Lexus IS500

Surprised this hasn't been posted here. If there is an ISF coming and it's Twin Turbo V6, this IS500 with the V8 seems like a really good sleeper. I personally wouldn't mind the V8 with a softer Lexus ride. Not every car has to have a stiff ride.

I can't tell online if the exhaust tips are true exhaust tips weldes or are those fake ones like on the ISF.

Also can't find info online on oil or diff coolers etc.

https://www.lexus.com/IS500/

An F90 M5 could be nice — stupid fast and handles well.

pbonsalb wrote

An F90 M5 could be nice — stupid fast and handles well.

A good car that is let down big time by the subpar ZF8; bad enough to make Biermann leave the company.

Best to go Panamera TT or M8 GC at huge discount, seems to have better tranny programming as well.

pbonsalb wrote

An F90 M5 could be nice — stupid fast and handles well.

M5 is nice but I don't think it compares in size to IS and M3 sizes. IS500 has the big engine in a small car

KishMish wrote

Surprised this hasn't been posted here. If there is an ISF coming and it's Twin Turbo V6, this IS500 with the V8 seems like a really good sleeper. I personally wouldn't mind the V8 with a softer Lexus ride. Not every car has to have a stiff ride.

I can't tell online if the exhaust tips are true exhaust tips weldes or are those fake ones like on the ISF.

Also can't find info online on oil or diff coolers etc.

https://www.lexus.com/IS500/

Exhaust tips are real tips, though they photoshop the gap so much it makes it hard to tell - if you bump up the brightness you can see they're slip ons or something similar. Usually if it's a diffuser it's directly touching the bumper somehow.

Closest thing you can get to a DCT E90M on sale today. The IS has basically been identical in size to the E90 since 2007? or so, whenever that first IS350 came out. That compactness matters, and not everybody wants perfect traction, or to be going 150 mph if they leave their foot to the floor for more than 15 seconds

KishMish wrote

M5 is nice but I don't think it compares in size to IS and M3 sizes. IS500 has the big engine in a small car

I agree. I parked my e90 next to a F90 M5 and it's massive. I never thought I would say this but I'd prefer IS 500 to current M5. There's something about a V8 inside a compact sedan body. If I had access to autobahn it'd be a different story obviously.

Isn’t the m5 well over 100k? And seems like more of a GS F competitor if I can remember correctly.

Looked up the price for is500, I might be wrong but seeing 68k

I agree that the IS500 is as close to an E90 M3 as is being sold today, but it's not a good substitute. I recently drove the IS350F, and the gearbox was a sloth and the steering was devoid of feel. The IS500 reviews suggest the same transmission and steering are used in the the 350 and 500, so I'd hang on to your E90's instead!