2012 Lexus IS-F Review
Third Time Lucky
By Imthishan Giado
For me, this review feels like a date with destiny. I’ve been trying to review the Lexus IS-F for nearly two years ago, and each time my attempts have been thwarted by the wily machinations of fortune. The first time we had the IS-F in the team garage, I was on assignment overseas. The next time was at Yas Marina circuit where it was the pace car for the Lexus LFA launch – but this time there was room for just one journalist, and good old EIC Shahzad Sheikh bagged the opportunity (the scoundrel).
But now at last, in the year 2012, I’ve finally got the chance to drive the car that everyone else has driven nearly four years ago, that the market has nearly forgotten in the run up to highly anticipated cars like the new BMW M4 and much more powerful ones like the Mercedes Benz C63 AMG. What’s worse – the IS platform was launched in 2007, a long time in the motoring industry and it’s now due for renewal, with no certainty that the F model will make a return.
To sum up – the car has been comprehensively superseded by the competition in terms of power, it’s on an obsolete platform and despite being the first ever ‘F’ model, the market never embraced it.
At first glance, it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about. Lexus has always tread the path of subtlety – more unkind souls might say conservative – and thus, it is hard to distinguish the IS-F from the thousands of ISes roaming the streets. Look closely and the signs are there that something is not kosher; the pumped wheel arches, the raised hood to accommodate the 5.0-litre V8 giving the little flyweight an Elephant Man-esque look , the big 19-inch BBS forged rollers that completely fill the floorwells (seriously, you couldn’t stick a ruler in the fender gap) and last but not least, those stacked tailpipes. Which as we all know, aren’t really attached to the actual tailpipes. But hey, if it’s good enough for the Audi R8….
So it’s subtle. But compared to the increasingly outrageous efforts of the Germans, that’s far from a bad thing. The IS-F is like a middleweight boxer in street clothes – you’d pass by him on a street and think nothing amiss, but the moment that shirt came, that six-pack and rock hard guns would be obvious. By comparison, the C63 is the Rock ™ – the body seems barely able to contain the beast within.
Pop open the surprisingly heavy door and things aren’t quite so positive. The IS interior is five years old and unfortunately looks the part with a basic fascia and a dated touchscreen interface. Everything is of course built to an impeccable standard and the touchpoints feel like they’ll last forever with the same weighted feel, but there’s no escaping the fact that the Lexus feels old even compared to its other stablemates. The new GS with its mouse-lite interface is leagues ahead and avoids the button party that is the IS dash, not to mention that damned LED clock that seems to be every Toyota ever, including my 86.
Toys? The IS-F comes in only loaded spec with the usual raft of Lexus kit including navigation, a very strong A/C, and interestingly, only heated seats which will be no doubt very useful in our 45+ degree summers, and an only-average Mark Levinson stereo. Speaking of the latter; the trouble with putting really high end audio speakers in your fancy luxury car is that they only really sound best when you pair them up with good quality audio files. The average MP3 sounds mediocre, and this is where others like Audi have equaliser presets better suited to what’s in your pocket.
Take aesthetics and toys out of the picture and there’s an even bigger problem with the IS-F – it’s very cramped. I’m just under six feet tall and by no means a big feller but I found it difficult to get comfortable. Everything to seems to intrude into your personal space, from the Khyber Pass that is the centre console, to the bulging door cards that are less than an inch from your shoulder. This is a four door sedan, yet it feels less airy and spacious than many sportscars I’ve driven.
Things don’t get much better once you get in to the back. The chunky front seats cut heavily into rear legroom and truth be told, this is really a four seater at best. At least there’s the convenience of a huge boot, in case you decide to become an airport taxi driver.
But let’s get real. You didn’t choose to spend nearly a hundred grand more on the IS-F than you would have on a vanilla IS300 because you wanted to press buttons – you want to go fast. In that respect, the IS-F really delivers, although not quite in the way that you’d expect.
