Lexus IS F 2012 News

The car is caught by Carparazzi during testing at the Nurburgring, where it is being honed to continue the Japanese brand's challenge to the dominance of the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG. The only big surprise on the fastest IS is a giant rear wing that will definitely turn heads.

The future for Lexus could be sprinkled with high-performance models as its F label becomes as important as an M badge at BMW. The chief engineer of the brand's breakthrough IS-F, Yukihiko Yaguchi, is already checking everything from the GS sedan to the RX soft-roaders for their potential for an F upgrade. He wants more and to do more, even if there is no firm plan. “It hasn't been decided yet but, yes, I would like to do that,” Yaguchi says at the Australian press preview drive of the IS-F at Fuji Speedway in Japan. “It is just an idea . . . but the IS F was just an idea, also.” Yaguchi made the $150,000 IS-F a personal campaign, battling management reluctance and limited support to produce a 5.0-litre V8 competitor for long-standing luxury performance vehicles from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. “I wanted to develop a new breed of animal for Lexus,” Yaguchi says. “In general our company produces rather rational cars and it was certainly a very difficult project . . . I cannot say what the future holds.” Lexus Australia boss John Roca hopes Yaguchi's IS-F will not be a one-shot wonder. “There is nothing on the drawing board at this stage, but you certainly wouldn't rule out similar performance derivatives of GS and LS in the future,” Roca says. “This (car) will also give our existing customers a boost. As much as we have had potential customers wanting to buy a Lexus had this type of vehicle been available, we also have existing customers who have clearly shown they are ready to move into a car of this type.”  

Then there's this - the IS F. If Godzilla wore a business suit, this is very likely the car he’d drive to work. The first in a series of specialised “F” cars for Lexus, it’s Japan's answer to Germany's high-performance V8 mid-sizers such as BMW's M3 and Audi’s RS4. Carsguide was given a preview ahead of its appearance at the Australian International Motor Show on Thursday. The Lexus is the first ultra-fast sports sedan from Toyota's luxury division. An apparently 5.0-litre V8 has been shoehorned into an engine bay that normally hosts a powerplant of half that capacity, driven through the world's first eight-speed direct sport shift gearbox and the rear wheels. In order to be competitive with the usual suspects, the F car needed to achieve the 0-100km/h sprint in less than five seconds – 4.9, which is their precise claim. Lexus product planning manager Jeff Shafer relates preliminary specifications of “more than 300kW and more than 470Nm” to move its approximately 1.7 tonne kerb weight, distributed 54:46 per cent front-to-rear. As to the nomenclature, the “F” code signifies those special vehicles that are removed from the Lexus engineering and development mainstream. And, as it happens, much of the IS F development took place under Yukihiko Yaguchi at Fuji Speedway at the foot of Mt Fuji, an aptly volcanic backdrop for the car in question. Shafer is one of the chosen few to have driven the near-production IS F. While he says that Mr Yaguchi was “adamant that the IS F had to have the instant sensory elements of driving” it also needed to be sufficiently civilised to be a daily driver. In both respect, Shafer says the IS F is well-served by its all-new eight-speed Direct Sport-shift Transmission (DSS). A new torque-converter lock-up control was developed that allows for a direct, crisp gear change through the constant lock-up of the torque converter in second through eighth gear. In Drive mode, the transmission is skewed toward smoothness, and the torque converter allows for enhanced launch capability. For more frenetic deployment, manual mode allows fingertip shifting via the steering wheel-mounted paddles - the fastest changing of its type, Shafer says. Downshifts are accompanied by automated and precise throttle blips to match engine RPM to vehicle speed. Unlike the current and conventional IS, the Drive mode can be temporarily overridden by the paddles without engaging manual mode. So you can engine brake into a corner in your chosen cog and allow the torque converter to take over as you emerge. A smarter-than-ever Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management System (VDIM) manages power delivery, braking response and suspension settings, all of which are changeable at the push of a button. Indeed, this newest VDIM has three modes, with the Sport mode providing what Shafer says is greater latitude before the electronic safety measure intervenes. Of course you can simply switch the thing off altogether and go your hardest, so it’s a good thing that this is underwritten by purpose-specced Brembo brakes. The standard wheels are custom 19-inch forged-alloy BBS number shod with 225/40R19s at the front and 255/35R19 for the rear. Of course, the F rides on a dropped and tightened suspension. These are also the subtlest visual hints the F is a departure. Other exterior pointers run to a bonnet that bulges to accommodate the bigger engine, a bespoke body kit and quad exhaust pipes. The interior is similarly understated but striking with aluminium composite trim, special surface treatments and F logo on the steering wheel and rear-centre console. The most obvious departure from the norm is that the F seats four not five, albeit in cosseting and supportive sport buckets. No doubt some will find the visual cues insufficiently bling, but anything more overt would be at odds with the executive express segment at which Lexus are aiming. The metallic blue of the car we were shown is the range’s signature colour, one that is intended to suggest a “flame when it gets to 1500 degrees”. On the face of it, the IS F will be hot enough for the Germans to feel the heat. See this car at the Australian International Motor Show  

Other brands before it have taken on a sideline of “hero car” models where sports looks and high performance earn the brand extra status. Lexus can make this move with justification: Lexus cars do race in various categories overseas, including at the famed Japan Fuji Speedway. And it's that first letter, F, that will mark the Lexus premium performance vehicles. First car in Australia, in about a year, will be the IS-F based on the existing compact IS250 which now has a 2.5-litre V6 engine delivering 153kW of power. The IS-F hot version will be aimed at European performance sedans. There's even talk of it running a five-litre V8 of 300kW, an eight-speed transmission (from the LS460 flagship saloon, perhaps) and limited slip differential to get better power to the ground. Lexus Australia manager John Roca says the IS-F signals the expansion of the Lexus range outside its traditional luxury-vehicle segment. “This IS-F is the embodiment of performance,” he says. “Just by looking at the vehicle, you know that it is something special. It will be the ultimate in performance cars and Lexus's first performance-specific model.” Lexus sister brand Toyota is about to release its performance version here, the TRD Aurion - the V6 has been supercharged to give a predicted 235kW of power. Holden performance arm HSV is doing well in sales while Ford has its Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Mitsubishi is preparing a supercharged 380 V6, with 230kW of power being suggested.