Lexus IS-F and GS

By Tim Pollard

Motor Shows

13 September 2007 04:18

Lexus ISF: the lowdown

We’ve seen the ISF before, but it’s here again in Frankfurt ahead of its arrival in the UK in March 2008. Don’t think of this 400bhp 5.0 V8 as an M3 rival, officials warn. ‘It will be more refined and comfortable, rather than out and out sporty,’ said one. It should undercut the RS4/M3 brigade at less than £50,000 and Lexus expects to sell just 150 in its first year. What else is new at Lexus? Even if you don’t blink, you might be forgiven for missing the lightly revised GS. Yes, this is real ‘door handles’ facelift, but most of the important changes occur under the bonnet. Out goes the old 4.3-litre V8 in the GS430, replaced by the more modern 4.6 unit from the LS460. The new model is renamed GS460 accordingly. We’ll get it in the first quarter of 2008, and you’ll spot it (if you look very hard and don’t blink) by that radically different grille treatment. Ahem.

By Tim Pollard