2008 Lexus IS F - Long-Term Road Test - Car and Driver
Every so often, our long-term fleet acquires a special kind of car. It’s a Lexus with true enthusiast credentials. The F stands apart from Lexus’s sporty IS line of cars with its large fender flares, 19-inch BBS wheels with matching summer-only tires, and a hood with a serious power bulge. This is a fashionably snug car inside, so we passed on the sunroof in favor of the extra 1. 8 inches of headroom it eats up. We chose the Starfire Pearl paint job, Lexus-speak for pearlescent white. Our IS F glowed in daylight and sparkled in twilight, and a line formed quickly on the left to get in it. The tab came to $59,388. That paint job also seemed to tone down the F’s mad-dog fender flares and allowed us to drive under the radar, as... Once above that mark, the exhaust note turns from a low grumble to a kind of baritone threat. Passing Ann Arborites in the know were quick to turn and marvel at the powerful sound. Inside the car, drivers became addicted to the somewhat unsophisticated but wild roar that fills the cabin when the intake bypass opens. Power and spooky exhaust rumblings aside, the one aspect of the F’s personality that got the most attention was its hard ride. Source: www.caranddriver.com
