Soft No More

Lexus worked for years to build cars that isolate the human from the road, and shroud the driving experience in disengaged luxury. But the IS F wants the driver completely involved with every curve, ripple, and tricky challenge of the blacktop.
-By Bill Heald

Toyota’s Lexus luxury-car division has earned a reputation for outstanding quality, yet they have also had to endure the naysaying of certain performance-car enthusiasts, especially owners of M-series BMWs and AMG Mercedes. They have belittled Lexus for a lack of tire-smoking horsepower and floaty handling, and they have a point. For years, Lexus engineers focused more on refinement and technical sophistication than serious performance. But change is in the air, thanks to the introduction of the IS series of sedans, and the king of this new direction is the muscular IS F.

Things get cooking in the engine room, with an amazingly detailed five-liter V-8; thanks to high-tech wizardry like dual continuously Variable Valve Timing with intelligence, it delivers a robust 416 horsepower. Equally important on this rear-drive machine is the torque, which at 371 foot-pounds propels the IS F out of corners. The engine also sports a dual air-intake system, where a primary intake passage is used at lower rpm, but once you hit about 3,700 rpm, look out. A secondary air-intake system opens when the engine spins up, and the pitch of the mechanical concert changes to a much louder, deeper growl as you get pushed deep into the sport seats in a quest for light speed. As with most powerful V-8s, the exhaust note is bold and gutsy, but with the IS F you also get the under-the-hood ear candy that tells you this ain’t your old man’s Lexus LX.

As has been typical with the brand, new technology abounds, but this time it’s aimed at making your favorite curvy tarmac an exhilarating playground. To tap the power of the V-8 I’ve been waxing erotic about, there’s an eight-speed (yes, I said eight) Sport Direct-Shift automatic transmission. This gearbox is not only a mouthful to introduce, it also gives the driver a stunning taste of genuine race car–style shiftology. Lexus describes it as “combining the performance characteristics of an automated manual-type transmission with the smoothness and refinement of a torque converter, planetary-type automatic transmission.” That’s all well and good, but what does it mean? It means you can choose between quick, crisp, clutchless manual shifts or let the electronic brains make the decisions like a regular automatic. The full-auto mode operates smoothly enough, but it isn’t nearly as much fun as going manual, sequentially shifting with the paddles on the steering wheel and pretending you’re chasing Danica Patrick around Indy. This transmission lets you stay in the engine’s peak power zone with all those speeds available, and it really does put you in complete control.

Of course, none of this drivetrain stuff can get you around a closed course quickly unless the chassis, brakes, and suspension are up to the task. The IS F body structure is com mendably stiff, and serves as a good backbone for the ultra-sophisticated suspension and braking components bolted to it. Also on board is the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system, which uses a switch to select Normal, Sport, or Snow modes depending on when you want the black box to electronically intervene if you start sliding the car. This safety feature is around to help keep you out of trouble, and it does the job admirably.

As you sit in the cozy cockpit of this fine driver’s car, you are still surrounded by the kind of luxury treatment that Lexus is famous for. But the moment you hit the start button and drop it into gear, you realize this is a whole ’nother kettle of fish. The road is no longer something you’re isolated from; it’s now your dragon and you must slay it. The IS F is a genuine Excalibur, and man, does it sing when you let it fly.