Lexus IS-F headed to Europe in Spring 2008 to take on M3 and C 63 AMG

The Europeans are going to get to know a real performance car. The M3 and C63 AMG are based off cars designed to funcction as taxis. The RS4 is a Passat with a V8 basically. But the IS-F was designed to tackle the world's hardest racetrack: the Nurnbergring and it can be driven on there so easily because it handles like a gem.

Mark my words. In 10 years BMW and Benz are no more.

Where exactly is this "Nurnbergring" you keep speaking of? The last I read the Nurbergring was the world's toughest ractrack, thats where the M3 and C63 were both tested.

"But the IS-F was designed to tackle the world's hardest racetrack"

The IS-F was designed to LOSE...

Every car enthusiast knows about the Nurnbergring. You obviously have no clue meaning you are passionless about cars and don't know jack.

The Lexus IS-F has performed so well on the Nurnbergring that it puts the M3 to shame. Put a grandma in an IS-F against an M3 driven by Michael Schumaker and the grandma will destroy the M3 and Schumaker despite having poorer driving skills. It's the car that performs so well. The Lexus IS-F is a work of art. A quality car designed by quality engineers and designers at quality facilities for true driving enthusiasts and racers.

People still actually read David's posts? Not worth the time...

Without even looking at the performance...they need to do something about the color first. Looks good on an Evo, awful on a "Luxury" Sport Sedan. And give me wheels with a lip!

Nurburgring, Nurburgring, Nurburgring!!! Damn!!

who is this david person, i have just recently joined this blog, but from what i can see he does know very much about performance. The european heavy hitters like the AMG C-class, M3, S4 and RS4 are light years ahead of a ....Lexus....... Lexus is nothing more than a toyota from paint to body welding. It sames to me that all Lexus fans are very superficial in their opinions of other brands. If Lexus is so "good" as they claim why is it not a comapny with its own identity, why does all Lexus vehicles say Toyota motor corp of japan on the VIN tags. Finally if Lexus is so good why dont they develope and test there Corolla twin vehicle in Japan and not on the home turf, Nurburgring, test it some place in the Japanese tectonic zones. Smut, Lexus drivers are just ridiculous in thier claims and everything.
Lexus IS is actually a RWD stretch Corrolla
Lexus ES is exactly the Camry
Lexus GS is actually a sporty RWD Avalon
Lexus LS isbout the only different one, no wait the Celsor.
Lexus LX is the Land cruiser
Lexus RX is the Harrier.

volfan-

david989 is a joke. He is (quite literally) a satire.

Your post is a "been there, done that." I would say I'm biased towards Euro cars, but what you said is a major cliché and has gotten old on this site. Try to refresh your views a bit.

I'd guess IS-F might outgun RS4 on Nurburgring, but M3?.... Probably not.

No matter what, enough sport sedan for me. What's the point of driving a 3800lb sport sedan of 400 hp? 300 hp is plenty, but the weight should be around 3000lb. Hell, you don't even need R19 tires then.

"LMAO!! DAVID I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE SO TRUE AND FUNNY! WHAT WILL AUTOSPIES DO WITHOUT YOU! LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD!"

Houstoncootie don't you realise you're the very type of person david989 is mocking?

"I'd guess IS-F might outgun RS4 on Nurburgring, but M3?.... Probably not."

It won't beat either. The RS4 is faster than the BMW M5 on the Nürburgring, and if Lexus can beat that I'll be blown away.

volfan,

david is a retard, yes, but you're lexus comments are retarded. The only clones are the ES and the SUV's. There is no IS, GS or LS counterpart IN THEIR CURRENT GENERATION. Previous Gens had Toyota coutnerparts in DIFFERENT markets. Not anymore. Part of the company's plan to go global.

You can hate lexus but dont stray into david's realm of stupidity...ok you're not that bad...but still.

david898,

this is stupid. your comments are stupid. This car is to only comepete with the C63 AMG level? Its not even good enough to race with the bigger and faster cars such as buggati or Porsche and higher end of mercedes.

Finally they're releasing it, we should get some actual specs soon enough then.

it's about time!
should be interesting....

Even with less horsepower the IS-F has an 8 speed automatic and is more reliable. Take an M3 on the track and it will break down after a lap or two. The IS-F could run all day long for weeks. It will only need to be refuelled.

sixstrings, I've read lies but nothing like yours bud.

Reliability? All makes suffer problems, even Lexus: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=43902

Lexus rushing the launch of the IS-F? They always have indicated that it would come out in the spring of 08.

It is a bold move for them. I think it will perform well at first. My only concern is if they will keep up over the long haul.

The Germans seemingly increase HP generously every year and stateside Lexus does it in very small doses if at all. All it would take would be one lax year for Lexus to fall behind irreparably in a market they desperately want to target.

Best of luck to them, they will need all the help they can get.

David989

How can you say anything so empirical before the car comes out? You know nothing! Are you for real? I don't mean to be insulting but you're either a boy with minimal analytical skills or just ignorant and obstinate.
Noone can truly compare these three cars against one another until the car is out and they do proper testing. Saying it will blow everyone out of the water is premature and setting yourself up for "possible" embarassment.
It's possible that this car will be better, who knows, but don't make these statements out of thin air. You need to keep an open mind and have a little humility or you won't make it as a human being in this world my friend...

No David989 is for real, he just needs to come out of the closet.
He really is not a Lexus/Toyota fan he just likes to use outrageous and asinine statements, very much 'tongue in cheek', to make folly of the die-hard Lexus fans.

But David989, it is time now. Come Out, Come Out, wherever you are!!

"Lexus is rushing the launch of the upcoming IS-F after it felt overshadowed by the 2008 BMW M3 and the Mercedes C 63 AMG"

David, do you even read the first sentence of the article?

