Lexus IS-F: FULL STORY

Okay, I love the IS350, but...

1. This is slower than an RS4

2. Not as special as an RS4 on the inside

3. Has a hideous, tack-on bodykit. Lexus fans, admit it- you hate it. It's so horrible. God, I was hoping Lexus would have a bit of restraint! The front fenders are SO out-of-place, it's lowered TOO much, the front intakes are HIDEOUS, the hood bulge is ATROCIOUS, and even the exhausts look like an afterthought!

It could be the worst performance bodykit in recent memory.

Oh and, they tried to copy Sprint Blue as a halo color, unsuccessfully. Not even close. A Sprint Blue RS4 flew by me one day when I was at a light, and the sun was setting. The color is absolutely beautiful. This? Too purpley.

No... when I saw the blurry images, I thought it looked cool. But now, when I see it under lighting, with all its superfluous scoops, it's hideous. Will, seriously, you know you hate this bodykit. It's so horrible! If it was good, I would admit it! But the standard IS350 is so much better-looking! Lexus simply needs experience before it can claim a great bodykit for its performance brand- they went way overboard with this bodykit.

"Are you kidding? How many different ways can you rephrase "magic feel?" You guys are truly talented at that."

Oh, please. How many ways can you disguise "disappointment", in Lexus? I truly expected better of them. I respect them for their luxury cars; they're by no means a performance brand. Their first try proves desparate. What does it have that everything else doesn't these days, besides a hideous wheelwell scoop and an atrocious hood? Stacked exhausts? LOL!

Did I once say the IS350 was a bad car, Will? Of course not! But you Lexus fans never stop saying what a huge threat to the 3 Series it is- it isn't! Not at all! It's a fast, entry-luxury sedan! The 3 Series is a sport sedan with a little luxury thrown in! The IS350 is also better-looking, but I don't like the IS250, because of the ugly standard wheels.

I expected nothing better of you, but your blatant denial of how horrific this bodykit is. "Unique"? LOL! Individuality isn't always good, Will! In this case, at least! I would've at least been satisfied if they did do a boring design on this car- but there seems to be no perfect medium for Lexus... except the IS350. The rest are either A) Extremely bland designs or B) Completely over-styled. This is one of the B cases. And to the most extreme version I've ever seen from Lexus. If they design another bull's-eye like the IS350, I will trumpet how great it is! I don't want to dislike Lexus for no reason, just like you don't want to hate the German cars for no reason. I am not a purely biased opinion; but honestly, there's not many attractive propositions from Lexus right now. Do you think I like Audis just because I have one? Of course not! I think they make gorgeous cars with fabulous finishes and great engines, as well as AWD on every model!

But I already hate the IS-F for one reason, and one reason only; it's so fu¢king ugly!

"You can write a 100,000-page book on how you hate the bodykit on the IS-F, but you are never going to convince anyone else but yourself and everyone else who already hates it."

Which is... everyone but you. Sha-zam!

Will, on your last line... you obviously don't like this car for its looks.

I'm serious. How can you like this bodykit? It's such a monstrosity! If it was on the new RS6, I'd hate it! I'd be terribly disappointed in Audi!

I agree for the most part. This car is ugly. Not sure it is fair to compare with an RS4 though. The RS4 is really a more expensive vehicle than the M3. My guess is that this will be priced more in line with the M3 rather than the RS4. In a lot of ways the RS4 is an extremely cool car, but it does come at premium.

LOL @ Lexus1

Dream on, dream on. I applaud Lexus for their efforts, but before we talk about the doomsday of BMW, let's wait until the magazines test these cars, ok?

It's Okay guys don't be scared, don't be scared wait until the beast come out and leave the M3, RS4 in the dust. by the way you guys keeping on bitchin about the IS-F body I do not see the diffrent between a regular 4
S4,RS4, and the new M3 it's just the same as the 3 coupe
so make a point it's just the insecurity.

ur blind...

Id rather a Mustang any day.

Let's see, Lexus IS-F in the title, this means a 233 comment flame war. Yay!

