Lexus IS-F (2008) CAR review

The new Lexus IS-F performance flagship arrives here this April primed to take on its BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG rivals. Even its £51,000 price tag (M3 £50,725, C63 AMG £52,567) puts it deep into enemy territory. It may not have the aspiration strengths played on so heavily by M Division and AMG, but that hasn't stopped Lexus wheeling out a pretty formidable rival to rock the Teutonic triumvirate.

Heritage or no, the F has the power, the performance and the looks to face up to any competitor – a track-tuned 417bhp 5.0-litre V8, an eight-speed paddleshift transmission, tweaked wishbone front and multilink rear suspension and steering and Brembo developed brakes, all wrapped in out-my-way sheetmetal.

The F doesn't photograph particularly well, tending to look oddly proportioned and slightly bulbous from some angles, but in the metal it looks mean and sharp – drink in those sinister graphite 19-inch lightweight BBS alloys, vast brake discs and six-pot calipers, the 25mm lowered ride height, blistered wheel arches, that power-domed bonnet, those four distinctively stacked exhaust pipes and the air vents behind the front wheels. It looks both restrained and menacing, a car with a real fast lane-clearing aura, although I felt horribly cheated when I looked closer and saw the four drainpipes were dummies. The real exhausts end just short of the faux pipes, and the air vents are also false.

Tell me about the Lexus IS-F's engine

Borrowed from the LS600h, the all-aluminium engine features a raft of motorsport upgrades including cylinder heads developed by Yamaha Racing, direct injection, electrically driven variable valve timing, titanium valves, a dual air intake system, sintered conrods and a fuel surge tank and oil scavenge system to feed the engine during high speed bends. Result? Lexus’s most powerful engine – a sledgehammer that develops 417bhp at 6600rpm and 373lb ft of torque at 5200rpm. Enough muscle to rocket the 1700kg IS-F to 60mph in 4.8seconds and onto a limited 168mph top speed. Plenty of grunt to worry its rivals.

FYI, the F in the Lexus’ badge doesn’t stand for fast or the F word – it stands for Fuji, the hallowed Toyota-owned speedway circuit at the base of Mount Fuji where the IS-F’s high-speed dynamics were honed. The development and engineering was undertaken by a small skunkworks team spearhead by top Lexus engineer Yukihiko Yaguchi.

BMW M3 saloon (2008) CAR review

The BMW M3 saloon has two more doors, weighs 25kg extra, features blander taillights and, at £49,415, costs £1415 less than its E92 coupe sibling. Anyone with an internet connection can work that out. But, and here’s the key question, does the saloon feel different to drive?

A small digression. I owned an M3 saloon once. In fact, for six months I owned both the E36 M3 saloon and the E36 M3 coupe. Where the early 3.0-litre saloons had softer suspension than the coupe, my Evo-spec saloon had an identical set-up to its lesser-doored sibling. The mags would go on about the saloon being better balanced than the coupe and I’d feel perplexed. One day I’d drive the saloon, the next the coupe. And you know what? They’d feel exactly the same.

What I would notice was the awful faux wood trim in the saloon, and the less attractive, comfort-spec/US-spec coupe (sorry, once an M3 anorak, always an anorak) chairs and the saloon-spec/optional US-spec coupe (must stop this) wheels.

So is the new BMW M3 saloon different from the M3 coupe?

This time the seats are the same, the wheels are the same, wood isn’t compulsory. But does that 25kg – equivalent to around two modestly packed suitcases – actually make a difference?

No. Once again, I couldn’t tell the difference. Which gives the saloon considerable appeal. It’s cheaper, more practical and those extra doors – to my eyes – add a little M5 Q-car understatement and tone down the coupe’s slightly beaky looks.

BMW M3 Coupe Edition (2009) CAR review

What’s the difference between a regualr BMW M3 Coupe and this M3 Edition?

The Edition sits 10mm lower than the car it’s based on, but otherwise it’s a cosmetic makeover. There’s a choice of Alpine White as seen on other M3s, or the Edition-only Dakar Yellow and Monte Carlo Blue, plus all Edition models are distinguished by darkened kidney grilles, bonnet vents and wing mirrors. The 19-inch alloys, meanwhile, come in either the familiar silver or optional black.

Inside there are body-coloured highlights on the Novillo leather and contrasting stitching, plus tastefully chunky trim to bisect the dash (BMW calls it black carbon-structure leather) while the white cars get a suspect, colour-coded centre console. I’d plump for blue – more saleable than yellow, plus it reminds of the stunning Estoril Blue previously used on the E36 M3.

