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Fully loaded luxury with wicked turn of speed
Graeme Fletcher, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
If you're a gearhead, it's a wonderful world -- only the amount of horsepower under the hood of the modern automobile has been rising faster than the price of gasoline.
Nissan's GT-R pushes 480 horsepower, while the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 makes a "mere" 638 h.p.
While they are polar opposites in many respects, they do have one thing in common -- the two are best described as race cars with street ability. The Lexus IS-F is exactly the opposite. It is a fully loaded luxury car that just happens to deliver a wicked turn of speed.
Beneath the bulging hood sits a 5.0-litre V8 that makes 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque at 5,200 r.p.m. It's married to an eight-speed manumatic transmission that comes complete with paddle shifters. This combination is enough to motivate 1,715 kg of leather-lined luxury from rest to 100-km/h in 4.8 seconds. That's impressive.
However, this engine really shines in the mid-range. The IS-F charges from 80 to 120 km/h in 3.9 seconds and on up to its electronically limited top speed of 270 km/h. A secondary air intake breather under the right fender then delivers the sort of sound that speaks to the engine's potential when it begins to bellow at 3,600 r.p.m.
As for the rest of it, the IS-F is like any other Lexus. The materials are exquisite and the amenities plentiful. It's forte, however, is that it solves an age-old dilemma -- the need is for a four-door sedan to satisfy family commitments; the want is the pleasure of driving a true sports car. The IS-F covers both bases.
Extraordinary Corvette
Holy cow! That is the only way to describe what happens when the Corvette ZR1's gas pedal is punched. The ZR1's turn of speed is, in a word, extraordinary.
The numbers speak volumes. The ZR1 runs to 96 km/h in 3.4 seconds and it romps from rest to 160 km/h in seven seconds flat. It's most impressive feat, however, is its lap time around the famed Nürburgring -- at seven minutes and 26.4 seconds it held the lap record for a production car (the Dodge Viper subsequently eclipsed this benchmark).
The key to the ZR1's motivation is the 6.2-litre, supercharged V8 that's visible through the window in the hood. It puts out 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, 90 per cent of which is available anywhere between 2,600 and 6,000 r.p.m.
To maximize the ZR1's potential it was put on a diet. The entire chassis is constructed of aluminum and magnesium and the front fenders, roof panel and hood are made of carbon fibre. The upshot is a world-class power-to-weight ratio -- each of the ZR1's stallions only has to motivate 2.36 kg of automobile.
Rounding out the dynamic side is GM's two-mode Magnetic Selective Ride Control (MSRC) suspension, massive tires and race-inspired ceramic brakes. It is, in a nutshell, a world-class sports car that's affordable.
Graeme Fletcher, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
If you're a gearhead, it's a wonderful world -- only the amount of horsepower under the hood of the modern automobile has been rising faster than the price of gasoline.
Nissan's GT-R pushes 480 horsepower, while the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 makes a "mere" 638 h.p.
While they are polar opposites in many respects, they do have one thing in common -- the two are best described as race cars with street ability. The Lexus IS-F is exactly the opposite. It is a fully loaded luxury car that just happens to deliver a wicked turn of speed.
Beneath the bulging hood sits a 5.0-litre V8 that makes 416 horsepower and 371 pound-feet of torque at 5,200 r.p.m. It's married to an eight-speed manumatic transmission that comes complete with paddle shifters. This combination is enough to motivate 1,715 kg of leather-lined luxury from rest to 100-km/h in 4.8 seconds. That's impressive.
However, this engine really shines in the mid-range. The IS-F charges from 80 to 120 km/h in 3.9 seconds and on up to its electronically limited top speed of 270 km/h. A secondary air intake breather under the right fender then delivers the sort of sound that speaks to the engine's potential when it begins to bellow at 3,600 r.p.m.
As for the rest of it, the IS-F is like any other Lexus. The materials are exquisite and the amenities plentiful. It's forte, however, is that it solves an age-old dilemma -- the need is for a four-door sedan to satisfy family commitments; the want is the pleasure of driving a true sports car. The IS-F covers both bases.
Extraordinary Corvette
Holy cow! That is the only way to describe what happens when the Corvette ZR1's gas pedal is punched. The ZR1's turn of speed is, in a word, extraordinary.
The numbers speak volumes. The ZR1 runs to 96 km/h in 3.4 seconds and it romps from rest to 160 km/h in seven seconds flat. It's most impressive feat, however, is its lap time around the famed Nürburgring -- at seven minutes and 26.4 seconds it held the lap record for a production car (the Dodge Viper subsequently eclipsed this benchmark).
The key to the ZR1's motivation is the 6.2-litre, supercharged V8 that's visible through the window in the hood. It puts out 638 horsepower and 604 pound-feet of torque, 90 per cent of which is available anywhere between 2,600 and 6,000 r.p.m.
To maximize the ZR1's potential it was put on a diet. The entire chassis is constructed of aluminum and magnesium and the front fenders, roof panel and hood are made of carbon fibre. The upshot is a world-class power-to-weight ratio -- each of the ZR1's stallions only has to motivate 2.36 kg of automobile.
Rounding out the dynamic side is GM's two-mode Magnetic Selective Ride Control (MSRC) suspension, massive tires and race-inspired ceramic brakes. It is, in a nutshell, a world-class sports car that's affordable.
