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10 Best Sedans Under $25,000

2011 Lexus IS F

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Overview

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2011 Lexus IS F Review

By KBB Editors

When Lexus introduced the IS F in 2007 the sports sedan was the fastest product car to ever wear the bent L in its grille. Now that the Japanese automaker has introduced the supercar-fighting LFA to the world, the muscle-bound sedan no longer wears that crown - but that doesn't mean it's lost any of its bite. For 2011, engineers spent time refining the vehicle's already impressive suspension and electronic power steering system and added new aesthetic touches to the cabin. The changes go a long way toward making the four-year-old platform feel young at heart.

You'll Like This Car If...

If the tried-and-true BMW M3 sedan is too common for your tastes, the IS F offers rivaling performance with additional flair. Wild bodywork, massive horsepower and a sports-oriented interior are this vehicle's strong suits.

You May Not Like This Car If...

Fans of conservative styling should look elsewhere for their thrills. Lexus has bestowed some very aggressive bodywork on the IS F in the form of flared fenders with front air outlets, a bulging grille and large 19-inch wheels. Expect to attract attention.

How It Ranks

#13

out of 16

MPG

#7

out of 17

Horsepower

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Consumer Rating

9.1 out of 10

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consumer ratings

What's Significant About This Car?

For 2011, new spring rates and additional camber in the rear suspension of the IS F add to the vehicle's sporting edge, while a recalibrated electronic power steering system now provides more feedback than before. Inside, new color options, Alcantara seat inserts and aluminum trim adorn the cockpit.

Driving the IS F

Driving Impressions At first blush, we felt that Lexus' claimed horsepower figures were more than a bit conservative. We were shattering the highest speed limits in the U.S. in just two upshifts...

and, despite the fact that we didn't disarm the IS F's stability control for the curvy sections, the logic allowed for some very aggressive driving before kicking in. With wider rear tires and 54 percent of its weight on the front wheels, the IS F can lose front grip first if you get into a corner too fast - but by that time you'll be going way too fast for public roads, anyway. On the other hand, that chassis behavior is ideal for overly-aggressive street driving or track-day novices. On the whole, the ride comfort is perfectly acceptable on smooth roads, but not so terrific over uneven pavement.

Favorite Features

Eight-Speed Transmission
The eight-speed automatic transmission in the 2011 Lexus IS F allows the average civilian to shift faster than a professional racer. Indeed, Lexus says the gearbox is the world's fastest-shifting automatic. Upshifts take 0.1 second, while downshifts occur in 0.2 second and include an automatic throttle blip to match the speeds of the engine, transmission and drive wheels.

Paddle Shifters
In the transmission's manual mode, shifting is accomplished with steering-wheel-mounted paddles. The car gives a single beep when it's about time to upshift, and a double beep means the driver tried to downshift at too high a speed.

2011 Lexus IS F Details

Dashboard, center console, gear shifter view photo

Interior

For 2011, Lexus has incorporated a few changes inside. Most noticeably, buyers who choose black as an interior color will now enjoy Alcantara seat inserts with leather bolsters. Additionally, Lexus has said goodbye to its old Terra Cotta color scheme in favor of a more wild orange-on-black with contrasting stitching, and designers have incorporated splashes of silver-colored trim along the steering wheel and made use of new instrument-panel gauges.

Exterior

The IS F wears a host of aesthetic additions to differentiate the vehicle from its more tame siblings. A fascia with large trapezoidal air inlets sets the tone up front, along with a bulging hood that accommodates the sedan's high-horsepower V8. Subtle "F" badging adorns the bodywork in various locations and flared fenders make room for wider sports wheels and tires. The front fenders incorporate large air outlets for evacuating heat, while the rear fascia displays a quad stacked exhaust appearance.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

If you build a car capable of 170 miles per hour (and more without its electronic speed limiter), you'd better be able to get it slowed down in a hurry. Lexus worked with Brembo to build extra-large brakes and asked BBS to produce 19-inch wheels to accept those big brakes. The front vented-and-drilled brake discs are 14.2 inches in diameter and are grasped by six-piston aluminum brake calipers. On the rear, two-piston calipers squeeze 13.6-inch rotors.

Optional Equipment

Among the few options available on the 2010 Lexus IS F is an excellent 300-watt sound system with 14 speakers and a six-disc in-dash DVD/CD changer. Those who park the IS F in tight places will want the backup video camera and the sonar-based sensor system that warns of unseen objects. Other options include a DVD-based navigation system and a Pre-Collision System with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.

