My IS-F Moroso mini-review
01-30-08, 09:38 AM
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
My IS-F Moroso mini-review
I'll try to keep this short since I've been very delinquent in writing this up and others have covered quite a bit.
First off it was great to meet everyone there as it was a joy to share the experience with other like-minded enthusiasts. Bit: If you're reading, you should have come on down even without an appointment. I look forward to meeting you some day as well.
I'm going to focus on things that I haven't really seen mentioned and/or comparisons to my GS. On to the experience!
As I was awaiting my time slot I watched the 8:00 AM folks go out. What surprised me most was how quiet the IS-F was at WOT coming onto the straight. Don't get me wrong it still had a nice sound but certainly not as loud as the big displacement C63 or Vettes, Trans-ams, etc... and almost a bit tame. That changed when I was actually in the car. Lexus has made the car louder inside than out. The extra noise when the second intake opens really makes for a sweet noise inside the car while the outside still sounds "Lexus-like". A very interesting sound tuning exercise by Lexus.
The acceleration was sweet. It is somewhat faster than my 2GS but the power seemed smooth and linear (the way I like it) somewhat like my supercharger and not snap your head back type performance. It was easy too. Just put your foot down.
The brakes caught my attention next. They stopped really well with much better feel than your standard Lexus brakes. They took a pounding on the track and there was no fade. The feel was a bit spongy especially compared to my AP brakes but they got the job done.
The next thing to catch my attention was the weight. Wow! You really feel how heavy the car is. It felt as heavy as my 2GS throwing it around the corners. After the first corner surprise it was easy to adapt but you always felt it push. Overall the handling was more neutral than I expected. My 2GS understeers more into corners which can then be corrected with the throttle. The IS was more neutral and the transition to power oversteer was more gradual.
The VDIM in sport mode allowed me to get sideways far enough to play and without immediately throwing a tantrum. Much, much improved from previously. Based on the short drive I can't imagine needing to turn it off for 99% of street driving.
The ride was very comfortable. I was expecting a much harsher ride based on the magazine reviews. But the car didn't pitch and buck badly at all. Now we were on a track but I was pleasantly surprised. If this holds on real streets I think that this car will be very livable as a daily driver.
There was one chicane that you had to really wait before you put your right foot down. When in drive the IS-F would always hesitate for what seemed like a long time until it downshifted and picked the right gear to accelerate out of the corner. I put the transmission in sport mode and it responded immediately to the paddle shifts. It was a totally different experience coming out of that corner. The transmission is very impressive with the immediacy of the shifts. I think eight gears is one or two too many (especially with the slightly low redline) with first seeming to be especially useless. It did seem like a bit too much shifting accelerating down the straight.
The car looks better in person than in pictures (I knew that from the preview dyno day). It was great to see the different colors (though red was not present) with most complementing it nicely (I don't like the Ultrasonic Blue). The exhaust I still hate! *shrug* There was one great detail of the front fender that looked awesome in person when looking at it from the front. A subtle design thing I had not noticed before. The car needs bigger tires IMO.
The car without a sunroof has gobs of headroom but will be special order only. BTW: The IS-F I drove had a sunroof. I can't speak to how the loss of weight up high changes the handling.
The engine bay is cramped. I'm curious to see how hard it will be to service things in there.
The interior, like the engine bay, is cramped for rear seat passengers. Front seat is a great place to be. The seats are comfortable and hold you nicely in place in spirited driving. But just two seats in the rear with no pass thru or fold down :-( No cooling on the seats since they are a different design than the IS350 seats that have both heat and cooling.
Overall it is a fantastic first effort by Lexus. The car will surprise a lot of people.
First off it was great to meet everyone there as it was a joy to share the experience with other like-minded enthusiasts. Bit: If you're reading, you should have come on down even without an appointment. I look forward to meeting you some day as well.
I'm going to focus on things that I haven't really seen mentioned and/or comparisons to my GS. On to the experience!
As I was awaiting my time slot I watched the 8:00 AM folks go out. What surprised me most was how quiet the IS-F was at WOT coming onto the straight. Don't get me wrong it still had a nice sound but certainly not as loud as the big displacement C63 or Vettes, Trans-ams, etc... and almost a bit tame. That changed when I was actually in the car. Lexus has made the car louder inside than out. The extra noise when the second intake opens really makes for a sweet noise inside the car while the outside still sounds "Lexus-like". A very interesting sound tuning exercise by Lexus.
The acceleration was sweet. It is somewhat faster than my 2GS but the power seemed smooth and linear (the way I like it) somewhat like my supercharger and not snap your head back type performance. It was easy too. Just put your foot down.
The brakes caught my attention next. They stopped really well with much better feel than your standard Lexus brakes. They took a pounding on the track and there was no fade. The feel was a bit spongy especially compared to my AP brakes but they got the job done.
The next thing to catch my attention was the weight. Wow! You really feel how heavy the car is. It felt as heavy as my 2GS throwing it around the corners. After the first corner surprise it was easy to adapt but you always felt it push. Overall the handling was more neutral than I expected. My 2GS understeers more into corners which can then be corrected with the throttle. The IS was more neutral and the transition to power oversteer was more gradual.
