Car and Driver: Long term test of IS-F

8527 Views 26 Replies 18 Participants Last post by lowrider, Oct 17, 2009

mondo540

Discussion Starter · Aug 27, 2009

Interesting read in most recent C&D....really bagged on the ride and winter driving, lol...you can read it here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q3/2008_lexus_is_f-long-term_road_test

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

IN Is-F

· #2 · Aug 27, 2009

My previous car was a S2000 and I do not think that the Is-F's ride is that harsh. The 3800+ lb weight of the vehicle seems to keep it very planted and I disagree with that part of their assessment. I live in IN and will definitely not be driving my Is-F this winter.

____________________________________________________________
'08 Ultrasonic Blue, Joe Z exhaust and intake, TOMS drop in filter, Hawk pads.

IsFly168

· #3 · Aug 27, 2009

Why do ppl keep complaining about the ride of the F? dude, what were you expecting when you buy a F? Its like me buying a Yaris and complaining, how come its not as fast as my F? F---ing retarded ppl...

isflojo

· #4 · Aug 27, 2009

Tell me about it! People are not used to having a Lexus with a sporty ride, and they always bag on the newcomer in class. They're just threatened of the competition and hate us because we're beautiful! LOL!

Looney100

· #5 · Aug 28, 2009

The ride in the F is a little harsh. In a car of this price and in this class, the ride doesn't need to be as harsh. The benchmark in the class is the M3, which manages to run a suspension that provides both performance and comfort. The suspension in the F is clearly not as good.
It may not be a case that the F is particularly bad, its just that its worse than its immediate competition.

IsFly168

· #6 · Aug 28, 2009

Looney100 said:
The ride in the F is a little harsh. In a car of this price and in this class, the ride doesn't need to be as harsh. The benchmark in the class is the M3, which manages to run a suspension that provides both performance and comfort. The suspension in the F is clearly not as good.
It may not be a case that the F is particularly bad, its just that its worse than its immediate competition.

Yeah, dont forget a comparably equipped M3 is around $70-75k so its not apples for apples.

acchione

· #7 · Aug 28, 2009

I don't particularly care what car and driver says b/c I don't drive mine in the winter and I think the ride is fine, especially the way the seats "hug" the driver. Of course there are more comfortable rides out there...but they don't have what lurks under the hood.

Jeff Taylor

· #8 · Aug 28, 2009

IsFly168 said:
Yeah, dont forget a comparably equipped M3 is around $70-75k so its not apples for apples.

I can second that. Trying really hard the lowest MSRP I could get for an 08 M3 4 door was $68k and that didn't totally match the F's equipment. That is just the minimum I thought I could be happy with.

I can second the bit about being the F not being good in the snow. I have 18" rims and Blizzak LM-25s and it got me around okay. I did have some "interesting" moments though.

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS-F

jaslapp1

· #9 · Aug 28, 2009

people like to hate on things they can't buy hahaha

X20A

· #10 · Aug 28, 2009

Ahh, that article brought a tear to my eye

Yay IS F!

mondo540

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 28, 2009

That article did not seem that far off to me:

- have not driven mine in winter so don't know how bad it is or isn't.
- the ride is rougher than it needs to be, no question, but I've adjusted to it.
- 5K service intervals seem right for dino oil, ridiculous if using synthetic.
- quality comments are spot on for most part, esp. compared to BMW or Merc.
- great gas mileage is a huge plus and they speak to it.
- They don't mention the paddle shifters/sweet manual shifting on this car.
- The exhaust does not seem "thunderous" to me...actually pretty quiet.

At one time c63's and M3's were hugely more expensive than the F...that has narrowed considerably over the last several months. If you go to these other forums you will see where guys are getting, new loaded up cars for low to mid 50's. Manuf. to dealer money is/was big on these 2 for awhile.

All in all, I like my F a lot but I am not oblivious to some of it's shortcomings.

See less See more

lowrider

· #12 · Aug 28, 2009

The wheels are backwards on the C&D test car

I didn't discover this, Joe Z did. But, I checked out the pictures in my mag, and Joe Z is right. Again

Lou

nol300

· #13 · Aug 28, 2009

I think the car would be Ok in the snow if it had the LSD like the 2010 will I wonder how much it would be to put the LSD in ours.