Under the Hood

For the IS F, Lexus replaced the 306-horsepower V6 in the IS 350 with an enhanced version of the 4.6-liter V8 used in the LS and GS (5.0 liters in this application). In order to bump horsepower to 416, Lexus engineers added electronically-controlled variable intake valve timing. This feature is maximized with titanium intake valves, which are lighter and stronger than steel. Also, maximum engine speed was upped from 6,500 to 6,800 rpm. Torque is down 14 pound-feet and occurs 1,200 rpm higher than in the LS 600h L. The eight-speed automatic upshifts only about 0.05-second slower than that of a Formula 1 car. Traction and stability control can be adjusted to allow for a more dynamic drive with the touch of the "Sport" mode switch on the dash, or the system can be disarmed completely.

5.0-liter V8
416 horsepower @ 6600 rpm
371 lb.-ft. @ 5200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 16/23

Pricing Notes

The 2011 Lexus IS F starts a little over $60,000. With premium audio, navigation and all the bells and whistles, the IS F can approach $65,000. Even fully loaded, the IS F is thousands cheaper than the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and about the same price as the BMW M3. Typically, the Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 have commanded better-than-average resale values over time and the IS F follows in their footsteps. To find out what consumers are really paying for this vehicle, check out the New Car Blue Book Value, which reflects real-world transaction prices in your area.

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2011 Lexus IS F Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

9.1

Out of 10

Based on 341 Ratings for the 2006 - 2012 Lexus IS models.

Review this car

Value

9.1/10

Quality

9.4/10
Reliability

9.4/10

Performance

9.2/10
Comfort

9.1/10

Styling

9.5/10

Nice car but it depreciates very fast

By Natalie (VA) on Friday, June 01, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 10,500

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Styling: 7/10
Comfort: 8/10

Pros: "Good mix of sport and luxury"

Cons: "the value of the car plummets"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 6

"I have a 2011 Lexus IS 250 AWD with the Luxury and Navigation package. The milage has been much less then what I am used to. However I came from the compact 4 cylinder market so it is to be expected. Just a note for anyone thinking about buying the car, be aware that it uses premium gas only. Consider it an expense of owning the vehicle. The driving experience has been good. The acceleration, while not as fast as the IS 350, is quick enough to get onto the highway without effort. The vehicle hugs turns and feels very solid while at the same time masking bumps on the road enough where they are not as jolting but can be felt to know the road conditions. In this regard I love this vehicle. The interior is amazing in terms of quality of the materials used. The leather seats are very nice and the seats feel great to sit in. On paper many cars in the lower ranges sound like they would match this but having been in both classes of cars there is a very real difference. The cooled seats in addition to the heated are must haves. The features in the car are plentiful. However the back seats do not fold down. You instead get a pass through which is disappointing but not a deal killer. The center console with the navigation while full featured is a mess and difficult to us. For instance there are hard buttons for the temperature but you have to go to climate on the touch screen to control the fan speed. Many of the hard buttons that you need to use to operate the center console are not back lit. The interface in the navigation system is decent but things like switching between bluetooth media players is not user friendly. It uses a category layout with the hard buttons to each side of the screen to select the category. My gripe is that they are again not backlit. Also the car does not maintain it's value very well. My vehicle dropped in value $12,000 in nine months. Now granted the value sets into a more gradual depreciation slope after that it is a very steep loss in value for me to get used to considering that my Honda Fit Sport I had before this was still worth the price of a brand new base Honda Fit when I traded it in a year and a half later. The reason the IS depreciates is because there is not as large of a market for the vehicle after it has been used. Anyone considering buying their first luxury car like this would be well advised to buy a one or two year old used Lexus IS so that someone else takes the huge depreciation hit instead of you."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Worst car I've ever owned!!

By HoodieVixen (WA) on Thursday, May 03, 2012

I owned and sold this car
Reason: HATED IT! - My approximate mileage is 7,500

10 1.0

overall rating 1 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 1/10
Value: 1/10
Reliability: 4/10
Quality: 1/10
Performance: 1/10
Styling: 5/10
Comfort: 3/10

Pros: "Lots of upgrades were "standard" in price"

Cons: "Overpriced Toyota with terrible performance"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"I sold my Lexus after 6 months. I had 4 flat tires in that time, the handling is horrible, the engine leaves much to be desired... I could keep going, but I'll just say the summary I read re: "You might not like this car if..." was dead on. I should have kept my 3-series."

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