Lexus IS F 2008 review.
So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it’s not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below.
So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it’s not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below.
I left out curb weight and 0-60 times because no one can agree, but the results are constant: the M is lightest, Lexus in the middle, Mercedes the heaviest. To sixty, the AMG rocks it first, the BMW usually gets the second-place nod or tie, then the Lexus, all of which do the do in under 5 seconds.
However, the story of the IS F isn’t truly about this first set of numbers, and everyone knows it — Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and you, too. Why? Because we all know that anyone who says they want to straight up outperform an M or AMG… doesn’t want a Lexus.
In fact, the comparisons of all of these cars are slightly disingenuous. Until the C 63, people didn’t really buy AMGs to compete with M3s — they bought them because they liked Mercedes and AMG made the hottest version of the car they liked. Let’s face it: anyone who bought an E55 thinking they’d beat an M5 on a road with at least one tight turn didn’t really want an E55. This is about brand, and the question is whether people have been wanting to buy a really hot Lexus and couldn’t do it before the IS F growled on scene.
We’ll start with this: the Lexus is a good car.
I’ll go even further: for what it is, and where it’s come from, it is a very good car — and that is not an insult or an attempt to make excuses. This car comes from the luxury division of a company that has never fully translated its motorsports prowess to its customer cars, is the the brainchild of one man and his revolving, cobbled-together team working on its days off, and started with the plain jane customer car that wasn’t pre-engineered for this. With all that, it’s simply unfair to expect the IS F to take on the decades-long, company-wide might of the M3, or the C 63 AMG, which is a completely different car from the A-pillar forward than the regular C-Class. Even Lexus shouldn’t do it.
Nevertheless, just to make sure you know where I stand, even in the group it’s a very good car, and not out of place in such company. And if you want one or you’re thinking about buying one, you should go check it out.
One thing Lexus did not do is remove the Lexus and replace it with racer; they added the racer to their brand values. I’ll admit I’m not smitten with the styling, but I’ll also say the car looks better in silver or black or burgundy. Anything but the blue. Something about the blue just makes it… bulge.
Inside, it’s still all Lexus all the time. There’s plenty of quiet comfort in the beautifully finished seats that are as comfortable as they are supportive, even on track. The white carbon fiber on the center console is a very nice touch. The gauges are typical Lexus, easily readable, electroluminescent gems. Around town, the car rode just like I wanted it to: stiff enough to let me know I was driving, compliant enough even over uneven pavement and bumps not to make me wish the drive were finished. All of this means, though, that we’re talking about just another Lexus. And that’s not the point of the IS F.
If we hadn’t all seen the car already, I would challenge anyone to give this car a pasting around the track and figure out it’s a Lexus. First is the sound: that quad-tailpipe arrangement is also a bit much for me, but the sound that comes out of it soothing to the racer’s soul. The car sounds terrific on the overrun, and there was one particular corner on the track I looked forward every time just to hear throttle blip for downshifts. Hit the gas, and it’s all go and all noise. Hit the paddle shifter in manual mode, and that .1-second shift offers you nothing but a continuous run of power. Steering feel is good. There could be more, but I never wondered where the wheels were or what they were encountering.
The brakes are fantastic, worthy of the name “anchors,” and do not take a vacation no matter what the workload. Go into a corner not a little, but a lot too hot, and you know you’ve got outrageous stopping power and, depending on the settings you chose, a gracious and understanding nanny to guide you through an ugly racing line. If you rear-end someone in this car, it’s because you didn’t hit the brake pedal until your bumpers were touching.
Speaking of that nanny, even with the traction control completely off, the car doesn’t all of a sudden lose its mind, predictably throwing its weight around and scooching its tail out. If you end up in the gravel, it won’t be a surprise. The verdict: the car is good for a day — and I mean a full day —of fun at the track, and you can have your Verdi on the Mark Levinson system while you do it. Lexus: mission accomplished.
At least, with this first car. When I said that this car isn’t about the first set of numbers, I was referring to this first Lexus IS F. If the next generation IS F is planned and engineered with the F version in mind, and the IS F gets the full weight of the company behind it, then it’ll be fair to lock it in a room with the C63 and M3, turn out the lights, listen to the ruckus, and wait to see who drives out.
I like the car, but I think it has one hurdle and two huge problems. The hurdle is brand image. When the original LS rode silently into the luxury picture, it was something unseen, like it had emerged from the SG-1 vortex, and people got a look at the alien and exclaimed “Gadzooks! What luxury and what a price!” The IS F expands the boundaries of what you think of when “Lexus” comes up in the word association game, but it doesn’t elicit a “Go get Nelly and tell her I said whoa!” I can see it appealing to folks who’ve wanted a hotter Lexus. But to attract the conquest buyer, does the IS F speak to whatever might be missing from the M3 or C63 AMG? I don’t know.
The two huge problems are the prices of the M3 and the C63, both of which are cheaper than the Lexus. (That’s why I haven’t mentioned the RS4, which is $10K more expensive and at the end of its run.) The C63 is $53,800, the M3 sedan is not quite $1,000 more. In this section of the market, are enthusiasts ready to pay more money for an unproven, unpedigreed car that doesn’t shellac the competition? Even if it is very good? That sounds like a big ask to me.
But it’s Lexus. And the game has only begun. Which means it’s certain we haven’t begun to see Lexus take the fight to this market. Continue reading below to find out everything you ever wanted to know about the Lexus IS F.