I have a feeling that 10 years down the road & into the EV era, this thing will hold a massive value to it...and, unlike the Germans, this will still run!
After a week of ownership, my IS500 Premium is everything I had hoped for and then some! If anyone is interested in buying this car, the review is 100% spot-on, the emotion you feel during start up and the drive is damn near celestial. If the opportunity presents itself, tackle it. I called the sales rep on a Wednesday, deposit posted on Thursday, flew to the city on Friday, and drove the 850 miles back home on Saturday and Sunday. Get. This. Car. 🙂
I’m in a 21 wrangler 392 which is also likely going to be a classic, I want to get into this because it seems more practical for daily life. How were you able to get one? Did you have to pay adm?
I feel like everything said in this was right on the money. Solid gages, emotion over specs in the world of electric cars winning 0-60 battles, comfortable for daily, reliable trans and engine, solid interior, touch screen CarPlay, LSD, amazing looks and incredible sound. If you want gimmicks go Mercedes (which i also like) but that's not lexus's aim.
I got mine a month ago. Mine is Grecian Water with the white interior (thank god with a warranty on the seats). My dad got a hellcat but every time I’m with him he fawns over the Lexus!
I have one on order. I couldn't do the 'red guts', so just have to wait for one to be built, shipped with black interior. Now the 3 month or so wait will be excruciating..
@@ConfirmedPatriot Yeah I couldn't do that either. Got lucky with the Blue/White spec being the dealer closest to me. It's worth the wait though. I have just under 5000 miles on mine at this point.
Awesome review, we loved hanging out with you guys on that FREEZING day! As long-time viewers of the channel ourselves it was so cool to hear the same voices in real life as we have been watching on the screen for years. The chemistry between James and Thomas, and synergy between the whole team was so fascinating to see - what you see on-camera, is 100% real off-camera! Thank You for providing a great summary of what the IS500 stands for, and what type of person would appreciate this car! We have all the M's, AMG's, and RS's coming through our inventory all the time, but the IS500 excites us the most due to it's old school charm!
Yes, it's flawed, underachieving, obsolete (even when one still likes to listen to CDs) and ridiculously expensive, but it has a bit of soul. A kind of sober LC 500, without baroque luxury and with everyday livability. We miss this very much in Europe, where there is only room left for german soulless spreadsheet performance. So, please enjoy it, people of North America, also for our sake.
It's not that expensive tho, take the Charger scat pack widebody for example, it's costing 48k which is less expensive than the IS by 8k and the Lexus is much reliable and luxurious
I was fortunate to drive one of these around a track and this car just has soul. I've never gotten so excited while driving a car till the IS 500. Plus the looks
A company that organizes the press cars brought one in to our dealer for an oil change. My boss gave it to me to do, because he knew my obsession with the car. After the oil change the first thing I did was do a burn out.
the ratios are sad ....don t know if ths still fit but put on a (AB60E/F) transmision with a 4000 rear end on my sc 430 and it fly 190 kph on a quarter mile
You know what is funny. I go to this Legit German Born Mechanic for an oil change on my alfa here on Lakeway Tx (Austin), and all he does is Porsche, BMW and Merc, but when I saw him drive out his lot, he was driving a Lexus SUV. fucking started cracking up. It was way too funny.
Traded a Tesla for this last V8 ever to be made. Loving it every day even with paying for the expensive premium gas price in Vancouver. The sound of the V8 is worth every penny of the extra owner ship cost compare to a Tesla.
You did the right thing my friend. EVs do not have any character at all and your EV will be like everyone else's EV. I'm thinking of getting this or a RCF, heck I'd take a good low mileage ISF if I could find one.
Put who with that kind of money would buy it? This seems something young people would go for especially with the size and kinda dated gadgets. But they certainly couldn't afford it so I feel like it won't sell well. Cool car though and would love one personally.
It’s hard for someone young to appreciate nostalgia vs an older aged driver. The simplistics pointed out made sense. It’s comfortable, reliable, has power and Apple car play. Pretty much that’s all you really need to compliment the mechanical magic and thrill this car offers to the driver behind the wheel.
I’m 20 and courtesy of my very fortunate spot in life I’ve been able to get one. I swear I’m the only person my age that wants one. Idk why but I’m charmed by its old fashioned nature and I love it.
Who cares about the dated interior? It’s still modern enough and high quality. It’s a freaking good looking V8 sports sedan... that sounds amazing. I love it.
@@layne4376 It’s not as much about Lexus. It’s more about a new, naturally aspirated V8 option. No one is gonna competitively race this car. A 5-10% difference in objective performance is almost meaningless.
Agree. It is an engineers wet dream, when boss says: “ tha hell with you, in your free time do what You want, we will try to sell it once its done” It is the complete oppisite to modern PR based stuff we are getting. Also it is the trip that counts not how fast you can get there…
At a certain point acceleration is a novelty. 0-60 in 4.3 seconds is fast af. There’s no need to go 0-60 in less than 4 seconds unless you’re taking the car to the track every weekend. It had enough speed & power to pass 95% of the cars on the road.
FYI Lexus sounds Much better and Literally the best naturally straight piped no exhaust or bs because Lexus works with Yamaha and they sound THE BEST with just a muffler delete. Bcz with an exhaust u lose the natural aspirated sound and just makes it worse (even v6). Exhaust is for German/Americans bcz they sound trash with a muffler delete.
i never really was a fan of a lexus, always nissan/infiniti and acura because they are more sportier. I would of bought q70/m56, but they stopped producing them, and the only reason why i got is500 was because of v8, with proper exhaust the sound of v8 is irreplaceable
You guys really have the funniest intro to capture new audiences and entertain existing ones 😂 the ISF was my dream car back in college. You guys are right. The m340i, simply is not an F. Although the interior is playing catch-up at this point, that 5.0 Japanese v8 is still very much to my desire. Gosh it sounds so good. I hope to own it, one day. Anybody know how much the dealers are marking these up?
@@moonman_8935 I would visit your local dealership for a test drive and see how much you like the driving experience for both? The type S is almost 10 inches longer than the IS right? I like the Type S a lot too but the TLX imo is too big for my taste without utilizing the extra length for interior space. Acura might have a better interior at this point, but debatable. Definitely more up to date imo. Idk the tuning potential of the newer 3.0V6t in the Acuras. I wish we had the budget to fit the MDX type S in our family vehicle search. But either way, I would visit the dealership to see if these in person will sway your decision. Good luck and stay safe!
@@ilimit A number of tuners are working on the Type S as we speak. (i.e.: Power Rev Racing (P2R), PRL Motorsports, K-Tuner, etc,...) Both the non-Type S and Type S TLXs came fairly neutured from the factor, likely for the sake of reliability.....so it wont be a sh-tbox in ten years.
I have always loved the looks of the IS and have wanted a IS350 for a long time but I would take one of these in a heartbeat. That color with the red interior would be the perfect spec for me.
So many cars now are chasing lap times even though most of them will never reach a track, let alone the limit of their power. Give me a car with soul that makes me care and want to experience it. Plus, the production value of these videos is top notch. Always love them
Reliability, Comfy Ride, and Naturally Aspirated V8...you have just described the demands of Lexus' enthusiast wing. It was made for us and as a four-time Lexus owner, waiting for my IS 500 Premium to arrive, I am here-for-it. Great video men!
Listen! As a gsf owner, I want to say congratulations you’ll stare at it out the window and find reasons to go up the road very loudly and back for a ... cup of sugar? Lol 😆 you’ll just wanna drive it allllll the time.
@@LafemmebearMusic Oh my God, I can’t freaking wait! Love my IS 350 FSport, but I’ll covet this bad boy for many years. I’ll bypass the whole EV madness until cars are flying or gas is outlawed. 😈😂
@@LafemmebearMusic 🤣 true car lover through and through! I'm the same way with my old Magnum, I look back at her when I go to the store and I make extra trips to run errands just to thunder around...these new Lexus V8s are REALLY tempting for the very same reason. They sound so good and damn they've started making some good looking cars over the last several years.
