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2008 Lexus IS-F Preview

What separates the men from the boys? In the automotive world, manufacturershave opted to produce athletic divisions from their more conservative lineup. Take for example BMW's M division, Mercedes' AMG, Audi's Quattro GmbH (responsible for the RS cars), Cadillac's V-series, Chrysler's SRT division, and even Buick's new “Super” series at a stretch. Well, Lexus has finally joined the exclusive “Ivy League” of ultra sport sedans with the unveiling of their upcoming IS-F based on its sporty, compact siblings, IS 250 and IS 350. The “F” stands for Flagship and is the new performance brand division of the Lexus lineup. Not so ironic is the fact that “F1” (Flagship 1) was used by Lexus designers almost 20 years ago as an internal code for the pending launch of the revolutionary LS 400.

Lexus has always taken pride in producing vehicles that emphasize technology, comfort, and refinement. I recall one of the first advertisements for the LS 400 sedan had a pyramid of champagne

Paddle-shifters gain two extra speeds over the regular IS, and chrome plating. (Photo: Lexus)

glasses on the hood, while the car accelerated on a dyno, a display of how silkysmooth the V8 engine was, even under strain. Unfortunately, this ultimate display of refinement has been a double edged sword for Lexus. Deemed as too refined and subdued, Lexus never seemed to escape a lesser ranking when compared to German designed drivability and handling fun factor. The first IS (Intelligent Sports) sedan reached the North American shores in 2001 as the IS 300 in North America (aka Altezza in Japan), a rear-drive sport-tuned luxury compact sedan that had its sights on gunning down the BMW 3-Series. In what some would call an unusual way, the IS created a revolution in styling; for example the taillight treatment

A real contender against the in-house tuner divisions from Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and others. (Photo: Lexus)

with lamps and bezels enclosed in a clear plastic casing, started the revolution of aftermarket “Altezza” style copy cat applications for many modified and new cars. As for the car itself, it was unusually sporty looking, a far cry from the soft, aerodynamiccurves of the SC, ES and LS. Unfortunately, even with all the technological bells and whistles that the IS had to offer, drivers complained about the lack of precision feel for the road when compared to German counterparts. Partially to blame was the overly zealous Lexus driver management system that cut in to take control of the ride/handling characteristics to preserve driver safety.

Fast forward five years and Lexus' “L-Finesse” design language has matured the IS' identity to become one of the better

Much less dramatic than the exterior, but it's still very sporty. (Photo: Lexus)

looking cars in the class. Additionally it's now a performance sedan with the impressively powerful 306-horsepower IS 350 model, which outpaced BMW's top of the line 3-Series upon introduction and has seemingly started a new horsepower war. Now, Lexus is hauling out its biggest gun to date, stuffing a brand new 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood for the IS-F. It is a pure performance thoroughbred beefed up tothe tune of 400-plus horsepower and 350 ft-lb of torque, but these figures have yet to be confirmed so there's a good chance that they might grow. The engine also features two-mode fuel injection (direct and port injection), two stages for the variable intake system.

With such a powerful engine, the new IS-F will sprint from zero-to-60 in less than 4.9 seconds with the help of a whopping eight-speed direct sport shift transmission that features paddles, plus a torque converter lockup on gears 2 through 8, allowing

Finally! This is the car that you can completely defeat VDIM in. (Photo: Lexus)

the driver to make swift gear changes in 0.1 seconds. When down shifting, the throttle system automatically revs to match the engine speed with vehicle speed, making the gear change almost seamless. Having all this power at your fingertips ... Imean at your right foot doesn't mean much if you can't transfer that power to the ground without spinning your tires. The Lexus Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) system offers 3 driving modes: Normal, Sport, and OFF. Yes, it's true, Lexus has finally offered a fully “OFF” switch for the traction and stability control for those times when you want to take over the control of the entire driving experience. Given all these drive settings, Lexus claims, “The result is a car with more grip, more responsiveness, more driver feedback and more agility than anything we've ever produced."

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