New serious competition for RS4.

[Iceman]

Beside the upcoming new M3 there will be another serious competitor for the RS4, the Lexus IS-F.
This car will have a 5.0 litre V8 with 400+ hp, 475 Nm of torque and a 8 speed "Direct sport-shift" gearbox.
It will do 0-100 Km/h in 4.9 sec's.
Further it will have 19" wheels and big brakes.

http://www.autoweek.nl/images/800/a/796c9e4807109e00a2989caf3f36efea.jpg
http://www.autoweek.nl/images/800/e/d1d5399c3bd332599cd2ae77642e793e.jpg
http://www.autoweek.nl/images/800/9/131da87964bd77795b8e6130f628e579.jpg

Hans.

[Andyuk911]

your havin' a laugh .. no thanks Ugh !

[nene]

I'll pass!

[Cale24]

Looks like they had serious trouble fitting that V8 in there! The nose is a LOT blunter. And that side 'extake' is well strange. RS4 it is.

[Ruergard]

I'll pass!

So will I... :rs4addict :king:

[Leadfoot]

You know what it looks like, all of the bodykits that the young guys go to Halford for and then fit them themselves. And it promised so much, oh well.

[James H]

Not impressed with that at all...Interior looks like it came out of a Nissan. If I was going to spend that kind of money on a car, it would only be coming from one country, and that aint Japan.

James

[Iceman]

I'm not saying i like it, but i think it can be very fast.

Hans.

[James H]

Fair point. I'm sure they'll sell a few. Some of my work collegues seem to think that lexus can do no wrong.

Wouldn't do for us all to be the same. Can you imagine what the waiting list would be like if we all wanted RS4 (or insert name of preferred audi model here) ;-)

James

[Damienr8]

Looks like they had serious trouble fitting that V8 in there! The nose is a LOT blunter. And that side 'extake' is well strange. RS4 it is.

WOW, lexus wants to fight the RS4 and M3 with this?

On a visual level, it looks brutal.....brutally heinous. Where the hell did lexus look to find design inspiration, 2 fast 2 furious? The front bumper and grill looks horribly aftermarket, the exhausts looks horrid and that "extake" as Cale described it, looks very wierd.

On an engineering level, the car better perform otherwise, lexus' attempt to "kill" the almighty M3 & RS4 will be a fruitless attempt. I don't know what else to say?

[Lateknight]

Theres usually nothing subtle about Japanese sports cars, and this is no exception.

This car would look better in a darker colour (always hides ugliness well).

That gearbox gate's got more notches in it than Hugh Hefners bedpost.
Will this be a belt driven 8 speed ? (multitronic type) - I wouldn't fancy that.

I think AUDI & BMW should only worry about the Japanese market for this car. Thats who the car is clearly aimed at - they're own market.

(although i've just noticed it does have a passing resemblance to what a 4 door Z3 would look like)

[Mori]

Looking at the turbo kits available for the IS300 and GS430, I wonder how much power the tuners will get out of this.

Might be a nice alternative for a BMW if someone wants RWD and doesn't neccesarily want to go for the Bangle-look.

[Benman]

Fair point. I'm sure they'll sell a few.

So do I. I am also very dissapointed by the looks, especially considering the regular IS looks so much better... but, what will the real world performance be like? Hell, if BMW can sell butt ugly cars that are very well engineered and go like stink, then why can't Lexus? Afterall, I know what dealership between those two I'd rather be dealing with when it comes time for service. :dig:

Ben:addict:

[audifan]

Wow the snozz on that car is huge and out of proportion...ouch
but you know what they say about cars with big noses...

[Vorsprung]

I expected something far better from Lexus. I honestly thought they would produce the goods to make a serious RS4/M3 competitor. This will definitely not cut it...
And whats with the exhaust pipes??!:noshake:

http://tyt.tnpv.net/Image/2007/01/TYT2007010876967_PV.jpg
http://tyt.tnpv.net/Image/2007/01/TYT2007010800312_PV.jpg

[chewym]

The regular IS looks really good, this IS-F doesn't.

[Mori]

Deja Vu on those exhausts. :/

[jiggs]

That thing is grim. It hopefully will appeal to an enirely different demographic than does the RS 4.

Whoever designed those stacked quad exhaust outlets should be shot.

[Leadfoot]

Lexus watches what everyone has done and makes it better, well that might be the case for everything else but not for exterior design.

[BBGT2]

Disappointment is what it should be called. The thing looks gross, look at the hood bulged out, looks like it wants to belch. Competition for the RS4 ? I dont think the RS4 has anything to worry about.

[Cale24]

I'll say. The motor doesn't fit........'We'll MAKE it fit'... I'm disappointed too, I hoped it would look nice- the regular IS does ineed look coolish in the metal. Judging by the previous clear tail-lights(old IS) and new exhausts, Lexus considers the 'lucrative' Chav market carefully. Bintin.