Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Lexus
Detroit Auto Show: Lexus IS-F pics leaked!
The Lexus press conference doesn't begin until 11:25AM EST, but a few official pics of the luxury brand's new super sports sedan have been leaked onto the web already. The Lexus IS-F will take aim directly at high-performance sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi using a 5.0-liter V8 producing 400 hp and 350 ft-lbs. of torque as its weapon of choice. Supporting that piece of hardware will be Brembo brakes with 14.2-inch discs, 19-inch BBS wheels, and, get this, the eight-speed automatic transmission from the Lexus LS460 but with paddle shifters to swap the oh-so-many cogs at a quicker pace. The car obviously sits lower on a sport-tuned suspension, while the front end gets a decidedly more aggressive expression from its new lower front fascia that incorporates a large lower grill and intakes for what appears to be brake cooling. New side skirts also spring upward behind the front wheels to create an air vent ahead of the doors. Out back a new lower rear bumper houses those staggered double-dual exhaust outlets, as well. We're quite impressed with the list of hardware Lexus is packing into the IS-F, especially considering they all add up to a 0-60 run in less than five seconds. Is the Lexus demographic ready, however, for a Lexus that looks like this?
There are two additional shots after the jump, including one of the interior. We will be in the front row at the official unveiling, so check back later for a huge gallery of high-res shots showing the IS-F from every angle.
[Source: Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Owen 8:34AM (1/08/2007)
All of that and it still comes with an automatic! That's dissapointing, they could at least have used a DSG of some sorts. That's great that it's 8 speeds and all, but that's just 8 more crappy shifts we'll be seeing and waiting for. I've never felt connected to a machine with a manumatic, I've resigned to almost feeling connected with the recent DSGs, but a manumatic is a joke. Looks nice though.
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Jim 8:40AM (1/08/2007)
Looks nice. It got wider.
It's using an auto paddle shifter because it's a world car, like BMW and Mercedes built for performance.
Only Americans have an obsession with a slow shifting manual for the sake of "control".
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Lauder 8:56AM (1/08/2007)
Now that is an unattractive dash, the center stack with all those small buttoms makes it look like it has pox. The exterior is not too bad but does look dated, part of that is because so many cars now look alike.
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Drew 9:09AM (1/08/2007)
Do you guys really think it looks cool? I think it looks a bit "much..." y'know like that SNL skit where they made fun of antonio banderas (kris kataan) and they had a crowd of guys saying "no antonio....too much antonio!" whenever he threatened to take off his shirt every five minutes. I mean, the more I look at it, I kinda feel like it's a little too much rice rocket with those crazy side fenders and not enough "I paid a gazillion extra dollars for this rocket but you can't tell and I'm going to dust you" like you get in the M3/AMG.
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Tom T. 9:10AM (1/08/2007)
I am loving those sculpted "air vents" in front of the doors and how that line runs back to the rear fender.
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Bruce 9:23AM (1/08/2007)
Wow. That's all I can come up with... wow... I can't wait to see it in Detroit.
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Jay Tee 9:29AM (1/08/2007)
"the eight-speed automatic transmission". Yawn... Yep, this proves again "Lexus" and "Sports" are mutually exclusive, as they've screwed up another attempt at a true sports sedan. I don't care about how great the engine or the suspension may be, but real sports sedans don't have slush boxes! Manual or bust!
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Dan from Delaware 9:40AM (1/08/2007)
It funny that Europeans used to bust on Americans because we "all" buy automatics and don't know how to drive a manual. That's changed: now they bust on Americans for prefering a manual over an automatic.
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Jim 9:51AM (1/08/2007)
America caught on late.
Nowadays automatics are faster than manuals.
BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari...
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DarkKnight67 10:02AM (1/08/2007)
Is this supposed to be Lexus' idea of awe inspiring performance? It looks like it was designed by one of my students ... without benefit of artistic talent. What's with the wing on the front fender? All they need is one on the trunk that's about ten feet tall to make it look even more hideous and ridiculous. Give me a V-Series, an AMG or an M-Car any day over this joke of a "hot car".
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American Cars suck 10:13AM (1/08/2007)
Sorta looks like the old GS. And I just am not a fan of Lexus's grill. The black vertical plastic gril just makes their cars look cheap.
