Mother Proof's view

While driving the IS-F, the super-fast version of Lexus’ midsize sedan, I imagined a cartoon angel and devil riding on each shoulder. The IS-F tempted me to no end with a massive 417-horsepower engine that growls with a deep, muted rumble that hints at unearthly power. It gave me shivers.

In one ear, the devil whispered, “Go on, punch it. You know you want to. C’mon!” While the angel reminded me, “Um, there are kids in back. YOUR kids.” The one time I found an empty stretch of twisty road and gave in to temptation, it took about half an hour for my heart to slow down. I still have goose bumps. This car is seriously wicked, and the devil on my shoulder loved nearly every minute of it.

Everything about the IS-F is geared for speedy driving. Those evil geniuses at Lexus took the skeleton of the IS sedan and filled it to the brim with, um, evilness. We’re talking an eight-speed transmission; massive brakes; big, fat, sticky tires; a specially designed aerodynamic body; and a rock-hard suspension package that takes no prisoners. It’s awesome-well, it’s awesome on a racetrack. It’s less awesome in a grocery store parking lot or navigating L.A.’s notorious freeways. And here’s where my shoulder angel pipes up and reality kicks in. I’m not a racecar driver, nor am I living in a James Bond movie. I’m a mommy with “Star Wars” action figures nestled among the crumbs on the car’s floor. As much fun as the fantasy is, in reality, the IS-F isn’t the car for me.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair

Cargo/trunk space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair

Fun factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove on): Groove on

The first thing I noticed about the IS-F was its amazing blue paint job. A complete stranger said to me, “That’s a really blue car.” Yes, yes, it is really blue. I liked it, though. It’s a pretty, sparkly blue that Lexus calls Ultrasonic Blue Mica, whatever that means. And in a world populated by silver sedans, I liked being able to find my car in a parking lot. The tinted windows and moonroof helped set off that fabulous color.

Other than the color, the IS-F’s exterior was all about the details. Its beauty wasn’t the sort of thing that I usually notice at first. A subtle reshaping of the face and hood gave the IS-F better aerodynamics and a distinctive look. Rather than the usual horizontal bars of the Lexus grille, the IS-F sported a carbon fiber faceplate. The strategically placed “F” logos reminded onlookers that this is no ordinary IS sedan, and there was just enough chrome to highlight things nicely. Low profile performance tires looked impossibly thin against the 19-inch rims, and a shiny quad stacked exhaust system meant there would be a gorgeous growl when I revved the engine.

The doors were substantial, but not too heavy for my kids to close on their own. Getting in and out of the car wasn’t a problem for their little legs.

The inside of the IS-F has a serious sports-car cockpit. The race-inspired, bolstered leather seats adjusted in 10 ways to provide the ultimate driving position and keep you there. The super-soft leather in the seats was trimmed with color-contrast stitching. In my test car that meant electric blue stitching and details throughout. When I sat in that driver’s seat, I completely forgot who I was. Even now, my devil chuckles with a low, “Bwa ha ha ha…” Those bolsters, however, made getting out of the IS-F more of a struggle than I liked. Even though the steering wheel automatically retracts when the engine is turned off, I still had to haul myself out of the seat. What a way to burst my speed-racer bubble!

There was aluminum trim all over the place that kept things shiny and clean and continued the racecar feel. It looked really cool when the instrument panel was lit by its blue LED lights. The leather-wrapped steering wheel not only sported controls for the stereo, phone and display functions, but it also had paddle shifters for those times when automatic transmission just won’t cut it (or for the control freaks out there). Either way, paddle shifters are cool.

In the backseat, things were less fun. The IS-F only seats four people, so there’s no middle seat. That means that a rear-facing infant seat must be placed directly behind one of the front seats. Since there wasn’t a surplus of backseat legroom, you’d have to slide the front seat forward to a less-than-comfortable position to fit an infant seat back there. And if tall folks sat in the back, they’d face an uncomfortable ride. However, there’s a nice armrest with two cupholders back there, so the kiddies could have their beverages. The seat belts were nice and stable, which made it easy for the little guys to buckle up. While the IS-F doesn’t exactly cater to families, it’s workable.

Safety in the IS-F isn’t just about airbags. Of course, there are tons of them. And it’s not just about traction control or computerized braking. There are the expected crumple zones and reinforced side beams that you’d find in most luxury cars. Rain-sensing wipers keep the windshield clean and clear. Bi-xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights illuminated both straightaways and turns thanks to the Adaptive Front Lighting System. But the IS-F goes even further with its Pre-Collision System, which uses radar to sense when a crash is coming and activate all the safety features before you need them – milliseconds that could save lives. Even the devil on my shoulder liked that.

In the front seat, the adjustable seat belts fit me well, but there was a problem with the front passenger occupancy sensor that’s supposed to shut off the passenger-side airbag if a smaller person is sitting there. These systems just confuse me. The manuals say that the system uses height, posture and weight to determine whether the passenger is tall enough to be safe with the airbag on. But in the IS-F, the system recognized my spaniel as an adult. On the one occasion when I had to put my 8-year-old son in the front seat (carpool day), I wasn’t worried because I thought that the airbag would be deactivated. Well, it wasn’t. To protect my son from the airbag, I slid the seat as far back as possible, made sure he was sitting up as tall as he could and drove extra carefully. He fared much better in the backseat. The rear seat belts fit him well, and the seats held my 5-year-old’s booster seat in place without tilting or sliding it around. The two Latch connectors required some digging to get to them, so I’m glad I didn’t need them. Unfortunately, the IS-F’s crash-test ratings weren’t available at the time of this review. Check back to see when they’ve been added to this page.

IIHS Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal-offset (Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Poor): n/a

Side-impact (Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Poor): n/a

Rear-crash protection/head restraints (Good, Acceptable, Marginal, Poor): n/a