*grins* AND THEYRE OFF!!! :P

I try... (-;

Although I dont like BMW's, this segment has always been ruled by the M3, and I dont see it changing..In the same way that the S class has always ruled the luxury sedan segment..

Lexus1,

I suggest you go back to school first and learn about COMMA'S (looks like this ---> , <---) and PERIOD's (---> . <----).

Once you've mastered that, then learn to talk intelligently and not post fanboy BS.

Good day.

"BMW USED TO RULE THIS SEGMENT BUT NOT ANYMORE. THE IS-F IS LIVING PROOF OF THIS."

Lexus1, I'm asking you now: what does the IS-F have that the others don't? 400hp? RS4 has 420, M3 will have 400+ and C63 will easily surpass 450hp, as Mercedes produces the most powerful cars most of the time. A luxurious interior? RS4's interior makes you feel like you bought something a lot more special than a normal A4- the IS-F's interior is a meager attempt to copy the badges that M and RS put on their steering wheels, shift knobs and seats. STYLE? LOL! This is far and away the ugliest bodykit of any luxury-sports sedan/coupe on the market. Horrible, plainly. I was repulsed. Reliability? If you think anyone buying a 400+hp supersedan cares about reliability, you should think again. If I bought an RS4 or M3, I would take a second look at the IS-F. #1: It has an automatic transmission. #2: It's under-powered. #3: It's so fugly! #4: It's cheap, and the inside looks just like a boring IS350 interior. #5: I would look like a teenage ricer when driving it. I wish Infiniti would make a performance brand- they could pull it off way better than Lexus.

"Auto 8-speed that downshifts similar to a DSG is hardly that much worse than a manual."

Don't even joke! A normal eight-speed auto doesn't even come close to the genious of DSG! That was so ignorant! DSG is quite easily the best automated manual ever made- all magazines admit that. The eight-speed, while new, isn't exactly revolutionary.

Will, it said it will have 400hp. And even if it does have more horsepower than the RS4, it won't drive better. The RS4 is the hottest sports sedan in the world right now; a car needs to have DYNAMICS to drive well. The base IS350, while competent, is nothing special in handling characteristics.

Oh, please stop the act, Will. This is the worst performance bodykit on the market. Gosh, it's just so bad! It ruins the car! They have no idea how to design a bodykit.

If the IS350's interior is the best-in-class, I don't know what planet you're from. It's attractive, but yet still very drab. Too much plastic, not enough aluminum/wood. The A4's interior still beats it, and I can't believe you won't admit that. The only Lexus interior that's even comparable to its Audi counterpart is the LS vs. A8.

The only luxury brand that has higher resale than Audi right now is BMW.

And, the whole point of my comment about ricers was- LEXUS MADE IT LOOK LIKE A RICER. Not teenagers! Why the hell would I care if someone else ruined their A4? But Lexus ruined the IS! By itself!

Lexus's F is officially not an alternative to either M nor S/RS. Its only competitor would be the AMG line from Mercedes-Benz. Although the C-Class AMG is far better-looking, they both only have automatics, they're both V8-powered, and they're both geared more towards comfort, with a sporting pretense.

Why do you even pretend? Lexus did a terrible job, and I'm not happy with them at all. Believe me- if it truly was better, in looks or not, than the RS4, I'd admit it. But it's not, and you know that.

Oh, Will, you're like a leech. I'm so sick of it.

"The 8-speed is revolutionary. You're just required to say it's not because Audi has DSG.

IS350's interior is of higher quality than the 3-Series, and has been praised on many occasions over the A4."

LOL! Please shut up about the transmission, because you'll never win. To say adding an extra cog to a Mercedes transmission is more advanced than having a dual-clutch automated manual gearbox that shifts faster than any automatic on the planet really speaks volumes about your knowledge of engineering, and refusal to acknowledge great achievements in general. BMW wants this transmission, Ford is developing it for their entire car group, it's being put in future Porsche models, and the VW GTI and Audi A3 transmissions are the envy of the car industry.

