Massive power, screaming V8, surgically precise handling. Yes, it's a Lexus... » More Photos

And then there’s the sound. The Dr Jekyll part is the quiet, refined, muted V8 purr you get as the revs rise to 3,599rpm. Then Mr. Hyde takes over at exactly 3,600rpm when a second intake in the air cleaner box flips open and transforms the engine into Deep Throat played through speakers at a Bon Jovi concert.

What doesn’t work, however, is the engine’s way-low 6800rpm cutoff which, with a super close ratio eight-speed, means the engine is stuttering with monotonous regularity. By comparison, BMW’s 4.0-liter V8 happily runs to 8300rpm.

What’s worse is that Lexus installs a warning buzzer that goes off at 6400rpm telling you it’s time to change up. After five minutes of hard driving with the buzzer constantly buzzing, I was ready to start ripping at under-dash wiring to silence the thing. If ever a control needed an off switch, this is it.

To make sure the IS-F’s cornering abilities matched its awesome straight-line performance, it would have been tempting for Yaguchi and his boys to stiffen-up the suspension to teeth-chattering levels. And when you look at the specs and see that front spring and shock rates are up 90 percent, the sway bars are now wrist-thick and the Michelin Pilot Sport RS2 tires have the depth of a rubber band, it’s amazing the ride doesn’t loosen dental work.

But even over acned blacktop, the Lexus feels like a Lexus, smothering ruts and ridges and staying composed even when slamming into a mid-corner pothole.

I also had nothing but praise for the car’s electric steering which, on the face of it, would seem as odd a choice on a hyper performance car as white walls on a Porsche.

But the helm feels surgically-precise and does a brilliant job of telegraphing back exactly what’s happening up front. As for the brakes, stand on them hard and six-pot Brembo calipers clamping 14.2-inch rotors up front will put a ripple in the earth’s crust.

From behind the wheel, the IS F is everything you expect of a Lexus, even down to the sybaritic Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system. But while beautifully stitched hides cover the heavily bolstered seats, it all feels a little austere. Apart from the brushed aluminum trim on the center console, the cabin is an ocean of coal-black vinyl that’s as inviting as a Kentucky mineshaft.

You’ll pay $62,540 for one of the handful of IS Fs that’ll be offered in the U.S. starting next month. That’s a tad more than expected, considering $54,575 buys you the new M3 Sedan. But it’s up there with the RS4 and C63.

What you’re getting, however, is one of the most glorious powertrains money can buy, coupled with sensational agility and everyday usability, plus benchmark Lexus quality and durability.

Maybe that’s not so alien after all.


Tampa-based writer Howard Walker has been covering the auto beat for more than 30 years. Former editor of Britain’s Motor magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Classic & Sportscar, Walker now reports on the U.S. auto scene for more than a dozen international publications. He also edits the duPont Registry’s Exotic Car Guide.