Most people never would have thought that Lexus would build a sportive car. But in 2006 rumours in the automotive world about a powerful and sportive model of the Lexus IS started circulating. Now we are three years further and the Lexus IS-F is discribed as a superb competitor for the big names in the industry. Time for us to get behind the wheel of this Japanese car.
The last couple of years Lexus is turning more and more into a brand that also produces sportive cars. We hope to welcome the sportive LF-A in 2010 and who knows maybe Lexus has some more goodies in the pipeline. This Lexus sportssedan, the IS-F, was introduced early 2008. Now we had the change to see what this car is all about.
The car is born on a track, the Fuji Speedway, in Japan. Here the car was also raised and developed. The logo of the F-series even contains some of the famous corners of this track. With this car Lexus hoped to have an anwser to some of the big brands in Europe and the United States.
There are quite some competitors on the market which try to give the IS-F a hard time. German car brands are in quite a big battle for the best supersedan. Mercedes-Benz with the C63 AMG, Audi is working on a new RS4 and BMW offers the sportive BMW M3 in sedan trim. Not to forget the impressive outsider, the Cadillac CTS-V which has 550 bhp. A whole lot more than the IS-F. The main competitors are the Germans with their cars that are close to perfect. Lexus must have made a superb car with this IS-F if they want to be able to compete with these European cars.
Let's start with the looks of the IS-F. The car that we’ve driven is black metallic with dark gray rims. A big feature of this car is that it doesn’t really state that it is a fast car. It isn’t a real wolf in sheeps clothing but it is a car that blends into the crowd. True car enthusiasts will see that it is a though car and not the normal car you spot almost every day. On the front you see wider fenders and huge holes in the front bumper for the needed cooling of the V8. When you look at the side it is even harder to spot that it is a IS-F, you can only see the wider sideskirts and airvents that will tell you something. The back of the car has some big exhaust and a big rear bumper.
The five liter V8 in the Lexus is a wonderful smouth engine with which you can cruise along or drive really fast. With 423 bhp and 505 Nm you can get along quite well on the Dutch roads, nor on the track. With a limited topspeed of 270 km/h you can’t complain. The engine is also capable of high cornering speeds. By high placed oil pumps and an extra fuel tank near the engine you can go fast through corners without losing any power.
The handling of the car is absolutely fantastic. The ease with which you can cruise over the Autobahn in eight gear, or revving high in the first couple of gears searching for the power that this IS-F is capable of. The eight speed automatic gearbox is extremely fast, it changes gear in just 0.1 seconds. When you are driving about 120 km/h over the highway the engine is really silent and only doing about 1,500 rpm in eight gear. Overtaking is no problem at all, the engine is powerful enough to overtake someone, or the automatic gearbox will shift back a gear or two. This just depends on how deep you put your foot down.
When you leave the highway and start driving across country roads. In the IS-F it is a must to activate the sportmode and put the gearbox in 'M' mode. Nothing better than shifting manualy in the IS-F. It's the huge roar above 3,600 rpm that constantly pushes you to push the throttle even further down in this sedan, very addictive! How heavenly and quiet it sounds beneath 3,600 rpm, the more dark and diabolic it sounds above 4,000 rpm. The true nature of the IS-F shows itself then and it shouts about it! Constantly asking for more throttle , the next gear, brake, shift down and all that with a little dot of gas between the gears! This car is a lot of fun!
The road-holding of the car is perfect. Thanks to the VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) it is easy to feel the cars limits. The VDIM is one big network of safety devices. Everything communicates with each other to acheive perfect balance. In the normal mode the VDIM reacts to skids immediately. But if you want to drive more sporty you can activate the sport mode, This button is not positioned quite logicaly, right behind the steering wheel. With this the throttle response, steering and wheel framework is sharpened. For the real drivers, the VDIM can be switched of completely. Drifting should be no problem then.
The interior of the IS-F is nicely finished. The seats are adjustable in eight ways and hug and support your body perfectly. Sitting in the rear seat isn't a punnishment either. The rear seat is formed in such a way that you don't start sliding all over the place when you come across a corner. The multimedia system is nice too, especially the touch screen. No complicated buttons but just touching the screen is enough and it is easy to find your way in the different menus.
Lexus created a fine competitor for the BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG and the comming RS4. With a price of €104,000 it is one of the best in this line. For that amount of money you get an almost full option car! There are only three more options to choose from when you order an IS-F, an electonical glass panoramic roof, pre-crash system and the adaptive cruise control and as a last one the metallic paint. If handling is put into the picture you can position the IS-F right in between the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The C63 AMG is a little more comfortable and the M3 a tad more sporty. Now we only have to wait for Audi. With this first model the F-department at Lexus put a big step in the right direction for the future!
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