FYI Lexus sounds Much better and Literally the best naturally straight piped no exhaust or bs because Lexus works with Yamaha and they sound THE BEST with just a muffler delete. Bcz with an exhaust u lose the natural aspirated sound and just makes it worse (even v6). Exhaust is for German/Americans bcz they sound trash with muffler delete.
Since Lexus was at it for the last time, they should have offered it with a 6-Speed Manual. Cadillac did it with CT4 & CT5 blackwing. Just go out in style.
Does Toyota even have an MT for that? I can only think of the RC which is used for trucks up to 500NM. I can't imagine how the shifts would feel in those 🤣
A big block, v8, rear drive < anything > usually feeds the automotive soul. We are now in the sendoff era of v8s, the last gas.. one more go- may as well have some fun with this jekyll & hyde edition, done in the Lexus way before we all start tripping over charging cords. Rad episode, fellars!
The biggest difference between this and a BMW is reliability. My uncle owns an original ISF, and it has over 140k miles, and it still drives like the day he bought it new, and he tracks it, and drives like a maniac in it.
New BMW's are pretty good though. That's part of the issue. How much can Lexus get away with in terms of competitiveness on reliability speculation only?
My uncle also have a e92 with 163k miles and still drive like new......maintain ur car and it can live for ever. Go to jamaica. U see 7 series with over 400km........dont let the masses fool u. I remember i saw a old guy maintaining his 1993 lexus Ls and he spend over $8000cdn at richmond lexus..all these cars are expensive to maintain and thats where owners fail then complain
Yeah, I don't buy into this. I've owned several modern BMWs, am currently driving one with 130K on the clock, and there's never been an issue. I think this perception was valid a decade ago, but not so much today.
@@cwx8 now that's a lie! They are only more horrible than they were with all the unnecessary electronic stuff. Talking about your next point, lexus will always have a better resale value which any German manufacturer can only dream of having.
Give it a few more years of this unmatchable production quality and we will be saying "Throttle House level quality" instead of "Top Gear UK level quality". You guys are setting a new standard for enthusiast car journalism and I'm here for it!
I’ve been anticipating for you guys’ review on this car for a while now. I’ve always loved the old ISF, but now that the new 500 has a V8, I’ve been dying to see how exciting of a car it really was! Glad that you guys’ reviews never disappoint!
Random video to be played next, since its so old, but something about throttle house videos are so comforting and relaxing. I only found their channel about a year ago but I've enjoyed every single upload, including older videos like this one. These guys do Automotive youtube, CORRECTLY!
I'm so pumped to get my hands on this. I love that Lexus V8 so much. Also, the editing on this is absolute 🔥. Great job to your team. They're crushing it.
Man, the production quality gets so much better with each video! I still love the informal conversations inside the car discussing the pros/cons. Keep it coming! 🙌👏
Honestly, I still can’t believe we are just in the last generations of this gasoline era for every manufacture… I’m sure my mind might change once I start driving EV’s, but the fact that my three year old daughter will likely never own a gasoline powered car with a manual transmission that pops and bangs is so sad to me.
Go get a cheap civic for her now and save it lol I think the "growing pains" with the power grid and EV battery tech/partnered shops will delay the inevitable longer than 10 years.
half the world got winter no garages and battery don t work with cold ... so cars that only for hot places can t work .... like having a solar powered ambulance or a wind powered firetruck a electric airplane or rocket ( elon build tesla and space x had to fish old rocket engine...
you get a power limit to the maximum in cold weather(th-cam.com/video/capOgUHPz9Q/w-d-xo.html)imagine an electric truck a cold morning you go to your move it and find that u now lost 90 percent of your torque ... good luck moving a load
I like Thomas' point, these lesser trim models should be more grand touring cars.. comfy suspension, soft seats, big HP. Leave the sportiness to the M, F, AMG models.
already too expensive for what you getting ( this car a 472 hp for 56 500 k you can get the ultimate zl1 supercharged camaro ((650) for 72k)) so you woud get near 66 500 k and you would still only be at 570 hp (supercharger kit 10 k) Lexus is500 F vs Mustang GT: $70k Japanese Muscle And $35k American Muscle
Yeah! The review took a turn real quick about the war of who got the fastest performance sedan around nurburgring and whose got the more ponies under the hood, I feel like Lexus is the only brand who let's their engineers decide the car and not the sales person.
Really wanted to see the current gen IS to have updated the interior, not just the exterior. If that was the case, I would have hopped on for the v8 fun and lexus reliability. I think the germans are on their 3rd interior refresh while lexus kept theirs even now on the IS.
@@jk25653 Interior refreshes on German cars are embellishments at best, especially Audi and BMW. Mercedes have actually done some pretty drastic design changes through the years, but time will tell how they age. The Lexus IS may not have the best looking interior, but it's far from bad, while keeping lots of the physical user interface that people apparently love so much on German cars prior
This car will be a future modern-classic. I don't care if it isn't perfect, it is the last of the line. Very jealous of the people who live in countries where something like this is not only availible but also great value. The intro is very funny again guys, if this car thing ever fails you could be a comedic duo
Maybe they will say it later. But isn't this car like 60k plus USD? I don't see how thats value and people who would want a car like this couldn't afford. I'm a Toyota fan but like, who is this for?
@@baronvonjo1929 think mid 40s 50s Want a professional, comfortable car, but not q dead and numb car like a non AmG E class. Doesn't want a muscle car because of the childish looks, but wants a NA v8. Reliability and sensibility being the 2 most prioritized characteristics of the owner
@@baronvonjo1929 Where i live a 318i is 60k USD so everything in your neck of the woods seems good value to me. This just seems like a high quality product with an amazing engine and a warranty.
After being infromed that the RS3 I ordered 6 months ago Is now delayed until 2024 I decided to look for something I can actually buy in the near future. Thanks in part to this video I just placed a deposit on a 2023 IS500. Great review. You guys really get to the heart of it. Reliability, "old School cool" and an intangible sensation from the 7300RPM V8 vs. all the new tech and better traction that you have to replace every 4 years.
Congrats! I have a 2019 is300 which obviously doesn’t come close to is500 but damn do they have soul. Reliability, sound, price is all amazing in this car
Honestly I would take this over most other sports sedans. Definitely anything turbocharged (except the M5 CS). If I'm buying a sports sedan, I'm not looking for ultimate performance. I want something fun, comfortable, and reliable. This checks those boxes, for sure. And looks drop dead gorgeous doing it. And the price honestly seems really reasonable for what you're getting (pre-mark up, I mean). The outdated interior doesn't bother my either. I bought a 2020 370z brand new, so, y'know. I'm used to it. I just bought a used Audi for a commuter (because I hate myself), but if I were in the market for a new commuter, I'd be leaning towards this more than I think anything else.
@@fifteen8850 eh, the M340i doesn't seem like it has that much feel. It seems kind of... Clinical. I'm much more partial to the car that has some soul. Especially in something that's supposed to be more of a GT than a true sports car
@@mavrick15243 unless you’ve driven both then you can’t exactly say that imo. Ive never driven any of these cars but I would have high expectations if I were to
I think it’s Absolutely worth 72,000 Canadian ! It will hold its resale value excellently, It’s reliability is of the charts! And it’s a blast to drive
Great review, gentlemen. Always a pleasure watching you two and the back and forth. I think the car is beautiful albeit a bit behind the times but as someone who is still driving a 2001 F-150, I would easily fall into the category of owning a vehicle for 10 years or more and you can't beat the reliability of Lexus on that.
