The letter F and Lexus have been a top combination for years. On Monday, the brand unveiled the IS 500 F Sport Performance with 5.0 V8. Obviously the spiritual successor of the IS F, which was the starting shot for the fun letter in 2008. Time to put that model in the spotlights!
Lexus wanted to formulate a rebuttal to the existing performance models from M, RS and AMG, among others. In 2006, Lexus applied for trademark rights to the F logo. The letter F stands for ‘Fuji’, after the world famous Japanese circuit Fuji Speedway. Here, the brand also carries out the lion’s share of its testing activities. In January 2007, Lexus showed the world the first F model: the IS F. It was by no means a childish first: an naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 with 423 hp and 505 Nm of torque launched the sedan straight into the territory of the Audi RS4 , BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
Of course, the fat V8 was by no means the only element with which the IS F set itself apart from the more average Lexus range. There’s a big one on the hood powerdome to give the eight-cylinder enough space. The front bumper and side skirts are significantly more sporty than those of the home-garden-and-kitchen IS, but it is also not the case that the sedan suddenly screams for attention. That changes when you look at the rear, because the four oval tailpipes are placed diagonally above each other on both sides. They are without a doubt the most characteristic aspect of the IS F. To top it off, there is a spoiler lip on the boot lid and the trained IS is on 19-inch light alloy. The F logos are also clearly visible on both the sides and the trunk.
Playful
Inside, the adjustments are a bit more subtle: sports seats, aluminum pedals, modified clocks and F logos betray that you are on the road with the thickest IS. The V8 released its power via an eight-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels, allowing it to sprint to 100 km / h in 4.8 seconds. Where the German competition was limited to 250 km / h, the IS F happily pushed through to a – also limited – 270 km / h. Incidentally, the IS F was certainly not a light boy with its almost 1,700 kilos. Our driving test in 2008 showed that despite its relatively high weight and the lack of a limited slip differential, the IS F was well suited for better throwing and throwing work.
Future of the label
In 2013 the curtain fell for the IS F in our country. It never became a sales success. In the end, the new price was € 117,970 and people who shop in that segment usually went for a model of the German three. It did not mean the end of the F models in our country, because later Lexus also delivered the GS F and RC F here, both also with a 5.0 V8. The GS F was there for a relatively short time, but the RC F is still available today. That’s a nice rarity on the country’s roads. Lexus is more successful with the F Sport trim level for the regular models, which, à la S-Line from Audi, brings a sportier appearance.
The most recent Lexus to add the letter F to its type designation is the IS 500 F Sport Performance, with which the brand again introduces a new label; F Sport Performance. However, the recipe has remained the same: a 5.0 V8 in the front, rear-wheel drive and the characteristic diagonally placed exhausts. Unfortunately, just like the regular IS, this model is not coming to the Netherlands. An F Sport sauce then?