Saturday 7th April 2018

Lexus IS F: Spotted

Can 420hp and 7,000rpm of Japanese reliability tempt you away from the usual German fare?

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In the pantheon of great V8 super saloons, many will see the Lexus IS F at best as a bit-part player. After all, what they've taken here is the second-generation IS, in other words the dullest version of one of the greyest cars the firm ever made - and that's saying something - and enlivened it with a course of steroids. So, while it may well be beautifully made, and the dealers polite and welcoming, at heart the car lacks the style, flair and panache we'd expect from a first division four-door rocketship.

However - and it's a big however - those steroids included a 423hp 5.0-litre V8 transplant that revs to 7,000rpm and transformed this dullard into a thing of refined brutishness. Its power, with no nasty turbo to spool up, is instant, thrilling and addictive. On most roads, certainly most real everyday roads, it enjoys complete dominion over other traffic. Performance is in the order of 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds, and the top speed is a more than adequate 168mph. An eight-speed automatic gearbox of rare civility makes all that seem rather easy, too, and its accurate steering and excellent chassis balance mean corners can be attacked with gusto - sideways if needs be. Despite its relatively sober-sided appearance - bonnet bulge and cooling gills aside - this is actually a hugely enjoyable and highly exploitable car.

It isn't a BMW M3 killer, not quite - it isn't as sharp to drive and the ride is too fidgety - but it is a pretty good effort. It's also excellent value, and of course it'll never let you down. The one we've found in our classifieds has done a mere 58,000 miles, has a full service history, a long warranty and looks temptingly wicked in its black livery on matching 19-inch BBS wheels. It's £22,995, which seems a fair price for something so quick and potentially so naughty, and dammit so full of V8 vigour. Inside you get a suitably sporty and adequately luxurious interior that, in the language of the trade, is fully loaded, and even includes Isofix fittings, so you can strap young Harry and Hermione in the back and let them enjoy some sideways action too.

And that's a huge part of the appeal of a V8-engined saloon car like this one - it can do practical and it can do speed. It can potter to Waitrose one day and hammer around the Nurburgring the next, although if you do that don't forget to make sure you've removed all your shopping first.

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SPECIFICATION - LEXUS IS F

Engine: 4,969cc, V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 423@6,600rpm
Torque (lb ft): 373@5,200rpm
MPG: 24.4
CO2: 270g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 58,000
Price new: £51,000
Yours for: £22,995

See the original advert here.

Mark Pearson

[HardMiles]

A lot of money for a not very dynamic package. An e92 m3 would cost you less and also has 420bhp from a v8, that also revs to 8000rpm? And it’ll handle.

Plus, I’ve just treated myself to a 4.2xkr with a few mods, it’ll produce 476bhp for less than half that cost.... mmmm

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Agreed, I thought these would be cheaper.

[ducnick]

Saw one of these recently in a car park and it looked might good and very under the radar.
Mind you £22k seems a bit steep for it now given the myriad of alternatives for bmw, AMG, jag, Vauxhall and the rest all offering more attractive packages of handling/power/madness at the expense of some of that Lexus reliability.

[Phil Dicky]

I guess the attraction is that there are very few, M3's, C63's are everywhere yet I've not see an ISF for 2 years at least. They do have a presence on the road to the likes of us, yet fly under the radar to our light fingered society members.

[AmosMoses]

There are a few on AT for under £20k, this ones is pretty clean however.

It’s a car I really like, it’s understanded yet crazy fast. Would I take one over an e90 M3?

I really don’t know!

[Gameface]

Love these. So much cooler than its contemporaries. This one is strongly priced though.

[Brinyan]

Cool & classy

[paul99]

I recently bought one and I love it. I did my home work and found it a struggle to find any known problems with them and the exclusivity won the day for me. Other things to consider are a set of OEM Brembo front disc's/pads can be found for only £150, A 2 year Lexus extended warranty for ~£900 and the OEM Bridgestone Tyres are ~£160 a corner, Lexus servicing isn't cheap but comparable to the others.
This one is a quite expensive but it is a later model with suspension changes, Drl's, lsd, updated sat nav and dash, quite a rare model.

