The extrovert of the entire Lexus lineup, the IS-F isn't light on visual or actual horsepower. Japan's Wald Tuning hasn't let that fact get in their way of releasing the Sports Line Black Bison bodykit. Wald's setup adds some visual aggression through an increase in the number of strakes and vents, as well as a trunklid spoiler. Doubtless, this get-up will add weight, possibly offering contradictory real-world performance from a vehicle that certainly looks like it should be fast. The amped-up visuals also help distract from the controversial fender gills, and the Black Bison package for the IS-F manages tack-on without being overly tacky. Well, maybe just a little tacky.
It's tough to top Top Gear (as Gear producers are about to find out), but until Clarkson, Hamster and Captain Slow get back on schedule, the crew at WebRidesTV is back to cure our insatiable lust for all things automotive and in motion. Sure, it doesn't have TG's production value, but everything looks cooler with heavy vignetting.
This latest installment pits the Audi RS4 against the Lexus IS F, in what could be their best shootout to date. It's the battle of the middleweights and you can view the film in full after the jump.
In trying to establish a Japanese-market foothold for Lexus, Toyota has seemingly fallen prey to the same tactic that made the Cadillac Cimmaron such a maroon. When trying to launch a brand, especially an upscale brand, it's not advisable to rebadge existing models and crank up the price. It doesn't seem to matter how good the car is, or how swanky the new $10-million-a-pop showroom is, once an Altezza, always an Altezza, and paying 20 percent more for the same car with a different logo is rightfully galling.
Japanese luxury car buyers also have quite a taste for European iron, specifically German cars from the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Enthusiasts in Toyota's own backyard echo the universal car-guy complaint that Lexus vehicles lack personality. There's no denying that Lexus cars are well-made and capable, and the IS-F may finally infuse the brand with enough attitude to woo buyers of storied marques. Currently, most Lexus buyers in Japan are stepping up from Toyota ownership. Less than 5 percent of sales are conquests, and actual sales have lagged behind projections. Lexus offerings have been expanded from the initial IS, GS, and SC models to include the LS, and the RX will be coming in 2009. While it may appear less than successful so far, Toyota can afford to be patient. American buyers have fully embraced Toyota and Lexus nameplates to the point where they're both smashing successes. In another two to three years, we're betting Lexus will have a cheery song to sing in Japan.
Remember that luscious Lexus IS-F racer study that received its fair share of unrequited attention the Tokyo Auto Salon? According to AutoBild, it turns out the car isn't an IS-F racer at all -- well, at least not beyond the hood and fact that it has four doors. The German paper reports that the car is actually a Lexus reskin of a 2004 Opel Vectra DTM racer (above, top). Even the engine is from the Opel DTM car, and not a Toyota V8. This could explain why no one at the Lexus stand at the salon would say a word about the car.
So Lexus might get away with never claiming it was a Lexus... cough, cough... but it's a bit odd that they would let Winding Road get the idea that it's the pet project of the IS-F's chief engineer, designed to show the true potential of Lexus' hot sedan and "something of what a full race IS-F might just feel like." Perhaps what a full-race IS-F might look like. Unless Lexus really intends for a full-race IS-F to feel like a 4-year-old Opel.
click above for high-res pics of the 2008 Lexus IS F
Lexus announced today that its super sedan, the IS F, will hit the market with a base price of $56,000. In exchange for your money, Lexus will give you an IS sedan stuffed with a 5.0L V8 producing 416 horsepower and 371 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm, with which you could reach 60 mph in 4.6 seconds if so inclined. Attached to the muscle car-like motor is an 8-speed automatic with lighting quick 0.1 second shifts, and Lexus has fortified the car with a suspension tuned in Germany on the Nurburgring and Japan on Fuji Speedway. There's also bigger brakes, larger wheels and boy-racer bodywork that has yet to grow on us.
It would seem that the MSRP of the Lexus IS-F, while high by any Average Joe's standards, compares favorably with at least the Audi RS4. We'll have to wait on pricing for the rest of these next-gen super sedans before we can tell you which one's the best value. The IS F's engine, meanwhile, falls short of only the indomitable AMG 6.3L V8 and a detuned version of the Corvette ZR-1 engine, and there's no shame in that.
Lexus is gearing up for next week's Tokyo Auto Salon and has released a teaser image on its preview site showing the Super GT SC430 and the IS-F Racing Concept. Lexus hasn't released any details about the DTM-esque racer, but from the looks of its massively flared wheel arches, comically large diffusers and righteous wing, it's all business with a side of flash. Where Lexus might campaign such a vehicle is open to speculation and we'd encourage you to do just that in the comments below.