First, let’s address the engine. Under the hood is a naturally-aspirated Yamaha-tuned 5.0-litre V8 which develops 416bhp and 371 lb ft of torque. Those may seem like big numbers but they’re actually low for the segment, which boasts supercharged monsters like the 556bhp, 551lb ft Cadillac CTS-V saloon. Heck, even a plain 5.0 Mustang betters those outputs, a car as far away from the ‘pursuit of perfection as you can get’.
And when you get behind the wheel, initially things don’t seem that good. Driving around town, the eight-speed automatic is efficient but a little soulless and there’s a lack of effortless punch, the transmission always one gear too high or not downshifting quickly enough. Fortunately , there are some upsides: the electric power steering feels great if a little bit on the heavy side and the brakes are second to none – yes, even better than the Cadillac’s mighty stoppers. Suspension is definitely on the firm side and the ride is controlled but filters too many imperfections too. Basically, this feels like a race car, but where’s the beef?
To make the IS-F sing, you have to do two things. First, press the blue button on the steering wheel marked ‘Sport’. That’s it, no other multiple modes, Dynamic Drive or configurable chassis settings – just one button marked ‘Sport’, which tightens up the throttle response, locks the transmission into its most hardcore setting and firms up the dampers slightly.
Next, take your right foot and kick it to the floor, sending the revs above the dead zone of 4000rpm. And then, at long last, you’ll see where the monster in the IS-F lives. The engine switches VTEC-style from a low grumble to an incredible high pitched mechanical scream like a pterodactyl attacking a T-Rex, the little Lexus charging towards the horizon like a wounded animal. This is one of the best, most raw engine notes in the industry second only to the symphonies coming out of Maranello and well, Lexus’s own LFA.
Driven this way, the IS-F can be hard work but it’s also a rewarding drive in a classically Japanese high-rev way. While the rivals like the CTS-V and the C63 AMG are point-and-squirt cars that perform best on the highway, I would feel comfortable taking the IS-F onto a track or autocross – it feels born to go fast with taut suspension and accurate steering to match, rather than a plain saloon with a huge engine thrown in it.
Downsides? There are a few. OK, the engine could do with more torque below 4000rpm to make daily driving slightly more interesting. Then there’s the automatic. Yes, it’s good going fast (so good that Toyota pinched it for the 86 but the paddle shifters used to control it are a smidge too slow and the action feels more like clicking a computer mouse than really slamming through the gears. And finally, the stability control can be a little slow to catch quick lateral movements from the rear – this feels like a first gen system rather than the latest all-singing, all dancing systems.
Verdict
The IS-F’s always been a really hard car to pigeon hole in this segment. It’s not particularly fast compared to rivals, it’s expensive for the power outputs, not especially comfortable over long distances or practical in daily usage and well, the power’s there but it requires real commitment to access.
But on the other hand – there’s nothing really like it. This car is the closest you’ll get in modern day form to the high-rev VTEC screamers like the Integra that Honda used to toss off almost casually, cars that demand to be thrashed within an inch of their lives but can be placed on the road with millimetric accuracy – and then the rest of the time, driven normally and quietly. When you consider that most cars today lean toward big languid V8s or swooshy turbo sixes, it’s a leftfield approach that Lexus is almost certain not to repeat for the next IS-F.
But hand on heart, if I was shopping for a four door muscle saloon and didn’t want some sort of coupe, I’d have one of these in a heartbeat. The CTS-V is a brilliant brute but if you’re not wide awake, it can be a right handful. The IS-F is just as exciting to drive, and when you’re in the zone in this car, you really feel like you’re dancing along the road in a ballet of grace and pace.
Isn’t that why we like to drive in the first place?
Specs
2012 Lexus IS-F
How much? AED280,000 ($76,230)
Engine: 5.0-litre V8, 416bhp @ 6600rpm, 371lb ft @ 5200rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel Economy: 13L/100km
Performance: 0-100kph 4.6 seconds, Top speed 270kph
Weight: 1714kg