Probably the closest thing to a 4 door Mustang 5.0, IF Ford built beautifully crafted really high quality, dead nut reliable cars. The problem with the German cars is they have moved their sport sedans more to the hard core sport car realm when what many people really want is a fast comfortable, yet controllable, sport sedan. Put a manual in this thing and it would be perfect. Sounds awesome. This is more like a 2000ish BMW 540, which is good.
The tonality of this v8 is something else. Such a gem of an engine. I don't think someone would cross-shop this with another car at this price. Imagine if it had a manual😍!
The Lexus will still run like new after 200k miles, something the other cars can't do. Oh, and it will still be worth more than 50% of it's value after 10 years.
Those buying this car new aren’t keeping this car for 200k miles. That argument is invalid for new buyers, so in that case, this is a horrible new car buy. Want a V8 sound and performance? Buy an American muscle car. Want luxury? Buy Euro. The Lexus only has reliability as an argument, and for that, as stated above, this is a horrible new car buy…
@@JacesOwnWorld 95 precent of the people watching this video can't afford this car new and this is the better used car over the Germans any day of the week.
@@spicysnowman8886 it’s a great used car at half its price. It still doesn’t compete at all with German vehicles in the same price, so I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Other than “reliability”, what does this IS500 have that’s better than a German car priced the same? I’ll wait haha
Almost no one ever drives their car on a track. Probably less than 1% of car buyers. Rather than designing passenger cars for lap times or performance, design for emotion. Designing for performance, you’ll often wind up with a product that’s impressive on paper but with a number of compromises at the expense of comfort. Designing for emotion makes you pay attention to how the product makes you feel. Tuning the exhaust to produce a beautiful, addictive note you’ll never tire of, a beautiful interior that looks awesome and ages gracefully, an incredible sound system that makes you want to go for a drive just to listen to your favorite song. Driving pleasure is what makes you LOVE your car. I think Lexus is doing this better than any other manufacturer on the market. I love their cars.
The 2UR-GSE engine is so charismatic. the way it bangs off the limiter is unbelievable. Of course it's no way near as symphonic as the greatest sounding engine in the world, the 1LR-GUE found in the legendary LFA, but its still amazing. I hope Lexus release an F version with +500HP and keep the same formula, that will be a winner.
That list bit, never going to happen. The IS 500 was basically Lexus NA begging corporate to make another 5.0L N/A V8. They asked for an IS F and were told no. This IS 500 is the last of it's kind.
The look on James face at about 16:05 for the next 30 secs makes it clear how torn he is about this car. As an owner of a 2001 IS 300 from new for about 16 years, was about how I felt when I sold it a few years ago. Like that 16 year old IS 300, I can sense how they feel about this car- something from the past living in the now, but yet still satisfying. Not sure how watching a new car review brought back those memories and feelings, but Throttle House did it! Thanks for another excellent one guys!
Great video as usual guys. And thanks for pointing out the short term/long term decision point. As a driver of a 12 year old Lexus I'm amazed at the quality and solidity of the vehicle and I can still sell it for a decent amount of money. I have no doubt that I'll put an easy 250K miles on it and I've been in LS460's with almost 300K miles that feel amazing. You just cannot do that in anything German these days. You used to be able to but you can go and find 6-7 year old BMW's all day long that are less than the price of a new Camry yet they were almost $100K or more new. German cars to me now mean insane care and feeding if you dare approach 70K miles. Lexus still seems like hand crafted old world quality and used values validate that reality.
My wife has a 06 IS250 that we’ve owned for 10 or 11 years now. Right under 170k miles. Used synthetic at 10k mile intervals. Replaced the alternator and plugs. Maybe it isn’t fast but it is fun to drive though. Toyota/Lexus just has such a great product for reliability.
@@mediocreman2 I've had no problems with Lexus leather durability, at least no more than anything else I've owned in this class of vehicle (Mercedes & BMW in my case). Leathers need to be conditioned periodically, or they will crack. Especially car seats, that are exposed to lots of weight and stretching from you sitting in it, and extreme temperature ranges when it's parked.
You guys have really stepped up to what is important and are, like Savagegeese, supporting engineers and R&D teams that are not going for spec sheets and pure performance numbers, but the specialness and emotional aspects of driving certain vehicles. As we go to electric, the latter is becoming more important.
@@SergCarReviews You just basically do tiktok clips. Easily the worst garbage I've seen. You call 14 second tiktoks "reviews"? You're actually comparing yourself to throttle house?
@@SergCarReviews 14 second lifeless tiktok videos where you're obviously trying to stumble onto virality and sadly not getting there because you're arrogant and have no methodology, nor pride in what you're doing. The quality of the output shows what standards you have for yourself and work and this is why you have to spam the comments of other channels. You're trying to do something the cheap way because you're lazy and don't want to invest the work required to do something right and well, so you want to take shortcuts. Is that better?
The reliability aspect of Lexus cars is the coolest factor, imagine driving this Lexus IS 500 to work, then playing with it on a track on weekends, and not worrying about it breaking down at the side of the road like all the other unreliable cars out there.
He’s right…one of the last of it’s kind. Lexus doesn’t compete with other cars when it comes to power…they already proved what their engines are capable of handling. They still prioritize reliability and luxury which puts them in a class of it’s own. 👍👍
Love the old school setup with a naturally aspirated V8 rear wheel drive. Wish Lexus had taken old school one step further to offer a nice set of analog gauges. Although for being digital the gauges in this model aren't bad.
i went back to analog gauges after driving my IS with those gauges for a couple years. still miss the lexus screen, it was so cool and very easy to read
In 1999 I was 19 and loved anything Lexus. I designed my own web page and I wrote that for Lexus to compete against BMW's M series and Mercedes AMG, They were going to have to create their own performance division. I am happy to see it come to life. From the first cars to wear the F badge to the LFA. There is still much to do but the fact they have taken this concept and brought it to life, really is amazing to see. There are so many great examples right now that I would be hard pressed to pick just one, which shows how great they are and how far they have come.
The IS500 is basically a baby GS F. They got all the aluminum goodies of the framework from the GS F and used it for this one, which makes me super pumped to put my hands on one!
I still come back to this review cause I love this car so so soooo uch and I really hope to own one one day! This review is still so good and has a lot of replay value
I'd have to agree that the emotional connection is such a huge factor for making a decision on a car. I drove a Supra, an M240i, an S3 and an S4, and I still ended up falling in love with the Veloster N. Did not expect to, but just felt something driving that car I didn't feel with any other car. The only other thing that made me feel so giddy and excited was an RC-F.
The intro is hilarious, I love the website how it just fucking shakes every single frame, I wish someone made a mention of it and lo and behold you guys did it, absolute madman 10/10
Great video! In my eyes this is the most exciting car in it's class. I love the sound of that glorious V8. This car will hold it's value in the future. Not to mention the Lexus legendary reliability. The cars made in Japan are simply the best. Don't even waste your time with the plastic, unreliable German competitors with close to nothing resale value. I would still take the LC500,but this IS F sport is definitely the car to consider. Great Job Lexus! ....… As always
NA V8, great sounds, great interior, ride, build quality.... Just needed a manual. But I could probably get over that and with a little support the shift situation can probably be resolved. -- Superchargers existed for the IS-F, I'll bet there's room for some boost in this motor too.
Wow, just noticed how many subs you have now. I remember subbing to this channel when you had only a couple thousand subs and thinking you should have way more. Not to start channel wars or anything but you guys are WAY better than a certain other Canadian car channel. And you're not trying to sell us stuff every 5 minutes.
Does one of the reviewers in the other Canadian channel always cry when a car's interior lacks gimmicky options and when it has an analog clock that he can't read?
I have said it before and I will say it again. This show as more Top Gear`ness (yes thats a word I just made up) than the actuall show. Its a real pleasure to watch.
Guys great unbiased review. I had the 2016 M4 though it was a joy to drive, but it had so many issues including leaking oil. I will take this IS500 over the German cars any day of the week. The thing German car that I want is the 911 CS, but dealers are asking $20k over MSRP and even then the wait is more than a year.