May I ask, what occassions are you talking about? I'd really like to see a few articles. In stand-alone tests (like, "The New Audi A4 3.2 quattro" or "New! The Lexus IS350"), they usually comment on both cars' interiors. In comparison tests, they don't explicitly say which car is better on the inside. They say "The A4 utilizes the usual Audi top-notch interior design" or "The new IS is of average build for a Lexus, which is to say, excellent". You know, something along those lines. It comes down to personal preference. IMHO Lexus pulls it off better with the navigation integration, but without a navi, the Audi interior is more attractive. This is coming from someone with the A4 center stack and navi in their dashboard. It uses the last-generation MMI system, and it's annoying, but very useful, and never "distracting".

"Complain all you want about the bodykit. It looks aggressive, you all just can't handle it."

LOL. Will, you just don't get it.

"I think I'll start using that in a demeaning tone the way you guys use "rice." The RS4 is too bratwurst for my taste with it's hideous little air vents on the front bumper."

Look, I've already told you which German cars I don't like. It's so painful to watch you pretend to dis the RS4 and pretend to love the IS-F, when it's so obviously badly done. I keep saying it, over and over- it's a great base design. But the bodykit is just the worst I've seen in the last five years. I did expect better from them. The RS4's bodykit is perfectly done; Edmunds even remarked on such small things as the spoiler being the best integrated spoiler they've ever seen. Now it's your turn; I know you're sad inside that the IS-F isn't as good-looking as we thought it would be. It will take evolution in this car for it to show some restraint. What I mean is- Audi, BMW, Mercedes... they've had years to perfect their 'kits. For example, I saw a W220 S55 AMG the other day, but it was from like the first model year. It didn't have foglights, and the air dams were about two inches smaller than they were when the W220 was replaced by the W221. Mercedes introduced larger air intakes on the refreshed model, as well as int

egrated foglamps. The small upgrade made it look far more upscale. BMW, when it introduced the E46 M3, gave it yellow turn-signals, which made it look like a normal 3 Series coupe, give or take a few details. Then, they revised the styling, putting in white turn signals and clear lenses, which gave the car a much sportier, more aggressive look. The Audi S8, when it came out years ago, had only the silver mirrors to differentiate it from a stock A8. The A8/S8 freshening brought clear-lense headlamps, larger bumpers front and rear, bigger exhausts, and bigger rims. It was a big improvement. What I mean is, it will take a few evolutions to perfect the Lexus F-bodykit. You'll see the car improve in distinction and beauty in the next generation.

If you look at it from my view, you'll understand.

Now, when have I ever said Lexus made cars that were hideously ugly, except for this bodykit and the SC430? The IS is attractive, the ES is sleek, the GS is a little bloated but good with big rims, the LS is contemporary (I never said it was ugly- just not distinctive enough), the RX is nice, if a little cliché, and the LX is still handsome. I'm not mentioning the GX; I think it's the dumbest car Lexus has ever made.

Truce?

Its gonna b a hard fight between this and the current generation M3, since the new M3 wouldnt even notice the IS-F in the mirror. The desing of this bodykit reminds me too much of ricers, which isnt very good for a so called luxury sport sedan. I personaly dont c any difference in the interior :S. Anyway, this car is gonna break the records in being just another lexus....

What is it with all the ricer references? Is it just because it is a Japanese car? I don't see any similarities between the IS-F and the souped up Civics you see on the road. There is no giant wing, clear rear lenses, nor stickers all over the place. The first car that I was reminded of whe I saw pictures of the IS-F was the Ferrari 456M with the air intakes on the side. If anything the old BMW E30 M3 Evos with the giant spoiler and body kit looked more boy racer than the IS-F.

Though im a Lexus fan, I honestly think this body kit is last minute made. The fender vents over do the styling and the front bumper looked as if it was a blown up version bumper of the first LF-A concept. The styling really looked as if the L-Finnese philosophy failed. The interior is top notch (i would say better than any european competitor could make, im not bashing, its just my opinion). Only way for us to tell if this car can really beat its European competitors(M3 and S4) is on a test track, not on the spec sheet.

My mistake I meant RS4. I have not been inside a RS4 so I couldnt say its worse.

The Lexus IS-F should have had a wider fender to give it a wider stance. The bulge on the hood should dissapear, it makes it look like a whale. The exhaust, looks to overdone. They could have either had quad pipes like the M3 or central twin pipes like the Boxster S.

