Overview & Reviews

Lexus has long competed in the luxury car market, but traditionally it didn't have much to offer consumers who wanted a vehicle with exceptionally high performance. That's all changed, however, with the recent introduction of the Lexus IS-F. Based on the regular IS luxury sport sedan, the IS-F comes with a V8 engine, a track-tuned suspension, stronger brakes and special interior and exterior styling details. While it has some faults, the IS-F does indeed offer a serious, no-compromises driving experience for hard-core enthusiasts.

Current Lexus IS-F
A compact high-performance luxury sport sedan, the Lexus IS-F has a few styling cues that definitely separate it from its IS siblings. These include a unique — but aesthetically questionable — faux quad exhaust design, which appears as two staggered, vertically stacked ovals on the car's lower rear fascia. The IS-F also features aerodynamic enhancements on the hood and front bumper, wider front fenders and a rear spoiler, all of which give the car a more aggressive, though somewhat aftermarket, look.

Under the IS-F's hood is a 5.0-liter V8 engine tuned to produce a mighty respectable 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque. The transmission is an eight-speed automatic, controlled by paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Other high-performance features include engine oil and transmission fluid coolers, a mechanical limited-slip differential and an oil pump designed for high-speed cornering. The IS-F also features a performance-oriented version of Lexus' electronic stability control system.

Major standard features on the Lexus IS-F include 19-inch BBS forged alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, leather upholstery, power/heated front sport seats, Bluetooth and a rear-seat trunk pass-through opening. The standard 13-speaker audio system comes with a six-CD in-dash changer and an iPod interface. Options include an upgraded Mark Levinson surround-sound system, as well as a navigation system with touchscreen, voice activation, a back-up camera and real-time traffic.

In reviews, we found that the Lexus IS-F's strengths include acceleration, handling and braking abilities. The automatic transmission also works surprisingly well as long as it's placed in manual mode; when left in automatic mode its shifts are not as predictable as we would like. We timed the IS-F at just 4.8 seconds for the 0-60 dash, impressively quick by anybody's standards. There are some drawbacks, however. While practicality is far from being the most important aspect in this class, the IS-F does have less backseat space than its super sedan competitors. We've also found the suspension tuning to be pretty stiff, even though this year's car has been softened up compared to earlier models.

Used Lexus IS-F Models
Having debuted for the 2008 model year, the Lexus IS-F is still in its first generation. These earlier cars are pretty much the same as the current model, though there have been a few changes along the way. There were minor revisions to the instruments and cabin trim for 2009, and then upgraded electronics (hard-drive navigation, updated Bluetooth and an iPod interface) for 2010. One other thing to note was that 2008-'10 IS-Fs had a pretty harsh ride quality, something Lexus has addressed with the current model.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 30.00

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  Sports car of my dreams - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By BILL BOULWARE - July 18 - 8:13 pm

  I have been buying Lexus cars for the last 15 years and they have always provided luxury, comfort, reliability and safety. Now they have all the above plus speed and fun. The IS-F provides great acceleration, agility and high speed with great control and safety. The top speed is over 185, but limited to 168 by a governor. The 0-60 time was 4.2 seconds but Lexus advertises 4.6 sec. Overall this is a great sports car that also feels good just with every day driving.

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  Closest thing to a motorcycle no wind - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By OD - June 20 - 8:53 am

  Very tightly built 4 door sports car. Amazing engine sound over 4000 RPM. Very strong engine performance at high RPM. Very smooth gearbox at normal driving. 1500 RPM at 60 MPH. Fun to use puddles usable even in D and amazingly effective 8 gear shifting. Extreme snappy in M. Drifts easily and naturally without special effort even with VDIM on. Hard to use navigation with Mark Levinson sounding poor compared to Bose and navigation on M45 on Infiniti. Very good seats including passenger. Rear OK, but only accommodate 4. Ride is VERY tight bordering on harsh so not for use on rough roads. 15 MPG city, 20 MPG light foot hwy.