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Alex 10:14AM (1/08/2007)
Looks like a regular IS with a cheap aftermarket body kit slapped on it. I'd rather prefer that they would leave original IS body intact and let people decide whether they want to stick all this ugly redundant stuff on it or not. At least they left the IS's perfectly functional and comfortable interior intact...
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FM 10:16AM (1/08/2007)
An 8 speed auto....wow.
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che culattone 10:18AM (1/08/2007)
don't listen to Jim. I'm french (i'm pretty sure that's in europe) and i can tell you nobody in france buys a sports sedan with an automatic. only family mothers who buy minivans and renault lagunas used automatics. jim has no idea what he's talking about.
i think it's hilarious that lexus is trying to put out a performance sedan. first of all, their cars will never stop being rice-rockets to me. they just lack class. put that next to an RS4 or and M3, and it's like putting a street-kid who finally has money next to a european royal. no comparison on the class level.
and on performance, don't even talk about it. as someone said earlier, lexus and performance are mutually exclusive words. what racing history are they basing their performance on? The manufactured history they are trying to create for themselves in F1, or that piece of crap Nascar entry they have that looks like a clown on wheels? lexus will never make a performance sedan to compete with audi, bmw, and mercedes. i'd rather own a WRX than this overpriced crap.
this car doesn't "scream sex, speed and quality". it screams "i'm a poser, but i don't even know enough about cars to buy the right one." real car enthusiasts need not apply...
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Braden 10:39AM (1/08/2007)
autotragics are not faster than a well-shifted manual.
a DSG/dual-clutch manual *is* faster, but I understand why some people don't like them.
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Sue Esponte 10:46AM (1/08/2007)
Whole mother of "I-gotta-have-me-one-of-these"!!!
Just make mine with a MANUAL, please.
And, anyone who says "America caught on late" when it comes to choosing a manual over an automatic just doesn't get it. Its not about which is faster. I'd prefer my M5 and 911 Turbo with manuals and, yes, both would be nominally slower than their automatic equipped counterparts. I don't want to hear anything about SMG, DSG, Tiptronic or any other manumatic or automatic being faster. It just doesn't matter. Its about enjoying and being a part of the drive. Head on over to http://www.shiftyworld.com to get some more information.
If this thing is priced the same as an S4 or M3, I'll be at a Lexus showroom when it comes out...assuming someone at Lexus has the brains to offer it with a stick.
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TCSnick 10:47AM (1/08/2007)
Toyota should start looking for some new designers, that is one ugly buggy, if it prices out at over $15,000 only a fool would buy one.
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Sean Flanagan 10:48AM (1/08/2007)
That's funny, Jim.
It isn't about the speed of shifts (which really only matters in 100ths of a second on a race course), it's about driver involvement. It isn't an American-exclusive preference. Just because the European manufacturers build cars with quick-shifting "automatic" 'boxes doesn't mean that European drivers prefer them.
Driving a car with paddle shifters is like playing a video game. Though automatics 'boxes have gotten exponentially better over the last few years, they still lack the soul that every mechanical component in a sports car should have. This is the reason why BMW is now offering a manual with the M5 and M6.
Back on topic, I knew this would end up being automatic-only. Though I can't say I'm surprised, I am certainly disappointed.
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logiste 10:49AM (1/08/2007)
thanks che, for telling us what a "real" car enthusiast is. you are ever so wise! i'd think, though, that real car enthusiasts are more concerned with performance (which this car has plenty of) rather than issues of "class" and worrying about what their neighbor thinks.
regardless, where i live, which is in the 2nd richest county in the U.S., a lexus is held in pretty high esteem, right up there with MB and BMW, so i guess your opinion really is worth shite.
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Tool 10:50AM (1/08/2007)
This won't appeal to the BMW //M crowd or to Mercedes-AMG customers.
Their success comes from understated looks with top-notch performance.
This is way too showy. The cool thing about //M or AMG is that it is hard to distinguish them from the regular production vehicles. Only autophiles would really appreciate it, but this appeals to the Scion kids . . . rich Asian kids with a lot of Mommy and Daddy's money to spend.
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