Lexus IS F Review – The Forgotten Hero?

The first ‘F’ car from Lexus was an absolute riot, so why has no one heard of it?

Overview

Released in 2008, the IS F was the first performance offering from Lexus – a company synonymous for producing cars that catered to those with an average age of 102. That changed when Lexus decided to put their biggest engine in their smallest car, creating a true marvel on 4 wheels.

The car came about from a dedicated team assembled by Lexus engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi who was working at Lexus at the time. The skunkworks project started life as a MK1 (XE10 chassis) IS with the 3UZ-FE engine from the LS460 shoehorned in. When the MK2 (XE20) was released, the engineers set about replicating the same formula, this time using the 1UR-FE from the LS460. The car was aptly named the IS430 by the motoring press.

On 6 December 2006, Lexus officially confirmed the existence of the vehicle which they called ‘IS F’ in the press release. Yukihiko Yaguchi, now the Chief Engineer for the IS F (who was also responsible the A80 MK4 Supra) and his team developed much of the suspension tuning and driving dynamics at Fuji Speedway. Hence the F in the name standing for “Fuji”.

Priced at £55,995 when new, the F is often overlooked as a true performance car as it is overshadowed by the E90 BMW M3 and W204 Mercedes C63 of the same era.

Performance

The F produces 417bhp and 505Nm of torque from the 5.0 2UR-GSE V8 under the bulged bonnet. An engine that is unique to this car. It started life as a 2UR-FSE from the LS600h but was heavily revised by audio and mechanical wizards, Yamaha. The GSE nomenclature attributes to the use of Yamaha designed heads.

0-60 arrived in a brisk 4.6 seconds and would go on to top out at a limited 168mph. The way the baby Lexus puts down the power is nothing short of phenomenal. No LSD was present on the early models (2010 included a facelift adding an LSD) and yet it would hook up every single time. Wheelspin was minimal from the 255 size rear tyres which aided in the impressive handling.

Weighing in at 1700kg, the IS is no slim chicken but that weight is very nicely hidden when carving down a nice B-Road. There is a decent amount of feel through the leather-wrapped steering wheel and the rear end never feels like it is going to suddenly step out. The suspension, particularly in the early models, is quite stiff which is very apparent at slow speeds. This was revised during the facelift.

However, power is always effortlessly delivered. There is a 2-stage intake system which opens up at around 3000rpm, a nice audible change is evident as well. It would be nice if the power matched that of the C63.

The gearbox is another masterpiece fitted to the F. The 8-speed torque converter can be ‘locked’ in gear, getting as close to a manual as possible. No automatic up-changes here. It is nowhere near as quick as the current dual-clutch boxes available now but it does a damn fine job. Much better than the SMG and 7G autos found in the M3 and C63.

Economy

You might be thinking, “a 5.0 V8 with decent performance is going to be terrible on fuel”. And you’d be right, kind of. When you’re using the car for what it was designed for, single figure MPG is not unrealistic. However, when travelling on the motorway with the cruise control set to a steady 70mph, mid 30’s is more than achievable. This is reduced if using the standard-fit adaptive cruise control.

Quite frankly, the economy is pretty bloody good considering what lies under the bonnet. Driving around town is a different matter and can give you anything from mid teens to low twenties. All in all, the combined figure will render you with figures around 25 MPG.

I did find it was much better on fuel when using ‘snow’ mode but this disabled the use of cruise control so was omitted when driving on the not-so-smart motorways.

Simply put, the car was never designed for economy but it does a more than acceptable job at it, should you need to use this as a daily driver.

Comfort

Comfort levels for the Lexus is what to be expected from this brand. Being a small executive saloon, it instantly benefits from being comfortable enough to tackle the daily commute and motorway slog. The F features incredibly supportive memory function seats for both driver and passenger.

Surprisingly, the front seats are only heated and don’t have the cooling function of the lesser IS250 in SE-L spec. I’m not overly sure as to why this was left off the options list when the rest of it is very generously equipped.

As previously mentioned, the F features adaptive cruise control, auto lights, auto wipers, memory function seats and keyless entry/start. They were typically better equipped than their rivals but even though it had bluetooth calling, you couldn’t play your music through it. Weird. Aftermarket options are available to get around this though.

The SatNav is obviously massively outdated now but even still, it is easy to use and read – provided you don’t venture into any new estates. Not being able to input a postcode is a royal pain in the…

Rear seating is more than comfortable for most who choose to travel in the back. But don’t expect to carry more than 4 people as there is no middle seat. That space is reserved for the beefier driveshaft and diff.

Some may find the seats to be too supportive, if you’re of a larger stature with broader shoulders you may find it uncomfortable with your shoulders being pushed forwards. Not so much of an issue when driving, but could be for co-pilots.

The carbon-fibre styled aluminum trim is an interesting talking point, though.

Practicality

Unfortunately this is where the IS F, and also the standard IS falls far behind its rivals. Whilst the boot is a decent size and the opening is not too much of an issue, there is no option to fold the rear seats down.

There is a small ski hatch for your, erm, skis, but that is all you are graced with. It is a shame that you cannot drop the rears because it really limits the practical aspect of an otherwise great car.

There are small door pockets for the driver and passengers but those in the rear have to settle for a small door bin that’s big enough for a bite-sized packet of Haribos. The glovebox is decent though and the centre console storage is quite deep.

Thankfully the car comes as standard with a reversing camera that is slap bang in the middle of the boot making it effortless to park. Front and rear parking sensors aid to the ease of your local Waitrose shop (it is a Lexus).

If only Lexus made a wagon version like Mercedes did with the ’63.

Reliability

The six awards speak for themselves. Lexus consistently remain at the top of the What Car? Reliability Survey across all of their vehicles and the party-piece F is no exception. In the UK, there are 6 figure mileage cars still going strong with no signs of slowing down.

The only real issues are something that is known as the ‘valley plate leak’ where the sealant starts to degrade and will eventually leak coolant over the engine. The other is where the dashboard and the top of the interior door trim become sticky, again, due to degradation. There are very few of these issues reported in the UK, partly due to the fact there are less than 200 registered over here.

Over the course of a year and a half, I experienced absolutely no issues with the car whatsoever. The electronics never had a problem and mechanically, it was spot on. I am also not aware of any rust issues present.

With some owners across the pond reporting 300,000 miles plus, it should come as no surprise that the IS F ranks 5 stars in this segment. Trouble-free motoring is what this car does best.

If you need to daily this, you should have absolutely no worries about it ever going wrong. Normal, regular maintenance will reward you with years (and miles) of motoring.

Verdict?

Understated, unknown and unassuming. The Lexus IS F really is a forgotten hero. It is a shame that it never sold in high quantities because it is a bonafide rival to those coming from Europe.

Sure, it may have less power and be slightly less engaging to drive, but you’ll still be able to enjoy it whilst the others are in the garage. It is let down by the lack of practicality but what it does well, it shines. Never had a car offered this much performance with such little worry for reliability.

Early models can be had for relatively little money but the later the car, the better it is. A facelift happened in 2010 which added an LSD, bluetooth audio control, DAB, daytime running lights and the option of white seats.

I can honestly say, this is the only car I ever regret selling. But it had to go because getting a dog in the boot was both cruel, and almost impossible.

Price when new [tested]	From £55,995 [£55,995]
Price now [tested]	From £14,250 [£18,000]
Power	416bhp
Torque	505Nm
0-60	4.6s
Top speed	168mph
Weight	1700kg
Fuel capacity	64L
Road tax	£630