is-f

2012 Lexus LFA: A wet first drive

As I accelerated out of the rain-slicked Turn 2 of Infineon Raceway, I could feel the rear end of the Lexus LFA begin to slip and spin. "Holy crap," I thought, "how am I going to be able to pay for this $375,000 Lexus?"

Fortunately, my moment of terror was, despite the slippery conditions, both brief and isolated. But before I get into that, let's discuss how I came to find myself on a wet racetrack behind the most exotic vehicle to ever come out of Japan.

Lexus LFA performance driving schoolThe day's … Read more

Gran Turismo 5's 'GPS-track day' feature demoed

Last week, we showed you Toyota's FT-86 G Sport concept and highlighted a very cool feature called "GPS-track day" that allows users to playback GPS replays from a real life racetrack session on their copy of Gran Turismo 5 for the PS3. Polyphony Digital, maker of the Gran Turismo franchise, has released even more information about the system and a demo video. As it turns out, there's more to it than just GPS positioning.

The proper name for the "GPS-track day" feature is Gran Turismo Data Logger Visualization. When an appropriately equipped car is … Read more

91: Big hybrids dying an ugly death?

Big hybrids are dying an ugly death, GM and Chrysler not married yet, a look at the new Nissan Z, and a ride in the Lexus IS-F. Listen now: Download today's podcast

SHOW NOTES

• Lexus IS-F review & video

• The buttony madness of the Porsche Panamera

• Cheapest car in America. Period.

• Ford's SmartGauge brings dashboards to life

• Check out the new look of the new Z car

First ride: Lexus IS-F

Back at SEMA last week, Lexus brought along a handful of 2008 IS-Fs for driving at a proving ground course set up in the back parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

While some folks waited in line to drive the course themselves, we opted to hop in the passenger seat with Scott Pruett, who has driven in Champ Car, IMSA, Grand-Am, and NASCAR.

Lexus' latest performance sedan, which was unveiled at the beginning of the year in Detroit, is souped up with a 5.0-liter V8 that puts out 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque. Standard features … Read more

Dealers and pimps: Lexus makes F accessories available a la carte

When Lexus unveiled its IS-F sedan at the Detroit auto show this year, it was the first factory-tuned model that we had seen from the Japanese automaker. Today, Lexus unveiled a range of performance accessories to allow owners of standard IS250 and IS350 models to cash in on the "F" factor by pimping their rides with their choice of performance-enhancing components.

IS drivers will be able to choose from a number of dealer options, including upgraded brakes, a carbon-fiber engine cover, a performance air-intake, and F-branded 19-inch forged alloy wheels. According to Lexus reps, the accessories will be … Read more

Lexus getting into the aftermarket business

Now here's a teaser. We got an e-mail from Lexus' PR firm this week informing us that Lexus is going to be debuting a "new performance accessory line" at this year's SEMA show. Like the rest of the automotive world, we are already salivating at the prospect of the IS-F sedan, which will be coming to our shores next January, but the press release's headline suggested that Lexus will offering tuner kits and the like to those who don't have $60,000 to drop on a factory-pimped model.

The trouble is, despite the alluring … Read more