The Lexus ISF sits silently on the tarmac, glistening in the mid-day sun; the silver F logo on the deep blue paintwork captures the sun rays and flings them off to strike the building number of impressed eyes. Even silent and motionless, the low slung bodyline and aggressive looks have captured a number of people’s attention as they make their way out of their offices to catch some sunshine during their lunchbreak. Some stop in their tracks and admire the quad exhaust resonators, beautiful 19 inch forged-alloy BBS wheels, massive vents behind the front wheel arches, super low and aggressive front air dam and menacingly sleek headlight design. Those slightly bolder peer through the Lexus ISF side windows and wow over the aluminium trim, blue speedometer needles and side bolstered front seating – even the steering wheel is finished with accent stitching in pure premium leather.

Yes the new Lexus ISF is something worth crowing about – and with 3 more horses than the BMW M3 V8 and a 0-60 mph time 1 tenth quicker, why wouldn’t you? The Lexus ISF is bristling with power and performance. Very sporty and a lot of fun, the Lexus ISF handles with loads of level grip and a lot of cornering prowess. If overcooked in cornering, the Lexus ISF brings a smile to the face with the ease at which the car is corrected from any oversteer. This is one rewarding car to drive.

Toyota has developed a true performer in the Lexus ISF; and after handing the Lexus LS 460’s engine over to Yamaha for tweaking, it came back as a big 5.0 litre V8 boasting Titanium intake valves, hollow camshafts and a water cooled oil cooler. With dual air intakes, the high performance engine has one air intake open at low engine speeds, but on reaching 3600rpm and above, the second air intake opens to improve breathing at higher engine speeds. The sound of the low throaty V8 roar is superbly melodious to one’s ear.

What Lexus has done to the transmission is a world first. The new Lexus ISF has a super slick paddle shifting eight speed automatic transmission that will audibly warn the driver to change the gear ratio at the most optimum of moments. Yes, the car is scintillatingly quick but I must mention now, very importantly, that the car will stop from 60 mph in a mere 31 metres which really is as awesome as the car’s top speed and acceleration. The braking system uses six piston Brembo-callipers with 14.2 inch rotors in the front and 13.2 inch rotors in the back. It is little wonder then that with a near perfect weight distribution, huge get up and go, and first class stopping ability, the Lexus ISF is superbly capable of setting some phenomenally quick lap times on any given track.

Packed with luxury items, as you would expect from Lexus, the Lexus ISF includes full leather, satellite navigation, adaptive cruise control, climate control, electric windows, a premium sound system and all the electrical gadgetry you would be expecting. The only option is a sunroof.

On the safety front, the standard Lexus IS managed an admirable five stars in the Euro NCAP safety tests, so without a doubt, the Lexus ISF will be as sound in this domain as in all the rest.

The Lexus ISF must now be added to the world’s elite high performance 4 door sedan list – sharing company with the Audi RS4, BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG. Don’t you love it?!

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