DarthCholo

so the fact he got wrong was that he said the IS500 has "higher compression and other tweaks" over the ISF V8. I only listened to ther review twice and didn't pay attention to carefully where he went deep into the engine internal and design details, but i don't recall him doing a more detailed comparison than that. Maybe i'll take a 3rd listen. I feel like many of us heard what wanted to hear instead of what was actually said.

celsior0

I couldn’t watch the whole review, he basically makes a mockery out of the 500. It wasn’t supposed to be an ISF he should know that. I wonder if that Grecian water 500 was a 22’? I heard on here that 22’ and 23’ steering weighting is different. The steering is better and tighter more heavily weighted than my 21’ 350 I had. Even in normal mode its still pretty heavy even in low speeds. The transmission is the same as the RC-F (Aisin AA80) the 350 has the AA81. The AA80 downshifts more aggressively than 350 or even the 22’ IS500 according to ‘Lexus’ forum members. It gets better when warmed up. My ASC sound volume is off the V8 sounds good without it and actually has induction sound the intake flaps open around 2800 rpm to let in natural sound.
I lost respect for AMD in this review it’s probably one of the more negative reviews than the other cars.

celsior0

I straight up told car care nut on his video “how can you tell just on one short drive”? “How can you judge the overall car based off one drive”

celsior0

His whole diatribe was his own agenda based perceptions. I couldn’t finish the whole review it was too much and got irritated

celsior0

Seemed to me AMD was basically insinuating you might as well get the IS350 or ISF. He also makes a remark that the steering was more responsive on the 350. I don’t think so. When he’s trying to turn the steering wheel he’s not doing much to make a point it’s probably already stiffer because he’s on the highway.
there’s a caption subtitle “The ISF that isn’t” to rub it in even more when he was consistently mentioning the ISF. Yeah we get it but quit rubbing it in it’s getting irritating.
To me was a poor review and more agenda based off his perceptions

pprj

I have a lot of respect for him. But some points are not really relevant.

- engine sound amplification - irrelevant, as you can turn it off. Who cares if the car has it? Don't want to use it? Ok, don't.
- he went on a on about the ECO mode. Again, who cares? Just don't use it if you don't want to.
- it looks like an IS 350. Sure. As an S4 looks like an A4. And so on....
- tech is behind - again, at least for me, this is 300% irrelevant. I'm a carplay / android auto guy. I don't care what the native interface of gps does.... I don't intend to ever use it. Does it run CP/AA well? Then I'm a happy customer.

- fair comments about the transmission - this is the only topic that has some merit. The transmission is a "lost opportunity" as some (ZF is an example) perform better. I don't believe the transmission is a show stopper. I would not get rid of the car because of it, but I do acknowledge that other brands show better performance.

Overall, I feel that TCCN reviewed the card based on what he wanted the car to be, based on his own value proposition. The value proposition that Lexus/Toyota defined for the car is different and is what is causing the gap.

Bechtold

Preach!

hattorihongzo

Agree and explains why we got the IS500 and not and F. Lexus learned with the RCF when it sold like 200-300 units per year.

LexLight

I'm respect TCCN because dude helped me to understand so many things around the Lexus and entire Automotive industry, I was waiting for this video to show up but damn he dropped the ball big time on this.

First IS 500 is never advertised as in IS F. Lexus is being at-least very honest about it and not like many other auto companies going after flashy marketing gimmicks. It's not a Track car. So many reviewers on YT platform had only positive things to say about it and highlighting the flaws as well balancing the reviews. Really shocked how one of the most Toyota enthusiast comes out bashing it hardcore.

I did not understand why he went bashing the clock which is literally the iconic Lexus signature and also the interior, if he said real things like its only NuLuxe and not Semi Aniline I would have appreciated his take but rather bashing on the infotainment. Call me old the new OS on the Toyota is made in US and it is so generic and boring the old UI / Infotainment experience is really something unique plus in the modern OS you get insane amount of telemetry and tracking of user data through DCM upgrades not to forget the 2026 Remote Kill Switch US Law Mandate. Also he was also a bit negative on the the superb Tach how can anyone not like that LFA inspired tech we have which sets off an entirely different experience, in the ES if one wants that Tach they have to let go of the UL smooth ride and in IS it's a nice option along with Metal Pedal kit a lot of things in the IS make it special, the Electrostatic AC system controls, no other car on the planet except RC has that. ASC can be completely turned off and the fact it is present in GS F, RC F even somehow it's too offending when you can switch it off entirely unlike 99% of the modern cars which completely pump super fake sound everywhere including the competition like the Trinity from German Automotive Bimmers, Audi, Mercs.

