Here’s a video to go along with Auto Express’ comparison test of the Lexus IS-F, BMW M3, Mercedes C63 and Audi RS4, though the RS4 is omitted from the footage, due to the fact that it’s been discontinued:

It’s nice to see all three cars as they cut a line across the same track, but the presenter doesn’t address the comparison test at all.

Auto Express is the latest to pit the Lexus IS-F against the competition, throwing it into a test against the BMW M3, Mercedes C63 and the Audi RS4.

It’s almost a forgone conclusion that the M3 is going to place first, but Auto Express puts in a curveball, calling the Mercedes C63 the best of the test. And how did the IS-F fare?:

On a more fundamental level, the driving position is the least adaptable. The plush seats don’t hug you enough and you sit too high, so headroom is tight, while the chunky windscreen pillars leave you feeling hemmed in. And it’s not that spacious in the back, either.

But it’s pace, not practicality, that’s crucial here – and first impressions suggest the IS F is lacking. It was the quietest at idle inside and out, and its 5.0-litre seems like any other Lexus unit; effortlessly smooth, docile and calm. Don’t be fooled, though, because once the needle sweeps past 3,700rpm the 417bhp V8 takes on a whole new persona – there’s an instant hit of acceleration and the engine note, previously almost silent, becomes purposeful and loud.

Overall, while the Lexus is fast, composed and technically very capable in corners, it doesn’t quite have the handling of the M3, the fierce power, control and charisma of the C63 or the surefootedness of the RS4. Still, for a company with no previous experience in this segment, it’s a great achievement.

The more comparison tests that come in, the more clear it becomes that Lexus is going to be facing an difficult and lengthy uphill battle to establish the IS-F, but it certainly seems that they’re on the right track.

Every once and a while, a classic Lexus LS 400 clip will show up on Youtube, showing the car up against its competitors, and it always amazes me just how throughly Lexus thought out their first model. Here we have a 1990 video clip from Top Gear, putting the LS 400 up against the Mercedes 420SE, Jaguar 4.0, and the BMW 735i:

To think that the Mercedes cost £4000 more than the LS 400, and didn’t even come with air conditioning or a radio (mind you, it was the long-wheelbase version). I’ve read that the luxury brands at the time were fairly complacent, but I had no idea of the extent.

The Lexus IS-F comparison tests keep pouring in, this time from Motor Trend, who pits the new super-sedan against its primary competitors, the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C63. Here’s some selected highlights:

Steering feedback and response are everything in a car like this…The C63’s turn-in is crisp, with plenty of honest feedback and a meaty feel. Lexus equips the IS F with electric power steering, which isn’t as organic as a good hydraulic system. It’s fine for normal to moderate driving, but loses sensitivity when you’re really honking it. The IS F’s cornering abilities are impressive, but the car understeers heavily at the limit, and the wheel feels disconnected at that point. The BMW’s tiller is about as quick as the others but a bit lighter. Its communication is even clearer than the C63’s, with plenty of true road feel.

Kim Reynolds says, “The Lexus and the Mercedes feel like performance versions created out of something else. The M3 feels like it was born this way.” Ed Loh’s summary is even more succinct: “The Lexus and Mercedes are great hot-rod sedans. The M3 is a race car with four doors.”

Lexus is new to this game, yet has delivered a fast, edgy, credible piece from a company most known for quiet and beautifully crafted, if uninvolving, luxury sedans. A couple of clunky design elements let it down, and its steering and suspension calibrations aren’t as well synthesized at the limit as the others. As the IS F costs no less than the German duo, there’s no value card to be thrown. But we’re picking nits, and we know the brand’s next effort will be fully class-competitive.

Predictably, the IS-F came in last, not all that surprising considering the other competitors’ performance-brand history, not to mention how fantastic both these new versions of the M3 and C63 are.

As the article is quick to point out, this is only Lexus’ first effort in the super-sedan category, and there’s significant tuning and improvements that will need to be made.

