Has anyone been disappointed with the IS-F?
01-09-09, 11:26 PM
#46
that is awesome! good for lexus!
I haven't driven the new M3 yet so can't say but I bet 7 is too much too.
So I take it the top two are more of an overdrive gears? I remember keeping on hearing the shift-you-idiot!-beep from the car...maybe I just wasn't used to that many gears and overwhelmed...or just suck at driving.
and wade in here all you want! i love it when owners give input.
I haven't driven the new M3 yet so can't say but I bet 7 is too much too.
So I take it the top two are more of an overdrive gears? I remember keeping on hearing the shift-you-idiot!-beep from the car...maybe I just wasn't used to that many gears and overwhelmed...or just suck at driving.
and wade in here all you want! i love it when owners give input.
I traded my IS350 for the F. They are very different. I drove the F at Taste of Lexus and got a good opportunity to beat on the car.
I recommend putting the car in sport mode immediately when you start it up. It will (IME) dramatically change the feel of the car. It accelerates with less of a push on the pedal, and feels a LOT more responsive.
AFA driving experience - it's by far the most sporting Lexus I've driven. It's not as raw as my Supra, but it does give more feedback through the wheel than the Supra ever has.
I didn't drive the M3 or the C63 AMG. I didn't like the pricing and I didn't like the fuel mileage. Yes, I do get ~17 city and 22+ on the highway. Not bad at all.
I recommend putting the car in sport mode immediately when you start it up. It will (IME) dramatically change the feel of the car. It accelerates with less of a push on the pedal, and feels a LOT more responsive.
AFA driving experience - it's by far the most sporting Lexus I've driven. It's not as raw as my Supra, but it does give more feedback through the wheel than the Supra ever has.
I didn't drive the M3 or the C63 AMG. I didn't like the pricing and I didn't like the fuel mileage. Yes, I do get ~17 city and 22+ on the highway. Not bad at all.
the isf does have EXTREMELY good gas mileage, that's one thing i admire, especially local. on the m3 doing 20mpg on hwy isn't hard, but on local the gas mileage is definitely not desirable.
of course me winning 3 series in ls460l can be a driver issue, but that also says something about handling.
why wouldn't i race in ls460? i race in whatever car i want, when i want. i raced the ls460l when it was all stock coz' the other car pissed me off
go read the ls460 forum. some owner of 600hl also owns a lambo mur. he was driving the lambo on the track and a miata (i think) pissed him off. he smoked the miata, got off the track, got into his 600hl, and smoked the miata AGAIN on the track.
It sounds like you consider steering feel/road connectivity to be important, therefore the IS-F may not be the car for you. However, I suggest you try the M3 and C63 and then try the IS-F again. You may end up liking the IS-F's steering after trying the other two cars, or you may end up confirming that the steering feel is a big deal.
I know everyone here has a well educated opinion but driving these cars for yourself is the only way to determine which car is right for you.
I know everyone here has a well educated opinion but driving these cars for yourself is the only way to determine which car is right for you.
01-10-09, 03:53 AM
#47
I'm sorry but I started coughing up a storm when I read this lol (I have a sore throat atm)
01-10-09, 06:29 AM
#48
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by Mr Johnson
Take a look at a dyno taken from the MHP IS-F thread. This is a before and after but if you look lower in the RPM band there is virtually no difference. You will notice there is no spike/bang in TQ.Both me and Mike (1SICKLEX) noticed a torque surge in that RPM range in the ones we drove.
As to the suspension. This is the first I've heard of them softening the suspension somewhere during the production run.
I have one of the first off the boat last year (delivered in Midwest) and I completely agree the suspension porpoises too much especially, as you say, on frost heaved Midwest roads. Any other road than that though it has not been a problem.
Your views, then, on ride quality, pretty much agree with mine. That was exactly what I found with my early-production IS-F, too.....a hopping up-an-down (with correct tire prssure) on some bumps. You and I may have gotten a couple of cars off the same boat. This car, as I see it, was obviously designed for smooth roads.
Last edited by mmarshall; 01-10-09 at 06:33 AM.
01-10-09, 07:11 AM
#49
umm, that's not true. the car rolling left and right doesn't mean the car won't handle. little do people know how good the handling is on lexus cars. they feel the car rolling left and right and think it's bad handling.
of course me winning 3 series in ls460l can be a driver issue, but that also says something about handling.
why wouldn't i race in ls460? i race in whatever car i want, when i want. i raced the ls460l when it was all stock coz' the other car pissed me off
go read the ls460 forum. some owner of 600hl also owns a lambo mur. he was driving the lambo on the track and a miata (i think) pissed him off. he smoked the miata, got off the track, got into his 600hl, and smoked the miata AGAIN on the track.
of course me winning 3 series in ls460l can be a driver issue, but that also says something about handling.
why wouldn't i race in ls460? i race in whatever car i want, when i want. i raced the ls460l when it was all stock coz' the other car pissed me off
go read the ls460 forum. some owner of 600hl also owns a lambo mur. he was driving the lambo on the track and a miata (i think) pissed him off. he smoked the miata, got off the track, got into his 600hl, and smoked the miata AGAIN on the track.
As for why you wouldn't race a LS460, go ask any real "racer" what they want on his real "racecar", it's better power to weight ratio. So unless there is a spec LS460 racing series I don't know about, no one in sane mind would pick a LS460 as his racecar.
Now if you have LS460 as your only car and you like driving at HPDE or autox, by all means enjoy it. But don't exaggerate.
