Lexus finally revealed the secret V8 car that has has been working. It’s not called IS F this time, Although. All new for 2022, it is now called IS 500 F Sport.
I have a problem with that name that I will address shortly. But if we believe in the specifications, he will surely be a performer.
In the fall, the IS500 does not use turbos or superchargers like other automakers. It’s all natural at Lexus. Its naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 produces 472 horses and 395 lb-ft of torque. Remember that this is the same V8 that works on the RC F and the LC coupe.
This energy is directed to the rear wheels through the same eightautomatic speed found in basic IS models. Don’t worry, it has been tuned for performance. Lexus is claiming a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. You will get 24 mpg on the highway.
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Changes underneath go a little further, sharing with the IS350 F Sport components as a limited-slip differential and adaptive dampers. They are combined with a standard dynamic handling package that should make this funn winding roads. It’s weird, but you would think that Lexus would have put more effort into the engineering model-performance gifts specific to the IS500 instead of sharing them with a more basic model. The only parts that improve performance that appear to be exclusive to the IS500 are its larger brakes (14 inches front, 12.7 inches rear) and 19 inches Enkei wheels. Lexus says these wheels are lighter than those of the 350 F Sport.
It’s going to be easy tell the difference between an IS500 and IS350 on the outside. Its protruding hood, Enkei wheels, rear spoiler and the diffuser are specific to the model. And in a nod to the past, Lexus has brought back the IS F.’s quadruple exhaust. It remains to be seen, however, whether they are really connected to anything.
Inside, the differences are subtle. The IS500 receives a digital instrument panel, reinforced sports seats, aluminum pedals and a steering wheel with a small F Sport emblem on it. No special embellishments, contrasting seams or anything else special. Just by looking inside, you can’t really say that this is a performance model. There nthe word about pricing yet
Although it is a welcome addition, especially since it has a V8, I have problems with the F name and brand. This model solidifies that F as a positionThe performance brand alone is not really a thing with Lexus. F emerged as a performance response for M, AMG, etc. Except that nothing worth mentioning has happened.
IS F made headlines and then it disappeared, the RC F is an old-fashioned artist (it wasn’t much of an artist when it debuted) and the GS F was largely overlooked. The brand has since been ado not showgo trim for each model in the Lexus line.
This new name in the IS implies that there is an IS500 standard and that this model is an F Sport vversion of this model. If F is not going to be a thing, Lexus needs to come out and say that. Otherwise, this IS500 must be interesting, especially with it, perhaps being one of the latest new V8 models before we entered our future EV.