Topic: Lexus IS-F

[mdxtasy]

Fake portholes or side gills from other makers do not make Lexus's exhaust pipe styling abortion any less offensive to those of us with good taste.   

  The argument "it's okay for Lexus to do this with the ISF...Buick does this sort of stuff too!" would only make sense to a bunch of Buick fanboys.

And we all know rocket is a big GM nut.

[Mitlov]

Update: the fake exhaust is a preproduction version.  Here's the final version, with connected exhaust, according to AutoSpies:

[rrocket]

Fake portholes or side gills from other makers do not make Lexus's exhaust pipe styling abortion any less offensive to those of us with good taste.   

  The argument "it's okay for Lexus to do this with the ISF...Buick does this sort of stuff too!" would only make sense to a bunch of Buick fanboys.

Nah....my argument is EVERYONE does this.  Remember all of those GM "dual exhausts" that were actually 2 tips coming out of one muffler?  Or crazy ground effects/spoliers? (EVO MR with those roof diffuser fins, STi with rear spolier, etc..Yea..they work..but no on the street....) Even the spoiler on my Supra, while functional (at ludicrous speeds only) is more of a styling exercise than a functional one....

[Mitlov]

Nah....my argument is EVERYONE does this.  Remember all of those GM "dual exhausts" that were actually 2 tips coming out of one muffler?  Or crazy ground effects/spoliers? (EVO MR with those roof diffuser fins, STi with rear spolier, etc..Yea..they work..but no on the street....) Even the spoiler on my Supra, while functional (at ludicrous speeds only) is more of a styling exercise than a functional one....

And it's lame when "EVERYONE" does this...that's why you must Unpimp Your Ride:



But for the record, bodywork that's only useful on the track for decreasing lift is still functional, even if it's not functional in day-to-day driving, and aren't lame in my book.  "Power bulges," non-functional vents, and the like are absolutely useless, even at the track, and are thus lame.

For the record, I'm no GM fanboy, so saying "remember those GM 'dual exhausts'?" is not persuasive with me.

[dorin]

But for the record, bodywork that's only useful on the track for decreasing lift is still functional, even if it's not functional in day-to-day driving, and aren't lame in my book.  "Power bulges," non-functional vents, and the like are absolutely useless, even at the track, and are thus lame.

Functional only in conditions not legally attainable on a public road is still functional and that helps.

[rrocket]

It's just one of those things I seldom complain about no matter who's doing it, since there are so many manufacturers that DO do it.  It's one of the things I can overlook...unless it's so grotesque that it's impossible to.

[Mitlov]

Functional only in conditions not legally attainable on a public road in North America is still functional and that helps.

Corrected. There's always the Autobahn.

[rrocket]

^^^^True, true.  Good point.

The "euro" Supras actually come with a small hood scoop.  They found on the Autobahn running wide open for long period of times gets the manifold/turbos/side of block warm.  So the scoop was added. There a small scoop in the engine bay that forces the air from the hood scoop down the side of the block/manifold/turbos.

They also came with a rear differential cooler.....

[G35X]

Mitlov wrote:
"....my argument is EVERYONE does this.  Remember all of those GM "dual exhausts" that were actually 2 tips coming out of one muffler? "

Two exhaust pipes (real or fake) on each corner of the rear end look nice.  But, as far as a 6-cylinder engines (either I6 or V6) are concerned it is not a good thing. From the standpoint of good scavenging of exhaust gas, the exhaust pipes must be so arranged into one that preceding exhaust pulse creates low pressure at the next exhausting cylinder.  Here we are talking about the speed of sound to be taken into consideration.  At Toyota, BMW and many other companies I think marketing guys won over engineers in putting two tail pipes on the rear end, even though it means less power output (as much as 15HP in the case with 3.5-litre V6). The correct way of arranging the exhaust plumbing is first put together three exhaust pipes from each bank with proper scavenging consideration and then combine them symmetrically into one tail pipe in the center of the rear end, although it makes the car like a Doberman looked from behind.  Porsche does it correctly with their Boxter and Cayman models.  (As for the 911 I am not sure but the left and right banks are possibly independent, which is correct.)  I respect Porsche for this.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I like central exhausts. Look hot. Whether it be a Porsche, MINI Cooper, VW R32, or Toyota Echo with the accessory Borla.

I also like the duals and quads. The IS-F's are different. Whether functional or not (is there a final word on that yet?) I like the arrangement. At least it's something mildly original. It's the rest of the skirt package I could do without.

[Mitlov]

I also like the duals and quads. The IS-F's are different. Whether functional or not (is there a final word on that yet?) I like the arrangement. At least it's something mildly original. It's the rest of the skirt package I could do without.

Yes, it's functional--look at Reply #21.  The fake exhaust was just a preproduction version (either that or Lexus was so embarrassed they scrambled to fix it).

[Snowman]

All you need is one.

[Cortina]

Who Said Toyota are borring.

Full Test: 2008 Lexus IS-F: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=123125







Only in Canada I bet.

[mmret]

That engine ruined the front of the car.

[Mitlov]

Who Said Toyota are borring.

