I had planned to review and test-drive an IS-F today. The local Lexus shop said, this morning, they had one in, and it was out on the lot and unspoken for. So I did my morning swim (an indoor pool, of course), and stopped off at the place. By the time I got there, somebody had put it in the showroom. The saleslady I spoke with (she was super-nice, and a real pleasure to be around.....she will definitely get some referrals from me) offered to have them put it back out on the lot again just for me. I declined, for three reasons, out of respect for the dealership. First, it was the only IS-F the dealership had at the moment, an expensive (57K) car to boot, and, though I'm a responsible driver who has never wrecked a car I've test-driven, I didn't want to take a chance with the dealership's only IS-F. Though I'm a careful driver, some jerk could easily rear-end me at a stoplight. I've known the General Manager of the place for years, and didn't want to have to walk into his office and it be on me if, by chance, his only IS-F got damaged. Second, that car will probably not last long....somebody will be sure to scoop it up very soon. If a customer wants one, walks in, and is ready to buy it today, I probably shouldn't be out screwing around on the roads with it myself. And third, the showroom was designed in a way that getting cars in and out of it was not easy...why should they go through all that trouble (again) just so I could test-drive it?....I probably would not have bought the car myself anyway, at least today. If it had been outside on the lot, with another IS-F at the place to back it up, maybe, but under the circumstances, I just didn't feel right imposing on them. So, I respectfully delined the offer....I believe I did the right thing, even though then opportunity to drive one doesn't come along every day (though, of course, more of them will come in later).

That said, I did, of course, get a chance to look it over in the showroom. I won't go into all the details (I'll save that for when I do the review itself), but, right offhand, a couple of quick impressions:

* The Matador Red paint job, just like all Lexus products that have it, was stunning. Nobody paints a car like Lexus, and no other current Lexus color is like that Matador Red.

* The interior was as cramped as that of other IS models, especially with the sunroof. The almost all-black interior ambience on this particular car, with the exception of the NICE light-silver carbon-fiber trim on the center console and door-pulls, was like a West Virginia coal mine. Two-tone seats are available, but my car did not have them. The leather itself, though, felt a LOT nicer than that in its primary competitor....the BMW M3.

* The trunk opening, like those of other IS models, is small, but the trunk itself is well-finished.

* The high-performance Brembo brake calipers are not painted red like they are on many Brembo-equipped cars....there were black and had the Lexus logo on them.


I'll save the rest for my formal review. In the meantime, Mike (1SICKLEX) has already had the chance to drive one, at a Lexus meet, and has commented on the car's performance.....which is potent indeed.

I didn't completely waste the trip, though. I took an IS250 AWD model out for a quick spin and considered it (though unlikely) for a possible future purchase myself....but I found the interior cramped for a guy my size (like all IS models) and the underpinnings/tires a little stiff for my tastes.

 

thats noble of you to decline that

no worries, we are a patient bunch
but i will be looking forward to your review sometime in the future
good luck next time

 

Will be waiting for the review when it will come

Good man for denying it

 

being selfless, that's a good virtue that's hard to come by. No worries, we can wait =).

 

Mike, I can't wait, its quite something different from Lexus!!!

 

I'm waiting anxiously to read your review on this one.