This is my new dream car and unlike the Flying Spur or the Panamera, this is something I might actually buy because it’s very practical, compared to the others in this class!
I have to echo the sentiments of so many, the clever humor you guys infuse in to most of the videos is one of the reasons I'm drawn to both channels, as well as all of the other obvious ones, content, production blah blah blah. Keep it funny guys you're killing it!
I own an m340xi and I view it as basically as a comfy sports sedan. I specifically didn’t go with an m model because I just like to cruise and not get beat up by my car, but still have fun from time to time. This car is really beginning to appeal to me but I literally have the conversation they had in the car with myself. Arguing both points and never really coming to an answer. The only way this car makes sense is if you keep it long term but I love getting something new every 3-4 years. Great video guys but I’m no closer to making up my mind
that is what the IS500 is - comfy sedan with some power. There is not much cheap aftermarket for the car. I have an IS-F and a new Supra. Keep your M340Xi as you will have more fun modifying the B58 than the IS500.
I have a 2020 M340IX too and honestly this car looks awesome but it would be a pass for me because the interior is way too outdated. With that said bmw has improved by huge leaps when it comes down to reliability with the G20s.
@@MisterSkizzels You brought up something super specific. Most owners of these $70k cars aren't modding them besides basic stuff like an exhaust and tint
I have a feeling that 10 years down the road & into the EV era, this thing will hold a massive value to it...and, unlike the Germans, this will still run!
Truth. Just look at how expensive used IS F’s are.
@@AnontheGOAT it’s expensive because it will last you a lifetime with proper care
@@AnontheGOAT Also b/c it was lexus's first F aside from the LFA and only a handful of them were built especially the 2011+.
@@rmpwnnpwnn1850 I know. I own a GS F, twice as rare as the IS F.
@@AnontheGOAT yeah GSF is even more rare especially in Canada i think we got less than 100 lol
After a week of ownership, my IS500 Premium is everything I had hoped for and then some! If anyone is interested in buying this car, the review is 100% spot-on, the emotion you feel during start up and the drive is damn near celestial. If the opportunity presents itself, tackle it. I called the sales rep on a Wednesday, deposit posted on Thursday, flew to the city on Friday, and drove the 850 miles back home on Saturday and Sunday. Get. This. Car. 🙂
Nice one Man. It does look great and sounds amazing!
I'm getting one next summer. :)
@@jaisonj92 WhooHoo!! I want as many 2UR-GSEs in garages and parking spaces as possible. Good luck! 🤘🏽
I’m in a 21 wrangler 392 which is also likely going to be a classic, I want to get into this because it seems more practical for daily life. How were you able to get one? Did you have to pay adm?
Enjoy it!!
It’s why I ordered a ‘24 model. I’m 60 and it’s my early retirement present 😊
You, sir, know where it's at. Respect.
I'm so Jealous right now! Enjoy your retirement present.
Congratulations on your early retirement gift!
Trying to be cool at that age lol
@@tanthaman Nothing wrong with that. Dont bully people. Also, he is cool with a car like this
Intro alone made this video a banger. You guys really need to be proud of the team and how far you guys have come.
Their humor is evolving beautifully. Clarckson in his prime would be proud.
The outro was even better
They played a commercial in the background and shook the camera a little.......
@@Genesiscoupe3000 you must be fun at parties bud.
@@Stevie4171
I apologize for not being entertained by someone jingling keys in front of me lol.
But ty for the compliment kid.
I feel like everything said in this was right on the money. Solid gages, emotion over specs in the world of electric cars winning 0-60 battles, comfortable for daily, reliable trans and engine, solid interior, touch screen CarPlay, LSD, amazing looks and incredible sound. If you want gimmicks go Mercedes (which i also like) but that's not lexus's aim.
@Lee Iacoca *subjectively. fixed
@Lee Iacoca not everything is about whats faster..... sometimes its about what gets your heart pumping
I’m glad to know you have some “solid gages” in your life, meanwhile I believe you mean “solid gauges”.
If you want a 10yo platform, old engine and tech, go with Lexus.
@TDI for Life nobody cares. Just shut up if you don't have anything to say that is interesting.
Happy IS500 owner here! Picked up a premium package is iridium silver with red guts. Best car purchase I have made in my 35 years. EMOTION!
I got mine a month ago. Mine is Grecian Water with the white interior (thank god with a warranty on the seats). My dad got a hellcat but every time I’m with him he fawns over the Lexus!
I have one on order. I couldn't do the 'red guts', so just have to wait for one to be built, shipped with black interior. Now the 3 month or so wait will be excruciating..
@@ConfirmedPatriot Yeah I couldn't do that either. Got lucky with the Blue/White spec being the dealer closest to me. It's worth the wait though. I have just under 5000 miles on mine at this point.
Hats off to Lexus for this old school gem of a car. No turbo, no AWD. Nice 👏😍.
Awesome review, we loved hanging out with you guys on that FREEZING day! As long-time viewers of the channel ourselves it was so cool to hear the same voices in real life as we have been watching on the screen for years. The chemistry between James and Thomas, and synergy between the whole team was so fascinating to see - what you see on-camera, is 100% real off-camera! Thank You for providing a great summary of what the IS500 stands for, and what type of person would appreciate this car!
We have all the M's, AMG's, and RS's coming through our inventory all the time, but the IS500 excites us the most due to it's old school charm!
It makes me feel Chevy SS vibes… and that’s not a bad thing at all.
And this is why I drive my 6.4l charger
Thank you Auto One for making this video possible.
Nothing beats the charm of an old school V8.
Respect to Japan for making such an awesome v8
Yes, it's flawed, underachieving, obsolete (even when one still likes to listen to CDs) and ridiculously expensive, but it has a bit of soul. A kind of sober LC 500, without baroque luxury and with everyday livability. We miss this very much in Europe, where there is only room left for german soulless spreadsheet performance. So, please enjoy it, people of North America, also for our sake.
I kinda don’t think 56,000 starting US is that expensive for one of these
I know germans were never italians when it comes to cars, but damn the current corporate german automakers have gone too far in their “german-ness”
Not gonna lie, imagine all new Lexuses had the same interior design language as the LC500 with their recent tech, that’s be crazy
If it had a manual…sheesh 🔥
It's not that expensive tho, take the Charger scat pack widebody for example, it's costing 48k which is less expensive than the IS by 8k and the Lexus is much reliable and luxurious
I was fortunate to drive one of these around a track and this car just has soul. I've never gotten so excited while driving a car till the IS 500. Plus the looks
A company that organizes the press cars brought one in to our dealer for an oil change. My boss gave it to me to do, because he knew my obsession with the car. After the oil change the first thing I did was do a burn out.
looks boring
the ratios are sad ....don t know if ths still fit but put on a (AB60E/F) transmision with a 4000 rear end on my sc 430 and it fly 190 kph on a quarter mile
Go find a used IS-F and pick it up - you will enjoy it more than the IS500.
I'm guessing you've not driven many cars smh
As an LC500 owner I get this car. It’s surprising how good Lexus really is. The reliability sold me, after 11 Porsches!!!!
Woooooo 😱.. Anyway Lexus Anyday!!!
WOW…..
Sold my Porsche for a Launch Edition 500 and haven’t looked back once
You know what is funny. I go to this Legit German Born Mechanic for an oil change on my alfa here on Lakeway Tx (Austin), and all he does is Porsche, BMW and Merc, but when I saw him drive out his lot, he was driving a Lexus SUV. fucking started cracking up. It was way too funny.
@@SimplyKnownAsTron Alfa? Are you fucking crazy
Traded a Tesla for this last V8 ever to be made. Loving it every day even with paying for the expensive premium gas price in Vancouver. The sound of the V8 is worth every penny of the extra owner ship cost compare to a Tesla.
