IS for IS-F
04-13-08, 05:52 PM
#2
I think there's a poll regarding this topic.
And for the most part, most people don't think the price upgrade is worth the power upgrade. Most people find the IS350 to be powerful enough for everyday functionality. People that want the IS-F want exclusivity and race-track worthiness...
And for the most part, most people don't think the price upgrade is worth the power upgrade. Most people find the IS350 to be powerful enough for everyday functionality. People that want the IS-F want exclusivity and race-track worthiness...
04-13-08, 06:42 PM
#3
I posted this up today in the southeast sub-forum. My thoughts after a 2hr test drive.
Comparo:
IS-F : The car has too many gears. Its changes into 3rd going into 4th at 60mph. The transmission shifts are great and quick, but just too many. The car rides rough, its worse than my car. Hit a pot hole and you will know it. The motor is strong. The tranny limits it. This car would have been way faster with a Manual 6 speed. The car feels the same as the 350 in every way when driving. Besides the annoying gear shifting.
IS350: Top of 2nd gear at 60mph. The 350 has longer gears, so the gear pulls feel stronger. Thats the main diff.
I think the IS-F and the 350 will always run close to the same 1/4 and 0-60 times. With'n a couple of tenths. That just isn't enough justice to pay 15k more for the car. The IS-F will appeal to the "keep my car stock, daily driver, lexus owners". As for me; I've been a long time import tuner. The car lost the "import" feel with this V8. I could get the same performance out of a cheaper Vette, GTO, or GT500 pony. I do like the looks tho.. I'd pay an x-tra 5-6k to have the body kit,seats on a 350. And this is just my view. I would only pick one up used.(IS-F) Let someone else take the hit.
Comparo:
IS-F : The car has too many gears. Its changes into 3rd going into 4th at 60mph. The transmission shifts are great and quick, but just too many. The car rides rough, its worse than my car. Hit a pot hole and you will know it. The motor is strong. The tranny limits it. This car would have been way faster with a Manual 6 speed. The car feels the same as the 350 in every way when driving. Besides the annoying gear shifting.
IS350: Top of 2nd gear at 60mph. The 350 has longer gears, so the gear pulls feel stronger. Thats the main diff.
I think the IS-F and the 350 will always run close to the same 1/4 and 0-60 times. With'n a couple of tenths. That just isn't enough justice to pay 15k more for the car. The IS-F will appeal to the "keep my car stock, daily driver, lexus owners". As for me; I've been a long time import tuner. The car lost the "import" feel with this V8. I could get the same performance out of a cheaper Vette, GTO, or GT500 pony. I do like the looks tho.. I'd pay an x-tra 5-6k to have the body kit,seats on a 350. And this is just my view. I would only pick one up used.(IS-F) Let someone else take the hit.
04-13-08, 07:08 PM
#4
I like the IS-F, but personally would never get one myself at full price. From what I have seen, the Dyno's and 1/4 mile on the IS-F haven't been very impressive. Seems the IS-F is losing at least 5% more power through the tranny than the IS350, combined with the extra weight and 8 speeds adds up. I personally like the looks, the quick gear changes and the sound of the IS-F, but the price difference is definitely not worth it to me. Like Jeremy said..I'd get one after someone else took the hit on depreciation.
04-13-08, 07:25 PM
#5
Lexus Test Driver
I have to disagree with your post. How does the transmission limit the IS-F? I do not think the car would be faster with a 6 speed manual. My 2 previous cars I traded in was a modded 350Z with a lightweight flywheel/clutch combo and a IS350. When you drive the IS-F in the 'MANUAL' and 'SPORT' mode, the shifting is much faster than I could shift on a good day. 0.1 seconds for a shift is quick!! Perhaps you didn't drive the car in the right mode. If you keep the car in D mode I have to admit the car behaves like a normal IS350 in terms of drivability. But in sport and manual mode, the story is different. About the car being annoying with the car shifts, that's really up to you whether or not you want it to shift. Keep it in D and you don't have to worry about shifting. If you keep in in manual mode, you'll figure out the shifting. If I do drive in manual mode with my IS-F, most of the time I'm using gears 1-6 similar to the IS-F. Gears 7 and 8 are really used for cruising and to be more economical on gas.
Now when you get on an on ramp, there's a huge difference between the IS350 and the F. The F pulls VERY hard. My IS350 was fast, but had no comparison when passing or merging on the highway. The IS350 transmission was very slow shifting and there is no rev matching on downshifts. In the IS350, I actually had to predict about 1 second ahead of my shift so that the car could shift when I wanted it to. In the IS-F, it's practically instantaneous.
