vehicle
CIRCUIT OF THE GODS Above: Laguna’s signature turn, the Corkscrew. Below: Getting these shots required only two trips to the trackside gravel traps.
% FRONT
% REAR
FUEL TANK (gal)
OCTANE RATING
FRONT
REAR
TRUNK
60.6
3680
50.0
50.0
16.6
91
51
41
12
LEXUS IS F
$56,765 $60,755 183.5
71.5
55.7 107.5 61.4
59.6
3780
54.0
46.0
16.9
91
54
34
13
MAY 2008
WHEELBASE
57.0 108.7 60.6
LENGTH
71.5
AS TESTED
$55,875 $64,450 180.4
VEHICLE
BASE
CURB (lb)
INTERIOR VOL (cu ft)
REAR TRACK
WEIGHT
FRONT TRACK
DIMENSIONS (inches) HEIGHT
PRICE ($)
BMW M3
*EST
52
BEST IN TEST
speed automatic transmission—it’s the only one available—sends power to the rear wheels. We initially lamented the absence of a manual box, but Lexus has souped up the automatic so that in the manumatic mode it shifts in 0.1 second, Lexus claims. The suspension was lowered and stiffened, six-piston front-brake calipers pinch larger 14.2-inch rotors, and 19-inch forged aluminum wheels fill wider fenders and wheel arches. Our test car came with one option, a $3990 Mark Levinson sound system and navigation package that bumped the astested price to $60,755. These sedans are serious performance cars and as such require some room to wring them out. We spent a day lapping Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 2.2-mile road course in Monterey, California. There, we sucked in our guts while plunging the cars down Laguna’s famous Corkscrew, a left-right combination that has a devilishly blind approach and exit. Get it wrong, and you’re in the wall. We later ran through plenty of twisties, highway slogs, and our usual performance tests. In short, we indulged like automotive robber barons. And, yes, we loved every minute of it.
WIDTH
C/D RESULTS
complement those monster motors with sharp suspensions and plenty of luxury features. They’re not exorbitantly priced, but neither are they cheap. Both have base prices of about $56,000. Let’s start with the M3. Based on the 17-time 10Best-winner 3-series, the latest M3 has twice the number of cylinders (eight) and, with 414 horsepower, more than twice the horsepower of the first M3 that debuted in 1988. Coupled to a standard sixspeed manual transmission (a twin-clutch automated manual will be available this summer), the M3’s V-8 revs to an almost unheard-of 8400 rpm. Additionally, there are larger brakes, a firmer suspension, and enough body modifications to let the world know you’re in something special. Our test car came stuffed with options—adjustable shocks, steering assist, nav, heated seats, and various other bits—that swelled the as-tested price to $64,450. Meanwhile, the Lexus IS F looks similarly capable on paper. It’s Lexus’s first über-version of the capable IS sedan, and the company has not scrimped. In the engine bay resides a 416-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 that has a significant torque advantage over the BMW (371 pound-feet versus 295). An eight-
CARANDDRIVER.COM
% FRONT
% REAR
FUEL TANK (gal)
OCTANE RATING
FRONT
REAR
TRUNK
60.6
3680
50.0
50.0
16.6
91
51
41
12
LEXUS IS F
$56,765 $60,755 183.5
71.5
55.7 107.5 61.4
59.6
3780
54.0
46.0
16.9
91
54
34
13
MAY 2008
WHEELBASE
57.0 108.7 60.6
LENGTH
71.5
AS TESTED
$55,875 $64,450 180.4
VEHICLE
BASE
CURB (lb)
INTERIOR VOL (cu ft)
REAR TRACK
WEIGHT
FRONT TRACK
DIMENSIONS (inches) HEIGHT
PRICE ($)
BMW M3
*EST
52
BEST IN TEST
speed automatic transmission—it’s the only one available—sends power to the rear wheels. We initially lamented the absence of a manual box, but Lexus has souped up the automatic so that in the manumatic mode it shifts in 0.1 second, Lexus claims. The suspension was lowered and stiffened, six-piston front-brake calipers pinch larger 14.2-inch rotors, and 19-inch forged aluminum wheels fill wider fenders and wheel arches. Our test car came with one option, a $3990 Mark Levinson sound system and navigation package that bumped the astested price to $60,755. These sedans are serious performance cars and as such require some room to wring them out. We spent a day lapping Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 2.2-mile road course in Monterey, California. There, we sucked in our guts while plunging the cars down Laguna’s famous Corkscrew, a left-right combination that has a devilishly blind approach and exit. Get it wrong, and you’re in the wall. We later ran through plenty of twisties, highway slogs, and our usual performance tests. In short, we indulged like automotive robber barons. And, yes, we loved every minute of it.
WIDTH
C/D RESULTS
complement those monster motors with sharp suspensions and plenty of luxury features. They’re not exorbitantly priced, but neither are they cheap. Both have base prices of about $56,000. Let’s start with the M3. Based on the 17-time 10Best-winner 3-series, the latest M3 has twice the number of cylinders (eight) and, with 414 horsepower, more than twice the horsepower of the first M3 that debuted in 1988. Coupled to a standard sixspeed manual transmission (a twin-clutch automated manual will be available this summer), the M3’s V-8 revs to an almost unheard-of 8400 rpm. Additionally, there are larger brakes, a firmer suspension, and enough body modifications to let the world know you’re in something special. Our test car came stuffed with options—adjustable shocks, steering assist, nav, heated seats, and various other bits—that swelled the as-tested price to $64,450. Meanwhile, the Lexus IS F looks similarly capable on paper. It’s Lexus’s first über-version of the capable IS sedan, and the company has not scrimped. In the engine bay resides a 416-hp, 5.0-liter V-8 that has a significant torque advantage over the BMW (371 pound-feet versus 295). An eight-
CARANDDRIVER.COM
