The 2026 Lexus IS Removes One Of The Brand’s Coolest Gimmicks

Against all signs and odds, Lexus is giving its well-aged IS sedan yet another lease on life with the heavily updated 2026 model. There’s a new front end, a revamped interior, new wheels, revised dampers and steering, and it’s now only available as an IS 350—yes, pour one out for the V8 IS 500. But I’d like to take some time to mourn an aspect of the old IS that’s a little less loud: the sliding tachometer.

First seen in the now-legendary LFA supercar in 2009, it was a circular tach screen that appeared to slide to the side at the press of a button, revealing a secondary menu. Throughout the 2010s, it trickled down to the brand’s more pedestrian cars, starting with F Sport versions of the 2014 IS. It was a unique, theatrical UI touch that most owners and reviewers found a little superfluous but ultimately delightful—I used to own a 2016 IS 350 with this, and it was, as silly as it sounds, one of my favorite parts of the car.

Here’s a video of it in action:

F Sport versions of the 2025 IS still had this, but with the big 2026 rework, it’s been replaced by a plain, bezel-less instrument screen that looks like this:

And since the RC is no longer being made, the only Lexus, by my count, that still has the sliding tach is the LC 500. A fantastic vehicle by all accounts, but also one that starts at $100,000 and almost nobody buys. This means that among the brand’s cars that most normal people actually get, the sliding tach is donezo.

Perhaps now, then, would be a good time to let you in on a little-known fact about how this thing actually works. The mechanically inclined (or Lexus techs) among you will probably have already suspected this, but it’s mostly smoke and mirrors. It may look like a separate tach screen sliding on top of another screen behind it, but in reality, it’s all just one screen—the only thing that slides is the circular silver bezel, and the tach graphic behind it simply follows along. The easiest way to understand what’s happening here is to see it when it has malfunctioned:

I’ve admittedly been sitting on this fact for years now, but opted against blowing up Lexus’ spot until now, basically for the same reason I don’t go around in public yelling about how Santa isn’t real. Now that Santa has mostly retired, though, I thought it was time we all knew.

So, there you have it. One of Lexus’ coolest party tricks really was just a trick all along. But it’s one I’m still sad to see officially, finally go away in all but its most expensive car.

Topshot: Author