Yes the price is a lot of money in terms of cost. I do feel that there is a huge difference in the cars drive wise if you like to drive spirited or hard. If you just like to drive normal and not hard then you're better off with an IS350. The IS350 is a great fast car, but by no means is the IS-F just a little faster, it's a lot more powerful.
As for being confused with the gears, if you owned one you'll know what gear to be in after driving it for a few days. It's not hard.
Now when you get on an on ramp, there's a huge difference between the IS350 and the F. The F pulls VERY hard. My IS350 was fast, but had no comparison when passing or merging on the highway. The IS350 transmission was very slow shifting and there is no rev matching on downshifts. In the IS350, I actually had to predict about 1 second ahead of my shift so that the car could shift when I wanted it to. In the IS-F, it's practically instantaneous.
Yes the price is a lot of money in terms of cost. I do feel that there is a huge difference in the cars drive wise if you like to drive spirited or hard. If you just like to drive normal and not hard then you're better off with an IS350. The IS350 is a great fast car, but by no means is the IS-F just a little faster, it's a lot more powerful.
As for being confused with the gears, if you owned one you'll know what gear to be in after driving it for a few days. It's not hard.
I posted this up today in the southeast sub-forum. My thoughts after a 2hr test drive.
Comparo:
IS-F : The car has too many gears. Its changes into 3rd going into 4th at 60mph. The transmission shifts are great and quick, but just too many. The car rides rough, its worse than my car. Hit a pot hole and you will know it. The motor is strong. The tranny limits it. This car would have been way faster with a Manual 6 speed. The car feels the same as the 350 in every way when driving. Besides the annoying gear shifting.
IS350: Top of 2nd gear at 60mph. The 350 has longer gears, so the gear pulls feel stronger. Thats the main diff.
I think the IS-F and the 350 will always run close to the same 1/4 and 0-60 times. With'n a couple of tenths. That just isn't enough justice to pay 15k more for the car. The IS-F will appeal to the "keep my car stock, daily driver, lexus owners". As for me; I've been a long time import tuner. The car lost the "import" feel with this V8. I could get the same performance out of a cheaper Vette, GTO, or GT500 pony. I do like the looks tho.. I'd pay an x-tra 5-6k to have the body kit,seats on a 350. And this is just my view. I would only pick one up used.(IS-F) Let someone else take the hit.
Comparo:
IS-F : The car has too many gears. Its changes into 3rd going into 4th at 60mph. The transmission shifts are great and quick, but just too many. The car rides rough, its worse than my car. Hit a pot hole and you will know it. The motor is strong. The tranny limits it. This car would have been way faster with a Manual 6 speed. The car feels the same as the 350 in every way when driving. Besides the annoying gear shifting.
IS350: Top of 2nd gear at 60mph. The 350 has longer gears, so the gear pulls feel stronger. Thats the main diff.
I think the IS-F and the 350 will always run close to the same 1/4 and 0-60 times. With'n a couple of tenths. That just isn't enough justice to pay 15k more for the car. The IS-F will appeal to the "keep my car stock, daily driver, lexus owners". As for me; I've been a long time import tuner. The car lost the "import" feel with this V8. I could get the same performance out of a cheaper Vette, GTO, or GT500 pony. I do like the looks tho.. I'd pay an x-tra 5-6k to have the body kit,seats on a 350. And this is just my view. I would only pick one up used.(IS-F) Let someone else take the hit.
04-13-08, 07:25 PM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
I agree with what everyone has posted so far. I feel that my 350 has enough muscle for me to be satisfied. Besides, living in OC, traffic is always congested plus the ridiculous gas prices; there's just no point in getting a car with more HP. AND I've got caught speeding 100+ before (I'd no idea cuz the car was so smooth) so if I had a car that was faster than my 350, I'd prob end up in jail. 