You did the right thing my friend. EVs do not have any character at all and your EV will be like everyone else's EV. I'm thinking of getting this or a RCF, heck I'd take a good low mileage ISF if I could find one.
Did you happen to buy yours from Lexus of Kelowna?
@@robertdaone I like this, and the Cadillac V blackwing
I have a G'S F with this V8
And love it. I will keep it
Until it fails, which may
Be never.
I’m also thinking of trading my model 3 LR for this car….
I feel like 56 US ain’t a bad price for that.
From where I am the lc500 costs 350k usd
.༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽.
Until you add dealership markup
Put who with that kind of money would buy it? This seems something young people would go for especially with the size and kinda dated gadgets. But they certainly couldn't afford it so I feel like it won't sell well. Cool car though and would love one personally.
Absolutely agree.
I was thinking the same to be honest. Buy it after someone leased it for a year or two and you can get it for a steal!
It’s hard for someone young to appreciate nostalgia vs an older aged driver. The simplistics pointed out made sense. It’s comfortable, reliable, has power and Apple car play. Pretty much that’s all you really need to compliment the mechanical magic and thrill this car offers to the driver behind the wheel.
I’m 20 and courtesy of my very fortunate spot in life I’ve been able to get one. I swear I’m the only person my age that wants one. Idk why but I’m charmed by its old fashioned nature and I love it.
@@pyramo3170yeah ikr. Am 20 too and I really love this. Would absolutely want it
@@pyramo3170 You might be a dying breed of young proper 'old school' enthusiast. Cheers !
Who cares about the dated interior? It’s still modern enough and high quality. It’s a freaking good looking V8 sports sedan... that sounds amazing. I love it.
Agreed !! Great package
And 476hp what’s there not to like
My biggest complaint is the corporate grill.
@@layne4376 It’s not as much about Lexus. It’s more about a new, naturally aspirated V8 option. No one is gonna competitively race this car. A 5-10% difference in objective performance is almost meaningless.
o don't like disco interior like Mercedes or liquid panel interior like audi, only BMW and lexus have proper one
Projects like this are why I wanna be a Toyota engineer someday. They rock when it comes to making something different and something special
Agree. It is an engineers wet dream, when boss says: “ tha hell with you, in your free time do what You want, we will try to sell it once its done” It is the complete oppisite to modern PR based stuff we are getting. Also it is the trip that counts not how fast you can get there…
Godspeed Mr.llama, Godspeed.
@@bimotahb1 but the dated interiors look better than almost all other modern interiors imo. I'd rather take this Lexus than a current bmw or merc
May not be as quick as competitors but man it looks and sounds awesome to me. I can't imagine how it'll sound with an aftermarket exhaust.
Agreed!! If you like Lexus reviews, I've made a few on them. If you have time let me know what you think :)
At a certain point acceleration is a novelty. 0-60 in 4.3 seconds is fast af. There’s no need to go 0-60 in less than 4 seconds unless you’re taking the car to the track every weekend. It had enough speed & power to pass 95% of the cars on the road.
@@doughboy5858 Agreed!
FYI Lexus sounds Much better and Literally the best naturally straight piped no exhaust or bs because Lexus works with Yamaha and they sound THE BEST with just a muffler delete. Bcz with an exhaust u lose the natural aspirated sound and just makes it worse (even v6). Exhaust is for German/Americans bcz they sound trash with a muffler delete.
The v8 sound alone makes it worth it
The fact that it's one of the last naturally aspirated engines makes it a buy. For 99% of people the HP chase is just a marketing gimmick honestly.
i never really was a fan of a lexus, always nissan/infiniti and acura because they are more sportier. I would of bought q70/m56, but they stopped producing them, and the only reason why i got is500 was because of v8, with proper exhaust the sound of v8 is irreplaceable
Agreed. Anything after 375 hp is just for bragging rights. But the emotion that a V8 brings is like none other.
@Lee Iacoca not true. Germans can’t figure out reliability.
for that kind of money... go second hand W204 C63, first models W212 E63, CLK63...
@@danielrosas7550 in 18 years mercedes over 3 cars i never had a breakdown and in total only 4 small issues... and that is with +-600 000km's
You guys really have the funniest intro to capture new audiences and entertain existing ones 😂 the ISF was my dream car back in college. You guys are right. The m340i, simply is not an F. Although the interior is playing catch-up at this point, that 5.0 Japanese v8 is still very much to my desire. Gosh it sounds so good. I hope to own it, one day. Anybody know how much the dealers are marking these up?
I have a 2022 TLX Type-S on order since October. I am debating whether or not to trade up for the IS500.
@@moonman_8935 do it!
@@moonman_8935 I would visit your local dealership for a test drive and see how much you like the driving experience for both? The type S is almost 10 inches longer than the IS right? I like the Type S a lot too but the TLX imo is too big for my taste without utilizing the extra length for interior space. Acura might have a better interior at this point, but debatable. Definitely more up to date imo. Idk the tuning potential of the newer 3.0V6t in the Acuras. I wish we had the budget to fit the MDX type S in our family vehicle search. But either way, I would visit the dealership to see if these in person will sway your decision. Good luck and stay safe!
@@ilimit I did test drive a IS350 F sport back in 2016. The problem I have it's so small much smaller than the TLX Type-S.
@@ilimit A number of tuners are working on the Type S as we speak. (i.e.: Power Rev Racing (P2R), PRL Motorsports, K-Tuner, etc,...) Both the non-Type S and Type S TLXs came fairly neutured from the factor, likely for the sake of reliability.....so it wont be a sh-tbox in ten years.
I have always loved the looks of the IS and have wanted a IS350 for a long time but I would take one of these in a heartbeat. That color with the red interior would be the perfect spec for me.
So many cars now are chasing lap times even though most of them will never reach a track, let alone the limit of their power. Give me a car with soul that makes me care and want to experience it. Plus, the production value of these videos is top notch. Always love them
Yeah developing cars for the Nürburgring when less than 1% of the vehicles produced will ever touch a track let alone the Nürburgring's crappy tarmac.
Reliability, Comfy Ride, and Naturally Aspirated V8...you have just described the demands of Lexus' enthusiast wing. It was made for us and as a four-time Lexus owner, waiting for my IS 500 Premium to arrive, I am here-for-it. Great video men!
Listen! As a gsf owner, I want to say congratulations you’ll stare at it out the window and find reasons to go up the road very loudly and back for a ... cup of sugar? Lol 😆 you’ll just wanna drive it allllll the time.
@@LafemmebearMusic Oh my God, I can’t freaking wait! Love my IS 350 FSport, but I’ll covet this bad boy for many years. I’ll bypass the whole EV madness until cars are flying or gas is outlawed. 😈😂
@@LafemmebearMusic 🤣 true car lover through and through! I'm the same way with my old Magnum, I look back at her when I go to the store and I make extra trips to run errands just to thunder around...these new Lexus V8s are REALLY tempting for the very same reason. They sound so good and damn they've started making some good looking cars over the last several years.
You a lucky man. You can get a beautiful car like that. I can’t even afford a used old Lexus.
@@darkenergon6655 You’ll get there if you want it bad enough, I have faith in you! 💪🏽👏🏽
10yrs for now this car will hold its value. I'll take naturally aspirated v8 with little electronics assist any day!.
FYI Lexus sounds Much better and Literally the best naturally straight piped no exhaust or bs because Lexus works with Yamaha and they sound THE BEST with just a muffler delete. Bcz with an exhaust u lose the natural aspirated sound and just makes it worse (even v6). Exhaust is for German/Americans bcz they sound trash with muffler delete.
Got mine last weekend in ultrasonic lue. Flew 800 miles to pick one up from a dealership with no mark ups and add ons. Great car!
Since Lexus was at it for the last time, they should have offered it with a 6-Speed Manual.
