Source: Market Watch
If you can’t afford LFA model, this car may be for you
DAMASCUS, Md. (MarketWatch) — When the opportunity came to spend a week in the Lexus IS F there was no hesitation in saying, “yes.”
Consider a 5.0-liter double-overhead-cam V8, good for 416 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 371 lb-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm. With the slick-shifting 8-speed transmission with nice large paddle shifts, zero to 60 in seconds is, to put it mildly, almost as swift as Taylor Swift.
Top speed is electronically limited to 168 miles per hour should you get a track day in the IS F.
While some might object to the tight suspension and stiff ride, the trade-off is sports-car handling that will allow you to keep up with most anything on the road.
In fact, with one exception, the IS F is the most fun you can have in a Lexus /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 82.01, -1.35, -1.62%) , falling short of only the LFA. Here, you would graduate up to a 560 horsepower V-10 good for zero to 60 times well under the 4-second mark and road holding in excess of 1 g. Your base price would also increase from roughly $59,000 for the IS F to $375,000 in the LFA. If nothing else, it is a set of figures to keep in mind if your spouse objects to the price of the IS F.
A double wishbone front suspension along with a multilink rear suspension and sticky 19-inch tires do the trick of fulfilling the handling needs of most exuberant drivers. Brembo brakes will put a big whoa to the proceedings any time you need them to.
Things quiet down substantially on the interstate, giving the driver and passenger a chance to enjoy the luxury car interior. Well fitted and formed, the gauges are easy to read, and there is more than adequate head and leg room for a 6’-tall driver. The rear seats are for storage of nonhumanoid-type cargo that might be lugged home from the office or grocery store.
The front sport seats will have a lock on your bottom and back yet were all-day comfortable on trips. The blue ambient lighting also added to the sporty nature of the car.
If it matters, the car is rated at 16-23 miles per gallon of premium unleaded by the EPA. I got 18 miles per gallon in mostly back road, highly enjoyable driving.
The car earned a “good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its crash tests.
Audio wise, the car came with a premium, 13-speaker system that produced some crisp sounds. The so-so navigation system will also keep you up to date on traffic jams and the stock markets that can be equally frustrating.
Looking at the market as a whole, the IS F is often overlooked by those seeking a fun to drive sedan. Yet the combination of power, handling and luxury touches is hard to beat, not to mention the usual Lexus quality. In the end, this is a 5-star car on a 5-star scale.
Hubcaps
Nationwide the price of gas has hit $3.10 on average, according to the Energy Department. One Toyota sales executive predicts that customer buying habits will change toward more fuel-efficient vehicles when that nationwide average hits $3.50 a gallon. The average price of $3.38 a gallon in San Francisco, now leads the pack.
Vehicles tested in this column are on loan from auto companies through local distributors.
Ron Amadon writes about cars for MarketWatch from Washington.