The VDIM in sport mode allowed me to get sideways far enough to play and without immediately throwing a tantrum. Much, much improved from previously. Based on the short drive I can't imagine needing to turn it off for 99% of street driving.
The ride was very comfortable. I was expecting a much harsher ride based on the magazine reviews. But the car didn't pitch and buck badly at all. Now we were on a track but I was pleasantly surprised. If this holds on real streets I think that this car will be very livable as a daily driver.
There was one chicane that you had to really wait before you put your right foot down. When in drive the IS-F would always hesitate for what seemed like a long time until it downshifted and picked the right gear to accelerate out of the corner. I put the transmission in sport mode and it responded immediately to the paddle shifts. It was a totally different experience coming out of that corner. The transmission is very impressive with the immediacy of the shifts. I think eight gears is one or two too many (especially with the slightly low redline) with first seeming to be especially useless. It did seem like a bit too much shifting accelerating down the straight.
The car looks better in person than in pictures (I knew that from the preview dyno day). It was great to see the different colors (though red was not present) with most complementing it nicely (I don't like the Ultrasonic Blue). The exhaust I still hate! *shrug* There was one great detail of the front fender that looked awesome in person when looking at it from the front. A subtle design thing I had not noticed before. The car needs bigger tires IMO.
The car without a sunroof has gobs of headroom but will be special order only. BTW: The IS-F I drove had a sunroof. I can't speak to how the loss of weight up high changes the handling.
The engine bay is cramped. I'm curious to see how hard it will be to service things in there.
The interior, like the engine bay, is cramped for rear seat passengers. Front seat is a great place to be. The seats are comfortable and hold you nicely in place in spirited driving. But just two seats in the rear with no pass thru or fold down :-( No cooling on the seats since they are a different design than the IS350 seats that have both heat and cooling.
Overall it is a fantastic first effort by Lexus. The car will surprise a lot of people.
01-30-08, 03:09 PM
#2
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
Thanks for the detailed writeup Mr J! Are you going to get one?
01-30-08, 03:40 PM
#4
nice review j!!!!! that's awesome. very comprehensive but to the point review. love it. interesting to see your feedback on the tranny between normal and the sport mode.
i agree with the room, just like the 2is, it's very small. i hope soon i can drive one to see how the brakes are, that's always one important point i stress on performance cars.
i agree with the room, just like the 2is, it's very small. i hope soon i can drive one to see how the brakes are, that's always one important point i stress on performance cars.
01-30-08, 04:03 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
I'll try to keep this short since I've been very delinquent in writing this up and others have covered quite a bit.
First off it was great to meet everyone there as it was a joy to share the experience with other like-minded enthusiasts. Bit: If you're reading, you should have come on down even without an appointment. I look forward to meeting you some day as well.
I'm going to focus on things that I haven't really seen mentioned and/or comparisons to my GS. On to the experience!
As I was awaiting my time slot I watched the 8:00 AM folks go out. What surprised me most was how quiet the IS-F was at WOT coming onto the straight. Don't get me wrong it still had a nice sound but certainly not as loud as the big displacement C63 or Vettes, Trans-ams, etc... and almost a bit tame. That changed when I was actually in the car. Lexus has made the car louder inside than out. The extra noise when the second intake opens really makes for a sweet noise inside the car while the outside still sounds "Lexus-like". A very interesting sound tuning exercise by Lexus.
The acceleration was sweet. It is somewhat faster than my 2GS but the power seemed smooth and linear (the way I like it) somewhat like my supercharger and not snap your head back type performance. It was easy too. Just put your foot down.
The brakes caught my attention next. They stopped really well with much better feel than your standard Lexus brakes. They took a pounding on the track and there was no fade. The feel was a bit spongy especially compared to my AP brakes but they got the job done.
The next thing to catch my attention was the weight. Wow! You really feel how heavy the car is. It felt as heavy as my 2GS throwing it around the corners. After the first corner surprise it was easy to adapt but you always felt it push. Overall the handling was more neutral than I expected. My 2GS understeers more into corners which can then be corrected with the throttle. The IS was more neutral and the transition to power oversteer was more gradual.
The VDIM in sport mode allowed me to get sideways far enough to play and without immediately throwing a tantrum. Much, much improved from previously. Based on the short drive I can't imagine needing to turn it off for 99% of street driving.
The ride was very comfortable. I was expecting a much harsher ride based on the magazine reviews. But the car didn't pitch and buck badly at all. Now we were on a track but I was pleasantly surprised. If this holds on real streets I think that this car will be very livable as a daily driver.
There was one chicane that you had to really wait before you put your right foot down. When in drive the IS-F would always hesitate for what seemed like a long time until it downshifted and picked the right gear to accelerate out of the corner. I put the transmission in sport mode and it responded immediately to the paddle shifts. It was a totally different experience coming out of that corner. The transmission is very impressive with the immediacy of the shifts. I think eight gears is one or two too many (especially with the slightly low redline) with first seeming to be especially useless. It did seem like a bit too much shifting accelerating down the straight.
