WOW THAT IS-F IS SOMETHING I WANT ONE OF THEM PLEASE SANTA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tae6OjpDqYc

EJOY BOYS

cheap publicity stunt by Lexus.Hasnt proved anything yet.

It amazes me that people think Lexus will run away from Audi/BMW with this new model and if you think BMW/Audi will sit on there laurels you are going to be so mistaken as they set the benchmark in this class and there is a new R6 coming out so it aint all over yet......we'll see though.

Theres lots to be proved yet.

i didnt mean like that mate.Its just the IS-F hasnt been released yet so the only tests being conducted at the moment are by pro Lexus marketing companies.AMCI is a marketing company FACT and are employed by Lexus.Not a fair test at all,in fact it can only be described as BULL****!!!!!

who gives a monkies.. if you love lexus then its great to have m3 eqivalent.

not stupid my manhood is bigger than yours crap.

i give a monkies Steve,although i appreciate you dont.I dont want a willy waiving contest either,but i do want a fair test conducted.I dont care who the winner is(id be proud to own any of those cars),but i want to know which is the best of the bunch in the opinion of racing drivers.I arent however going to buy a used IS-F just cos i Love Lexus as you are suggesting,but i appreciate some do.Its just annoying that they couldnt wait for independent tests to be conducted rather give the assesment job to an LA based company that prides itself on hard marketing campaigns for the company that employs them,in this case, Lexus.

That video was so blatently a marketing exercise for Lexus I think it lost some credibility for the IS-F. They also didn't mention the RS4 was being replaced, but implied it was the latest offering from Audi.
Nothing subtle about that little exercise at all....Lexus you're trying too hard.

My comments were a reply to the video and first post not yours m8.....i totally agree with you.

We need to see a fairer test to give it a proper evaluation.

Seems to me that all the BMW/AUDI owners are a bit worried that the ISF is better, judging by there very defensive comments where the ISF is concerned.

Maybe someone could answer me a question,

BMW may have set the bench mark, and held it for years, but why cant another manufacturer better it ?
and i want proper answers, bearing in mind i have spent most of my life working in the motor trade.

I personally wouldnt care which is faster. But i certainly wouldnt choose car just because its faster than another.

I am glad Lexus is bringing something really nice out because i dislike beemers alot. But I like Lexus alot (that was obvoius LOL)

I agree proper tests should be made before waving figures.. but i really wouldnt be that worried.

Im gutted i'll never be able to afford one unless my no's come up on a Sat night, but i cant wait to see one on the rd.Your right its not all about power there are many factors to buying a car and shelling out a load of cash, i wonder if it will ever be featured on Top Gear as they hate Lexus' for some reason.

What? Like me do you mean...never owned a beemer or audi in my life and although I have two Lexus I'll still criticise the IS-F if IMO it rates it.

Sorry if i didnt make myself very clear.
I was refering to other sites, which have featured the ISF, which seem to be full of comments from the German marque owners slating the car.

IMO wether its quicker or not, who cares, i would still have one over a BMW or Audi,

Yeah top gear always have.. always rmemeber when mat and I had a meeting with the director of Lexus back in 2002 and I asked why they has a SC430 strapped to the ceiling... he replied with the words of "thats for jeremy clarkson" LOL

However the IS200 won a customer satisfaction awards on top gear

will be intersting to hear what they say about the IS-F... lts hope its good coz its about blimmin time.

From my personal point of view,i own two Lexus cars and my parents have another three.We only have two beemers,so im defo not pro BMW,infact i hate the e46 shape and always have.I have had the option to go to them many times,but always declined and gone to Lexus as have my family members.As far as im concerned i only rate BMW for their performance cars as they are renowned for building the most focused drivers car out of all the competition,and after driving all the competition at the time i decided to buy an M3.

If you wanna know why im critical of Lexus strategy for the ISF so far, then ill tell you, its because they are launching a car but treating it like an electrical kitchen item by paying marketing companies to create an air of excitment that really has no right to be in the market place until the product itself is,its not a bloody iphone or the latest offerings from samsung.Its a performance car and therefore it doesnt need any real showcasing other than the usual international car shows and press release scrutiny.Lap times speak for themselves and after all this a performance car,so anybody that buys the car for anything else is welcome to do so,but cant really call themself an enthusiast because performance is all about competition and essentially about which is the best,so a performance car is not about the leather and the satnav and all the rest of it,its about the most powerful and the fastest.I appreciate alot of people have brand loyalty and are welcome to that,but im afraid i always try and back the winner and if its the IS-F,ill aim to own one as soon as it creeps in to my affordability bracket,but if it falls short i wont be considering one just because i have brand loyalty,not for a performance car.

As far as other sites are concerned,no one has a right to slate it,cos its not even been released yet,so those people are obviously soft in the brain and clearly another example of misplaced brand loyalty.When the ISF beats the M3 and RS4 ring times then they will be all queing up for a lexus.Commenting at this stage on a vid produced essentially to market the ISF though is pointless cos its mainly aimed at wetting the appetite of the fans and drumming up support for the brand,its not really the factual info enthusiasts/consumers are looking for,cos they arent stupid!and dont like to be railroaded!

