately pronounceable Egyptian deity who was sexually frustrated with her husband Set. To seduce Set, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis. The plan didn t really pan out; Set was gay. Still, it kinda worked: Nephthys tricked Isis s husband Osiris into bed, begetting Anubis. In the same sense, the IS 350 is a sharp-looking car that s somehow not the real thing, but still manages to presage an Anubisian design aesthetic. Or something like that.

Acceleration *****
To quote my redneck neighbor, Yes sir, that dog will HUNT. The 3.5-liter V6 nestled in the baby Lexus Bangled snout may sound like a slightly more refined Pontiac Grand Am engine, but the Japanese mill churns out a class-leading 306hp and an equally bonkers 277 ft.-lbs. of twist. A brutality of thrust lingers underfoot, even without dipping into kickdown. It s a full second faster to everything than Bimmer s none-too-slow 330i.

Braking ***
A bit of a tough call this one. The IS 350 s brakes are ferocious, but you have to constantly modulate braking pressure to achieve consistent retardation. If not, well, I wouldn t be surprised to see an aggressive IS 350 driver sue Toyota for detaching his retinas.

Ride **
Another potentially controversial decision. On one hand, the IS 350 s rock-hard ride gives the sports sedan the control it needs to avoid proving ISaac Newton s insistence that two objects trying to occupy the same space at the same time leads directly to a high-priced body shop. On the other hand, wafters need not apply, and there's something distinctly anti-Lexian about that.

Handling ****
At eight or nine tenths, the IS 350 scoots around corners with confidence and brio. At ten tenths, everything goes pear-shaped: understeer, oversteer, lane hop, you name it. If you're prepared to switch off the IS 350 s electronic intervention — which is programmed to keep you well away from tententhsland — well, you re a braver driver than I, Gunga Hakkinen. In short, the IS 350 is a fast car, but not a driver s car (like you-know-who).

Gearbox **
The IS 350 s six-speed wants to change up faster than a lottery winner shopping for new digs. As there s so much torque in da house, that s not a bad thing in and of itself. But the autobox hyperkineticism prevents loping, which, again, is what some of us expect from a Lexus, at least occasionally.

Audio/Video ****
Fourteen speakers, 10-channel amp, loads of juice; man, this the joint is jumpin . The last star is withheld for the tiny, cheesing-feeling scan buttons, a CD loading system that requires a post-build instructional sticker and the lack of MP3itude.

Toys*****
The IS 350 gets the full astral whack for the wikkid red lights, which glow inside the tacho when approaching the redline.

Trunk ****
Plenty of space, but we re taking away a star cause the lid should glide open, not just sit there after a dull thud.

Overall: ****

[by Robert Farago]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus IS 350, Part 1 [internal]

Now THAT S what I m talking about. After having endured the illusory pleasures of helming The Emperor s New Luxury Car (the GS300), I was delighted to find myself behind the wheel of a truly distinctive automobile wearing the Lexus badge. Actually, the IS 350 is NOT what I was talking about: a Luftwaffteriffic luxobarge that makes you wonder why anyone would throw 300 large at Mercedes re-animated Nazi staff car. And by distinctive I mean barking mad. In fact, the IS 350 takes the Lexus brand, stretches it back a hundred yards or so, and then fires it straight at BMW s 330i Road Runner — with predictable results.

Who cares? Does it really matter that the baby Lexus can t hold an apex to Munich s highly evolved corner carver? The point here, the only point here, is that the 306-horse IS 350 is ALL OVER the Bimmer s straight line acceleration. How does zero to sixty in 5.3 seconds grab you? By the lapels; and then it throws you down the road whether you like it or not. For real. Not only is the IS tip-in more aggressive than GM s accountants, but the autobox doesn t know the meaning of the word amble. I swear I was stuck on some sheer ice with my foot planted on the brake and the IS rear wheels were still scrabbling for traction. This bad boy wants to GO.

When it does, man do you feel it. The Nissan Skyline GTR is the only unmodified car I know with a harder suspension. Let that settle into your consciousness for a second: a Lexus with a rock hard ride. Huh. But hey, it makes sense. With an engine this hot to trot, Toyota had to tie its 3-fighter down within an inch of its life or face the prospect of drivers losing theirs. Ditto the IS 350 s brakes. Their trick high-friction front pads snatch like a spoiled two-year-old, yet provide the kind of stopping power usually reserved for large caliber handguns.

Which reminds me: the hard-chargin' white dudes in the mainstream motoring press have continually slated the IS 350 for its intrusive handling Nanny. Well duh. When you thrash the IS 350 to the ragged edge — which is simply a matter of forgetting to slow down — she hops, skips, jumps, twists and turns like a colt struggling to get out of a horse box. While most electronic interventions attempt to pull you back from the brink, this one, sensibly enough, tries to stop you going there in the first place.

As for the looks of the thing, there's more than a little Maserati in the profile, along with the usual nose-heavy proportions peculiar to the four-door pocket rocket genre. Inside the IS 350 s cabin, it s all very worthy, except for the same old grey Toyota plastic dash surround and the gorgeous gauges, complete with a ring of red lights within the tacho that lights up when you drop the hammer. Now that IS clever.

Which still doesn t answer the question: why would anyone opt for a hard-riding, hopped-up mini-Lexus instead of a more accomplished, performer from the House of BMW, Audi< Mercedes or even Acura? It sure isn t the sandpaper sound of Lexus s mill, or the fluency of its handling over broken pavement. I suppose the only plausible excuse is that you want a raw yet leather-lined hot rod that doesn t break and earns you respect down at the gym, serviced from a dealer who knows how to kiss ass. Talk about niche marketing. [by Robert Farago]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Lexus GS 300, Part 1 [internal]

With the 2006 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 models starting to trickle into dealerships, and a new ad campaign already foaming at the airwaves, the company has launched a microsite to promote the new-generation models. We've yet to see any ISs at our local dealership, but we're assured they're on the way. In the mean time, there's a whole mess of zeros and ones to check out.

The New IS [Lexus]

Related:
Lexus Announces Pricing for 2006 IS 250 and IS 350 [internal]

The all-new entry Lexus will hit showrooms in two days, and the Toyota division is finally talking price. The IS 250 gets about as close to $30,000 as you can get and still have enough for a pack of smokes (and a box of Tic Tacs). MSRP for the IS starts at $29,990 (rear-wheel drive, six-speed manual); $31,160 with sequential autobox and paddle shifters; $34,285 for all-wheel drive. The 306hp IS 350, touted as "the fastest sport sedan in the near luxury car segment" (they're talking zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds) starts at $35,440. Read the entire press release here

Related:
Geneva Preview: Lexus IS 250 [internal]