[KPB1973]

I like these. At about £17k it would make sense, but at that price (or one of the several 13 plates on AT for around £28k) you're getting close to F10 M5 ballpark.

[andy43]

The ISF is bulletproof. They just don’t go wrong. Engine is a peach. Gearbox is Lexuses own 8 speed. Alan Partridge would st himself if he put his foot down in one of these.
Add in the rarity and that’s why they’re the price they are. In fact I think they’re gradually going up in value based on current prices compared to when I was considering one a couple of years ago.

[jason61c]

So much cooler than an M3, it'll save you £1000's per year in costs also.

[anonymous-user]

I have owned some very nice cars over the years, but the one I miss the most is my IS-F. It had a character that the then current M3 didn't have (I had one of those too), and that noise......

[Gameface]

Giblet on here had a lovely one that he modded tastefully. Hopefully he will contribute to this thread.

Of the owners I've seen, not one has a bad word to say about them.

Edited by Gameface on Saturday 7th April 09:49

[mrfunex]

HardMiles said:

A lot of money for a not very dynamic package. An e92 m3 would cost you less and also has 420bhp from a v8, that also revs to 8000rpm? And it’ll handle.

Plus, I’ve just treated myself to a 4.2xkr with a few mods, it’ll produce 476bhp for less than half that cost.... mmmm

They’ll go wrong, though...

I had an ISF for about 2.5 years. Loved it! It was equally at home in town, crossing the continent, or slithering it’s (rather lively) way around a wet Silverstone. I had a Hayward and Scott cat-back system on mine and it sounded fantastic! The ISF is a proper Jekyll and Hyde car - drive it gently and apart from a slightly firm ride, it’s wonderfully sedate and slips in and out of traffic anonymously; give it the beans and it not only sounded like a nascar, it’d trouble the traction control almost to 100mph.

Due to the relative rarity (only 210ish in the UK), I traded mine in for almost what I’d paid for it and now have it’s bigger brother, the GSF.

[chunder]

Let the Yamaha designed motor breathe with aftermarket intake, headers and exhaust and you'll have 500hp, With a few cheap suspension mods (LCA bush for starters) you can sharpen the fidgety handling and you will then have an F10 M5 beater - with bulletproof reliability.

Budget a grand for a starter motor at some point (its a pig to access) but otherwise service items only till fossil fuels run out.

Obviously the asking price is only one aspect of total ownership cost so to me doesn't seem high, although admittedly I am an ISF owner - and not regretting my well researched choice for one minute as it truly is two cars in one, comfortable cruiser in auto and tearaway in sport manual.

[stuno1]

Comments in the price surprise me. Supply and demand. M3 is cheaper and that is because there are loads of them and they have engine issues that can cause tots failure, brakes are weak and throttle actuators fail. Also the interior is average at best. The isf is far more rare reliable and just as fast.

[forzaminardi]

I agree that you sort of expect these to be cheaper, but it is a rare car with tins of character so go figure. I'd love one.

[Heaveho]

I'm surprised they aren't more expensive. Market prices reflect peoples ignorance. Massively more realistic ownership prospect than many other comparable cars as far as reliability is concerned. My experience mirrors that of a previous poster, of all the nice cars we've had, the IS-F is something I really miss. The later cars have better suspension and an LSD if memory serves me right. You'd be extraordinarily unlucky to have a problem with one of these.

[Gameface]

chunder said:

Let the Yamaha designed motor breathe with aftermarket intake, headers and exhaust and you'll have 500hp, With a few cheap suspension mods (LCA bush for starters) you can sharpen the fidgety handling and you will then have an F10 M5 beater - with bulletproof reliability.

Can you really get another 70bhp out them? Impressive.

Which companies do this? Or is it various parts from various companies? Does it need remapping?

[SidewaysSi]

I wouldn't buy an M3 or C63 without a warranty but would happily own this.

As the years roll by, this will make even more sense.