04-13-08, 08:04 PM
#7
I have to disagree with your post. How does the transmission limit the IS-F? I do not think the car would be faster with a 6 speed manual. My 2 previous cars I traded in was a modded 350Z with a lightweight flywheel/clutch combo and a IS350. When you drive the IS-F in the 'MANUAL' and 'SPORT' mode, the shifting is much faster than I could shift on a good day. 0.1 seconds for a shift is quick!! Perhaps you didn't drive the car in the right mode. If you keep the car in D mode I have to admit the car behaves like a normal IS350 in terms of drivability. But in sport and manual mode, the story is different. About the car being annoying with the car shifts, that's really up to you whether or not you want it to shift. Keep it in D and you don't have to worry about shifting. If you keep in in manual mode, you'll figure out the shifting. If I do drive in manual mode with my IS-F, most of the time I'm using gears 1-6 similar to the IS-F. Gears 7 and 8 are really used for cruising and to be more economical on gas.
Now when you get on an on ramp, there's a huge difference between the IS350 and the F. The F pulls VERY hard. My IS350 was fast, but had no comparison when passing or merging on the highway. The IS350 transmission was very slow shifting and there is no rev matching on downshifts. In the IS350, I actually had to predict about 1 second ahead of my shift so that the car could shift when I wanted it to. In the IS-F, it's practically instantaneous.
Yes the price is a lot of money in terms of cost. I do feel that there is a huge difference in the cars drive wise if you like to drive spirited or hard. If you just like to drive normal and not hard then you're better off with an IS350. The IS350 is a great fast car, but by no means is the IS-F just a little faster, it's a lot more powerful.
As for being confused with the gears, if you owned one you'll know what gear to be in after driving it for a few days. It's not hard.
Now when you get on an on ramp, there's a huge difference between the IS350 and the F. The F pulls VERY hard. My IS350 was fast, but had no comparison when passing or merging on the highway. The IS350 transmission was very slow shifting and there is no rev matching on downshifts. In the IS350, I actually had to predict about 1 second ahead of my shift so that the car could shift when I wanted it to. In the IS-F, it's practically instantaneous.
Yes the price is a lot of money in terms of cost. I do feel that there is a huge difference in the cars drive wise if you like to drive spirited or hard. If you just like to drive normal and not hard then you're better off with an IS350. The IS350 is a great fast car, but by no means is the IS-F just a little faster, it's a lot more powerful.
As for being confused with the gears, if you owned one you'll know what gear to be in after driving it for a few days. It's not hard.
My 350 needs IS-F seats and the throttle blip.
Last edited by HKS350; 04-13-08 at 08:10 PM.
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04-13-08, 09:37 PM
#9
I just did some "RUN's" against an IS-F....
Smoked the 350, by 2 cars.
The V8 is no joke, and don't think the 350 can keep up--it just cant.
I would, also wait to get the car, after someone else took the depreciation hit.
But gas at $4+ a gallon (and rising), I doubt, this will ever happen.
Bottom, line IS-F = no joke
Smoked the 350, by 2 cars.
The V8 is no joke, and don't think the 350 can keep up--it just cant.
I would, also wait to get the car, after someone else took the depreciation hit.
But gas at $4+ a gallon (and rising), I doubt, this will ever happen.
Bottom, line IS-F = no joke
04-13-08, 09:42 PM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
So I think it would be better to get IS-F upgrade from IS250 like me... But the IS-F priced 3 times more than an IS250... So in my opinion, if I have the money I will get a c63 or M3 to get something different... rather than upgrade to get something similar to what I have now...!
04-13-08, 11:01 PM
#11
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I am getting a 2009 BMW M3 most likely. I have debated over the IS-F but its too similar to the IS350... I would want something more unique if its going to cost another 30k more. One other thing I wish the IS-F has a higher redline it seems like they cut it off to early just like the IS350.
Last edited by inxexisten; 04-14-08 at 07:18 AM.
04-13-08, 11:24 PM
#12
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I am getting a 2009 BMW M3 most likely. I have debated over the IS-F but its too similar to the IS350... I would want something more unique if its going to cost another 30k more. One other thing I wish the IS-F has was a higher redline it seems like they cut it off to early just like the IS350.
04-14-08, 01:35 AM
#13
I just did some "RUN's" against an IS-F....
Smoked the 350, by 2 cars.
The V8 is no joke, and don't think the 350 can keep up--it just cant.
I would, also wait to get the car, after someone else took the depreciation hit.
But gas at $4+ a gallon (and rising), I doubt, this will ever happen.
Bottom, line IS-F = no joke
Smoked the 350, by 2 cars.
The V8 is no joke, and don't think the 350 can keep up--it just cant.
I would, also wait to get the car, after someone else took the depreciation hit.
But gas at $4+ a gallon (and rising), I doubt, this will ever happen.
Bottom, line IS-F = no joke
That was a fun night man...hope your doing well...
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