Driver's Notebook: F is for Fast
February 1, 2008
Hard on the brakes out of the
Rahal Straight at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., I aim left and
heave the Lexus IS F over the crest of the hill before plunging headlong down
the steep, blind nightmare called the Corkscrew. The car takes with aplomb all I
have the skill and nerve to ask of it—and would certainly take more, had I more
skill, or nerve.
"There has never been a Toyota or Lexus production car so
heavily tested at racetracks all around the world," says Yukihiko Yaguchi, IS
F’s chief engineer. "We wanted this car to be as authentic on the track as it is
on the street."
This racetrack may just be the most intimidating 2.238 miles of
asphalt in North America. In 50 years, the track’s 11 turns have made monkeys of
better drivers than me, and scrap metal of slower cars than this. So it is
ambitious of Lexus to choose this circuit to introduce the latest version of its
IS model, a car that competes in the sporty compact segment alongside the BMW 3
Series and the Mercedes-Benz C Class. Diving into corners and rumbling over
bumpstrips, howling through sweepers and down straightaways, it is hard to fault
the decision. This car has heroic qualities.
Beyond the daring and defiant act of simply existing—a Japanese
upstart challenging some of the world’s oldest and most venerated luxury
automakers—in the last 19 years, Lexus has largely defined itself as a
manufacturer content to stay within its comfort zone. The typical Lexus is
serene, softly sprung, and understated in appearance. The IS F, therefore, is
not your typical Lexus.
The Hyde to the IS250/350 sedan’s Jekyll, the IS F is the first of what may
grow into a range of high-performance "F" models. This is Lexus’ answer to the M
and AMG brands from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, respectively. It carries beneath its swollen hood a
brutish 5-liter V-8 engine—the gasoline-burning half of the LS600h L’s
gas-electric hybrid powertrain—transformed by an array of hot-rod features,
including high-flow 4-valve cylinder heads co-developed with Yamaha. The engine
delivers 416 hp and 371 ft lbs of torque to the rear wheels through an 8-speed
automatic transmission. Purists may lament the manual gearbox omission, but if
ever an automatic could turn a skeptic into a convert, this is the one.
Imperceptible gear changes in full auto mode give way to razor-sharp
paddle-actuated shifts in manual mode—100 milliseconds—faster than any automatic
transmission on the planet, faster than the servo-shifted manual in the Ferrari
F430. The IS F will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and press on to an electronically
limited 170 mph.
Visually, the car is extroverted like no other Lexus. The
gaping air intakes and widened front fenders with trailing-edge vents
accommodate the big V-8 and the heat it produces. The 19-inch forged aluminum
BBS wheels reveal Brembo brakes with huge vented and cross-drilled rotors. A
decklid spoiler and four stacked exhaust diffusers define the rear end. Inside,
thickly bolstered seats are clad in either all-black leather or high-contrast
white-on-black, with an inky dashboard brightened by hand-polished composite
trim.
While IS Fs are well equipped, buyers may opt for such
additional niceties as the Pre-Collision system with radar cruise control,
headlamp washers, and a DVD-based navigation system. Of particular note is the
optional Mark Levinson audio system, which has undergone a thorough revision for
the IS F. Levinson’s engineers adapted the 14-speaker system to fit the F-car’s
more vociferous character, adjusting equalizer levels as speed and revs build to
maintain the stunning tone and clarity for which this brand is so revered among
audiophiles.
For those who can’t wait for the car’s showroom debut next
March before making a purchase, Neiman Marcus recently featured the IS F in its
2007 Christmas Book. For $68,000, 50 buyers will get a loaded, black-over-black
IS F and a special Skip Barber driver-training program, held at either Road
Atlanta or Laguna Seca. I highly recommend Laguna Seca, but be sure to bring
plenty of nerve.
Lexus, www.lexus.com/isf
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