Lexus IS-F

THE FIRST CUT

Trying to go where the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63 AMG currently reside is the transparent mission of the Lexus IS-F and, on paper, it looks to have the tools for the job. With a 417bhp V8 up front, the IS-F is no makeweight but simple badge equity may still count against it.

When Lexus first debuted as a marque in the UK, it could have focused on building the brand by knocking over a few easy stiffs, by targeting the weak and sickly. Instead it drew a bead on what was widely acclaimed to be the best car in the world, the Mercedes S-Class, and, through a shameless imitation it has to be said, created a model in the LS400 that equalled the mighty Merc in many respects and bettered it in more than a few. Therefore if there's one thread running through Lexus' short but distinguished corporate history, it's that it never ducks a challenge.

Of course, some have been more successful bids for class leadership than others. For every LS400 or GS class success there have been cars like the first generation RX, which missed the boat by a couple of years, and the SC430 which really should have been left on the dockside in Japan in its doomed bid to topple the Mercedes SL. Lexus is tilting at some of the toughest targets in the motoring business again with the IS-F, a V8-engined supersaloon that has the Mercedes C63 AMG and BMW M3 unwaveringly in the crosshairs.

Received wisdom has it that Japanese performance cars have had a bit of a mixed reputation with UK buyers. Stop and think about the number of success stories there have been and the list is pretty long. Count among them the Datsun 240Z, Mazdas RX-7 and MX-5, the Toyota Supra and MR2, the Mitsubishi Evo, the Subaru Impreza, the Honda NSX, Civic and Integra Type-R, the Nissan Skyline GT-R and the 350Z . There have been nearly cars, like the Honda S2000, the Accord Type R, Nissan 300ZX, the Mitsubishi FTO and the Toyota Celica GT4. Then there have been cloggers like the Subaru XT, the Mitsubishi 3000GT and the Nissan 280ZX. The inescapable conclusion to be drawn from this list is that Japanese companies have been getting better and better as time progresses at building convincing performance cars.

"This is a car that offers a very appealing blend of everyday utility, huge performance and metronomic reliability…"

Rather oddly, there has been an exception. Since it ditched the Supra and domestic market MR2 Turbo, Toyota hasn't really been in the sporting cars game. Its luxury arm Lexus has barely dipped a toe in the water but that's changing. The awesome LF-A supercar has kept many Nürburgring spy photographers in clover for the past few years but the IS-F is the first serious sports model from Lexus to hit showroom floors.

The specification sheet for the Lexus IS-F looks promising enough. With 417bhp from its 5.0-litre V8, it pips the BMW M3 and the old Audi RS4 by 3bhp but has to give best in the power stakes to the mighty Mercedes C63 AMG. No great surprises there. The engine is a development of the unit found under the bonnet of the LS460 limousine, but has been sent to fit club. Titanium intake valves, lightweight hollow camshafts, and an extra oil pump to keep the moving parts slippery during extreme cornering manoeuvres improve what was already a very impressive motor. The headline figures are par for the class, the IS-F stomping to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 170mph.

Of perhaps more interest is the way that it does so, and a key element of this is the gearbox. While many enthusiasts will stop reading now, the Lexus' automatic gearbox is something quite intriguing. With eight forward speeds and a manual mode that offers quicker upshifts than the Ferrari F1 automated manual 'box, the 'Sport Direct Shift' is no lazy lugger. Yes, there is a fully automatic mode for when you're noodling through traffic but otherwise it's that rarest of things - a genuinely purposeful sporting auto. Suspension spring rates have been stiffened by 100% compared to cooking IS models and the IS-F features a two stage stability control system with a Sport mode that allows adventurous drivers a little more leeway before the electronic cavalry comes over the hill.

The IS-F isn't the most overt styling job, but the exterior changes made over the standard IS are well judged. The IS remains a very smart piece of design and the dynamic makeover of gently bulging wheel arches, four tail pipes, anthracite alloy wheels and air vents in the trailing edge of the front wings gives it just the muscle it needed without lapsing into cliché or caricature. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the interior which falls a little flat in the visual drama stakes. Yes, there is a smattering of carbon fibre, paddle shifters peek out from behind the steering wheel, there's a drilled pedal set and the instrument needles are finished in blue, but some beefier seats wouldn't have gone amiss, nor would a classy alcantara-trimmed steering wheel.

At 1716kg, the Lexus IS-F is quite a hefty piece of kit but you'll feel reassured every time you feel the doors thunk shut. It feels a good deal more substantial than an M3 and, if the company's JD power customer satisfaction scores aren't to take a sudden and unexpected lunge southwards, that impression of quality is far from superficial. In terms of space, those in the front are well catered for but the rear seating area and boot are less amply proportioned.

One body style and one engine. IS-F customers aren't going to be bewildered by choice but they certainly may be left stroking their chin when their friendly dealer comes up with a figure against which they will be expected to sign. At £51,000 on the road, the IS-F is more expensive than the BMW M3 coupe and comes within a few thousand pounds of the awe inspiring Nissan GT-R, a car that targets even mightier fare such as the Porsche 911 Turbo. Had Lexus been able to offer the IS-F for around £45,000, it would have been a bolt-on success but it's hard to see many people being swayed to the Japanese ingénue against the formidable competition histories of BMW and Mercedes.

Equipment levels remain strong though, as you'd expect from Lexus. Massive 360mm diameter front brake discs with six-pot calipers, 19-inch alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport boots and the additional cost of that massively sophisticated gearbox all help to explain the hefty asking price. IS-F customers also get eight airbags, twin-mode stability control, traction control, brake assist and brakeforce distribution. Security too is out of the top drawer with locking systems to confound the cleverest crooks.

As a first stab at creating a state of the art sports saloon, the Lexus IS-F is extremely good. If that sounds like damning with faint praise, then consider this. It has had to come in running against companies that have been in this game for many years and it's certainly there or thereabouts. Perhaps its biggest obstacle to success may be badge equity. For those not overly concerned with a premium German badge on the bonnet, Nissan's powerhouse GT-R lurks in the shadows with even more power, more attitude and dizzying technology.

Next to the GT-R, the Lexus IS-F looks straight-laced, old school even, but it's a car that offers a very appealing blend of everyday utility, huge performance and metronomic reliability. Is it the most exciting car in its class? Probably not, but if you're buying rather than trying, it might just be the sleeper of the bunch.

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