"The exhaust, looks to overdone. They could have either had quad pipes like the M3 or central twin pipes like the Boxster S."

If that were the case, it would be identity theft. I guess the stacked exhausts is unique. Weird, but unique. Its better than taking design cues from other cars.

Wow. Neither side will go down without a fight. Whether it be S4 and his desperate need to keep the RS4 on top, or whether it be Will trying to tell a bunch of German car lovers that a Lexus be taken seriously in any way shape or form, or the mysterious new poster "Gogo" who seems to only exist to taunt and annoy Lexus fans, watching you people must be similar to watching two gladiators trying to kill each other in ancient times.For one thing, there are way too many emotional people here on this site.

This car is a marvel from the brand. If someone had described the IS-F two years ago, we would all not expect it to come from Lexus. I can see why so many people feel the way they do. To have a high-performance sports sedan from a brand that has barely made anything sporty in all of their 15-20-year existance come out and take on the M3 and RS4 has to be pretty scary. I love the M3 and RS4, but unlike the majority here, I am willing to see what the IS-F is all about. I don't know about the so-called "enthusiasts" here, but a compact sports sedan with a 5.o liter, 400+ horsepower, 8-speed paddle-shifted auto transmission that upshifts under a tenth of a second and downshifts similar to a DSG, compact sports sedan with the styling of a shark that can run from 0-60 in under 4.9 seconds definitely sounds appealing to me, but what do I know?

I think we can pretty much all agree that the look of this car is aggressive, maybe even overly-aggressive in areas where it doesn't even need to be, but that's partly what this car is all about. Aggressiveness to the max. I agree with Will on that. The bulged hood, the vents, the exhaust all are what will make the IS-F stand out from the sea of bodykitted 3-Serie and A4s. I personally know alot people that get a kick out of rebadging their base model Benzes as AMGs and so forth. I'm sure that happens alot. A Lexus product finally has a unique look: that's something to applaud.

I somewhat understand the criticism. The IS350 to IS-F exterior styling cues is more drastic than A4 to RS4 styling cues. Another thing that many are forgetting is that Lexus is relentless when it comes to aerodynamics and drag coefficients. The LS430, SC430, ES350, even the RX are some of the most aerodynamic cars in the world. I do believe the LS430 has one of the lowest drag coefficients ever for a production car. I would bet a million dollars that this IS-F has better aerodynamics and a better drag coefficient than the RS4. They didn't just "tack on" those side scoops and bulge without thinking it through, I'm sure. All in all, I can't wait to see this car in person, preferably in black or red, and test-drive it.

good points, Anthony! i agree 100% with you. dunno why anyone would de-boost you, other than being biased but UNABLE to riposte.

jmr07A4jmr07A4 Just like I said, bside the RS4 N S4? none

This is an unwinnable argument. And frankly, I doubt Lexus is trying to win. How could they possibly hope to convert people who use terms like ricer and jap. Not gonna happen.

They get criticized for styling rip-offs, then come up with unique stacked chrome tips and get slammed.
They get ctricized for not having power, so they create world class power, and get slammed for not having magic feel to their power.
They create safe cars (VDIM) and get slammed, so they install cut-off switches (still getting slammed in this area, cant figure that one out, maybe someone can enlighten me)
They get called bland, so add aggressive elements to their sport moodels, and get slammed.

This is why Lexus fans on this board get so pissed off. Even when we get a rare positive story on Lexus (at least once a month when sales figures come out...) we get hundreds of slams that are often vicious, childish and contradictory. Its's truly ridiculous.

Uhh...

The chrome tips? Normal quads would've been great, thanks. Who cares if they would be similar to the M3's? They'd at least be attractive, and upmarket-looking... something that can't be said about these stacked versions.

The power is pretty average for this type of car. It's now mandatory to have over 400hp in an ultra-performance sedan. And yes, what's the point of all the power, if it might not handle well? That's scary- the old RS6 was scary. 450hp twin-turbo V8 was fabulous, but it handled like a train.

I didn't know they had cut-off switches. That's a good sign.

