Lexus IS 500 Is As Good To Drive As We'd Imagined

IS F Successor?

After years of waiting and countless rumors, Lexus finally gave us another V8-powered IS in the form of the IS 500, which arrives later this year. However, we don't have to wait that long to discover how it drives, because MotorTrend recently got the chance to slip behind the wheel. It was an admittedly brief session, but long enough to figure out that this performance sedan is pretty close to an IS F successor.

Photos: Lexus

More Shove

The IS 500 is essentially just an IS 350 F Sport with a naturally-aspirated 5.0-liter V8, and that's pretty much how it drives, according to MT. "The cars look the same, have basically the same grip levels, and seem to brake with similar alacrity," the rag said. "And yet there is that eight-cylinder sound. For all this car's IS350 F Sport componentry, you'd be forgiven for forgetting you're in anything related to that humble six-cylinder sedan - that's how much extra shove you get from the V-8, how much more noise. " 

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

Pre-Production

It's worth noting, of course, that the IS 500 MT rode in was not quite the production version. The yellow and black wrap give that away, as well as the car's carbon fiber rear spoiler borrowed from the RC Fuji Edition, 20-inch Rotiform wheels, and Michelin Pilot 4S tires. However, it's mechanically identical to the production-spec IS 500.

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

Healthy Output

That means a healthy output of 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque from the N/A 5.0, which is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The IS 500 comes standard with Lexus' Dynamic Handling Package, which includes a limited-slip differential, stiffer springs, and adaptive dampers.

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

Extra Weight

Other goodies include bigger brakes - 14 inches up front and 12.7 in the rear. There's no escaping the weight gain from a V8, however, and the IS 500 is touting around 150 extra pounds. Regardless, you'd be hard-pressed to feel it when slinging this thing around the track.

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

Muscling the Chassis

"This engine's a revver, not a twister, meaning it prefers to be wound to its generous redline for maximum power, keeping you pressed into your seat firmly while it spools out," MT noted. "The IS 500's handling behavior seemed dead-on with the IS350 F Sport we drove beforehand, with gentle understeer nudging the nose slightly astray as the car was chucked into corners. Whereas the IS 350 can only hope to see its cornering attitude tightened up some with a stomp of the go pedal, the IS 500 can muscle the chassis into neutrality and beyond."

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

Hugely Appealing

On the track, the IS 500 presented less poise than the old IS F, but it's also a car designed to be a comfortable road cruiser in addition to providing solid track performance. "The IS 500 isn't an IS F, but we'll be damned if this Lexus isn't hugely appealing between its power, noise, and poise," MT concludes. And that's enough to make us want one, without a doubt.

Photos: Lexus

>>Join the conversation about the IS 500 right here in Club Lexus.

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