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  IS-Furious - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By BC - January 8 - 8:56 am

  The most powerful vehicle ever produced by Toyota/Lexus and it has hit its targets dead on. It is 2nd to the Mercedes C63 on a straight away. It is 2nd to the BMW M3 on a full track. It beats the Audi RS4 on both straight away and full track. It has the best rating on gas consumption (as well as no gas guzzler tax). More importantly, it is the most reliable and has the highest build quality out of all its competitors. The 2008 Lexus IS-F is the overall best performer in its class. I myself own a Starfire Pearl IS-F down in Houston, TX. I am a 100% satisfied customer. :)

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  More bang for your buck than BMW m3 - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By IS-F for life = ) - September 18 - 8:46 pm

  This is the best car I have ever owned and driven. This car came standard with all options including navigation etc. Extremely reliable, and with cruise control on when driving on the open road, I averaged 29.8 mpg while going 70mph which is impressive for a v-8 sports car even if you dont like the brand. I paid 54,000 for my car which came with everything, and compared to the legendary BMW m-3 which cost over 71,000 and only came with heated leather seats and nothing else standard! Lexus is more bang for your buck! Never owned a Lexus before, but this is great!

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  2008 IS F Review - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By LexusISF_Rocks - July 7 - 10:06 am

  I had a 2005 Corvette with the Z51 package, and I loved the torque. However, I had it for 3 years, and I needed a change. Test drove a 2008 BMW M3 with the new 4.0, and it was a dog. I was very disappointed, as I really wanted to get it. It is not designed for folks that like torque. The Lexus has more torque and is much more fun to drive, especially when the 2nd intake opens up, and you can hear it, very nice. It sounded nicer than my Corvette ever did. The fit and finish are 1st class. The 8-speed Direct Shift automatic is a blast. The brakes are Brembos, and are top- notch. Handling matches the Corvette. Road and Track states that it beats the Corvette in a number of areas. Awesome!!

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  2008 Lexus IS F - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By redline78 - July 2 - 2:30 am

  Lexus built IS-F to compete with BMW M3. This car is supposed to go fast and have good handling at high speed. If people want softer ride and slower car, that is what IS250 for. I say go fast or go home! :P My previous car was IS350 and I sold it to get IS-F. I love my IS350 and I love IS-F more. Faster car, very nice muscular/louder engine, 19" gunmetal wheels made by BBS and brakes by Brembos... this car hits the mark in my book. I was going to buy the new M3 but I bought this one instead. This car go so fast so quick you dont notice you are going fast until you look down on speedo. :x

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  Outstanding car! - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By Outstanding car!!! - May 7 - 12:30 am

  This is a great car by Lexus! The sound of that V8 is outstanding people all over are looking at the car like what is that most people never heard of it! This is the most fun I have had in a car I almost feel like Im on my motorcycle... lol. Great sound system, crisp sound, still reading the books that came with it. The car has so much on it! The car is fast plus it has a nice ride.

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  The perfect car for me - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By caymandiver75 - April 25 - 12:02 pm

  Ive owned this car now for 2.5 years and have put 20k miles on it. The car has performed flawlessly requiring no unscheduled maintenance to be done.

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  Flaws are few and far between - 2009 Lexus IS F
  By mkovalsky - November 12 - 7:44 am

  Yes the ride is firm and yes its competitors have more pedigree, but the ISF is what the old BMW M cars used to be - discreet. This car really is a wolf in sheeps clothing. The V8 is absolutely intoxicating, especially above 3500 rpms. The steering is good and the brakes are fantastic. The exhaust is louder than god and the gearbox is loads of fun when youre really hammering it. My favorite thing about this car is that you get the ballistic performance with the Lexus reliability, couldnt ask for much more.

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  Great Car!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By HC - October 1 - 7:46 am

  I have been driving this car for 3 months now, I have to say that Im really impressed with gas mileage, HWY 26mpg, CITY 18mpg for a 400+ hp is really good, ride comfort is not bad, I live in The Woodlands TX and we have no bumpy roads which makes it a pretty smooth ride so far... The Power is amazing, really fast, and also very good looking. If you are looking for POWER and LUXURY this is the car for you.