Automobile Magazine has just published the results of their four-seasons road test of the 2009 Lexus IS-F, where it was well-received:
Particularly in our test car’s livery of ultrasonic blue mica, the IS-F is far from the typical, shy, retiring Lexus. It’s an intense and, in places, highly successful attempt to vault into the demanding realm of the extreme sport sedan.
As technical editor Don Sherman wrote: “The IS-F is exceptional in two key F categories: fast and fun. Zigging through traffic, thrashing a winding road into submission, or shredding speed limits, this ride is tough to top.” As you’d expect from a company as serious as Toyota, it hits all the hard points; but, as you also might expect from a first effort, it falls short in some of the subtleties. Nonetheless, we can get behind Sherman’s closing statement, “The IS-F’s burning essence should be infused in every other Lexus with a sporting intent.”
Their only real complaints are well-known by now: ride harshness was excessive, and there were just too many gears to flip through in manual mode. The IS-f was also incredibly reliable over the twelve months—over 25,322 miles, the only out-of-pocket expense was winter tires.
[Source: Automobile Magazine]