Lexus, traditionally known for its squeaky-clean image and highly refined cars, showed us it was also capable of letting its hair down when it launched the IS-F here early last year.
F is the performance division of Lexus, with the name derived from the Fuji Speedway in Japan (a part of the logo is actually modelled on turn one of the track), and in the IS sedan the “F” factor was provided by a powerful 5-litre V8 engine, 25mm lowered ride height and a traction-enhancing limited-slip diff.
So too a raunchier-looking body kit which includes widened fenders, 19-inch mags and a quartet of exhausts that are double-stacked in a most fetching style. It transformed this middle manager’s commuter into a muscle car that could be mentioned in the same breath as an M3 or Audi RS4.
Here at last was a Lexus that, whilst retaining its refinement and luxury, could set your pulse racing and your trousers on fire.
As part of a midlife upgrade the IS-F recently received a nip and tuck for 2011 along with a suspension upgrade, changes which make the car edgier and more focussed.
The exterior tweak, shared by the whole IS range, saw the addition of LED daytime running lights arranged in an L-shape mimicking the Lexus badge. The cabin is updated with additional brushed aluminium trim and a sportier-looking F-style instrument cluster featuring a large, centrally-mounted rev counter with a 9000rpm redline. Retained is the special white carbonfibre that gives the IS-F’s cabin a unique touch.
Standard amenities include electric front sport seats; dual-zone automatic climate control; electric tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel; park distance control with a reverse camera; and a 14-speaker Mark Levinson audio system.
The suspension geometry was altered in a bid to improve both handling and ride quality; usually one comes at the cost of the others but I feel Lexus has achieved sharp handling without compromising too much bump-soaking ability. The ride’s somewhat firm without being jarring – making this sporty Lexus very useable as a day-to-day commuter – but attack a corner and the car stays impressively poised, with minimal body roll.
The limited-slip diff transfers torque to the rear wheel with most grip, ensuring there’s more traction when you boot it out of tight corners. The steering feels meaty too, not light and sanitised, and a Sport button (now relocated to the steering wheel) at a thumb click alters the car’s transmission shift speed and power steering to sportier settings, and reduces the stability control intervention so you can hang the tail out a bit before technology bails you out of trouble.
The chassis and steering responses, with a little help from the electronics, make for a car with real driver appeal; it’s not just a big brutal engine.
But the star of the show remains that normally-aspirated 5-litre V8, which has been untouched in the midlife upgrade. Producing a muscular 311kW at 6600rpm and 505Nm at 5200rpm, it feeds the rear wheels through an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift sequential automatic transmission with steering paddle shifters.
As powerful as it is, the IS-F still does things in the inimitably refined Lexus style. Drive the car at a mild-to-medium pace and you’d never guess that it’s anything but a regular Lexus for the briefcase-bearing brigade, whispering along quietly to the next business meeting. It feels appropriately lively and alert but sounds like a sewing machine.
But as soon as you rev it past 3600rpm, it’s as if a switch has been flicked which opens up a seedier, darker side. The car turns demented and grows metaphorical horns as a secondary port opens in the engine’s air intake and causes a loud and evocative howl that should come with a PG rating. It’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde-like transformation from a business saloon to a race car.
Drive it like you stole it and you’ll achieve 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds at highveld altitude. That’s not quite in M3 territory, and some way off Lexus’ ambitious 4.6 second sea level claim, but still plenty quick. Unlike its 250km/h restricted German rivals the IS-F manages a top speed of 270km/h (or would, if you could find a really good lawyer to deal with the speeding fines).
VERDICT:
The thinking man’s sports saloon. The IS-F’s split personality will appeal to petrolheads who seek performance without significant sacrifices to luxury or ride quality.
It’s equally at home purring along the highway to a business meeting as it is racing through a mountain pass with hard rock blaring through the tailpipes.
It sells for R792 900 and, like all Lexus models, is covered by a four-year/100 000km full maintenance plan and warranty. -Drive Times