What’s the damage?

At £53,435 you’ll pay £2.5k extra for your special edition Edition compared with the existing M3. A stretch too far for some, perhaps, but if you spec the Novillo leather and 19s on a regular M3 you’ll end up with a £2k bill anyway. Factor in the ride height drop, the numerous little touches and the extra exclusivity of the Edition and it starts to look like decent value.

Does it feel different?

Not really. Two CAR road testers drove the Edition back-to-back with the standard car on track, and our findings were less than conclusive. I noticed only that the new car

was slightly less reluctant to tuck – and hold – its nose into tight, slower corners. Yet tester number two thought it was more stable under acceleration out of corners. Had we not had the standard car for reference we wouldn’t have noticed any difference at all.

The rest is business as usual. There’s a brilliantly well-balanced chassis that’s actually quite hard not to oversteer on track; initially over-light steering; a peach of a high-revving, incredible-sounding V8; and luxurious comfort and space that makes this car far easier to live with than a 911.

Equipped with our car’s double-clutch semi-auto transmission, the M3 is even more versatile, acting as both a smooth auto, and a fast-firing manual that puts the clunky sequential manual M5 to shame.

Verdict

The Edition might lack the kudos of previous special edition M3s, but it does represent good value in combining what are surely the most frequently ticked options boxes (19-inch alloys and the extended leather package) in a slightly more special-feeling package for similar money.

Audi RS5 (2010) first official pictures

This is the new Audi RS5, a £60,000 super-coupe with a high-revving 4.2-litre V8 and a 174mph top speed. It's Audi's riposte to the BMW M3, and we'll see it in the metal at next week's 2010 Geneva motor show.

How powerful is the new Audi RS5?

Under the bonnet is the same naturally aspirated 4163cc V8 that powered the old RS4 and is currently found in the R8, but Audi’s Quattro GmbH division – responsible for all of Ingolstadt’s RS models – has squeezed an extra 30bhp out of the engine. That means the high-revving, direct-injection 4.2-litre V8 produces 444bhp at 8250rpm, along with 317lb ft from 4000 to 8000rpm.

That power is sent through a seven-speed S-tronic gearbox to all four wheels, and with the Launch Control system engaged it’s enough to propel the 1725kg coupe to 62mph in 4.6 seconds, before powering the RS5 on to its 155mph limiter. Of course, if you hand over a little extra cash, Audi will increase the top speed to 174mph.

The new Audi RS5 is relatively economical too. BMW’s new stop/start-equipped M3 manages 25.2mpg, but the more powerful RS5 betters it with a claimed 26.2mpg. Thank the dual-clutch transmission, an on-demand oil pump and an intelligent alternator that’s only charged during coasting and braking.

What about the RS5's chassis tweaks?

Top of the list is Audi’s new crown-gear centre differential, which can send up to 70% of the RS5’s torque to the front wheels, and as much as 85% to the rear – a 40:60 front-rear split is standard. The new diff works in conjunction with an electronic torque vectoring system, which can brake any wheel to stabilise the car and aid cornering. Audi’s Sport differential is also an option, and it actively distributes torque between the rear wheels

Beyond the trick diffs, the basic suspension sits the car 20mm lower, and 19-inch alloys wearing 265/35 tyres are standard. Up front the brakes measure 365mm (the discs and callipers are aluminium) but 380mm carbon-ceramics are an option. There's also Audi's Drive Select system with switchable settings for engine, gearbox and steering, and a new Dynamic Steering system is on the options list.

It looks a little too similar to an S-line A5 or an S5 – how does the RS5 stand out in the car park?

For a start, if the standard wheels aren’t big enough for you then 20in rims are available. There's a big, bulging front bumper too, with two huge air intakes flanking the single frame central grille. Audi's OTT LED daytime running lights are standard, there's RS-spec alumnium door mirrors and oval exhausts, plus silver (or black) trim decorates the front splitter and rear diffuser.

A rear spoiler also pops up from the boot at 75mph, and retracts at 50mph. And if that's not enough Audi will offer a Carbon pack that trims the engine bay in the best black stuff, and sell you a sports exhaust so everyone can hear that V8 rev to over 8000rpm.

Inside there are leather and Alcantara sports seats, though harder buckets or more comfort-orientated ventilated seats are available, plus black gauges with white lettering.