I don't think it's fair to say that the leather and the satnav are not important - while it may not be for some, if I spend £50-60k on a car it's most likely going to be my only one, so I want it to drive well, but also be comfortable and trimmed and finished to the highest level.

I think that's where we may be losing sight, as these cars are not track day specials, but in fact cars that need to span the whole spectrum - they need to be cars that are easy to live with day to day, but also perform well against true sports cars on the track.

For me, it's also not purely about lap times around the ring......out of the M3 and RS4, the RS4 will surely be a lot quicker than the M3, but the M3 is the car that is so much more balanced - the driver has complete control over the car.......

That video was clearly just propaganda, so not really going to pay too much attention to it, but I was a little worried about how clumsy the IS-F looked against the other two - does look like they've orientated it further towards a cruiser than a nimble sports car. Did look like it rolls a lot, and appeared to have a lot of understeer that then headed into almost uncontrollable oversteer.......let's just hope the driver just wasn't very good!

one thing for sure is that people are talking about it...........

Who's payroll is he on

You have to drive them yourself, that's the only way to tell! Each person with a view on this thread will now what they want and why. Whether it's brand loyalty or pure petrol headedness...

In that vid of the Lexus in front going through the S's, the tail sliding around amde it look awesome, but the other 2 cars were very stable...I'm sure it was more to do with "spectacle" rather than limits, but when the Lexus at 200"kliks" left the other 2 in it's wake, I thought it was a bit wierd...

Like I say, the proof will be in the eating of the pud! But unless lexus have completely re-engineered the steering, it'll have no feel through the bends compared with an M3. BMW are masters at steering feedback...that what makes you think the cars handle so well...and it's how "by the seat of yer pants" it feels that will surely seal it with any impartial drivers...

PS - apparently it's gonna have 423bhp...

One of the 2007/2008 updates to the IS models is to the steering...its now stiffer and provides more feedback. Perversely comments have already been received from owners that have updated to say they preferred the lighter feel of the earlier version...as peeps say you can't please all the people, all the time

They also said alot of very good things about the LS 600hl, infact it won the Top Gear award for the best Limo.

as long as the fog lights are on then its a good match LOL

Parthiban i dont agree.I know we arent the target audience and therefore we couldnt possibly know what others want in their cars,the only way to find out is by watching E92/R8/IS-F forums,and what ive deduced after scanning the E92M3 is that most buyers arent going for any gimmics like sat nav,tv etc,it also explans why cloth is an option on the M3,and one or two have opted for it.Most people that buy these cars brand new have 2-3 other cars,such as cruisers,convertibles,jeeps etc.I havent noticed one person buying the new M3 brand new that are buying it as a main car,they are gonna have a few go's on a track,drive it on/off for 6 months at weekends and then sell it.I think after driving an E46 M3 everyday i can put my hand on my heart and say its the worst daily driver especially in smg form and the only time its not grumbling is at full chat on a smooth,dry road surface,so basically on british roads then its not happy much of the time.I think what these cars are designed to do may start with the intention to be everyday cars, however having 400hp going through your rear wheels on a wet or cold day can end disastrously and its why people think guys that do 30mph in an M3 are gay hairdressers,the thruth is its actually very difficult to drive the car everyday without revving hard,it can be very frightening if the weather is bad,the car is easily stackable.I appreciate if you were buying a car of £60k+ that you would want all the toys and so would I,but its not important to most of the target audience and if they dont opt for it,then its gonna get more and more difficult to find a used specimen with toys for me at a later date.The new M3 is quicker around the ring than the RS4 and its now published sport auto time is available,if the IS-f is faster on the track then it will be heavily sought after,if not it will go down as a disaster and to the enthusiast world the ring time is what everyone is waiting for,and it also explains why middlehurst nissan has just been plauged with calls since the 7:38 GTR time was published.if it wasnt such an important figure then why have prospective sales shot up now.I appreciate it isnt inportant to some,but for the majority it is.I still believe brand loyalty is sad because no one can stay at the top of their game forever and therfore there will always be a better option available,that why i dont like commiting to one company.

Out of the three for me it would have to be (if the Lexus got within a reasonable time of the M3& RS4)
1st.................Lexus IS-F
1st Equal....... Audi RS4 (I'd have to drive both to decide)
3rd................ BMW M3


M3's are fantastic cars, and no offence intended Rsarin but
I really don't like the image I have been set on the road of an average M3 driver.
It's a personal preference, not a question of the M3's dynamic abilities

Do we have published authenticated times of the M3 & RS4 to see what the IS-F has to beat ?

I think you have too much of this based on those who frequent forums or are online in general. Like everything else, the proportion of M3/S4 owners who are petrolheads on forums is miniscule compared to the number of M3/S4 owners world wide. For instance, how many Lexii are there in the UK, and how many of those owners are on LOC? Most will have these cars because of street cred and have money to burn, they will never see a track as long as they have holes in their arses. Your points are all valid to petrol heads, not to the average Joe with a big bank balance and nothing better to spend it on than fast toys.

