2024 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Review

I have said on the air many times that I personally prefer to drive cars.  With the SUV craze in America and all the new SUV models arriving constantly, the automakers send SUVs for review way more often than sedans, but I’ve got a beauty this week, and it is some kind of fast, too.  I bring you the Lexis IS 500 Performance sedan, a midsized speedster that doubles as a luxury car.  In full disclosure, due to a scheduling snafu, our Executive Producer Amy Plemons reviewed this exact car seven months ago, but that is OK, we look at cars differently and two opinions are better one, right?

Exterior   

Let’s start with the very attractive exterior.  There is a lot going on with the sloping hood, the sharp lines that are pronounced down the sides, the black 19” BBS wheels that are unique to the F Sport at a $2,450 charge, the integrated rear spoiler, uneven chrome exhaust tips, and black accents all around the stunning Incognito paint job.  This is a head-turner for sure.

Powertrain 

Under the hood is a rarity:  A naturally aspirated V8!  This 5-liter engine is putting out 472-horses and 395 pound-feet of torque.  It is mated to an 8-speed automatic with shift paddles, and this sedan is rear-wheel drive, which I love.  It is just old school muscle nestled in a luxury package.  0-to-60 speed is a brisk 4.4 seconds and top speed is limited to 149-miles per hour.  Lexus could have been a little more exciting and made it 150, but I digress.

Interior

As I entered the cabin, I am a fan of red interiors but this one sort of jumps out at you.  It is a very bright red, and I like it, but was expecting black as with most cars, but there are some black elements to it inside.  Once you get over the initial surprise of how Circuit Red everything is, you settle down and enjoy the bold statement it makes.

As you sit in the 10-way power seats that are bolstered, heated, and air conditioned, you snugly get in place and start to look at the bright and colorful instrument panel.  The digital gauges are the most configurable I have ever seen. The gauges are nearly identical to the world-renowned Lexus LFA supercar. The instrument cluster in the IS 500 F SPORT features a dynamic digital display. It moves with a sliding bezel, expanding and retracting digital readouts when information is accessed from the steering wheel and when you change the drive modes.  There is start-up animation that is quite entertaining.

Heavy-stitching abounds but it doesn’t jump out at you because it is red as well.  The seats are NuLuxe (faux leather) but you would never know a cow didn’t die to make the beautiful seats.  The entire cabin is filled with luxury materials that are soft to the touch.  The F Sport steering wheel is heated and is also very soft to the touch and fits nicely in my hands.

Center dash up high is the 10.3-inch touchscreen, but you can also tool around the screen from a trackpad on the center console, but for me, it’s a bit of a pain.  The screen is easily within reach of the driver or passenger.  The screen houses the navigation system, the wonderful Mark Levinson sound system, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connection, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an amazing Panoramic View camera that utilizes four high-resolution cameras mounted on the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle to give drivers a bird's-eye view of your surroundings. Moving View and See-Through View options create a composite image of the vehicle's surroundings as on-screen guides assist with parking and tight maneuvering.

The center console is very well done.  From there you control the heated and cooled seats, turn on the heated steering wheel, change the drive modes, two cupholders, the gear shifter, the track pad that I never use, you can turn on the auto hold. There is a soft console cover that feels good to your elbow, and inside you will find the wireless phone charger.

Drive modes include:  Normal, Sport and Sport+, Eco, and Custom.  You’ll know significant changes in the car with each mode.

Moving to the back seat, it is fairly limited in space, especially headroom due to the sloping roof, but adults that are not too large will fit there and be OK.  The rear occupants will get a nice fold-down armrest with cup holders that pull out and also air vents.  I found the trunk space to be ample with almost 11-cubic feet of cargo area and a very wide opening to load luggage or cargo in. 

Safety

On the safety side, you get the Lexus Safety System 2.5.  That includes lane tracing assist, road sign recognition, pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, intelligent high beam headlights, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, parking assist with automatic braking, and the terrific panoramic view rear camera.

Standard Features  and Options

This IS 500 Performance also has the Premium package and that means it is loaded with standard equipment.  Besides what we have covered above, it has a power moon roof with sliding shade, power tilt steering wheel, keyless entry, aluminum pedals, auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers, memory seats, and power rear sunshade.

Besides the BBS wheels for $2,550, for options it has illuminated door sills for $425, a carpeted trunk mat for $120, and wheel locks for $95. Everything else comes with the package.

Fuel  Economy

Fuel economy is good considering it has close to 500-horses, coming in at 17 city, 25 on the highway, and 20 combined.  Even the way I have driven it, it is hitting those targets, which surprised me.

What You'll Pay

Total MSRP on this beauty is $67,610 and I have to say that for the combination of luxury and performance you get with this car, it’s a very good buy and a great value.

Verdict

It is hard to describe just how enjoyable this car is to drive.  It has a race car feel to it, but make no mistake, it is a luxury sedan.  The exhaust sound is intoxicating, especially in Sport+ mode.  This will not be a car for everyone for various reasons, but if it fits you and your lifestyle, I guarantee you will smile every single time you get behind the wheel and hit that start button!