Cadillac did it with CT4 & CT5 blackwing.
Just go out in style.
That would have made me come home with one and ask for forgiveness after 🤣
That's why you just out and buy the CT4 or CT5, it's an even better driving experience.
For what ? Nobody would buy it ...
Does Toyota even have an MT for that? I can only think of the RC which is used for trucks up to 500NM. I can't imagine how the shifts would feel in those 🤣
@@IchWillNicht0119 Toyota has a history for using truck motors and trans in sort cars 🤣
Throttle House is absolutely the best auto review channel on TH-cam. I watch others, but none compare anymore. You guys are killing it, keep it up.
A big block, v8, rear drive < anything > usually feeds the automotive soul. We are now in the sendoff era of v8s, the last gas.. one more go- may as well have some fun with this jekyll & hyde edition, done in the Lexus way before we all start tripping over charging cords. Rad episode, fellars!
The biggest difference between this and a BMW is reliability. My uncle owns an original ISF, and it has over 140k miles, and it still drives like the day he bought it new, and he tracks it, and drives like a maniac in it.
New BMW's are pretty good though. That's part of the issue. How much can Lexus get away with in terms of competitiveness on reliability speculation only?
My uncle also have a e92 with 163k miles and still drive like new......maintain ur car and it can live for ever. Go to jamaica. U see 7 series with over 400km........dont let the masses fool u. I remember i saw a old guy maintaining his 1993 lexus Ls and he spend over $8000cdn at richmond lexus..all these cars are expensive to maintain and thats where owners fail then complain
Yeah, I don't buy into this. I've owned several modern BMWs, am currently driving one with 130K on the clock, and there's never been an issue. I think this perception was valid a decade ago, but not so much today.
@@cwx8 now that's a lie! They are only more horrible than they were with all the unnecessary electronic stuff. Talking about your next point, lexus will always have a better resale value which any German manufacturer can only dream of having.
@@316creative2 I love how you ignore BMWs being in garage all time.
Give it a few more years of this unmatchable production quality and we will be saying "Throttle House level quality" instead of "Top Gear UK level quality". You guys are setting a new standard for enthusiast car journalism and I'm here for it!
I’ve been anticipating for you guys’ review on this car for a while now. I’ve always loved the old ISF, but now that the new 500 has a V8, I’ve been dying to see how exciting of a car it really was! Glad that you guys’ reviews never disappoint!
They’re so old school, they even matched the engine displacement with the model designation.
Random video to be played next, since its so old, but something about throttle house videos are so comforting and relaxing. I only found their channel about a year ago but I've enjoyed every single upload, including older videos like this one. These guys do Automotive youtube, CORRECTLY!
I'm so pumped to get my hands on this. I love that Lexus V8 so much. Also, the editing on this is absolute 🔥. Great job to your team. They're crushing it.
Did you get one yet Bro???
A N/A V8 four door sedan is an experience all of it's own
Can confirm. V8 sedans are love, V8 sedans are life.
Just a bit less fun than a N/A V8 coupe lol
@@1S1KC0DM4N
Not really, some V8 sedans are much more fun than heavier V8 coupes. It really depends on the model.
@@yousef.al-assaf, the majority of coupes are lighter than their 4-door counterpart. Not to mention always looking better than sedans
Man, the production quality gets so much better with each video! I still love the informal conversations inside the car discussing the pros/cons. Keep it coming! 🙌👏
Honestly, I still can’t believe we are just in the last generations of this gasoline era for every manufacture… I’m sure my mind might change once I start driving EV’s, but the fact that my three year old daughter will likely never own a gasoline powered car with a manual transmission that pops and bangs is so sad to me.
No more loud smoking burn outs.
Go get a cheap civic for her now and save it lol I think the "growing pains" with the power grid and EV battery tech/partnered shops will delay the inevitable longer than 10 years.
half the world got winter no garages and battery don t work with cold ... so cars that only for hot places can t work .... like having a solar powered ambulance or a wind powered firetruck a electric airplane or rocket ( elon build tesla and space x had to fish old rocket engine...
you get a power limit to the maximum in cold weather(th-cam.com/video/capOgUHPz9Q/w-d-xo.html)imagine an electric truck a cold morning you go to your move it and find that u now lost 90 percent of your torque ... good luck moving a load
@@danielfield7986hash tagg biden burnout ...
I like Thomas' point, these lesser trim models should be more grand touring cars.. comfy suspension, soft seats, big HP. Leave the sportiness to the M, F, AMG models.
I bought a 2024 Lexus IS 500, enjoying it very much. I’m 74 years old, a car enthusiast
A new ISF with a supercharged V8 and all the suspension goodies would be epic.
Yes. Unfortunately that will not happen in todays economy. Lets hope things improve.
And an updated interior.
already too expensive for what you getting ( this car a 472 hp for 56 500 k you can get the ultimate zl1 supercharged camaro ((650) for 72k)) so you woud get near 66 500 k and you would still only be at 570 hp (supercharger kit 10 k) Lexus is500 F vs Mustang GT: $70k Japanese Muscle And $35k American Muscle
Lexus doesn't do the "track car" thing very well (see RC-F track edition).
@@jessicalacasse6205 No one cross shops a Camaro/Mustang with a damn Lexus.
Yeah! The review took a turn real quick about the war of who got the fastest performance sedan around nurburgring and whose got the more ponies under the hood, I feel like Lexus is the only brand who let's their engineers decide the car and not the sales person.
Agreed. Performance sedans don't need 700hp. What matters is how much fun can we have at any speed
Really wanted to see the current gen IS to have updated the interior, not just the exterior. If that was the case, I would have hopped on for the v8 fun and lexus reliability. I think the germans are on their 3rd interior refresh while lexus kept theirs even now on the IS.
Lexus is SEVERELY underrated. That’s why I say once you daily one, you’ll be a fan forever. Get a soft spot for it
@@jk25653 Interior refreshes on German cars are embellishments at best, especially Audi and BMW. Mercedes have actually done some pretty drastic design changes through the years, but time will tell how they age. The Lexus IS may not have the best looking interior, but it's far from bad, while keeping lots of the physical user interface that people apparently love so much on German cars prior
Hats off to Lexus for this old school gem of a car.
I work at a Lexus dealership and we just started getting these in. I'm not that into V8s generally but they sound incredible
This car will be a future modern-classic. I don't care if it isn't perfect, it is the last of the line. Very jealous of the people who live in countries where something like this is not only availible but also great value. The intro is very funny again guys, if this car thing ever fails you could be a comedic duo
Future modern classic seems to be a trend with lexus
Maybe they will say it later. But isn't this car like 60k plus USD? I don't see how thats value and people who would want a car like this couldn't afford. I'm a Toyota fan but like, who is this for?
@@baronvonjo1929 think mid 40s 50s
Want a professional, comfortable car, but not q dead and numb car like a non AmG E class. Doesn't want a muscle car because of the childish looks, but wants a NA v8. Reliability and sensibility being the 2 most prioritized characteristics of the owner
@@baronvonjo1929 this is for dad's who still like going kinda fast and also like carrying the wife and kids in style and comfort imo.
@@baronvonjo1929 Where i live a 318i is 60k USD so everything in your neck of the woods seems good value to me. This just seems like a high quality product with an amazing engine and a warranty.
After being infromed that the RS3 I ordered 6 months ago Is now delayed until 2024 I decided to look for something I can actually buy in the near future. Thanks in part to this video I just placed a deposit on a 2023 IS500. Great review. You guys really get to the heart of it. Reliability, "old School cool" and an intangible sensation from the 7300RPM V8 vs. all the new tech and better traction that you have to replace every 4 years.
Congrats! I have a 2019 is300 which obviously doesn’t come close to is500 but damn do they have soul. Reliability, sound, price is all amazing in this car
I almost got an RS3 as well but ended up getting the 500. No regrets, it’s such a unique car.
