The Boys at EVO Magazine Test the IS-F and Pit it Against the M3

Its an easy one. The M3 wins because how precise and perfect the steering is. Yes, I have driven both of these cars AND on the track. That is where the BMW dissapears from the competition. The torque range on the M3 is awesome, same pickup no matter where you are in a gear. on the IS-F, you have to keep the engine at a specific RPM range to use its full power.
remember that is what happened to the honda s2000? that is why they changed the engine after 2 years. they came out will a flatter torque curve so you didnt have to hold it at 5000 RPMS on the 4 cylinder just to get any type of performance.
granted, if you just drove the vehicle at 20 MPH around town, it wouldnt matter what you drove, even though the M3 seats are better, the bolsters adjust, unlike in the ISF and the center console is too wide in the IS-F and too big to get comfortable.

you lie, you have not trying both of them. I've done and had not the same feeling. Stop to be blind and fanatic. Open your eyes.

I'm trying to decide between these 2 cars. But day after day i miss the ISF driving experience more than M3's.

EL44, I believe 2ndbimmer works for BMW, in which case like most BMW salespeople he HAS driven both of them on the track since BMW spent most of April hosting a series of events in SC and CA where their employees drove the X6, 1-Series, and M3 against their competitor cars. Obviously working for BMW there's probably some brand bias there but unlike most people (and I'm guessing that includes you) he's at least driven both.

JRobUSC

thanks for your contribution. I've also tested both of them. Here in France we can go to a dealer a try a car even sometimes for a weekend. I'm not biased at all. Actualy i'm driving a S4 cabriolet and am very happy of that. I had never owned a Japanese car but from when i've tried the new ISF and the M3, i loved both of them. But i liked more the ISF. And as we see here, this magazine has also loved both of them as they say''Each car has it's own particular charms that convince me it should win''. Voilà.

2ndbimmer:
"AND on the track. That is where the BMW dissapears from the competition."

if you want car fast on the track take evo:
evo x -152,92sec
M3 -154,2sec
135i -156,34sec
c63 -158sec
is-f - 158,6sec

links:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sports/112_0805_bmw_m3_lexus_is_f_mercedes_c63_amg_comparison/photo_16.html

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/112_0806_bmw_135_mitsubishi_evo_mr_comparison/photo_12.html

2ndbimmer:
"The torque range on the M3 is awesome, same pickup no matter where you are in a gear. on the IS-F, you have to keep the engine at a specific RPM range to use its full power."

if you want to have max torque ON THE WHEELS you must in bmw also like in lexus keep engine at high RPMs .

agreed the EVO wins on performance. but most buyers can't love the EVO over the M3 because of the interior. EVO is for the underdog. The car that makes people who buy more expesive not as fast cars say "damn that was fast". but Mitsu should at least take a stab at a luxury interior. otherwise, the EVO will always be the car I should have bought (performance wise) but that I couldn't buy because the interior was as bad as a 88 Mitau Precis!

And 2ndbimmer
don't forget that EVO hates LEXUS cars but gave 5 stars to the ISF as M3.

agreed. they are kidna like TTAC in that they despise lexus and toyota. so seeing as how this test is full of praise for both cars...i dont necessarily see it as a full lose for the lexus.

i think seriously, nobody on this site thought the IS-F was going to flip everything we knew about these hotrods and usurp the M3 on their first try. however, i think its certain from all these positive reviews that they did do a good job, and the second generation should be better

It's nice to see some people being honest.We all know how great the BMW is.Many years of refinement goes into their cars.Lexus is the upstart,and they are a serious force.When you have unlimited funds its hard to not be compitive.
they will only get better.We all win because of it!

The IS-F seems to be a great first attempt for Lexus, i think it has definitely surpassed what people thought Lexus were capable of in terms of performance and handling. EVO tend to be the best in the business when it comes to reviewing cars, they're by far the most knowledgeable and their reviews reflect this. Getting a good review in EVO is a great accolade for the IS-F.