The name is different, but the point - and the engine - is the same as it was fifteen years ago: it will once again have a sports car over 450 horsepower on offer from Lexus.
The year 2007, the venue in Detroit, and the car amazed everyone: the formerly decent premium car maker Lexus unveiled the IS F, a bloody sports sedan with a five-liter, eight-cylinder intake engine running at up to 6,800 rpm and shortly before deregulation. He made 421 horsepower available to his pilot. The suffix F then became a concept in Lexus circles, but the IS F disappeared from the range with the 2013 generational change. Although the GS F, manufactured after 2016, replaced the space left behind in its sports sedan, GS retired permanently last year, leaving the brand without a high-performance limousine.
Not for long: the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance has now been introduced. The name is much less striking than the IS F, but there should be so much trouble. The engine is still the well-known 5.0 V8 intake unit, but its power has been increased to 479 horsepower, which it delivers at 7,100 rpm instead of the previous 6600. This accelerates to 96 km / h in 4.5 seconds (European data not available) - not bad, although 4.0 seconds for the RC F based on the same floor plate is enough.
The rear-wheel drive sports sedan is equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission, selectable Sport S and Sport S + operating modes, adaptive suspension and a partially self-locking Torsen differential - these powertrain and chassis components have been available to other sporty members of the model family. Extra, however, is Yamaha's specially tuned rear shock absorber and braking system that uses larger discs and more efficient cooling.
At first glance, perhaps only the more aggressive aerodynamics, black emblems, and exclusive 19-inch wheels at the front and a kilo of light weight at the rear appear, but the IS 500 Lexus F SPORT Performance bonnet has been raised nearly 50 millimeters and the front bumper and wheel drums have been stretched to make room for the V8 engine. Behind the dark chrome-lined side windows, a leather sports steering wheel embellished with a black F SPORT Performance logo, a metal pedal line and exclusive instrumentation await adventurous pilots.
(Source: vezess.hu / photo: pixabay.com)