Aisin AA80E the same transmission has been used in IS F, GS F, RC F but in IS 500 somehow it's a problem ? ZF will never make it to IS F because this is Toyota, they test a lot and they do not want to move from whats tried and tested esp when RC F doesn't even get it it's natural to not expect ZF in a 3IS which is literally 10 years of refinement on the IS lineup and expecting a brand new Trans which Toyota never used with their NA engines Supra is using B58 BMW I6T with ZF it's not a Toyota. Yes, I never drove it but from so many reviews everyone mentions the "Jekyll and Hyde" nature of under 3000RPM cruiser and over 6000RPM to 7200 Redline visceral experience. It's a win-win combo in my book. And so is the Eco mode, it's there in GS F too, RC F as well .. again why is it a problem to have something for casual driving is this car going to beat Germans or any ? Even RC F loses out to the Germans on a track. Period. But the Powertrain, Reliability, Luxury and rest make these good vehicles to own and not to lease and dump.

Someone from the comments had a nice video on the Aisin AA80E enjoy.

Also no under carriage review, he hated the car too much to even get it on the lift. Real shame because IS 500 gets all the GS F front end I saw that in Savageeese take, even they know the purpose of an IS 500 in not one but two videos they made. Also the RC F inspired quad tips is a nice improvement over the original IS F. At-least he mentioned the premature tire wear due to the staggered setup, could have added points there by mentioning the RC F / GS F LCA bushing swap option.

Finally if he really wanted an F car why not get an RC F ? Starts at 67K and Premium Package which is mandatory for better experience goes upto 80K and bam you get Trans cooler, Oil cooler what not. I too feel Lexus could have given an F treatment with all the Track kit (AL Rear suspension, bigger Brembo brakes, Oil and Trans Coolers + the signature F body kit styling) for same cost of the IS 500 top spec at 65-68K but in this greed driven age, It was never going to happen, it's the honest truth. Plus the GS F was 86K+ so most of the V8 are not easy to buy for many as it goes out of their budget. IS F original is same cost around the IS 500 that would be a good criticism, still the modern 3IS + improvements add up and eventually raise the price for a new IS F which will again creep up to RC F and makes no sense from a financial standpoint.

jsch222

I'd add that he recently bought a GX for his wife..........for all the same reasons he bashes the IS500. Check that video out.

Bechtold

I'm not giving clicks for car care nuts channel. He lost his chance after that video.

macmaster

I honestly think he was just trying to stand out from the crowd and make his review a little different. I don't think he actually is that personally sour on the car. I'd say it worked.

He'll probably use it as an opportunity to make a 2nd video on the IS500 and make amends...hence more clicks...hence more $$$. WATCH.

arentz07

I think it seemed pretty genuine. I've seen multiple reviewers who seemed initially unimpressed with the IS 500, but the more they drove it, the better their opinion became. EatSleepDrive, Jubbal & Cars, ThatDudeInBlue, ... the list goes on. Usually what happens is that they start driving it quickly on a back road and realize it's actually fun. David of TDIB actually went from being relatively "meh" on the car at the beginning to saying it'd be "perfect" except for exhaust and suspension by the end of his video.

I think TCCN is, like many of us now, spoiled by how zippy and responsive a lot of modern cars feel - they have "wow-factor", as I like to say. The wow-factor of my wife's 330i M Sport was extremely high when we test-drove it. And make no mistake: that was a fun car, and very usable, too. But, in spirited driving, it felt a little synthetic at times and not as confidence-inspiring as my IS 350 (or 500, for that matter). The ride was also busy on broken pavement and didn't provide much better body control than the IS 350 - probably seeking out the wow-factor of how "sporty" it was. The brakes, too, were too touchy, probably in search of making the driver say "wow, nice brakes!" during a test drive. It's like the IS 500 was actually designed to be driven daily and not just to impress people on first drive.

jororo

Another thing to remember is just how much the midcycle refresh improved on the shortcomings of the IS-F. The first few years had a brutally rough ride, no LSD, etc. At the time it too was well behind its rival as far as tech & performance equipment goes so quite a bit of rose colored glasses going on here.

arentz07

I meant to reply to this earlier - you make a lot of great points! I also really enjoyed the transmission video - good thing to have going in the background for breakfast this morning.

It is fascinating how they engineered 8 speeds from the guts of a 6-speed transmission design. That is some clever stuff.

I especially agree with your last paragraph. The main selling point of the IS 500 is that it's yet another way outside of a proper F car (the other being the LC 500) to get the 2UR-GSE. Let's be honest. And, as a 2UR carrying case, it is the most practical way to enjoy that engine aside from the GS F. The RC F has only two doors, and the LC's trunk and rear seats are pitiful. Then, you throw in the value proposition. It's priced to compete with the M340is of the world, not the M3s. There's just nothing else like it on sale.