Honestly I would take this over most other sports sedans. Definitely anything turbocharged (except the M5 CS). If I'm buying a sports sedan, I'm not looking for ultimate performance. I want something fun, comfortable, and reliable. This checks those boxes, for sure. And looks drop dead gorgeous doing it. And the price honestly seems really reasonable for what you're getting (pre-mark up, I mean). The outdated interior doesn't bother my either. I bought a 2020 370z brand new, so, y'know. I'm used to it. I just bought a used Audi for a commuter (because I hate myself), but if I were in the market for a new commuter, I'd be leaning towards this more than I think anything else.
@Lee Iacoca well... I still have a big collection of CDs...
@Lee Iacoca just put electric tape over it, use car play and act like its not there XD
Between this or a m340i it will be extremely close for me
@@fifteen8850 eh, the M340i doesn't seem like it has that much feel. It seems kind of... Clinical. I'm much more partial to the car that has some soul. Especially in something that's supposed to be more of a GT than a true sports car
@@mavrick15243 unless you’ve driven both then you can’t exactly say that imo. Ive never driven any of these cars but I would have high expectations if I were to
I think it’s Absolutely worth 72,000 Canadian !
It will hold its resale value excellently, It’s reliability is of the charts! And it’s a blast to drive
Yea for real!!
Great review, gentlemen. Always a pleasure watching you two and the back and forth. I think the car is beautiful albeit a bit behind the times but as someone who is still driving a 2001 F-150, I would easily fall into the category of owning a vehicle for 10 years or more and you can't beat the reliability of Lexus on that.
Probably the closest thing to a 4 door Mustang 5.0, IF Ford built beautifully crafted really high quality, dead nut reliable cars. The problem with the German cars is they have moved their sport sedans more to the hard core sport car realm when what many people really want is a fast comfortable, yet controllable, sport sedan. Put a manual in this thing and it would be perfect. Sounds awesome. This is more like a 2000ish BMW 540, which is good.
I feel like the CT5 Blackwing is a four door mustang on roids
@@maybesenan2401 The CT5 Blackwing would be more of a 4 door Mustang GT500
Flawless comment. My exact thoughts.
@@maybesenan2401 blackwing without blackwing engine is a fail as a mustang with no horses just a pub stunt u fell in ...
Good comment. Stang has the manual though which is sooo nice.
I would love a NA V8. The only thing missing from this car for the full fat experience is a manual gearbox.
That limited edition is a beauty. Just enough of everything a driver wants.
The tonality of this v8 is something else. Such a gem of an engine. I don't think someone would cross-shop this with another car at this price. Imagine if it had a manual😍!
The ISF was so underrated and this 500 was for real a beautiful kick off on bringing the IS name back
As a young guy I wanted nothing but turbos and 4-6 cylinders but as a 27 year old I’m excited to get my is500
The Lexus will still run like new after 200k miles, something the other cars can't do. Oh, and it will still be worth more than 50% of it's value after 10 years.
Those buying this car new aren’t keeping this car for 200k miles. That argument is invalid for new buyers, so in that case, this is a horrible new car buy. Want a V8 sound and performance? Buy an American muscle car. Want luxury? Buy Euro. The Lexus only has reliability as an argument, and for that, as stated above, this is a horrible new car buy…
@@JacesOwnWorld you seem to be ignoring resale value. High resale value = good for the first owner.
@@JacesOwnWorld 95 precent of the people watching this video can't afford this car new and this is the better used car over the Germans any day of the week.
@@mitchellsteindler I’m trying to figure out what resale value has anything to do with this convo…
@@spicysnowman8886 it’s a great used car at half its price. It still doesn’t compete at all with German vehicles in the same price, so I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Other than “reliability”, what does this IS500 have that’s better than a German car priced the same? I’ll wait haha
Considering it's getting very difficult to find an RCF or lc500 this is a great move to get behind that wonderful engine.
Almost no one ever drives their car on a track. Probably less than 1% of car buyers. Rather than designing passenger cars for lap times or performance, design for emotion. Designing for performance, you’ll often wind up with a product that’s impressive on paper but with a number of compromises at the expense of comfort. Designing for emotion makes you pay attention to how the product makes you feel. Tuning the exhaust to produce a beautiful, addictive note you’ll never tire of, a beautiful interior that looks awesome and ages gracefully, an incredible sound system that makes you want to go for a drive just to listen to your favorite song. Driving pleasure is what makes you LOVE your car. I think Lexus is doing this better than any other manufacturer on the market. I love their cars.
The 2UR-GSE engine is so charismatic. the way it bangs off the limiter is unbelievable. Of course it's no way near as symphonic as the greatest sounding engine in the world, the 1LR-GUE found in the legendary LFA, but its still amazing. I hope Lexus release an F version with +500HP and keep the same formula, that will be a winner.
That list bit, never going to happen. The IS 500 was basically Lexus NA begging corporate to make another 5.0L N/A V8. They asked for an IS F and were told no. This IS 500 is the last of it's kind.
Novel headers and exhaust can make the 2UR-GSE sing.
th-cam.com/channels/Ms-EFTwC9gV5vc4EzPSBAg.html
I'm super sad we don't get this here in germany, much cooler than a C-Class, 3 Series or A4
Nice to see someone who agrees.
Yeah sadly Europe wants to save the planet... i hate being a car guy and living in the netherlands
The look on James face at about 16:05 for the next 30 secs makes it clear how torn he is about this car. As an owner of a 2001 IS 300 from new for about 16 years, was about how I felt when I sold it a few years ago. Like that 16 year old IS 300, I can sense how they feel about this car- something from the past living in the now, but yet still satisfying. Not sure how watching a new car review brought back those memories and feelings, but Throttle House did it! Thanks for another excellent one guys!
Great video as usual guys. And thanks for pointing out the short term/long term decision point. As a driver of a 12 year old Lexus I'm amazed at the quality and solidity of the vehicle and I can still sell it for a decent amount of money. I have no doubt that I'll put an easy 250K miles on it and I've been in LS460's with almost 300K miles that feel amazing. You just cannot do that in anything German these days. You used to be able to but you can go and find 6-7 year old BMW's all day long that are less than the price of a new Camry yet they were almost $100K or more new. German cars to me now mean insane care and feeding if you dare approach 70K miles. Lexus still seems like hand crafted old world quality and used values validate that reality.
My wife has a 06 IS250 that we’ve owned for 10 or 11 years now. Right under 170k miles. Used synthetic at 10k mile intervals. Replaced the alternator and plugs. Maybe it isn’t fast but it is fun to drive though. Toyota/Lexus just has such a great product for reliability.
Uhh not their leather though. Got in a 67k mile LS460. Leather looked like it had been through a sandstorm. Lexus still can't figure out interiors.
@@mediocreman2 I've had no problems with Lexus leather durability, at least no more than anything else I've owned in this class of vehicle (Mercedes & BMW in my case). Leathers need to be conditioned periodically, or they will crack. Especially car seats, that are exposed to lots of weight and stretching from you sitting in it, and extreme temperature ranges when it's parked.
You guys have really stepped up to what is important and are, like Savagegeese, supporting engineers and R&D teams that are not going for spec sheets and pure performance numbers, but the specialness and emotional aspects of driving certain vehicles. As we go to electric, the latter is becoming more important.
Agreed!! If you like Lexus reviews, I've made a few on them. If you have time let me know what you think :)
@@SergCarReviews You just basically do tiktok clips. Easily the worst garbage I've seen. You call 14 second tiktoks "reviews"? You're actually comparing yourself to throttle house?
@@MrDrmorbid You surely didn’t go on the channel mate. But all good bud all the best!
