Test: Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance – ‘Nice, but we don’t miss anything about it’

Is this the successor to the Lexus IS F?

The previous Lexus IS with V8 – then called IS F – was a second-generation IS. We have never seen a V8 variant of the third generation presented in 2013. With us, generation 3 was only available as a hybrid and elsewhere in the world also with two-liter four-cylinders and V6s with a swept volume of 3.5 liters. In 2021, the IS quietly disappeared from our program, but for the US and Canada, Lexus gave the car a boost two years ago by supplying it with a V8 again: here is the IS 500 F Sport Performance.

Is the V8 more powerful than that of the IS F?

Under the large hump on the hood is basically the same 5.0-liter eight-cylinder as in the IS F at the time, but the engine has been upgraded over the years, increasing the power from 423 hp to 479 hp, comparable to what it used to produce. engine still does in the LC 500 and RC F. With this naturally aspirated V8, the IS sprints from a standstill to 60 mph (almost 100 km/h) in 4.4 seconds, putting it on paper quite in step with the blown six-cylinders. from Audi, Cadillac and BMW, not to mention the four-cylinder from Mercedes.

Wouldn’t it be fun to drive a cool V8 again?

The V8 comes to life with a strong hum after pressing the start button. There is absolutely nothing synthetic about it. Open windows and enjoy. Are there any silencers somewhere between the exhaust manifolds and the four exhaust pipes that protrude into the world under the rear bumper? Rather amplifiers. The world will know that we travel well motorized. Once we’re underway, the V8 also makes itself heard through the bulkhead. Especially with the accelerator pedal towards the carpet, the metallic raw engine sound sounds just a little fuller, especially in the upper part of the speed spectrum. Speaking of those higher rev ranges: even when you are parked, Lexus still allows you to push the needle well into the red area of ​​the tachometer. Not that patronizing throttling just above idling speed for the sake of a better world, but just a nice bit of revving. Admittedly, this brings out the child in us. On the other hand, how seriously do you take yourself with a completely unnecessary 479 hp in a mid-range sedan? Of course, the V8 is not just there for the sound experience. The eight-cylinder is primarily there to push you forward, and it can do that, full of enthusiasm. There is no linear character. The lively V8 comes into its own in the upper part of the speed spectrum. The torque curve only peaks at 4,800 revolutions per minute and maximum power is reached at 7,100 rpm, just before the rev limiter puts an end to the fun at 7,300.

American, so definitely only with automatic?

The engine works together with an eight-speed automatic transmission from Aisin. In principle this is excellent technology, but the shifting is certainly not seamless. In daily practice, it just lacks the refinement that we know from the well-known ZF automatic transmission, which works slightly faster and smoother. Anyway, intervention in the gear selection via the paddle shifters also works fine.

Is the car also typically American in terms of chassis?

When the German Three stick terms such as Performance or Competition behind the type designation, you get chassis technology that neatly matches the engine power. Not so with the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance. We know that cars with American specifications usually have a smoother suspension. Lexus is certainly in line with this with the IS 500 F Sport Performance: the tuning of springs and shock absorbers is not as stiff and stiff as hoped, resulting in a relatively agile carriage. The chassis leaves a comfortable impression, great for commuting, but not what we expect from a car with a 479 hp V8. At speed there is little to complain about the straight-line stability of the car, the Lexus moves forward nicely. Together with the comfortable chassis, this makes the car an above-average travel machine. But hey, that’s also possible with tamer specifications. As soon as we get to more winding routes, the car dutifully follows the specified course. However, the clarity and feedback of what happens between the tires and the road surface is limited. For a car with this potential it is too distant and too numb. With most of the weight on the front wheels, the car is slightly understeered. However, it takes little effort to persuade the rear-wheel drive driver to step aside. It should immediately be noted that the IS is not an unreliable partner. Exploring the limits (which are not far) is neatly predictable and nicely controlled, partly thanks to the Torsen limited slip differential and certainly also the direct response of the V8 to the accelerator pedal. Perhaps that is also the joke with this car: sports and games as a result of the necessary movement in the carriage. Compared to the sleek German stuff, this gives more of the old muscle car experience.

Are all fast Lexuses like the IS 500 F Sport Performance?

Yet Lexus can also do something else. On the same day that we drive the big IS, we have the opportunity to drive the LC 500, a convertible with the same V8. To our great surprise, this open two-seater drives a class better than the IS, and without Sport and Performance additions to its name. After just a few bends, the LC chassis appears to be a lot tighter and the steering considerably more communicative. And that while maintaining more than enough comfort, as you would expect from an open cruiser. With the LC 500, Lexus shows that it has mastered the technology, but does not want to take it off the shelf for the IS in its twilight years.

How is the Lexus IS?

The fact that the IS is in its twilight years – the car dates from 2013 – is clear in the cozy interior. With the small multimedia screen and the large number of physical buttons and switches, that is almost one trip down memory lane. With contrasting stitching and Alcantara accents, it undeniably fits in with the sporty experience that the car gives. As long as you are not too tall, you will be fine on the sports seats that provide sufficient support in all directions. The compact steering wheel with a fairly thick rim provides a good view of the centrally located tachometer. It is your choice whether you interfere with the gear selection by tapping the lever or with the large paddles behind the steering wheel.

Are we missing something here?

The IS 500 F Sport Performance is an above-average attractive machine, absolutely. The V8 makes the IS a much nicer car than we have ever known it here with the good hybrid drivetrain. However, a V8 alone is not enough to live up to the expectations that we get with the term Sport in the type designation and certainly not with the addition of Performance. Its automatic transmission misses points and the chassis lacks the tightness on all sides that we know from similarly performing sedans of German origin. The IS 500 F Sport Performance is fun, but definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Technical data Lexus IS 500

Dimensions (lxwxh) 4.76 x 1.84 x 1.44 m

Powertrain combustion engine

Engine V8, petrol

Cylinder capacity 4,969 cc

Max. assets 352 kW/479 hp at 7,100 rpm

Max. couple 535 Nm at 4,800 rpm

Weight 1,765 kg

Top speed 240 km/h

0-60 mph 4.4 s (0-96 km/h)

Consumption avg. 20 mpg (11.8 l/100 km)

From price $58,270