Lexus IS F 2008 review: road test

While the hybrid range appeases a green conscience with performance as well, the brand lacks a hero.

The IS F is deigned to be a halo car for the Japanese brand that the bulk of its opposition already has - BMW has its M cars, Benz has AMG-badged weapons and Audi offers S and RS performance models, many which have character and soul in spades.

Explore the 2008 Lexus IS range

• Lexus IS F 2008 review
• Lexus IS F 2008 review: road test

The IS bearing the F badge - inspired by the Fuji Raceway track that was used in the model's development - aims to change that for Lexus, taking the V8 from the petrol side of the LS600hL hybrid, giving it to Yamaha and asking for some singing and dancing lessons.

The brand says it has always had an element of performance within the bulk of its range but has never made a big deal about it - with the ISF the company has what it calls a new breed of Lexus and compares its significance to that of its 1990 launch.

Lexus Australia chief executive John Roca says the performance market is new for Lexus, but the Japanese company has not entered the segment with a carbon-copy of its opposition.

Its a lot of pressure on the car but we have to, being as conservative as they’ve been in the past, if it wasn’t for Yaguchi-san (chief engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi) this car wouldn’t be here.

The board made a decision in 2002 - when he first talked about this car - not to develop a performance arm to the brand they felt it wasn’t what Lexus was all about, smooth quiet, well-crafted but he's an enthusiast, he wanted something he would like to drive.

They will go easy with this car until it is successful, being cautious in terms of production and supply it has to succeed because if it doesn’t there wont be any more F models.

The F started life as something of a side project for Yaguchi, a 25-year veteran of the company and its Toyota parent.

Within the huge carmaker development approvals are not won easily but after experimenting with various mules the car was given the green light in 2004.

Driving fun was more the aim, rather than outright lap times, says Yaguchi-san, with Yamaha, Brembo and BBS among the suppliers, the IS F has taken shape.

Using the hybrid limo's V8 within an IS300 shell, Lexus has massaged every bit of the car and produced a four-seat four-door offering 311kW, 505Nm and a claimed thirst of 11.4 litres per 100km.

The five-litre powerplant boasts variable intake, port and direct fuel injection, valve timing and a raucous note change at 3600rpm - 0-100km/h times of 4.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 270km/h are the claims and track work suggested those numbers were achievable.

The eight-speed conventional automatic has two top gears for fuel economy and the remainder are closer-set, with a torque-converter lock-up between 2nd and 8th for better response; shift times are 0.1 of a second on up-shifts and 0.3 of a second on the downshift, complete with throttle blip.

Yaguchi-san said the small development team had limited time and funds, making the brand's existing eight-speed automatic a more viable option than trying to develop a double-clutch automated manual now being used by BMW.

At 1700kg it's no featherweight, but it's by no means the porkiest in the segment, says Lexus, which defends the weight figure in deference to a comprehensive features list.

Full leather trim, heated sports front seats, a satnav-equipped Mark Levinson fourteen speaker sound system, radar cruise control, switchable stability control are all standard in the four-seater.

It also has plenty of clever aerodynamic and cooling tricks, including 19in wheels - 30 per cent lighter than the 15.5kg 19in wheels from the LS600hL - that are directional and specific to front and rear axles, for pushing air onto the large vented and cross-drilled Brembo brake package.

As a first-up effort in the prestige compact performance segment, the IS F does most things in a way that will put it on the shopping list occupied by BMW's M3 and the C63 AMG - Lexus certainly now has its hero car.

DRIVING

The high-performers of Lexus have been hybrids up until now.

The little four-door sedan has a V8 that sings, quietly at first but 3600rpm is when it opens up and really belts out a note.

The tune is accompanied by plenty of thrust, more than enough to whop the eight-speed auto into a frenzy and see off 100km/h in around five seconds.

The ride quality is firm and on the abrupt side, big yumps and bumps are relayed with little compliance.

It's not bone-jarringly bad but M, RS and AMG are a little easier through road imperfections.

The steering has a nice feel to it, gathering extra weight in sport mode to make the driver take charge; the paddleshifts are crisp and generally smooth, although in sport mode there's a little more shift-shock than some double-clutchers sampled in recent weeks have displayed.

The seats aren't large but they are supportive and comfortable, with little numb-bum displayed during the launch drive; the racetrack showed the lateral support, which felt ample on the road corners, was up to the task on the racetrack.

The IS F was bred for trackwork and it shows, lapping the Phillip Island circuit with considerable pace and plenty of balance.

The firm ride quality that slightly tarnishes the on-road performance is paid for in spades by its abilities in the corners, with minimal body roll, decent turn-in and plenty of grip.

Switch the electronics off and there's plenty of fun to be had - the track's two tight corners can be easily dispatched with plenty of attitude and a session on the skid pan demonstrated the electronic stability system's prowess, as well as its ability to be completely turned off, something its German counterparts could look at closely.

Lurid powerslides and other activities that would get the IS F confiscated on public roads can be indulged in with impunity on a racetrack skidpan, with plenty of smoke.

The circuit work showed the IS F has what it takes to corner quickly and gobble up straights in competitive time.

While absolute straight-line speed and outright pace point-to-point might still have a German at the top of the podium, the IS F is on the money.