The IS 350 has always been a great sport luxury car, but Lexus turns it into a tuner with its line of F Sport accessories. This car features improved handling and an exciting exhaust note.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Lexus launched the newest generation of the IS in 2006, with the IS 250 and IS 350. The IS then became the platform for Lexus' BMW M3 competitor, the IS-F. Now Lexus offers a la carte F Sport components to hot up the standard IS models.
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We looked at a 2009 Lexus IS 350 kitted up with F Sport engine and suspension accessories. In addition, Lexus included some cosmetic and handling updates for the 2009 model year.
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The IS 350 uses a 3.5-liter V-6 with a unique dual-injection system, combining port and direct injection. Visible in this picture is the wide tube of the F Sport air intake.
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This IS 350 sits lower to the ground than a standard IS 350, because of the F Sport lowering springs. The ride quality is harsher than with the standard IS 350, but the handling is better.
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Wheels and brakes have also been upgraded with F Sport accessories. These brakes give the IS 350 excellent stopping power, and are easy to modulate with the pedal.
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Suspension upgrades include Bilstein-sourced shocks, sway bars, and a chassis stiffener. The result is a car that stays flat in the corners.
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These exhaust pipes are also an F Sport upgrade. They produce an aggressive note.
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Lexus luxury is evident inside the car, but the cabin electronics have not been updated since the 2006 launch.
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There aren't any steering-component upgrades from the F Sport accessories, but steering benefits from the rigidity of the car.
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The speedometer and tachometer on the IS 350 each have an amber, illuminated ring that lights up when you go over a certain speed or push the redline.
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The six-speed automatic in the IS 350 is fine for normal driving, but a letdown for sport driving. You can use manual mode to hold third gear, which has a wide power band, but the sport mode tends to stay in fourth gear.
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Paddle shifters, attached to the steering wheel spokes, let you manually select gears.
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The navigation system in the IS 350 looks good and works reasonably fast, but lacks any advanced features.
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A Mark Levinson audio system uses 14 speakers and a 300-watt amp to deliver excellent sound quality.