The IS was never bland. Very nice design. But with this clearly clueless (on Lexus's part) bodykit, the design is diminished. It's so unbearably ugly! I've never before said that about a Lexus.

And you know why the German fans get pissed off? You guys fib so much! You pretend you love this car! I can admit to cars I don't love- the A6 is heavy and underpowered, the Z4 is atrocious, the Cayenne V6 is ridiculous, the ML-Class is mediocre, the Jetta is boring, the A2 was profoundly stupid... I could go on. It's not a huge list, but there's a respectable amount of German cars I dislike.

You also talk about reliability this, quality that, blah, blah, blah. We do care about reliability- but not to the point where a check-engine light is a major inconvenience, and that the schlep to the dealer completely ruins our day. You guys overplay the reliability card a LOT. Our cars don't break down, and they always get us from A to B.

If they weren't "quality" cars, we wouldn't pay the prices we did.

It doesn't, Will. The only thing the two have in common are the roof and the front doors.

In contrast, the IS-F's body isn't changed from the IS350 except for the hood and front bumper- the rest is very tacked-on.

Why the audible chuckle, Will?

If you really think about it, and if you knew anything about cars, (I must say you do a good job of memorising Lexus sales brochures) you would perfectly agree with Caltrans' comment.

the Audi RS4 was engineered by Quattro GmbH, which has it's own team of designers and engineers not shared with the team responsible for designing Audi's normal models.

Thus, when the Quattro GmbH team was tasked with creating the RS4, they came up with their own suspension designs, mechanical requirements, etc.

Ever wondered why the RS4 handles so amazingly, when the standard A4 is known for its safe, uninspiring handling?

Do you think the RS4 is just an A4 with a few fancy bits? Really, get with it.....

The RS4 is a thorough re-engineering of the S4 base car, with completely new body panels to cover the RS4's increased track and redesigned suspension. The 4.2 V8 found in the RS4 is completely different to any other Audi model bar the R8, and the interior is more than just carbon-fibre clad 1.8T.

These significant changes to the basic A4 design is seen in the RS4's premium over the S4.

I'm an Italian car fan at heart, so don't go accusing me of Audi bias or whatever, I'm just stating what any car enthusiast should already know!

Big publication? I thought I said popular car blog editors -such as the ones at Carscoop.com.

And Will, no doubt ALL performance variants are re-engineered over their cooking counterparts, however the RS4's development is a significant step up from the S4, remembering that the S4 is also a development of the standard A4.

And 'completely new body panels' is still true. The fact that it still retains the A4's headlights is a no-brainer really.

And did I ever say they were worlds apart? Yes, the RS4 is still an A4, but a THOROUGHLY re-engineered one.

Under the exterior panels lies a heck of a lot of fancy hardware your average A4 can't boast.

Anyway, huu76, I don't take the automotive opinions of looney-tunes-starring basketball players that highly.

Also, what some may find interesting about the IS-F (just a bit of light trivia) is that it has German wheels and Italian brakes.

Yes, we would, Will, because then you'd hate it.

So Will, you admit that you are on the same level as S4cab?

Yet you always find ways to discredit his stance on European machinery?

Go figure!

Well your arguments towards us European car fans are equally as valid towards you, you are just as biased and ultra brand-loyal as the next person.

The difference with you is, you try and make it look like you are the sensible, feet-on-the-ground type.
Everything you say, you say it like it is fact.

Hey, I may be just as guilty, but I'm not the one riding my high horse around Autospies, waving the [insert unhealthy obsession with one particular car brand here] flag and shooting down the non-believers.

That may be a far-fetched analogy, but that is how I see it.

Then what's your excuse?

All hail Will!

*empty hall*

*cough cough*

I was reading some comments from some people saying that the IS-F will not be as fun as M3 to drive just because it does not have a manual transmission,well this vehicle is still concept,but by the time it goes into production they may offer a manual trasmission and a coupe version,regardless if it's an auto or a manual trans.,the IS-F was born at the Nurburgring,so you can bet your ass off it's going to be fun to drive!!!

HOOOOOOWWWW MMMUUUUUUUCCCCCHHHHH??