The car looks better in person than in pictures (I knew that from the preview dyno day). It was great to see the different colors (though red was not present) with most complementing it nicely (I don't like the Ultrasonic Blue). The exhaust I still hate! *shrug* There was one great detail of the front fender that looked awesome in person when looking at it from the front. A subtle design thing I had not noticed before. The car needs bigger tires IMO.
The car without a sunroof has gobs of headroom but will be special order only. BTW: The IS-F I drove had a sunroof. I can't speak to how the loss of weight up high changes the handling.
The engine bay is cramped. I'm curious to see how hard it will be to service things in there.
The interior, like the engine bay, is cramped for rear seat passengers. Front seat is a great place to be. The seats are comfortable and hold you nicely in place in spirited driving. But just two seats in the rear with no pass thru or fold down :-( No cooling on the seats since they are a different design than the IS350 seats that have both heat and cooling.
Overall it is a fantastic first effort by Lexus. The car will surprise a lot of people.
First off it was great to meet everyone there as it was a joy to share the experience with other like-minded enthusiasts. Bit: If you're reading, you should have come on down even without an appointment. I look forward to meeting you some day as well.
I'm going to focus on things that I haven't really seen mentioned and/or comparisons to my GS. On to the experience!
As I was awaiting my time slot I watched the 8:00 AM folks go out. What surprised me most was how quiet the IS-F was at WOT coming onto the straight. Don't get me wrong it still had a nice sound but certainly not as loud as the big displacement C63 or Vettes, Trans-ams, etc... and almost a bit tame. That changed when I was actually in the car. Lexus has made the car louder inside than out. The extra noise when the second intake opens really makes for a sweet noise inside the car while the outside still sounds "Lexus-like". A very interesting sound tuning exercise by Lexus.
The acceleration was sweet. It is somewhat faster than my 2GS but the power seemed smooth and linear (the way I like it) somewhat like my supercharger and not snap your head back type performance. It was easy too. Just put your foot down.
The brakes caught my attention next. They stopped really well with much better feel than your standard Lexus brakes. They took a pounding on the track and there was no fade. The feel was a bit spongy especially compared to my AP brakes but they got the job done.
The next thing to catch my attention was the weight. Wow! You really feel how heavy the car is. It felt as heavy as my 2GS throwing it around the corners. After the first corner surprise it was easy to adapt but you always felt it push. Overall the handling was more neutral than I expected. My 2GS understeers more into corners which can then be corrected with the throttle. The IS was more neutral and the transition to power oversteer was more gradual.
The VDIM in sport mode allowed me to get sideways far enough to play and without immediately throwing a tantrum. Much, much improved from previously. Based on the short drive I can't imagine needing to turn it off for 99% of street driving.
The ride was very comfortable. I was expecting a much harsher ride based on the magazine reviews. But the car didn't pitch and buck badly at all. Now we were on a track but I was pleasantly surprised. If this holds on real streets I think that this car will be very livable as a daily driver.
There was one chicane that you had to really wait before you put your right foot down. When in drive the IS-F would always hesitate for what seemed like a long time until it downshifted and picked the right gear to accelerate out of the corner. I put the transmission in sport mode and it responded immediately to the paddle shifts. It was a totally different experience coming out of that corner. The transmission is very impressive with the immediacy of the shifts. I think eight gears is one or two too many (especially with the slightly low redline) with first seeming to be especially useless. It did seem like a bit too much shifting accelerating down the straight.
The car looks better in person than in pictures (I knew that from the preview dyno day). It was great to see the different colors (though red was not present) with most complementing it nicely (I don't like the Ultrasonic Blue). The exhaust I still hate! *shrug* There was one great detail of the front fender that looked awesome in person when looking at it from the front. A subtle design thing I had not noticed before. The car needs bigger tires IMO.
The car without a sunroof has gobs of headroom but will be special order only. BTW: The IS-F I drove had a sunroof. I can't speak to how the loss of weight up high changes the handling.
The engine bay is cramped. I'm curious to see how hard it will be to service things in there.
The interior, like the engine bay, is cramped for rear seat passengers. Front seat is a great place to be. The seats are comfortable and hold you nicely in place in spirited driving. But just two seats in the rear with no pass thru or fold down :-( No cooling on the seats since they are a different design than the IS350 seats that have both heat and cooling.
Overall it is a fantastic first effort by Lexus. The car will surprise a lot of people.
The Escalade was nice too.
Trending Topics
01-30-08, 08:05 PM
#8
Moderator: LFA, Clubhouse
Great review, thanks! I especially like your positive description of the ride as well as the shifting. I still want a daily driver but one that's not as "mature" as my LS, and this looks very good so far.
I was thinking about jumping on a model as soon as I can, but not if all the initial dealer models come with the sunroof. I'd much rather wait and special order without it. I've never once used the sunroof on my LS, and can't really remember the last time I even used the moonroof.
I was thinking about jumping on a model as soon as I can, but not if all the initial dealer models come with the sunroof. I'd much rather wait and special order without it. I've never once used the sunroof on my LS, and can't really remember the last time I even used the moonroof.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post