Whoever styled the IS-F must be the one who was responsible for the horrific body-kit on the new Matrix XRS.  It makes the car look like a budget-body-kit-catalog special.

I'd be interested to read some direct comparisons against the C63, RS4, and M3...on both track and road.  From what I've read, it sounds capable on the track but punishing on the road.

I refuse to believe that they actually decided that 8 gears was better than six, especially for such a torque-laden engine.  Methinks someone got the "more is better" bug and wanted to one-up the C63.  I mean, when's the last time you read a review of an RS4 or M3 that said "shoot, there just aren't enough gears in the transmission"?

[rrocket]

Hey Mit.......I don't think they really decided one way or the other.  They likely just reworked the tranny that came from the LS460 (which already had 8 speeds) to work for the IS-F.

That being said, most reviews of this tranny report it to be one of the very best (if not THE best) auto tranny currently available in any car...

[Cord]

That is not an attractive looking car. That vent treatment behind the front wheels is just yuck.

edit: I didn't notice the goofy exhaust tips. More yuck.

[Mitlov]

Hey Mit.......I don't think they really decided one way or the other.  They likely just reworked the tranny that came from the LS460 (which already had 8 speeds) to work for the IS-F.

That being said, most reviews of this tranny report it to be one of the very best (if not THE best) auto tranny currently available in any car...

I think we've had this EXACT same interchange before:

The IS-F is available exclusively with an automatic transmission, and Lexus wisely eschewed the slow-witted, jerky six-speed in the V-6-powered IS in favor of the eight-speed automatic from the LS460. It has been reprogrammed to include a paddle-shifted manual mode that keeps the torque converter locked up in all gears but first. The locked converter eliminates a major portion of the slip that is inherent in automatic transmissions, and it stays locked even during shifts, which are practically instantaneous. Gear changes aren't nearly as smooth as they would otherwise be, but the locked converter's direct connection between the engine and the wheels makes you forget that you're driving a car with a conventional automatic, which isn't a bad thing.

Unfortunately, the transmission uses the same curiously spaced gears as it does in the LS460. To wit, first, second, and third are so far apart that you're constantly wishing for another couple of gears in between, especially on slow, twisty roads. Conversely, the higher gears are so closely spaced that half of them seem superfluous. Case in point: when you are cruising at 50 mph in eighth gear, you need to pull the left gearshift paddle six times to downshift to your optimum passing gear. This confuses the transmission and results in no additional forward progress for what seems like an eternity.

The solution is to drive in the normal automatic mode, which allows the transmission to perform a magnificent eighth-to-second downshift at the nudge of your right foot. In automatic mode, though, there is no permanently locked torque converter and no lightning-quick shifts.

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/lexus/0710_2008_lexus_is-f/index.html

EDIT:

Polished paddles put your fingers in charge when you wish it. And they’ll be busy, the swift-revving engine and ratio-stuffed, eight-speed automatic gearbox bringing forth the redline cutoff with annoying frequency.

http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/14266/tested-2009-lexus-is-f-interior-comfort-page2.html

Although the Lexus LS takes credit as the world's first 8-speed automatic transmission, Lexus claims the IS F has "the world's first 8-speed Sport Direct-Shift automatic transmission." It can be operated in the usual automatic mode or the driver can shift the eight speeds like a manual via large paddles behind the steering wheel or by using the center-console lever.

We really like that in Manual mode the driver has full control over the shifting — it won't upshift for you at the 6800-rpm redline, and won't downshift if you floor it. But the paddle-shifting works best only when the car is being driven very hard; drive it at half throttle but rev it to, say, 3500 rpm or higher, and the upshifts are quite abrupt. The transmission blips the throttle on downshifts, but at low revs the shifts are also jerky. Downshift from high rpm, though, and the shifts are smooth and deliver the kind of beautiful, almost unmuffled bark with each blip that we normally associate with race cars.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=6177

Edmunds gave it the sort of high praise you describe, but I wouldn't say "most reviews."  Especially because Edmunds is generally as enthusiastic as an Irish Setter in a tennis store.

[rrocket]

Sorry...I meant MAGAZINE reviews.....

[Mitlov]

Sorry...I meant MAGAZINE reviews.....

So what magazines are "magazines," as long as we're playing the "no true Scotsman" game?

EDIT:  And while Top Gear's not a magazine--unlike C&D, Automobile, and R&T--here's what they had to say:

There are plenty of switchable electronics - no diff lock - to keep the chassis in check and stop the whole thing fish-tailing down the road in a cloud of smoke, but it can be hard to drive smoothly when the road surface isn't smooth.

Particularly with the eight-speed gearbox, also from the LS460 retuned for the IS-F, in manual mode. The change through the paddles is superquick, just 100 milliseconds if you're counting, but when in Sport mode you get a significant jolt every time you make an upchange.

This jerkiness has clearly been engineered in to give the car a sequential race gearbox feel, but it reminded me a bit of the first BMW SMG gearbox, which I hated. It's nowhere near as bad, particularly on the downchanges, which are silken and seamless. Or when you are in auto mode. Just in manual.

http://www.topgear.com/drives/C4/A9/roadtests/12/02.html