Next up in our day of Lexus IS-F reviews is Car & Driver, who don’t really say much, yet provide some contrasting opinions when compared to the Edmunds review.
For instance, where Edmunds was altogether blown away by the Sport Direct Shift transmission, C&D had some criticisms:
Polished paddles put your fingers in charge when you wish it. And they’ll be busy, the swift-revving engine and ratio-stuffed, eight-speed automatic gearbox bringing forth the redline cutoff with annoying frequency. With all that engine fettling, the warning beep reminding you to upshift at 6400 rpm and the cut-out at 6800 rpm feel a bit low. The new 414-hp BMW M3’s engine screams all the way to 8400 rpm.
Yet, when it came to on-road ride quality, something that Edmunds found overly harsh, C&D sang a different tune altogether:
At leisure speeds, the air is hushed, Lexus-like, with just a distant snort from the engine and the extra thrum of the fat summer Michelins disturbing the peace. Given the low profile of the rubber mounted to the 19-inch forged aluminum rims, the ride is tightly controlled but commendably mellow. The ride-and-handling balance is perhaps the IS F’s biggest achievement. It makes allowances for road fissures and drops the body into holes with cushioned lurches.
Oh, the subjectiveness of car reviews!