Despite deficiency in power-to-weight-ratio, the IS-F matches the M3 in acceleration and beats the C63 in lap time. Being the quietest and most fuel efficient, the IS-F is also the best daily driver. The final ranking comes down to the editors' personal preferences, as will of the regular consumers. At any rate, kudos to the M3 for the win.

 

Three excellent cars

I can't wait to see what the second generation IS-F will bring. BMW and MB have been building Ms and AMGs for years. Great first effort by Lexus.

 

Did anyone note the interior comments. I literally laughed.

 

the c63 is VERY heavy, i think that's one big minus there

and the 8 speed on the is-f also help get the lowest rpm at freeway speed, so for daily driver that helps a bit too

 

Wonder if the M3 at some point will get the new 4.4L TT V8. It'll make this thing an absolute monster.

 

Nice spin, but while you're right that consumers will have a personal preference, in this performance comparison the M3 WINS, it's not the editors' personal preference.

It's faster around the track, has better handling, better steering, and I'm sure the 8300rpm redline really makes it fun. Oh and it won in fuel economy in their thrashing.

As a daily urban driver though, yes, the quieter IS-F with low rpms on the highway and nicer interior is better than the M3.

Who buys a car like this for quietness or fuel economy though?

Lexus has made a GREAT first step into this arena but there's no way their first step will catch up to decades of the others efforts.

Remember this car (IS-F) wasn't even an official Lexus project, just a skunkworks project they decided to produce.

The LF-A on the other hand, if they ever release the thing, could raise a LOT more eyebrows.

 

For the power advantage the MB has, I was expecting it to be a little faster. Doesnt really seem to pull away that much.

I thought it was a pretty fair review. But I never knew the IS shared dash buttons with a Prius.

 

it has couple more 100s lb, so..

 

Absolutely correct.

This is where the preference part comes in. We aren't talking about a Lotus Elise as a track car. These cars are by definition a compromise. I prefer the quietness and fuel economy while giving up the 10/10th track performance. In fact I'd rate them in reverse order from Motor Trend but that's because pure track performance isn't my criteria for this class of car.
Agreed. Now will they release it? In some ways it feels like when we kept hearing about the GT-R. That took a long time gestating but boy oh boy were the results worth it. The LF-A could be the same.

 

I have no real problem with the IS-F placing third in the review. The IS-F is a great car in the class, but it's not a class leader on Toyota's first try. Impossible to be a class leader on your first try when you're going up against the M3 which BMW has had decades of experience with, or even the C-Class AMG which Benz has some experience with as well.

I found it interesting that the IS-F has the tighest turning circle of the group, by far. I thought that the M3 would have the tighest turning circle. I also found it odd that MT managed 19 mpg with the M3. If they were thrashing the car hard and pushing it to the limit, I doubt 19mpg would be possible.

What I do have a problem with is some of the comments made by MT in the review, some of which are just flat-out wrong. MT for the most part is usually accurate with it's comments but this time they were almost as bad as Edmunds in terms of inaccuracy .

Here's a few shining examples:

If MT had bothered to do the research, they would know that side vents on the IS-F are fully functional.

Good point MT, styling is subjective. Nonetheless, it's funny how they liked the M3 interior but not the IS-F interior. And the nav screen is straight from a Prius? I wonder what gives it away, is it the hybrid system diagram on the IS-F navigation . Pretty silly comment there, with no basis for the comment in the first place. As for the comment about the buttons from the Prius, the M3's buttons are also shared with the 1 Series, and I'm sure I can find some buttons on the C63 that are shared with a B-Class. Why single out the IS-F when all the vehicles here do that?

Weight distribution isn't everything. There are cars on the market that have good weight distribution, yet mediocre handling.

Not going to happen, at least for now. BMW has said M cars will remain strictly N/A. Packaging will also be an issue with the 4.4L TT V8. It's a larger engine than the 4.0L V8, and it's also heavier. I doubt the 4.4L will even fit in the M3's engine bay, considering the twin turbos and all other ancillary accessories.

 

If I remember correctly, BMW showed us their new TT V8 with the 2 turbos sitting inside the V-banks. if this is the case, then the turbos aren't really an issue.

 

Even if the engine will fit, which is up for debate, let's not forget BMW's comments that M cars would continue to be strictly N/A.

 

true, true, true......

Am glad someone said it

 

A good read, although we have all known this would be the ranking order and MT is still clearly biased against Lexus with their commentary.

I hope not. Let's at least keep the M's pure.

 

That's a great way to rate cars (sarcasm intended).

I own the new C200 CDI and the interior is just fine. It's extremely well-made and feels premium. The Lexus IS doesn't use matt black plastic buttons but shiny plastic buttons in silver and that makes it visually more upscale looking. If you spend time in both cars, you will see that the interiors are practically equal in terms of build and material quality.


As for the review, you can't go wrong with any car here. The M3 is the king, as expected. The IS-F has done well so far, especially since this is the first sports sedan from Lexus. The C63 AMG convinces with brutal acceleration and now the handling to back it up and be a more serious competitor to the M3 and others. I don't see what the problem is with this review. It doesn't matter if the M3 finished last and the IS-F first - they're all great cars. I'd be happy with any of them in my garage (provided somebody else pays for the fuel!).