2025 Lexus IS 500 Ultimate Edition Reads Like a Swan Song For the V8
The Ultimate Edition will be limited to just 500 units for North America.
Time could be running out for the last naturally-aspirated, V8-powered sedan on these shores. Lexus on Monday revealed the 2025 IS 500 Ultimate Edition and, in the accompanied press release, referred to it as "an ode to this storied nameplate's history and legacy." Ruh roh.
Okay, first off: what makes this Ultimate? There's not a lot of change on the spec sheet for this year: the gloriously free-revving 5.0-liter still spits out 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Black, 19-inch wheels from BBS? Check, though they're matte here. There are unique six-piston Brembo brakes poking out from behind those spokes mind you, and at just shy of 15.0 inches up front (380 millimeters), they're larger than they've been before.
There is a new exterior hue: Wind, pictured above, though it's not dramatically different to the current Iridium.
Inside, the cabin gets a Circuit Red and black treatment with a combination of NuLuxe artificial leather and Ultrasuede. Now there are matching red seatbelts too, not to mention a badge marking this out as one of the 500. There are a handful of Ultimate Edition nods in the door scuff plates and even the digital portion of the instrument cluster. The tech suite, including the 10.3-inch central screen as well as the Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 suite of driver assists, is unchanged from last year.
Let's be real: if the IS 500 F Sport Performance disappeared at the end of this year, we wouldn't be surprised. It's been around for five model years now, and the semi-related RC F is already confirmed to be exiting stage left once 2025 is done. That just leaves the glorious LC coupe and convertible; still brilliant but also getting on a bit at this point.
For now, buyers will still have an opportunity to put the V8-powered bruiser in the garage. Lexus will build 500 of the IS Ultimate Edition for North America; stay tuned for more pricing details when the IS 500 arrives in dealers this autumn.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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