Yes and no. If you're buying it to track it, terrible news indeed.

If like me this is a fun car that will also see kids in the back, be daily driven, but you have a more dedicated track vehicle... this is great news because it'll keep the cost down a bit and suit my use case just fine.

I like my track cars to be old and a little cosmetically ratty, but mechanically upgraded and sound. I definitely don't want to risk stuffing my new $65k car into a wall, that'd be too much of a financial loss to swallow (for me).

 

As I literally just said, terrible news for enthusiasts.

 

lol point taken. I'm an enthusiast and still plan to order one of these so I guess I wasn't looking beyond my own nose, so to speak.

Ratty track car mentioned above:

 

At the very least this brings a little excitement back to an otherwise boring brand. Let’s hope this is the beginning. I for one have been disappointed in Lexus development over the past decade. A step in the right direction 👍

 

The other thing is I'm not confident at all this will be cheaper (much less significantly cheaper) than an an actual F would have been.

 

Couldn't agree more...

An IS500 is just OK to fill a needed gap for the V8 engine slap into a sedan..

The GS / GS F is now dead.

This should have been the proper rebirth and redesign of the IS "F" after 8 years.

But this is what happens when one die hard Enthusiast / Lexus Japan Chief "F" Engineer retires..

Plus with the lack luster sales of the RC F / LC500 means they have some 2UR-GSE engines to move along.

I'm a diehard Lexus Fan & Enthusiast... But you have to get to a point in Life where you call it as it is..!!!

Joe Z

 

Pre-spindle front end...Lexus was dull as nails. Sales showed it too, nice but total appliances. New generation is worth talking about and are much more interesting with better tech

 

That will definitely **** me off if the pricing goes that way. Motor Trend estimated the IS500 as starting at $56k. If I can get one before taxes/reg/fees with Mark Levinson audio plus heated seats and steering wheel, I'd happily pay ~ $65k for it. The local dealership has an RCF for sale at ~85k, and that I believe to be too much for a non-F car.

 

Why are people complaining about a NEW Model sport sedan with 5.0 NA V8 engine lol

The whole industry is going hybrid or EV especially all the German brands. The new C63 will be a plug-in 4cyl hybrid!

I’m more than happy that Lexus took some ***** to make this happen. This car will not move the needle for them in terms of sales or profits so its good to see they did something for enthusiasts.

Even though LC500 is not a full F car - it is 100 times better than RCF or GSF. I drove all these cars extensively.

Let’s give this IS500 a chance - I’m personally excited to drive it and really hope there will be LC500 Fsport and LCF next. This will bring back some much needed energy and buzz back to Lexus.

 

GM once put an old V8 in a Impala and called it an SS....Lexus put a 15 year old engine in this car, not sure it would be called ballsy. But, good that they did it.

 

Agree with this! It's not a full F, and I'm hoping there's good reason for that, aka, a more monstrous "full" F is coming. An updated luxury sport sedan with a terrific NA V8 from a solid manufacturer is a good thing to enjoy on the market. Pricing will determine potential success and inevitable armchair racers. But let's hope that something is rumbling beneath the surface.

 

FYI you can be an enthusiast without tracking the car.

 

New M3 will be $85-90k on average.
This IS500 should be $60-70k so just under what current RCF costs and comparable to S4, M340i, C43 etc. I think that’s pretty good.

Lexus should definitely price it lower than a true F model. They also better offer some decent paint colors and interior leather options. The base seats are a big disappointment.

 

I would buy a GS500 tomorrow!!! GS deserved this badge so much more.

 

I don't think volume will be the main priority of the IS500. Since it'll be sold exclusively in the North American market according to the press release, this is more along the lines of a limited production halo car to get enthusiasts somewhat excited about the brand again. Thus, the price will not be as cheap as a base M340i. It's special, and you're paying for that exclusivity.