Looney100

· #14 · Aug 28, 2009

IsFly168 said:
Yeah, dont forget a comparably equipped M3 is around $70-75k so its not apples for apples.

An excellent point. But could also be indication that Lexus has some room to spend some money on improving the suspension.

driftevolution

· #15 · Aug 29, 2009

I live in socal so winter isn't that bad, and I bought the F to be beat up with a harsh ride and rewarded with high corner speeds. Eat my heart out BMW M3, my Lexus will never see the inside of the service department like you will.

MrHarris

· #16 · Sep 2, 2009

So much hate to the M3!

duboseq

· #17 · Sep 16, 2009

MrHarris said:
So much hate to the M3!

No hate here! I love the M3. Just wanted more bang for my buck so I got the Lexus optioned out for less money.

M's are great cars and set the standard.

driftevolution

· #18 · Sep 17, 2009

When I got home from Afghanistan, I had 3 cars on my list to check out. One call to the Nissan dealer told me I wasn't getting a GT-R, so I moved on to target the M3 and IS-F. All the magazine articles pointed toward the M3 as being the "clear" winner, but I own an '00 323i and have had nothing but issues with it, so I was skeptical about reliability. I called the Lexus dealership and they met me at the door with the keys to an IS-F. I was thoroughly impressed by the IS-F despite its documented shortcomings. I figured I would give M3 a shot to impress me, so I headed to the dealership. All the BMW salesmen would not shut up about how exclusive the car was, that it was built by hand, yadda, yadda... I went to three BMW dealerships and not one would let me drive the car for one reason or another. The rest is history. I ended up with what I feel is a far superior car overall, built by a legendary manufacturer, backed by superior customer service, and followed by a great group of enthusiasts.

See less See more

SuperFreak

· #19 · Sep 18, 2009

driftevolution said:
When I got home from Afghanistan, I had 3 cars on my list to check out. One call to the Nissan dealer told me I wasn't getting a GT-R, so I moved on to target the M3 and IS-F. All the magazine articles pointed toward the M3 as being the "clear" winner, but I own an '00 323i and have had nothing but issues with it, so I was skeptical about reliability. I called the Lexus dealership and they met me at the door with the keys to an IS-F. I was thoroughly impressed by the IS-F despite its documented shortcomings. I figured I would give M3 a shot to impress me, so I headed to the dealership. All the BMW salesmen would not shut up about how exclusive the car was, that it was built by hand, yadda, yadda... I went to three BMW dealerships and not one would let me drive the car for one reason or another. The rest is history. I ended up with what I feel is a far superior car overall, built by a legendary manufacturer, backed by superior customer service, and followed by a great group of enthusiasts.

Well said!

Jeff Taylor

· #20 · Sep 18, 2009

driftevolution said:
When I got home from Afghanistan, I had 3 cars on my list to check out. One call to the Nissan dealer told me I wasn't getting a GT-R, so I moved on to target the M3 and IS-F. All the magazine articles pointed toward the M3 as being the "clear" winner, but I own an '00 323i and have had nothing but issues with it, so I was skeptical about reliability. I called the Lexus dealership and they met me at the door with the keys to an IS-F. I was thoroughly impressed by the IS-F despite its documented shortcomings. I figured I would give M3 a shot to impress me, so I headed to the dealership. All the BMW salesmen would not shut up about how exclusive the car was, that it was built by hand, yadda, yadda... I went to three BMW dealerships and not one would let me drive the car for one reason or another. The rest is history. I ended up with what I feel is a far superior car overall, built by a legendary manufacturer, backed by superior customer service, and followed by a great group of enthusiasts.

I had a similar experience. The BMW dealership wouldn't let me drive the M3. The Lexus dealer let me take out the F as many times as I wanted. Granted the one I drove was a used one (and the one I eventually bought), but they were even willing to let me drive the brand new one on the showroom floor as well.

I had a '93 BMW 525i and had all sorts of problems with it. I spent approximately $5k fixing problems in less than two years. So I wasn't real eager to have another BMW after that.

No regrets for me with the F. It has been a great car so far in the nearly one year I've owned it.

Jeff
08 Smoky Granite Mica IS F

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.