Much like in the M3 and C63, the hottest Lexus’s interior pretty much follows the themes set by the standard car. Dashboard architecture and materials are largely unchanged, save for some faux-metal finish on the centre console.
Unlike in the BMW and Mercedes, though, changes to the Lexus don’t amount to serious alterations to the driving furniture. Granted, the IS-F’s front chairs are subtly different from a standard IS’s, but not by enough; they don’t drop low enough and have insufficient lateral support.
The steering wheel is little different from that of the regular version. Its range of adjustment is limited; serious drivers will find they can’t bring it close enough to their body and that, when it’s at the uppermost reach of its height adjustment, it’s too angled (the bottom of the wheel is too close to the driver while the top is too far away).
Otherwise, the cabin is fine. Materials are acceptable, while fit and finish are beyond reproach. The
touch-screen infotainment system is largely simple to use and, at the Lexus base price, comprises all the kit you would expect to be standard and a bit more besides.
Interior room? It’s at a premium in the rear of the cabin, but the boot is average for a car in this class.
Lexus hasn’t been shy in its pricing; the IS-F is pitched right between its rivals from Mercedes-AMG and BMW.
What does set the Lexus apart is that, typically, it wants for nothing in terms of standard equipment.
If the IS-F maintains Lexus’s traditional ownership traits – and there’s no reason to think that it shouldn’t – then running an IS-F should be a remarkably easy, fault-free and fuss-free experience, albeit at a cost in depreciation; after just two years it’s predicted that the IS-F will have lost almost half of its value.