Autoblog

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.

Let's get this out of the way first...

• 2008 BMW M3 Sedan: Pricing N/A, 414-hp 4.0L V8
• 2008 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG: Pricing N/A, 507-hp 6.3L V8
• 2009 Cadillac CTS-V: Pricing N/A, 550-hp 6.2L V8
  
• 2007 Audi RS4: $66,910, 420-hp 4.2L V8

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.

[Source: Lexus]