Lexus IS F Ultimate Test: Complete three-part review

DESIGN
When the first Lexus appeared in 1989, the company's design language could best be described as, "Mercedes-Benz S-Class." It was easy to understand the reason why as the company had zero design heritage and a clearly defined target. Over the following years, Toyota's luxury division continued trying to define itself with mixed success. The Lexus SC400 of 1992 began to establish a Lexus look, but this "look" wasn't very clearly defined throughout the model range.

Fast forward to present day and we find a Lexus division that has clearly found itself – from a design standpoint. With the U.S. introduction of the IS 300 in 2000, the division delivered arguably the best designed, most clearly defined Lexus. Now, with the F version of the IS, the company continues to build on that success with a more aggressive and athletic look.

Taking the very well established formula of turning an everyday sedan into an autobahn terrorizing machine - thanks BMW M division - the IS F uses the base IS as a starting point and then fills it to the brim with 19" wheels, a wider front and rear track, new front and rear bumpers, and a heat-extracting side vent that runs into the rocker panel. There is also a new hood that surely proved to be the toughest challenge for the Lexus design team. Looking as if it just came back from a fight with an M3, the hood is swollen toward its leading edge in order to accept the taller LS-sourced V8 engine. The design team deserves credit here for tricking our eyes through the clever use of fading hood lines that do a decent job of disguising its larger profile. The transformation is completed with a small trunk spoiler and lastly, a controversial set of stacked exhaust outlets that seem to be a future performance-Lexus design element - although I hope not, as the look is more cheesy than sporting.

The only other slightly unsuccessful element in my opinion is the side vent. It starts out nicely, blending into the front fender with a simple part-line. But then it drops into the rocker panel a bit too far before it kinks up to run down to the rear wheel opening. It's supposed to add a dynamic element, but it appears weak as there isn’t enough surface below the crease line right at the kink. It looks more like an aftermarket add-on rather than a clean factory-designed piece. As its first foray into the performance sedan segment however, we can forgive Lexus a fault here and there. And to be fair, these are highly subjective design elements - what doesn't work for me, may work for you.

Overall, this new Lexus makes a strong, and successful, statement about the company's design language. There is beautiful sculpting of surfaces around the front air intakes that is similar to what we'll see in the upcoming LF A supercar. The DLO - which stands for day light opening and is design-speak for the side window graphics - is sporting in its low profile and overall shape. And the cars thick body side and short greenhouse give it an aggressive proportion that makes some of the other cars in this class look dated.

Lexus is definitely on to something here - creating its design heritage right before our eyes. And whether you love it or hate it - at least you will no longer be mistaking a Lexus for one of those cars with the three-pointed star on its hood.

INTERIOR & USER EXPERIENCE
Let's play a little word association. When you hear "Lexus" what do you think of? I suspect most people think of luxury, comfort, and quality - and for good reason. When it comes to smooth riding, road-isolating interiors with amazing build quality, Lexus is the envy of most car companies. That reputation is well established and began with the first ever Lexus flagship, the LS.

Now those same guys that brought us the LS, bring us a new kind of Lexus, the IS F. While not your traditional Lexus, the IS F keeps that hard-earned reputation intact with solid build quality and premium materials throughout.

Representing the company's first foray into the luxury-performance segment, the IS F must have presented a tough challenge for the marketing people at Lexus. As a company that has previously marketed its cars as among the quietest, the sound level of the exhaust alone probably caused many hours of meetings and discussion. But whatever headaches the IS F may have caused its creators weren't in vain, the car's interior strikes a near perfect balance between performance and luxury.

Let's start with the sound emanating from the IS F's V8 engine. Perfectly judged, there's a low rumble when you're just cruising along. But then you introduce the throttle to the floor mat and the thing turns into a beast. The subtle V8 noise changes into a deep throaty roar of intake and exhaust music that will have you slowing down just to speed up again… repeatedly. The transformation is mostly the work of the dual-geometry intake manifold that transitions between Lexus-luxury and Lexus-Racing at around 3600 rpm.

The build quality of the interior is without fault – as you'd expect in a Lexus. Doors thunk, switchgear has a substantial feel, and the materials are all of a high quality. Well, almost all of the materials.

The one exception - the glittery carbon-fiber looking trim on the center console and doors - looks like it came straight from aisle 3 at PepBoys. Not good. I imagine Lexus was after something similar to the turned-alloy found in Bentley's Continental GT Speed, but the Lexus material looks far too cheap to my eye and isn't consistent with the car's overall interior quality. It does offer some much-needed contrast to the dark interior and I will say at night, with the LED indirect lighting, it does look better, but mainly because you can't see it.

By far my favorite feature of the interior, the Mark Levinson Audio System, is simply awesome. At nearly $4000 when grouped with the navigation system, it is pricey. But if you slide in your favorite CD and crank it up, you'll probably check that option box regardless of price. Audiophiles will not be disappointed.

On the comfort side of the equation the front seats are the place to be. Once again, there's a great balance of sport and luxury, the seats being both supportive during cornering, and comfortable when just cruising along. The back seats on the other hand aren't quite as accommodating, although just like the fronts, they look great with subtle blue stitching and perforated inserts showing a hint of Lexus "F" blue. It's a nice touch that I would have loved to see more of, as the interior is otherwise too dark.