When I found out about this Best Motoring video pitting the Lexus IS-F against the BMW M3, Nissan Z, and the Honda S2000, I didn’t expect to see a repeat of yesterday’s video result, with the IS-F blowing the doors off the other cars. Too bad the video plays like a poorly staged mock race:

It’s quite clear from the IS-F tachometer display that the driver really had no clue what he was doing, late/poor shifting is going to kill you in any race. Not only that, the M3 was driven by Keiichi Tsuchiya, known in Japan as “the Drift King”, and was clearly head and shoulders above any of the other competitors.

Really, this wasn’t a race at all.

I’m not sure about the validity of this racing video, in fact it seems downright sketchy, but pitting the Lexus IS-F against an Audi RS4 doesn’t seem like a fair fight at all:

The reason for my doubt is in the second turn, it looks like the IS-F lets the Audi pass, only to absolutely blow by it before the next turn, almost as if the IS-F driver was toying with his opponent.

If this was a totally legitimate race, that RS4 driver was completely humiliated.

According to the Automotive News, Lexus’ on-again/off-again infatuation with a RAV4-based X3 competitor has swung to the positive side, this time with some actual verification from Jim Lentz:

Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. president, says a small Lexus SUV could be a response to the “urbanization” of Gen Y buyers and empty-nest boomers.

Toyota’s advanced product strategy group is studying a demographic trend-people who are “sick of the suburbs, but who don’t want to give up the utility of their SUV,” he said.

“A small luxury SUV might be the right product for that environment,” Lentz said.

There’s also mention that in order to keep the price around $30,000, this mini-ute might have to forgo some luxury appointments, but that’s not really Lexus’ style. Another reason to doubt this cost-cutting is that the lower the price, the more potential that RAV4 sales would be expected. Besides, I don’t think Lexus needs to undercut the BMW X3 by $8,000, a price around $35,000 would be more than competitive.

Something else, the talk before about this Lexus RAV4 spoke of it being Europe/Japan only, but that looks to have changed.

(Mockup from Autoblog.nl)

[Source: Automotive News via Autoweek]

The Lexus LX 570 went on sale today in China today, retailing with the rather extraordinary price tag of 1.3 million yuan, which translates to $179,000 USD, or roughly 242.5% higher than the USA’s retail price of $73,800.

Frankly, an increase of over $100,000 is astounding, yet it’s hardly out of place when looking at the competition. Let’s take a Mercedes GL450, which starts at $56,725 USD stateside. A chinese buyer would have to pay 1.348 million yuan, or $185,600 USD, a whopping 327.2% increase. The BMW X5 4.8i is even worse, though not by much. It retails for $54,500 USD in the States and costs 1.336 million yuan ($184,000 USD), an increase of 337.6%.

Put into this context, it could be said that the Lexus LX 570 is the best deal, but that’s hardly an argument I’d be willing to make.

[Source: GasGoo]

The January 2008 editon of Best Motoring, one of Japan’s most popular automotive TV/DVD shows, has a Lexus IS-F vs. Nissan Skyline Coupe 370GT Type S (Infiniti G37 Sport in North America) showdown:

While it can’t match the IS-F in a 0-60 race, the 333hp Skyline Coupe Type S holds its own on the track, with only a two second difference in laptimes. Not bad for a car that retails for a little more than half of the IS-F. The details are lost due to the language barrier, though.

As an added bonus, the host, ‘Drift King’ Keiichi Tsuchiya, also slides each model through the track:

A slew of Hyundai Genesis spy shots have surfaced, and it’s guaranteed that Lexus and BMW are none too happy with the car’s appearance:

No matter the argument that all cars are derivative of each other, this is going over the line. The front-end is clearly inspired by the Lexus LS, but what’s much, much worse is the side profile/rear of the Genesis — you don’t even have to squint to see a BMW 5-Series.

When you think about the resources it took to develop the latest iteration of the BMW design language, how the look is clearly illustrated throughout their lineup, it’s a real shame to see it copied wholesale. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s doubtful that BMW (or Lexus, to a lesser extent) are impressed by the compliment.