Anyways, IS-F already has been overshadowed, at least that's what Lexus thinks.

Cant some mod just ban this idiot ? Or is that against your freedom of speech priciples...more like freedom of random lexus spam priciples...

We typically don't lock someone out because of lunacy.

David989 simply skirts within the rules, he is entitled to his own opinion as twisted as it may seem to others.

Unfortunately his biggest drawback maybe the way he reflects on his own community.

You're so deluded you can't see the truth, he's moking all Lexus fans, he's not real. The fact that you agree with everything he says is really worrying because you seem legitimate :S

houston- if you think he speaks the truth your as much of an idiot as him.

david- your posts were never funny, but if you like wasting your time on mindless posts, then have fun.

So we have to longer in the US?

When will it debut already?

I saw one today in silver at the IAA! And it's...... HORRID!!!

Really after sitting inside the M3 and C63 this thing feels out of place. It wants to join the club and is able to pay the entry fee but somehow it just doesn't fit it in. It has no class or style. The letters AMG or M all have a serious background in Europe and the rest of the world, while Lexus has the "F" for fast. ben oui, ça c'est vraiment ridicule..


Oowh, after seeing those stacked exhausts in real life I can tell you one thing: it's UGLY!

I saw a black RS4 in the city last week... it looked AMAZING...

"the Western Europe region, the world’s number one luxury car market. "

Did not know that.

Western Europe combined as a car market is probably bigger than the US.

Mindless hacks like David989 and his other rice burning brethren and illiterati have devalued the comments section of this site to such a degree to the point of annoyance for everyone.

This constant stream of juvenile idiocy about Lexus this and Lexus that gives me the image of some barely pubescent kid tapping away in his locked bedroom surrounded by posters of Lexus sedans and a jar of well thumbed Vaseline.

Unless you get excited by shut panel line consistency, paint quality, hybrid drive or 8 speed autos, Toyota have never led engine, suspension, driveline advancement or even aesthetics and aerodynamics. I would argue that Subaru has done more on this front than Toyota has. Lexus product continues to be well made but is above all derivative - how can you get passionate about that ?

It’s time the riceburners and lawn bowelers got their own site where they can wade excitedly in each other’s juvenile effluent about all things japlish.

Well stated damo...

The people in Europe don't want a Lexus, they want German.

Sure, everybody wants a European car because of the passion it emits and the "magic feel" one gets from driving them. COME ON! Many of those cars are nice,
but to babble on about how great they are compared to a Japanese car, or any other marque is pointless. I sense a true fear in the Euro manufacturers because what was once their domain, is slowly but surely being eaten away by cars such as the G35/37, Lexus IS/IS-F and others to follow.

"Many of those cars are nice,
but to babble on about how great they are compared to a Japanese car, or any other marque is pointless."

Heh. You seem to simply ignore it when Japanese fans do the same-- mindlessly bashing German brands, favoring Lexus for no reason at all.

As for the rest of your post. Your implication is that the German brands are standing still. They are not, and I feel that the new 600hp Audi RS6 is the exclamation mark at the end of my point. If BMW stays "magical," the 3 Series will always retain the status quo. If the status quo is retained, the German brands will almost always produce the best performance vehicles. It's the way things are- and I love it. I'm not a German car fan for no reason, after all.

Well put S4, the Germans are by nature highly competitive, they will not stand still, the will continue to push the envelope.

Good Luck... I really do not think they stand a chance, but whatever...

Oh come on David, you are being overly dramatic AGAIN.

Competition from Japanese and other manufacturers keeps everyone "on their game" - inspires further innovation, risk taking etc.

I don't sense fear with the Europeans, but instead an overwhelming and reinforced drive by "marquee" manufacturers to produce the best possible vehicles for their stated target market and to further build on their reputations.

Having core performance values, an identifiable design language, etc develop the desirablity factor that you cannot seem to grasp.

Lexus makes fine autos, but they, IMO, have not achieved the level of overall enthusiasts appeal that others have.

They have a utilitarian appeal (started because of discounted pricing when introduced and reliability derived from the Toyota brand) which are great marketing tools, but they don't make you lust after their autos. At least not the enthusiasts I know.

Maybe that will change with the IS-F and more cars in that genre. Have to wait and see.

Lexus has basically gotten the worst possible time to release the IS-F: the RS4, C63 AMG and M3 have thoroughly impressed writers and owners the world over in successive order. Five years ago, the competition wasn't nearly as intense: the M3 owned any competition. But now, Lexus has to face three heavyweights, and without the experience of those three, I just don't see it happening. Perhaps it will be some sort of freak breakthrough where it's the best-driving sedan ever created, but is that really plausible, considering Lexus's current position?

Spot on. Let's be honest here.. Lexus doesn't stand a chance overhere.

True, around 5 years ago the M3 ruled this segment, now it has stiff competition from RS4 and even the new C63 AMG which is supposed to be a much sportier offering than Mercedes previous efforts. Can't wait to read a group test between all four of them.

is-f is dead ugly,save your money and buy a civic.

david and houstancutie2000, those aero additions will look old in about 6 months. too trendy to last. p.s. david, please explain toyota F1 program.

I can't wait to see what it is actually like though just to see what Lexus can come up with. Its certainly a departure for them from the rest of their product line. Plus it was developed by a seperate "skunk works" team within Lexus in a manner different from typical lexus efforts. No doubt it will be the most hardcore Lexus we have seen thus far anyway.

This is the perfect car for a massive carbon fiber Evo wing and a quad stacking fart can exhaust. I expect to see alot of young zipperheads driving them in my neighborhood, can't wait to smoke em with anyone of my German or American stablemates.