01-10-09, 09:43 AM
#50
Ok first off, your idea of a "race" is WAAAAY off. If you drove your LS460 at some HPDE and passed a 3 series - unsuspecting one at that probably or perhaps he waved you off, that's not a "race" or you "out smoking" that 3 series.
As for why you wouldn't race a LS460, go ask any real "racer" what they want on his real "racecar", it's better power to weight ratio. So unless there is a spec LS460 racing series I don't know about, no one in sane mind would pick a LS460 as his racecar.
Now if you have LS460 as your only car and you like driving at HPDE or autox, by all means enjoy it. But don't exaggerate.
As for why you wouldn't race a LS460, go ask any real "racer" what they want on his real "racecar", it's better power to weight ratio. So unless there is a spec LS460 racing series I don't know about, no one in sane mind would pick a LS460 as his racecar.
Now if you have LS460 as your only car and you like driving at HPDE or autox, by all means enjoy it. But don't exaggerate.
01-10-09, 10:48 AM
#52
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there's decent handling, and handling that doesn't scare the crap out of you. 
01-10-09, 10:57 AM
#53
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i will have a more in depth review of the is-f myself soon, but overall, yes i agree with you. the isf is a very nice car, and for lexus' first attempt to get a crack on the m3 and c63, i give them big thumbup, coz' the car is fast, and it can run on the track
but at the end of the day, still felt like we are driving another lexus, despite the stiffer suspension, tighter steering wheel, and loud exhaust. not only me (i stayed quiet the whole time), but even my wife said the same about the car
on the other hand, the c63 and m3 drive quite a bit different from their c350 and 335 brothers. it feels different. when it comes to a car like this where you want to have the very last piece of fun, it makes you think
but at the end of the day, still felt like we are driving another lexus, despite the stiffer suspension, tighter steering wheel, and loud exhaust. not only me (i stayed quiet the whole time), but even my wife said the same about the car
on the other hand, the c63 and m3 drive quite a bit different from their c350 and 335 brothers. it feels different. when it comes to a car like this where you want to have the very last piece of fun, it makes you think
I guess you can't help it because its the same chassis as a IS 250/350.
01-10-09, 11:58 AM
#54
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C63 on C class chassis
RS 4 on FWD A4 chassis
IS-F on IS chassis (shortned GS chassis)
Whats funny is the 3/C offer puny engines and suspension set ups in Europe , small 4 cylinders and diesels, small wheels etc. THing is in AMERICA, they have done a superb job making Americans think they only produce big engine and sport suspension cars.
The RS 4 is based on a FWD A4! They do a magnificent job adding AWD with RWD bias and slapping a big V-8 in there.
Considering this is Lexus FIRST attempt and it wasn't even supported by Lexus at first, the IS-F is an amazing vehicle. It never embarrassed itself in any comparo and basically got kudos left and right.
The IS was never meant to become the IS-F. The 5.0 V-8 wasn't meant for it nor the 8 speed etc (thus the giant hood bulge).
Yukihiko Yaguchi did the impossible. He should get free Hooters passes and a free pass to curse and do whatever he wants on Clublexus.
The IS-F is the most tested Lexus AND Toyota in HISTORY.
01-10-09, 12:15 PM
#55
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Yukihiko Yaguchi did the impossible.
That would be impossible
The IS-F is the most tested Lexus AND Toyota in HISTORY
01-10-09, 12:43 PM
#56
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http://www.latimes.com/classified/au...,6042327.story
This car has been the most extensively tested machine not just in Lexus' history, but in the history of Toyota as a whole -
http://www.lexus.com/models/ISF/story/index.html
In fact, by the time testing was concluded, there'd never been a Toyota or a Lexus production car that had been so heavily tested at race tracks all around the world.
As for the IS-F better than the M3, tests show they are pretty evenly matched. Most reviews give the nod to the M3 and I have no issue with that. What you need to get through your ridiculously thick skull is the IS-F was
1. Not a planned Lexus product
2. Was a "skunkworkds product
3. Is the first of its kind from Lexus. In comparison BMW has been heavily involved in motorsport for decades
4. The IS-F is selling very well and we have some data saying BETTER than the M3.
5. The IS-F has proven Lexus can build a higher performance vehicle that is easily on par with the Germans.
If the Germans weren't so scared of it, they wouldn't have undercut the MSRP of the IS-F.
I am not here to say the IS-F is better than the GErmans. I am saying it is an AMAING effort by Yukihiko Yaguchi and his team and they should be commended, ESPECIALLY considering how staid and sedate Lexus can be (they are good at it though). In comparison "M" and "AMG" have been around 2 decades prior and have much more product, experience and support.
What Yaguchi has in the IS-F is simply amazing. "F" is everything you thought Lexus wasn't.
Both the M3, IS-F and everything else in this class is superb and I can't say one is better than the other since they are all evenly matched. Its about personal preference.
01-10-09, 01:56 PM
#58
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01-10-09, 02:11 PM
#59
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not counting is-f. By the way, that picture above of the two white cars makes the is-f look drop dead sexy.
Last edited by FKL; 01-10-09 at 02:15 PM.
01-10-09, 02:29 PM
#60
Lexus Fanatic
I'll back you up, Henry, at least to some extent. Although the tactile steering feel of most Lexus vehicles is not as sharp as on BMWs, most Lexus vehicles do have what I would call a good ride/handling compromose, though I think the last-generation of Lexus vehicles was slightly better in that regard than the newest ones. The Lexus IS, of course, is one of the exceptions...as a purpose-designed sport sedan, it is clearly biased towards handling at the loss of ride comfort, especially with the ultra-stiff IS-F. The new ES350 is slightly more handling-oriented than its predecessor ES330, but still fairly comfortable.