Lexus has received its fair share of flack for the styling of the new IS-F sports sedan. The gaping gills and misshapen snout – the most radical exterior elements – have done little to distinguish itself from its lesser brethren, and the interior is largely unchanged, save a few badges and trim pieces.
Lexus execs have recognized that more has to be done to separate the performance brand from the run-of-the-mill models, but even so, they maintain that the IS-F will serve as the design template from which other F-badged offerings will be based.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s design chief, Wahei Hirai, admitted that Lexus' aim of competing with the AMGs and Ms of the world would take a different tact than its Germanic rivals. Hirai is quoted by Wards as saying that "They appreciate consistency, or continuity, very much. We like to make (our vehicles) a different way." Difference for difference sake is rarely a good thing, and the IS-F may have already proven that fact.
click above image for high-res pics of the entire F-Sport line of accessories
Lexus is using the F brand to launch itself into the arena of premium luxury sports cars. Hitched to the wagon of the recently introduced IS-F is the next salvo: F-Sport performance accessories. Presumably, if you like to tune your cars with manufacturer-backed parts, or if you have a 2006 or newer IS 250 or IS 350 and want to hook up a home-cooked IS-F, this is where you should look first.
Parts include: 19" forged alloy wheels, front and rear brakes with cross-drilled discs and blue calipers and carbon-rotored beauties with yellow calipers, a carbon fiber engine cover, performance air intake, lowering spring set, performance shock absorber kit, sway bar kit, and lower rear chassis brace, among other goodies. Follow the jump for the full press release, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res pics.
Lexus is billing the IS-F as "Everything you thought we weren't," and the potential is certainly there. The engine bay is filled with 5 liters of 4-valve V8 putting out 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque. The Minilite-esque wheels hide a Brembo braking system with six piston front calipers and cross-drilled rotors 14.2 inches in diameter. The sill extensions wrap up the front fenders to form a styling detail reminiscent of extractor vents, and the rest of the body has been tweaked in the wind tunnel to improve high speed aerodynamics. It all sounds good when you read the spec sheet, and the car does at least look aggressive . What everyone's dying to know, though, is "has Lexus done it this time?" Automobile magazine had the same burning curiosity, and they just also happened to have an IS-F sitting in their lot.
In no time, they headed over to their local Dynojet. The result? Well, they're a little disappointed, and they're calling the torque delivery peaky. Looking at the dyno graph, we're not sure we'd agree entirely with that assessment. There's at least 225 lb-feet at the wheels from 1,800 rpm, topping out at 318 lb-ft. First, let's point out that 15 percent torque loss through a drivetrain including an eight speed automatic is pretty phenomenal. Secondly, the torque curve is pretty fat below the peak. What is surprising to everyone, though, is the way the power drops off precipitously on the other side of the 5,200 rpm peak. You'd think an engine with 4-cams and Yamaha-designed cylinder heads would be a revver. Of course, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics and these dyno results are sure to kick up some debate. What still remains to be seen is how the entire package works when pitted against its bogeyed competition. For that, we must still wait.
Cadillac's image resurgence sees it vacating its spot as fuddy duddy transport, which it filled for most of the 1980s and '90s. Quality woes didn't help, but overall, the brand induced yawns. Big, body-on-frame barges are still available at the Lincoln store, but there's also a market for luxury cars filled with technology and quality that invokes a ho-hum response. Yes, folks, that means that Lexus is getting sucked in by the vacuum Cadillac left when they went all Led Zeppelin on us. Well, that's not entirely true – what is happening, though, is the age of the average Lexus buyer is sneaking up. Currently it's at 51 years old, while kids who spent the 1980s learning hair metal riffs on their B.C. Rich are choosing Infiniti, Audi, BMW, or even the somewhat fusty Mercedes.
If you were at Yasgur's farm with your Microbus, chances are that you've got a lust to wheel around in an ES350 for your retirement years. The average age of that car's buyers is 61, and only Cadillac, Lincoln, and Jaguar have more buyers north of 60 in this segment. This data has Toyota's fancy division rethinking their future plans, lest they be left in the dust. While Lexus may not release a direct competitor, they're keeping a close watch on how BMW launches its 1-series. The way BMW woos buyers is what Lexus has to do, according to Jim Farley, who recently left for Ford. Younger buyers are looking for edgier cars with a higher degree of technology integration, so Lexus must make a serious run at building a real performer with the IS-F, as well as push design and image. You know they're serious when they plan to broaden the scope of their myownpursuit website to include more than squash on the lawn.
Remember that luscious 
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