Lexus revives V8 IS

There’s a catch to this good news. While the hot rod has returned …. It’s only for the land of the hot dog.

NO chance: That’s the response in precis from Lexus New Zealand when asked about potential of the just-revealed flagship of its new IS compact luxury sedan line reaching this market. 

The local distributor, operating as an adjunct to Toyota New Zealand, has reiterated a view expressed in other right-hand-drive locales: Namely, that the new car is only for North America. Specifically, the United States.

What Kiwis knew as the IS-F, ultimately in a sizzler Redline edition, until it was curtailed in 2014 is now called the IS500 F Sport Performance.

Power is from the 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 seen under the bonnet of the RC-F and GS F performance cars, but also involved with the IS-F since it was born in 2008.  

In this latest application it develops 352kW of power at 7100rpm and 536Nm of torque, at 4800rpm. That’s a 41kW and 31Nm lift over the outputs cited for the last of the IS-Fs, which in its own right moved with astounding alacrity.  

The extra wallop would certainly enhance the pedigree when measured against two of the best in the business, the BMW M3/M4 and Mercedes Benz C63.

Lexus claims a 4.5 second 0-100kmh time. Kerb weight is rated at 1765kg, up just 65kg over the most exciting model in the current NZ line-up, the rear-wheel-drive IS350 F Sport.

Under the skin, the 'standard' IS's 'Dynamic Handling Package' has been fitted as standard to the IS500 to help cope with the extra grunt, with additions including adaptive suspension, a Yamaha rear performance damper (designed to reduce body flex and increase rigidity), and a Torsen limited-slip rear differential. 

19-inch Enkei alloy wheels fill the arches – which are said to be 2.7kg lighter in total versus the regular IS F Sport's 19-inch wheels – hiding larger 356mm two-piece front and 323mm rear sports brakes.

Styling upgrades over NZ-familiar IS F Sport models largely comprise a 51mm-taller bonnet to accommodate the V8 engine, "lengthened" front bumper and quarter panels, a new rear diffuser with the brand's signature stacked quad exhaust tips, black window surrounds, black badging and a black lip spoiler.

Inside, the standard model's 10.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and digital instrument cluster are carried over, with changes limited to F Sport Performance badging on the steering wheel, metallic pedals, unique illuminated door sill plates and an IS500-specific start-up animation for the instrument cluster.

 The full Lexus Safety System Plus driver assistance suite carries over to the flagship.

By chance, in an interview given to MotoringNZ.co, just weeks ago – when the IS500 was still under wraps – the potential of there ever being another IS-F was discussed by Lexus NZ boss Andrew Davis.

At that time, he said he did not know of anything on the horizon, but added: “There is speculation on IS-F and I think this speculation just shows there is still market interest in those sorts of cars.”

Lexus has RC-F and has had GS-F, so there’s logic to think there might still be space for another IS-F, he said then. That the old model has established a cult following also weighed into it.

M Division gasses up M5 with CS

The ‘ultimate’ M5 is no longer the Competition.

TWENTY for the neighbour … how many in ‘our’ driveway?

‘Come back tomorrow.’

That’s the response from BMW New Zealand’s public relations people when asked about the national allocation of the most powerful and fastest accelerating car the German make’s specialist M performance house claims it has ever produced.

The local distributor appears caught on the hop in respect to the M5 CS … an intention to wait until tomorrow (January 28) to deliver the lowdown on the car puts it a day behind the rest of the world.

The model’s global announcement this morning was quickly followed by key markets, Australia including, confirming they will enjoy the new model which, though not a limited count car, is subject to a limited build run, in that it will be available for one model year. 

It’s clear right-hand-drive markets are in line for the car, as Australia is taking 20, these arriving mid-year.

New Zealand’s allocation will likely be fair more modest – somewhere between one and nine would seem a safe bet. Price? Also a guesstimate. Australians are paying the equivalent of $327,000.

The car’s potential collectability status is high: You’re buying into a similar formula to that set out by previous CS-badged BMWs (M2 CS, M3 CS and M4 CS) and the next step up from the M5 Competition, but with many upgrades, including the most powerful engine in the history of BMW M, to create a sharper, more track-focused package.

Specific features are a reprogrammed four-wheel drive system, bespoke chassis tuning and a series of lightweight carbonfibre parts that contribute to a 70kg weight reduction over the M5 Competition.

Anyone buying in will likely stick in straight into the pool room, though let’s hope they might follow the brand’s recommendation and divert en route to a motor racing circuit.

The familiar 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 has been worked over to output 467kW, with torque rated at 750Nm.

The power is well above that from the standard M5’s 412kW/680Nm, but it’s just a 7kW gain and the same torque loading as that offered by the M5 Competition.

BMW nonetheless attests the car will run to 100kmh from a standing start in three seconds – so, a tenth quicker than the Competition – knock out 0-200kmh in 10.4s and achieve an electronically limited top speed of 306kmh.

So, maybe not a race track but a very long runway if you want to have a chance of seeing the latter.

The revised M5 CS engine also gains a redesigned oil pan with an additional sump and indirect charge air cooling. Further changes are focused on the engine mounts, which has a spring rating of 900N per millimetre for a more rigid mounting and a smoother transmission of power to each wheel, according to BMW’s performance division. 

The M5 CS’s chassis is described as being based on that of the M5 Competition but with shock absorbers originally developed for another heavy hitter, the M8 Gran Coupe Competition, that reduce the ride height by 7mm.

The new dampers are claimed to reduce the fluctuation in wheel loads. In combination with new spring bearings for the damper control measures front and rear, as well as standard-fit 20 inch wheels shod with 275/35 front and 285/35 rear Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres, they are claimed to greatly improve on-the-limit handling.

The increase in performance has resulted in M carbon-ceramic brakes being fitted as standard. They use six-piston fixed calipers at the front and single-piston floating calipers at the rear and are claimed to weigh 23kg less overall than the steel disc system that comes as standard on the M5 Competition.

Additional weight savings for the M5 CS have been achieved through the adoption of a carbonfibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bonnet. The car also uses carbonfibre for the front splitter, mirror caps, rear spoiler and diffuser.

A gold bronze grille and headlights tinged with yellow are also CS specific and the interior also has specific fitouts, notably the rear bench seat being dumped for two individual chairs. The outline of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit is displayed on the head restraints. On the front seats, the restraints also have illuminated M5 logos.