@@SergCarReviews 14 second lifeless tiktok videos where you're obviously trying to stumble onto virality and sadly not getting there because you're arrogant and have no methodology, nor pride in what you're doing. The quality of the output shows what standards you have for yourself and work and this is why you have to spam the comments of other channels. You're trying to do something the cheap way because you're lazy and don't want to invest the work required to do something right and well, so you want to take shortcuts.
Is that better?
1:11 James car name dialogue interrupted by the cars revs is an amazing audio visual experience
The reliability aspect of Lexus cars is the coolest factor, imagine driving this Lexus IS 500 to work, then playing with it on a track on weekends, and not worrying about it breaking down at the side of the road like all the other unreliable cars out there.
Literally! If you like Lexus reviews, I've made a few on them. If you have time let me know what you think :)
The cinematography and production quality of your videos are just stunning. It's like you have the entire Top Gear / Grand Tour production crew.
These guys are honestly the best reviewers on TH-cam.
They're my 2nd favorite after savagegeese
He’s right…one of the last of it’s kind. Lexus doesn’t compete with other cars when it comes to power…they already proved what their engines are capable of handling. They still prioritize reliability and luxury which puts them in a class of it’s own. 👍👍
And also prioritize not blowing up?
Love the old school setup with a naturally aspirated V8 rear wheel drive. Wish Lexus had taken old school one step further to offer a nice set of analog gauges. Although for being digital the gauges in this model aren't bad.
Me too , love analogue gauges ...
i went back to analog gauges after driving my IS with those gauges for a couple years. still miss the lexus screen, it was so cool and very easy to read
In 1999 I was 19 and loved anything Lexus. I designed my own web page and I wrote that for Lexus to compete against BMW's M series and Mercedes AMG, They were going to have to create their own performance division. I am happy to see it come to life. From the first cars to wear the F badge to the LFA. There is still much to do but the fact they have taken this concept and brought it to life, really is amazing to see. There are so many great examples right now that I would be hard pressed to pick just one, which shows how great they are and how far they have come.
The editing in these videos is so immaculate..🔥 👌
You guys are in for a treat, as a GSF onwer i am jealous this is even available since its a not a F.
This drive train is a gem.
Gsf is better more comfortable
@japanwatchconnection really ? I thought the tranny is the same as the other f cars
The IS500 is basically a baby GS F. They got all the aluminum goodies of the framework from the GS F and used it for this one, which makes me super pumped to put my hands on one!
@japanwatchconnection
It's the same transmission. Pretty good when flooring it on upshifts, but "sluggish" around the 3000-5000 RPM range.
Mehn, you guys really do understand cars. I mean really understand that cars are more than just stats and numbers. Really respect that about you guys.
Sometimes I’m acting more excited about the intro rather than the reviews itself. Huge fan of you guys 👍🏻😁
To quote my teacher back in the day "Simple is best and it works 100%"
Literally!! If you like Lexus reviews, I've made a few on them. If you have time let me know what you think :)
I still come back to this review cause I love this car so so soooo uch and I really hope to own one one day! This review is still so good and has a lot of replay value
I absolutely love everything about this car. It's perfect for me and my family. Minus the gas mileage and MSRP.
I would have this over a bmw.
The style of the car its beautiful on my eyes.
And the engine note awesome
Your in-car
Your in car discussions are really insightful. Thank you.
Compared to its competitors, this is the one you buy, all the Germans are the ones you lease. For me, long term reliability is a strong selling point.
I love you for making this!
Hey mate, if you like Lexus reviews, I've made a few on them. If you have time let me know what you think :)
"competent machines of apathy" is the most succinct description of the modern automotive world I have heard.
This is an epic car and the only reason you should choose this car is for the engine and reliability.
Always love waking up to a TH video 🙂
Are you kidding me the interior is gorgeous , so many physical buttons and wonderfully reserved .
That 56k starting msrp compared to the Acura Type S starting msrp really makes me think the Type S is just overly priced
I'd have to agree that the emotional connection is such a huge factor for making a decision on a car. I drove a Supra, an M240i, an S3 and an S4, and I still ended up falling in love with the Veloster N. Did not expect to, but just felt something driving that car I didn't feel with any other car. The only other thing that made me feel so giddy and excited was an RC-F.
The intro is hilarious, I love the website how it just fucking shakes every single frame, I wish someone made a mention of it and lo and behold you guys did it, absolute madman 10/10
Great video!
In my eyes this is the most exciting car in it's class. I love the sound of that glorious V8.
This car will hold it's value in the future.
Not to mention the Lexus legendary reliability.
The cars made in Japan are simply the best.
Don't even waste your time with the plastic, unreliable German competitors with close to nothing resale value.
I would still take the LC500,but this IS F sport is definitely the car to consider.
Great Job Lexus! ....… As always
What an exceptionally well made video. From commentary to b-roll! Well done throttle house
Thomas can say what he wants, but I love the stacked quad Lexus exhaust.
I was looking forward to buy one in Germany. Thanks EU and people driving with Audi and VW for shattering this dream.
I can import You a brand new one if You like. Or just buy a GSF?
Lexus built the one thing all car guys have been chasing, and is constantly fleeting. And that's Nostalgia
NA V8, great sounds, great interior, ride, build quality.... Just needed a manual. But I could probably get over that and with a little support the shift situation can probably be resolved. -- Superchargers existed for the IS-F, I'll bet there's room for some boost in this motor too.
Eh making it manual isn’t in Lexus style, the auto makes the car what it is in my opinion, and it’s not a bad transmission at all!
@@matts1234 Autos suck. Personally I'd never buy a car with one.
Wow, just noticed how many subs you have now. I remember subbing to this channel when you had only a couple thousand subs and thinking you should have way more.
Not to start channel wars or anything but you guys are WAY better than a certain other Canadian car channel. And you're not trying to sell us stuff every 5 minutes.
100% agree about the other Canadian car channel
Does one of the reviewers in the other Canadian channel always cry when a car's interior lacks gimmicky options and when it has an analog clock that he can't read?
@@yousef.al-assaf bingo!!
I have said it before and I will say it again.
This show as more Top Gear`ness (yes thats a word I just made up) than the actuall show.
Its a real pleasure to watch.
Guys great unbiased review. I had the 2016 M4 though it was a joy to drive, but it had so many issues including leaking oil. I will take this IS500 over the German cars any day of the week. The thing German car that I want is the 911 CS, but dealers are asking $20k over MSRP and even then the wait is more than a year.
From m4 performance to a car with performance worse than a 340..also its petrol consumption is horrific. I think you lying or are stupid
This is my new dream car and unlike the Flying Spur or the Panamera, this is something I might actually buy because it’s very practical, compared to the others in this class!
Lc500 is better but I love both
I have to echo the sentiments of so many, the clever humor you guys infuse in to most of the videos is one of the reasons I'm drawn to both channels, as well as all of the other obvious ones, content, production blah blah blah. Keep it funny guys you're killing it!
I own an m340xi and I view it as basically as a comfy sports sedan. I specifically didn’t go with an m model because I just like to cruise and not get beat up by my car, but still have fun from time to time. This car is really beginning to appeal to me but I literally have the conversation they had in the car with myself. Arguing both points and never really coming to an answer. The only way this car makes sense is if you keep it long term but I love getting something new every 3-4 years. Great video guys but I’m no closer to making up my mind
that is what the IS500 is - comfy sedan with some power. There is not much cheap aftermarket for the car. I have an IS-F and a new Supra. Keep your M340Xi as you will have more fun modifying the B58 than the IS500.
@@MisterSkizzels Most people aren't modding these cars
@@-SP. which car? The IS500? Look up RR Racing....
I have a 2020 M340IX too and honestly this car looks awesome but it would be a pass for me because the interior is way too outdated. With that said bmw has improved by huge leaps when it comes down to reliability with the G20s.
@@MisterSkizzels You brought up something super specific. Most owners of these $70k cars aren't modding them besides basic stuff like an exhaust and tint
The only problem with this car is that the ct4v blackwing exists.