Base 4dr Rear-Wheel Drive Sedan
2008 Lexus IS 250
Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of Lexus IS F pics So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it's not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below. %Gallery-18435% %Gallery-1022% I could start off with wheel sizes and the 8-speed transmission and all that, but this car is only marginally about the numbers. Still, let's get the numbers out of the way: Lexus IS-F 8-speed auto, 5.0L V8, 416-HP, 371 lb.-ft. BMW M3 6-speed manual, 4.0L V8, 414-HP, 295 lb.-ft. Mercedes C 63 AMG 7-speed auto, 6.2L V8, 467-HP, 442 lb.-ft. I left out curb weight and 0-60 times because no one can agree, but the results are constant: the M is lightest, Lexus in the middle, Mercedes the heaviest. To sixty, the AMG rocks it first, the BMW usually gets the second-place nod or tie, then the Lexus, all of which do the do in under 5 seconds. However, the story of the IS F isn't truly about this first set of numbers, and everyone knows it -- Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and you, too. Why? Because we all know that anyone who says they want to straight up outperform an M or AMG... doesn't want a Lexus. In fact, the comparisons of all of these cars are slightly disingenuous. Until the C 63, people didn't really buy AMGs to compete with M3s -- they bought them because they liked Mercedes and AMG made the hottest version of the car they liked. Let's face it: anyone who bought an E55 thinking they'd beat an M5 on a road with at least one tight turn didn't really want an E55. This is about brand, and the question is whether people have been wanting to buy a really hot Lexus and couldn't do it before the IS F growled on scene. We'll start with this: the Lexus is a good car. I'll go even further: for what it is, and where it's come from, it is a very good car -- and that is not an insult or an attempt to make excuses. This car comes from the luxury division of a company that has never fully translated its motorsports prowess to its customer cars, is the the brainchild of one man and his revolving, cobbled-together team working on its days off, and started with the plain jane customer car that wasn't pre-engineered for this. With all that, it's simply unfair to expect the IS F to take on the decades-long, company-wide might of the M3, or the C 63 AMG, which is a completely different car from the A-pillar forward than the regular C-Class. Even Lexus shouldn't do it. Nevertheless, just to make sure you …
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Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of Lexus IS F pics So we recently got some seat time in the Lexus IS F, and we can proudly report that it's not anything Lexus has ever been before. Does it really compare to the M3 and C63 AMG? In a little-kid-from-down-the-street-trying-to-get-in-the-game way, yeah. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be in the game. Follow the jump for the full story, and check out the new gallery of Lexus IS F pics below. %Gallery-18435% %Gallery-1022% I could start off with wheel sizes and the 8-speed transmission and all that, but this car is only marginally about the numbers. Still, let's get the numbers out of the way: Lexus IS-F 8-speed auto, 5.0L V8, 416-HP, 371 lb.-ft. BMW M3 6-speed manual, 4.0L V8, 414-HP, 295 lb.-ft. Mercedes C 63 AMG 7-speed auto, 6.2L V8, 467-HP, 442 lb.-ft. I left out curb weight and 0-60 times because no one can agree, but the results are constant: the M is lightest, Lexus in the middle, Mercedes the heaviest. To sixty, the AMG rocks it first, the BMW usually gets the second-place nod or tie, then the Lexus, all of which do the do in under 5 seconds. However, the story of the IS F isn't truly about this first set of numbers, and everyone knows it -- Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and you, too. Why? Because we all know that anyone who says they want to straight up outperform an M or AMG... doesn't want a Lexus. In fact, the comparisons of all of these cars are slightly disingenuous. Until the C 63, people didn't really buy AMGs to compete with M3s -- they bought them because they liked Mercedes and AMG made the hottest version of the car they liked. Let's face it: anyone who bought an E55 thinking they'd beat an M5 on a road with at least one tight turn didn't really want an E55. This is about brand, and the question is whether people have been wanting to buy a really hot Lexus and couldn't do it before the IS F growled on scene. We'll start with this: the Lexus is a good car. I'll go even further: for what it is, and where it's come from, it is a very good car -- and that is not an insult or an attempt to make excuses. This car comes from the luxury division of a company that has never fully translated its motorsports prowess to its customer cars, is the the brainchild of one man and his revolving, cobbled-together team working on its days off, and started with the plain jane customer car that wasn't pre-engineered for this. With all that, it's simply unfair to expect the IS F to take on the decades-long, company-wide might of the M3, or the C 63 AMG, which is a completely different car from the A-pillar forward than the regular C-Class. Even Lexus shouldn't do it. Nevertheless, just to make sure you …
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Retail Price
$30,855
MSRP / Window Sticker Price
| Engine | 2.5L V-6 |
| MPG | 18 City / 26 Hwy |
| Seating | 5 Passengers |
| Transmission | 6-spd man w/OD |
| Power | 204 @ 6400 rpm |
| Drivetrain | rear-wheel |
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