I'm not trying to have a go, and I'm not trying to be pro-Lexus or anything but I'm with Tigerfish on this. I think the true enthusiasts on forums and such are a minority, and yes there will be a few that order bog standard M3s with cloth seats for the pure driving pleasure of it, but the majority will all have leather seats, satnav etc. I've only actually seen one new M3 so far, and it was fully kitted out, and this is what I expect the majority to be like. It's the same with the time to lap the ring, yes the minority talk about it, but I could probably guarantee that at least 50% of M3 owners don't even actually know the significance of what the Nurburgring is let alone how fast their car can get round it.

I do still believe that these cars are targeted at young professionals, people with money who need practicality and comfort, but also want a relatively focussed performance drivers car. And yes, a huge factor with these cars is street cred, it's about having the best of the best - not about actually ever extracting the performance from the car.

There is a vital difference with the Lexus though that Lexus cars in general attract a very different sort of buyer. I don't care what all these reviews are saying at the moment, because I still quite strongly believe that it will be geared more towards being a big powerful cruiser (like the C63 probably is) compared to the agile sports saloons that the M3 and RS4 are. As it stands, the Lexus would still probably be my choice of the bunch, simply because of the ownership aspect of it, and it should be competent enough for me to enjoy - unless of course it is just useless!

Bring on the 4 way top gear review!

I know youre not having a go mate.I still dont agree however thats why discussion is healthy,cos we dont have to agree

im with wozza, id hav the rs4 or IS-F too, im not fussed at having the fastest etc, its how it makes me feel, plus with the RS4 you get a bit of exclusivity.

thats makes me one of the saddest around then LOL

Watch this and weep;
http://www.dpccars.com/car-videos/11-13-07...-Lexus-IS-F.htm

not lexus lovers me thinks

all 4 tips will be connected on the production model

WHY?

Because it's another "Lexus Flop", the Hybrids are un economocal and now there attempt at "sports cars" is less than expected, all that tech has gone into the engine and it still falls short of the others

i appreciate what the review says,i just dont buy it!im still waiting for Evo to test it here in the UK.They give the most honest and non-bias reviews for performance cars.I know one of the guys there and he has told me that from his point of view the IS-f could be beating the RS4 and the M3 around the ring.

I know one of the Guys on Evo, he has bought the RS4 2007 model as I have, I was hoping to come back to Lexus with this model, we will see just how the two compare on Evo.

Sorry mate, but did you actually watch that video? Their sum up was that the Audi won because it was the better all-rounder, but the Lexus was the more hardcore sports car! I don't believe this for one second, but I'll be impressed if they've pulled it off.

I'm a bit confused though, how can the IS-F have more grip than the 4WD RS4? Totally surprised by the fact it could pull higher Gs - although I still don't really trust US reviews, I'm with Rsarin and waiting for a real test to be done.......

I must agree on one thing though, I do like the way the IS-F looks, but it does definitely look a bit fussy next to the RS4. However, I still can't get that image of Tiff trying to drift the RS4 on Fifth Gear and how it looked horrendous - just gives me the impression that it goes like a rocket and would set fast laptimes, but wouldn't actually be any fun (although I'll reserve judgement till I get the chance to drive one)

And on a separate note, Lexus hybrids are not a flop, when did they ever claim they were super economical? This was exactly why they called them "performance hybrids" - merely a marketing ploy to appease greenpeace morons which meant a lot of people bought them..........Lexus hybrids are everywhere in central london.

In my view, that is not a flop, and instead is "job done" for Lexus

The guy im talking of is Steve from EVO who frequents bm3w and the porker sites.He defo doesnt have an Rs4 tho.Interesting that you drive the RS4 2007,was it used,or was it an old order?reason is they stopped building a while ago.I do appreciate the vid,cheers for that,its just i really dont rate the American reviews as Parthiban says,prefer uk,less drama normally.

If it's Steve Davis you are refering too then this is his car;Audi RS4 Avant - Mugello, Buckets, Carbon Trim
So I would have another chat too him.
My car was new may 2007 and bought from Ipswich Audi on 30th may, best regards

There is no point in listening to the commentary...you don't know what "marque" preference the producer has. The 2 cars are very different:

One is an 8 year old design (interms of wheelbase, overhangs etc), albeit with sofisticated AWD, and older 4.2V8

The other is a 2 year old RWD design (interms of wheelbase, overhangs etc), with a very modern 5.0l V8

Horses for courses....you can only tell when you drive one yourself.

The S4 I tested a few years ago was awesome, the engine sound, the grip, the torque. It just flew and stuck to the A roads and felt much quicker than it was. It had immense composure, so I can only imagine what an RS4 is like....which is a totally different beast to an S4...

Personally, I think the contest will be tight. The new M3 is also going to available as a 4 door, so soon the Mag's are going to have a field day...

Finally, the Audi is no rally car, so it'll never power drift around...the AWD system is supposed to be designed to make it go forwards quicker rather than sideways...on tarmac that is the quickest way to get from A to B. So I agree with parthiban - it's likely to be less entertaining...but bloomin' quick!

What 4 tips?

exhaust i assume.