Lastly, Lexus shows some of it's racing cred by placing the paddle shifters for its excellent eight-speed gearbox on the steering wheel where they belong - just a finger tip away. They work well with an excellent action. And each time you pull back on one of 'em in manual mode, the instrument panel shows the selected gear front and center.

The interior of the Lexus IS F is well judged. It doesn't betray its luxury car roots just to play sports sedan. There is equal measure of both here, with the slant towards sport - as it should be. The design isn't very inspiring, especially in our test car's all black, but it is very functional and the build quality is exceptional, leaving you with little doubt that you're in a Lexus.

PERFORMANCE
The walk-off homerun. It's the baseball term for a game-ending, crack of the bat that sends the ball flying over the fence for a score. So you're thinking, "that's great, but what does baseball have to do with cars?" Well, this is a road test of the new IS F, a car Lexus hopes will be the equivalent of a game-winning home run against its main rivals: the BMW M3, and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Representing the bat and stuffed under the IS F's swollen hood is a five-liter, 416 hp V-8, with variable valve timing and two separate fuel delivery systems, that can move this car from a standstill to 60 mph in just under 4.5 seconds. That's enough juice to see off the last generation M3 and AMG C-Class, but let's not forget that these two competitors have gone back and improved their bull-pens considerably.

The IS F is the first Lexus to wear the company's "F" moniker, which stands for Fuji Speedway, where Yukihiko Yaguchi, the car's one-man development team, did his testing, but could just as easily stand for “Fast” or "Ferocious" or... well, you get the point. This thing just pulls, and pulls, and pulls. No shortage of power then.

On the braking front, the IS F uses massive six-piston calipers up front clamping down on 14.2 inch vented and drilled rotors. We were able to get the brakes grumbling a bit after repeated abuse on mountain roads, but they never lost their effectiveness. So just like the "go" there is plenty of "whoa" on tap here.

The biggest dynamic surprise with the hot-rod Lexus however, has to be its handling. The king in this category has always been the BMW M3, the current version of which is some 200 lbs. lighter than the IS F. So you wouldn't expect the Lexus to be in the same league as the M3. But it did impressively well through the squiggly bits, lacking only one ingredient that is essential to carving corners - a limited slip differential. By way of substitute batters, Lexus packs the team with acronym players: ABS, BA (Brake Assist), EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), TRAC (traction control), VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) and an overall hitting coach/manager VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) that includes the power hitter's engine torque. None of which feels like getting it sideways and having some fun.

The IS F almost makes up for this omission by providing an environment that is still very Lexus-like when you're not driving it like it's stolen. It's a harsher ride than you'd expect from anything else with that "L" badge, there is a 90 percent increase in the original IS roll stiffness and damping, but it's perfectly acceptable given its handling performance.

By far my favorite aspect of the IS F however - and I can't believe I'm about to say this - is the automatic transmission. Not because it has eight gears - because in truth that's one or two too many - but because it's the closest thing to a dual personality gearbox currently available. Forget the sequential manuals. They're great in manual mode, but bad in auto mode. The dual clutch systems are better, playin' automatic very convincingly, but they disappoint in manual mode with a less-than-smooth getaway. The IS F gearbox utilizes its torque converter straight off the line for smoothness, and then locks out second through eighth gears to feel like a true manual. And its shifts in manual mode are amazingly quick, with an audible "beeeep" alerting you to pull the paddle back just before you tap into the rev limiter - very cool. This is truly one of the best gearboxes in the world.

So back to the question at hand, does the IS F score that game-winning run?

At the risk of being accused of copping out, I'll say that we're looking at extra innings here. The IS F is potentially a better street-car than the M3, allowing you to drive it like a Lexus, or like… well, almost like an M3. And while it doesn't quite match the M3 move for move when you're getting after it, it is a worthy competitor, offering a wider range from luxury to sport - at least until the next inning, when BMW pitches its M-DCT dual clutch transmission at us later this year.

Watch the video

Lexus IS F

Performance
- Acceleration: Supercar rivaling stats - ridiculously cool intake and exhaust noise
- Handling: Surprisingly stiff-riding for a Lexus, but it pays off - lack of limited-slip differential unforgivable
- Braking: Very vocal about being abused, but effective at all times

Design
- Exterior: Aggressive without going overboard - lose the silly exhaust and the played-out dark wheels
- Interior: Very dark - dash surfaces not very well defined - carbon-weave from PepBoys - not very Lexus-like

Utility
- Comfort: Decent compromise between sport and luxury - great seats... in the front anyway
- Space: BMW and M-B give you more

Safety
- Dynamics: Impressively agile - defeatable stability control - still needs a limited slip though
- Technology: It's a Lexus as you'd expect - it's all here

Value
- Price: A lot of car for the money, but it is a lot of money
- Mileage: eight-speed gearbox helps tremendously

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: First Japanese super-sedan - you just have to drive it
- Fun to spank: Accelerates like a scolded dog - did I mention it's lacking a limited-slip diff though?

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Rear wheel drive
Engine: 5.0 liter, DOHC V8
Power (SAE): 416 hp @ 6600 rpm
Torque: 371 lbs-ft @ 5200 rpm
Redline: 6800 rpm
Gearbox: 8 speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3780 lbs.
0-60 mph: 4.2 sec.
1/4 mile: 12.7 sec.
Top Speed: 170 mph (electronically limited)
Mileage: 16 city / 23 highway
Base Price: $56,765
Competitors: BMW M3 (sedan), Mercedes-Benz C63