A Closer Look at The 2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance

Lexus, the premium brand belonging to Toyota has been around since 1989. Focusing on a more luxurious and performant line of vehicles from “Mother Toyota” has been the official trademark from the Lexus lineup. When the Japanese government imposed voluntary export restraints for the U.S. market, Japanese automakers began to send more expensive automobiles into both Canada and the U.S. The introduction of Toyota’s Lexus line occurred at the same time as Honda released their premium Acura models, as well as Nissan’s Infiniti models. As a result, a “Japanese invasion” of an elevated class of imported cars began making its impressive impact upon the car sales industry throughout North America. While Lexus has managed to establish a solid popularity rating among North Americans, the same isn’t as such within the European luxury vehicle market as they are still loyal to brands they’re more familiar with, namely Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz. However, this hasn’t held back the teams of design and marketing to continue putting forward vehicles to justify the latest Lexus slogan “Experience Amazing”, which was first introduced in a 60-second advertisement on February 5, 2017, during the Super Bowl LI Championship that took place between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. (The Patriots beat the Falcons with the final score of 34-28.)

Is The 2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance Experience Amazing?

The 2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance model, which Lexus claims is obsessively engineered to push exhilaration to a ten, is the first-ever dial-up to eleven. As deemed to be the most powerful IS model yet, Lexus promises to usher in a new era of F Sport that features a powerful 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8, a throaty quad exhaust, and exclusive design upgrades throughout. As a commemoration of the introduction of this model, a total of 500 serialized Launch Edition vehicles will feature an exclusive exterior and interior color scheme, as well as distinctive badging.

Lexus Firsts

It is the intent of Lexus to make the IS500 the first model to grace the debuting Lexus F Sport Performance line. In addition to the larger 5.0-liter, V-8 engine for the driving enthusiast, Lexus further accentuates the standard F Sport models with exclusive dark chrome trim, heart-racing sound, and dynamic performance instrumentation. Through enhanced digital technology, the F Sport Performance features a startup animation that is completely unique as the dynamic display moves in sync with a sliding bezel that expands and retracts readouts whenever information is accessed.

2022 IS500 F Sport Performance Basic Specifications

Vehicle Type – Front-Engine
Rear Wheel Drive (RWD)
5-Passenger Capacity
4-Door Sedan
Pricing Layout
Basic Model – From $57,575.00
Premium Model – From $62,075.00

Engine Specifications

DHOC 32-Valve V-8
Aluminum Block and Heads
Port and Direct Fuel Injection
Displacement – 303 cubic inches
Power – 472 hp @ 7100 rpm
Torque – 375 hp @ 4800 rpm

Transmission Specifications

8-Speed Automatic
Chassis Specifications
Front Suspension – Control Arms
Rear Suspension – Multi-Link
Front Brakes – 14.0 Inchs of vented Disc
Rear Brakes – 12.7-Inches of vented Disc
Tires – Bridgestone’s Potenza S001L
Front Tire Measurements – 235/40R-19 92Y
Rear Tire Measurements – 265/35R-19 94Y

Dimensions

Wheelbase – 110.2 inches
Length – 187.3 inches
Width – 56.5 inches
Passenger Volume – 92 cubic feet
Trunk Volume – 11 cubic feet
Curb Weight – 3969 pounds
C/D Results
0 to 60 mph @ 4.3 seconds
0 to 100 mph @ 10.4 seconds
1/4 Mile – 12.8 seconds @ 112 mph
130 mph @ 17.5 seconds
Rolling Start, 5-60 mph @ 4.7 seconds
Top Gear, 30-50 mph @ 3.0 seconds
Top Gear, 50-70 mph @ 3.3 seconds
Top Speed (Government Limited) – 149 miles per hour
Braking, 70-0 mph – 159 feet
Braking, 100-0 mph – 320 feet
Road holding, 300-Feet Skidpad – 0.89 g
Observed Fuel Economy – 15 mpg
City Fuel Economy – 17 mpg
Highway Fuel Economy – 25 mpg
Combined Fuel Economy – 20 mpg

2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance Reviews

The First Drive review, which comes from the Motor Authority, quickly brings up how the jamming of a V-8 motor inside the compact sedan Lexus has introduced with their 2022 IS500 F Sport Performance model “almost works” with its beefed-up attempt to bring forth a stronger, more performant automobile. A YouTube review by Winding Road Magazine almost spends fifteen minutes showing all the pros and cons revolving around the 2022 Lexus IS500 F Sports Performance vehicle. With this review, instead of the content creator making comments throughout, it is up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions as they watch and hear how the vehicle performs from start to finish. Joe Raiti of Raiti’s Rides provides a showroom narrative YouTube review of the launch edition of the 2022 Lexus IS500 Sport Performance vehicle. The most appreciative feature brought up is the necessary bulge that is credited to the V-8 motor 2022 has in place, which is an upgrade in power, which justifies the introductory title of “Sport Performance” from the IS500 line. Raiti’s YouTube road driving test review shows the 2022 Lexus IS500 Sport Performance sedan at work on the road. The attempt for redemption by Lexus with their 2022 IS500 Sport Performance from the less than impressive 2021 LexusIS does pay off. It is commented, however, the final decision really falls on the consumer as to whether or not this particular Lexus model is worth the dollar value it’s asking.

In Conclusion

Despite Lexus classifying the 2022 IS500 as a Sport Performance in the title, the primary focus is catering to the motor enthusiast who wanted to see a return of the V-8 motor back into the lineup of compact sedans Lexus had been known for, it isn’t the sport of racing they’re interested in. In order to compete with the new generation of F model automobiles from their competitors, Lexus upgraded their lineup of more performant vehicles that are supposed to be every bit as sporty as they are luxury.