And of course it's an IS-F review from our bloody UK cousins.

"The V8-powered IS-F is the most outrageous motor Lexus has ever built. It’s blindingly quick and roars like an exotic Italian sportster. But it still looks like an IS and, while it’s fun on the track, it’s not yet proven on road. Nor can the Lexus match the image or heritage of BMW’s M3 or the Audi RS4, even if it is cheaper.
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3 stars
Any self-respecting prestige brand needs an ultra-fast saloon in its line-up – and Lexus doesn’t want to get left behind! The IS-F is touted as a rival for the Audi RS4 and BMW M3, but does it live up to the hype?

Parked on the tarmac waiting for our exclusive drive at the Fuji Speed-way in Japan, it looks discreet. A bonnet bulge makes room for the V8 engine, while the revised front bumper and side sills hint at the model’s enhanced performance potential.

In profile, there’s no missing the super-low stance, yet to our eyes it all looks more like an aftermarket special than flagship performance car.
The interior changes are surprisingly low-key, as well. It’s as if the designers ran out of either money or ideas. It’s a standard IS cabin with carbon-effect trim on the console.

Start the engine, though, and you can tell where the cash has really gone. The unique unit was developed under the watchful eye of the Toyota Racing Development division.

Essentially, it’s the 4.6-litre motor from the LS460 which has been bored out and given a new cylinder head. It produces 411bhp at 6,600rpm and is an absolute gem – the sprint from 0-60mph takes a claimed five seconds. There’s plenty of low-down torque too, and a fantastic engine note that sounds as good inside the car as it does from the outside.

Six-piston calipers grip huge 14-inch discs to ensure the IS-F slows down as well as it speeds up. Lexus has also developed what it claims is the world’s quickest-shifting eight-speed transmission. Dubbed SPDS, for Sports Direct-Shift, the automatic gearbox can change ratios in only one-tenth of a second.

It’s faster and smoother than VW’s DSG, and shifts are instantaneous. The set-up even blips the throttle on downchanges. The lightning-fast responses make flicking down the gearbox using the steering wheel- mounted paddles a real joy.

The Lexus is equally inspiring in the bends. With a strengthened chassis, stiffer dampers and well weighted steering, it’s an entertaining drive. Due to the heavy V8 sitting up front, the nose runs wide if you carry too much speed into a corner. Get on the power early, and the tail will slide.

Lexus has developed a three-mode version of its Vehicle Dynamics Inte-grated Management (VDIM) stability control to keep the newcomer on track. Change from Normal to Sport mode, and the threshold at which braking, steering and throttle interventions kick in is raised. Turn it off, though, and the power can easily unstick the rear tyres.

On a smooth circuit, the IS-F is an impressive package, but we couldn’t help but wonder how the car would deal with a wet, bumpy B-road. We’ll have to try it on UK tarmac before we know if the likes of BMW and Audi really need to start to worry.


RIVAL: AUDI RS4
The ultimate high-performance compact executive car, the RS4’s V8 engine and quattro drivetrain deliver crushing performance. Its styling and badge add appeal.

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http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carrevi...lexus_isf.html

I mean how much more snobby can they be!

 

It is just their opinion. I would disagree about the heritage stuff and all that since I personally don't really care about heritage as long as the car itself performs. However, I do agree with that that it looks like an IS with after market parts on it. I still haven't warmed up to the IS-F looks. It has great performance and numbers which I like, but for me it still looks like a body kitted IS from the tuner crowed.

 

Ok why are you shocked......Your going to see most of the reviews like this (but this one is alittle to much) and maybe a few that praise the IS-F it happens. The IS-F has actually grown on me alot but I m still trying to get over the front fender vent.

 

Yes, although they seem to have given the drivetrain and brakes their due, they did go a little overboard on criticizing the trim comparisons. After all, a BMW M3 has essentially the same body and trim as the bread-and-butter 3-series, with some small changes like carbon-fiber and the tri-color M3 badges...same with the Audi A4 /S4 comparison and Mercedes C-Class/AMG. So why not with the Lexus? One does not expect a manufacturer to soend the money to completely retool a new body just for a performance version of a sedan.

BTW, if you don't like the review these guys did, keep in mind that I do a special Christmas review, for CL, on a nice special car, each holiday season (last year, it was the new LS460). If the IS-F is available in my area come December....maybe.

 

This review comes form the land of TopGear Stay tuned....

 

I bet according to this reviewer, if you slap on a BMW badge onto a Kia Rio, it must be better than the IS-F.

You could knock on the ISF if it doesn't outperform its rivals in specific areas. But that badge talk?

Its all about the badge baby!!!!

 

The review is filled with plenty of praise. I don't know why it's such an outrage.

It takes issue mainly with the styling which, I have to agree, is kind of clunky and how it stacks up in terms of image with established performers. Let's face it. Lexus is the new kid on the block here.

I hear people talking about the desirability of the Lexus badge all over the place. They're just making the same point from a European perspective.

 

Its Clarkson and company. Thats what they do. I am not shocked by their review and they state all the time how much image and prestige count on a cars merit.

 

They're British. It's expected...

 

read reviews with a grain of salt, it tastes much better

 

I don't see anything wrong with the review at all. In essence, they hit the proverbial nail on the head.

They expounded on all the high points of the IS-F: Power, better chassis and suspension. And hit the lows as well: Car still looks too much like the regular IS, Aftermarket feel (which has been mentioned in other articles/reviews).

As for the badge/prestige thing??? Try to find me one UK review that does NOT favor a high profile marque due solely to nameplate.

 

Badges! We don't need no stinking badges!

 

This from the same friendly folks who brought you the (pre-Ford) Jaguar, and a couple of generations of garage queens that possessed all of the reliability of a glass hammer. One expected to spend Saturdays tinkering with the ignition, timing the carburetors, or adjusting the clutch of the old British sports cars of the '50's and '60's - it was part of the price of ownership.

Evidently automotive technologies stalled there in the '60', because the Rolls, Bentley, and a few other high-line offerings have all been out-sourced. Even Rover has fallen to German investors - and the few marques that have escaped the auctioneer's hammer now produce weak-kneed little tiddlers that continue to contest whether the contents of the oil sump will either leak through every available gasket, or be blown out the tailpipe.

The nation that gave us our language and much of our heritage seems to be at a loss to understand terms like "reliability" and "quality management" that are part of the automotive culture elsewhere, particularly in Japan and Korea. It's rather sad for a few of us old Anglophiles to see a once-noble heritage like those of MG, Triumph, Sunbeam, Jensen, and Healey overtaken by Opel, Ford, Seat, and VW. Worse, the invasion of the Far East has put familiar world-cars like Honda, Toyota, and Mazda ashore on the Sceptre'd Isle to stay.

Given this situation, I find it rather odd that there even exist such things *** "critics" in the UK - at least ones able to raise their heads.

 

beautifully said

 

I'm not surprised at all with this review. Those guys will always bash on Lexus no matter what they make, likewise they'll always favor BMW any day of the week ....