36 Votes

Fifth Gear drive the Lexus IS-F, Video link

fastonekiller submitted on 3/5/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 1:24:55 AM

57 user comments | Category: Reviews | Source: | SOURCE: www.caradvice.com.au

Tiff Needell from Fifth Gear test drives the IS-F.

Tiff was very annoyed by the gearbox.

It kept Bleeping at him on upshifts and downshifts. He kept saying "SHUT UP!" Bleep "JUST GIVE ME A GEAR, SHUT UP!" Bleep, Bleep, Bleep....

He also complained of too much oversteer and he only used 5 out of the 8 gears on the track.

Tiff loved the 5.0 liter throaty roaring V8 sound.

All and all, it put a smile on his face and said it was a very good effort by Lexus.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/10822/video-fifth-gear-drive-the-lexus-is-f/

Read Article

Fifth Gear drive the Lexus IS-F, Video link

About the Author

User Comments

Bring out the sledge hammer for a redesign ;-)
— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 1:58:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -7

Hepzibah, any good realtor knows how to change with the market.
— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 10:08:54 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

no doubt it performs amazingly, but cant get to take my eyes off its uglyness.
— hasterterber (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 1:50:40 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

Car Car

I'll take you riding in my car car
Take you riding in my car car
Take you riding in my car car
Riding in my car.

Boys and girls sing a little song
Boys and girls you sing a little song
Boys and girls sing a little song
When you're riding in my car.

The horn goes beep beep
Horn goes beep beep
Horn goes beep beep
When you're riding in my car.

Engine goes brrr brrr
Engine goes brrr brrr
Engine goes brrr brrr
When you're riding in my car.

I wanna sit in the back seat
I wanna sit in the front seat
Front seat, back seat
When you're riding in my car.

Tell you what I do, I drive so fast
Tell you what I do, I drive so fast
Tell you what I do, I drive so fast
Riding in my car.
— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 1:59:48 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -13

This is why pregnant women and crystal meth don't mix
— 07G35J (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 11:06:38 AM | | Votes: 8

Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. All mothers should be respected. But EL34 is just an idiot. He never has anything relevent to say about anything. Is he ever going to get banned??
— 07G35J (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 11:53:39 AM | | Votes: 9

Oops... I meant relevant. :}
— 07G35J (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 11:54:28 AM | | Votes: 5

This kind of person is the kind that if you just ignor he'll go away. So, can we please stop responding to his obvious attempt at attention?
— golfer38 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 12:14:07 PM | | Votes: 9

EL34 has been on Autospies for years and years, he's not a troll, he just has warped humour.
— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:37:42 PM | | Votes: 2

EL34 is the laughing stock of Autospies, it is to read his nonsense comments and laugh our ass off that we come to autospies blogs.
— farabira1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/8/2008 9:34:45 PM | | Votes: 1

he doesnt exactly complain about the oversteer...i mean fifth gear is famous for their drifting tests,and oversteer would allow that driver to win. also shows how balanced the car can be.

anyways, i can explain the beep when the RPM reaches redline.

instead of a light that you wont see when driving on a track, a sound would intuitively tell you to shift. i mean it makes sense
— LexusKindaGuy12 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 3:36:09 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

Enthusiasts don't want to be told when to change gear.

Although the car sounds great and looks a lot of fun, I'm surprised at how slippery that rear end actually is.

The official PR line 'A group of Lexus engineers presented the idea to management...etc.' Lexus gave to the journalists at the launch doesn't really wash with me though, first because Lexus management would have seen this gap in their portfolio from day one, and second, I can't see a group of engineers wanting to create an 'enthusiast's Lexus' putting in a Auto tranny with restrictive nanny electronics which don't give the driver true control over gear changes...
— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 3:52:01 AM | | Votes: 4

A car isn't realy balanced whe all it does is oversteer.
— Heyhuub (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 3:56:38 AM | | Votes: 4

but its still not a manual and I rather not have a computer do the changing for me.
— Htay7500 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 6:35:14 AM | | Votes: -1

Obama, not true about the Lexus automatic. I don't have the article in front of me but Car and Driver or Road and Track said the C63's seven speed autobox was the best one on the market. Most articles have praised the Lexus box, but not all. I've seen a couple that complained about the constant gearchanges in auto mode, usually jumping multiple gears because there are so many.
— JRobUSC (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 8:31:11 AM | | Votes: 1

This car is nowhere near the German competitors, especially the M3 which is one again a masterpiece.

But this is quite a cool car though
— SevorbeupstryIsBack (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:07:11 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

It's funny, because it's the exact opposite of what we were expecting a Lexus sports sedan to be.

Over-styled, a high-displacement engine, over-steery chassis set-up....
— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:13:46 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

in the end, lexus got it rite...you all can b*tch about it all you want. the entry of the IS-F was perfectly placed. it doesn't have to be #1 and it doesn't have to beat the M3 to sell. it just has to compete...

and from every article/review and my personal test drive...i can say it does without any question.

some may like the styling, some may not. some prefer high rev's some rather torque. both are subjective but effective. the manu-matic tranny does perfectly well for this vehicle. if it didn't, the times achieved would be worse and embarassing, however they are good, if not better at most tests. it may not have the "magical" feel the M3 has, but the IS-F is definitely a contender not to be mistaken, or taken granted for.

as for the beeping sound...if your in control and adjusted to the revs, you know how/when to change so it doesn't become an issue. i wouldnt be surprised that these shows blatantly redlined the vehicle causing the dissatisfaction.

stop whining and face it, Lexus did far better than anyone expected for their first attempt. and things can only get betetr from now, they will improve. they will cut the gap closer. and no one knows, but if BMW decides to become like one of these fan boys here, they may well be overtaken.

de-boost away!!!

