The New Lexus IS-F Concept

Finally a car company has the right idea--stay true to your advertised motto. It's as if Lexus truly believes in "pursuing perfection," since they keep rolling out more tantalizing cars with even greater performance and style. What I'm referring to is the up and coming 2008 or 9 Lexus IS-F, the BMW-Audi-Mercedes thrasher.

The IS-F has its cross hairs aimed directly at the current Audi RS4, the next generation V8 powered BMW M3 and the current V8 Mercedes C55 AMG. The Germans run anywhere between 362-420hp (as advertised) and the Lexus is touting 400+ for its new 5.0L V8--the most powerful engine is Lexus history. As if 400+ horsepower wasn't enough, the Lexus will come packing with more than 350 ft lbs of pavement shredding torque matted to an industry first 8-speed sequential-shift transmission with paddle-shift capability. The extra gears and sequential-shift feature mean power gets to the ground faster; the increased gear range maximizes take off while maintaining decent fuel economy at cruise. Unfortunately for the Germans they only manage up to 6 forward gears, just 5 for the Merc with no sequential feature, and roughly the same amount of engine torque. The specs Lexus released gives the IS-F and advertised 0-60 sprint of less than 5 seconds, that would beat or match that of all of its rivals.

A new signature feature for most "high performance" model cars from numerous manufacturers is some sort of quad exhaust setup. The Lexus has this but stacks the pipes vertically on either side of the rear apron to distinguish it from its German counterparts. Among other engineering items, the IS-F has massive race-derived front and rear brakes that should halt the car at highway speeds with neck-snapping urgency. It also sports aggressive body work on all four sides and sits on low-profile 19" rubber.

As for the interior, it is all Lexus and will look very similar to its standard IS250/350 siblings. The main differences will be in available colors, trim appliques, and seat bolstering. As Lexus mentioned, expect improved sport seats with greater lateral support and more aluminum trim. It is also reasonable to expect some sort of revised instrument cluster specifically designed for the IS-F.

I look forward to test driving the IS-F once it hits showrooms to report my first hand experience and impressions. It is about time Lexus played a hand in the performance sport sedan market, let's see how well they know the game.

- Mitch G