Nice Drives: Lexus IS500

The only V8-powered compact sedan that you can still buy in America

For those of us of a certain age, a sports sedan was the type of vehicle we aspired to above all others; it was practical and comfortable yet still fast and desirable. Most flew under the radar too. For many, this love affair started with the first BMW M5, body code E28. This 80s icon seemed to have it all, yet didn’t attract the fuzz like a Porsche or Ferrari. In the same vein, the Lexus IS500 eschews shouty sheetmetal, going for the subtle. These types of cars were once called Q-Ships, named after battleships designed to look like freighters and used to accompany conveys to beleaguered Britain during the early years of WW2. To these eyes, the Lexus’ design has aged very well, and still looks modern and alluring, especially with the lowered ride height and fat, 19-inch Enkei wheels that come with the 5-liter engine. That boxy M5 used the same tactic; take the badge off the back and it could be most any other midsize BMW to the uninitiated.

That Bavarian beast had 256hp., which seemed incredible in the day but is now less than many hybrids. The IS500 F Sport Performance (to give it its full name) has the “full-fat” F-serie’s sonorous 472hp, 5-liter V8 shoehorned under its shapely hood. Run through its eight automatic ratios as fast as possible, it bellows to 7300rpm while shoving the Lexus past 60 in 4.3 seconds—that M5 needed two seconds more. While there are paddles for the gearbox, they don’t respond adroitly enough to be enjoyable to use. The steering wheel they’re attached to, however, has excellent precision and even some genuine feedback—certainly more than a modern BMW tiller serves up. The IS500 chassis leans towards the cushy end of the dynamics-versus-comfort equation. It rides as well as most any cooking Lexus, though it has lower limits of grip than some competitors. The IS’ angle of attack can be adjusted from slightly pushy understeer to slidey, sideways smoke show thanks to a Torsen limited slip diff and good balance. Brake performance is up to task as well.

All IS models are tight inside, but very cossetting, with lovely material quality. The IS500 has heavily bolstered seats that lock one in place and a few other bespoke items such as the gorgeous, metal-rimmed gauges, but by and large it is as quiet and refined as one expects of a Lexus, making normal daily driving pleasingly benign. There are few places to store stuff, however; design tops practicality in this machine. The 10.3in infotainment screen runs Lexus’ older software suit and requires the use of a touchpad to operate. Offsetting that is an accurate and powerful, 17 speaker Mark Levinson sound system to offer backing to that lovely V8’s vocals. For some, the IS500 will be a nonstarter. There’re no turbos to bolster power at altitude, and no AWD. But this Lexus is also compellingly analog in a way few modern competitors are, and perhaps a future classic amongst the cognoscenti.

EPA Ratings: 17/25/20mpg
0-60mph: 4.3sec
Price as tested: $66,625
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Here is what Lexus has to say.

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