— r15mohd (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 10:33:39 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 8

"Toyota's tech dudes already said, by not connecting it allows better flow of air in that area of the car."

I bet they said that...
— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:38:49 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

Wow, Lexus came up with this F car. What the f... (beep). Well, let's contiune beeping until it received a real F. Anyway, from what I learned in school, a F will always mean a F. Nothing more, and nothing less.
— MZauto (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 12:04:42 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -6

You're right!. Also, the focking M should mean “m,” not magical.
— hatepusss (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 3:07:12 PM | | Votes: 2

Who said anything about M or m? I think we are talking about F as for IS-F? right?
— MZauto (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:56:27 PM | | Votes: 0

An IS-F review.

Some overly eager Lexus fans.

Some overly cynical Lexus haters.

Usual self-described enthusiasts spouting off.

And little EL34 speaking in strange tounges.

Just another average day in autospies land.
— answer (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 12:16:02 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

And the voice of reason putting us all in our little, categorised places.
— Matthew1 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 2:53:46 PM | | Votes: 1

That car was all over the track! Loads of over-steer. How is that a good thing?
— investor27 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 12:46:27 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2

...what XeroK00L said...

Tiff yelling at the beeping is a bit of drama, and a lot of cut editing as well. The IS-F will not beep at you every 2.2 seconds. It's the same things as showing Tiff grin his 32's while he was whipping around the track....for drama...ask yourself, if he wasn't praising it via smiles and grins, would you want to buy it yourself???

He "loved" the fun factor of actually driving it, he even said it, which is what an "enthusiast" craves-the drive....This car gets an A- in my book. Not bad for a first try at all. I would rate the M3 an A.....both (and all in the segment too)are excellent cars.
— jeeka715 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:11:15 PM | | Votes: 3

Nice car other than the annoying beep.
— bmwfan1513 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 4:38:29 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

yeah, then you'd complain about the brain in the tranny shifting FOR you. LOL!

and just how long DOES it take to shift? this is supposedly the fastest acting paddle shifter not on a racetrack. it's not like there are LOOONG beeps if you have fast fingers.

whiners.

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 3/6/2008 5:24:41 AM | | Votes: -2

well maybe this car has a SOFT redline. it was reported the engineers figured the engine could easily rev to 8000 rpm. but toyota/lexus management wants to ensure ALL their cars, even the hot rods, MUST be at least 200,000 mile durable. so they mandated a lower redline for longevity.

and for what it's worth, i HAVE cranked an engine PAST the redline on the last two upshifts, seeking maximum top speed. (being a 2-stroke bike engine, i knew there were no valves to damage.)

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 3/7/2008 6:44:18 AM | | Votes: -1

fastonekiller, about your post to me above...
I would tend to agree that over time it would get annoying. But I would not expect to be redlining it enough in a session to warrant that a deal breaker.

I would like to see the option to turn that off or change the volume/tone with the in-Dash Screen system. Maybe for next year's model, seeing as how they added a VDIM OFF button for the standard IS350 after enough griping by owners...
— jeeka715 (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 6:20:30 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

in the 'ugly old usa' (never mind, a carry over from another thread), you need to wear a helmet when track driving. i don't think 'the beep' is going to help much. competition vehicles use a light.
— olscuul (View Profile)

Posted on 3/5/2008 7:05:38 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -4

Filth Gear
— njshift (View Profile)

Posted on 3/6/2008 8:48:03 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

Good review, but i've never heard of the transmissions blips before. so i agree it sounds of an annoyance. only proper thing to do now (and if lexus is even bother to) is stick in a old fashion 6 SPEED FRIGGIN MANUAL. screw the automatic transmission. any enthusiast will opt for the manual.
— Alec (View Profile)

Posted on 3/8/2008 4:04:21 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

with the latest breeds of autoboxes, manuals are way overrated.

i would EASILY choose an 8-speed autobox over a 6-speed manual. especially with paddle shifters.

and it's not that i do not ENJOY driving a stick, which i can do better than 90% of others. i taught myself to heel-toe double-clutch. modern paddle shifters do all that automatically, INCLUDING the engine 'blipping' before shifting down. and far more accurately than most humans could.

the main and maybe ONLY advantage of an old fashioned stick, imo, is the strong and positive FEEL of engine braking during hard driving. which one can hardly ever do nowadays, except on track days. and EVEN THEN, with modern brakes, one rarely relies on this much.

(engine 'blipping' for downshifts, is not to be confused with the 'bleep' or buzzing to warn of hitting the redline.)
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 3/10/2008 7:20:08 AM | | Votes: 0

Add your Comments

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters): [img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent001.myautospies.com/images/sample.jpg[/img]

Email Me When Someone Replies To My Message

Fifth Gear drive the Lexus IS-F, Video link

About the Author

User Comments

Add your Comments

Submit an article

Photo Galleries

Cars

Autoshows

Latest Articles