I love snow, but the 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 wants nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, the 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 absolutely hates snow – and that’s okay. Sporting a 416 horsepower V8 (that has 4-cam, 4-valves per cylinder, with dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence and Electronic intake valve timing) which makes 371 lbs-feet of torque, you would think Lexus would feed power through an all-wheel drive (AWD) system. Nope! All that power goes to the rear wheels (as God intended) via an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
With a TORSEN® torque-sensing limited-slip rear differentia and summer-biased tires, winter driving is out.
That didn’t stop me from having a bit of fun. The traction control system works very well and, if the 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 had winter tires, its excellent balance (along with that traction control system) would make for a fun, all-weather sports sedan. No… not really. It’s just too powerful for winter driving.
I spent time just revving the crap out of the 5-liter, impressing my teen-age neighbors. Sure, the over-under exhaust pipes are silly and there’s no manual transmission option – it still has a ton of street presence. Besides, it pisses off my spouse, “She-who-must-be-obeyed” (so do Challengers, Mustangs, SRT Jeeps and Raptors), so it must be a cool car.
The 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 is the last of the second generation IS-models to be produced. It’s a last hurrah, a last dance or even a swansong. Or, it’s a way to remind folks that the new, awesome IS-series owes a lot of its awesomeness to the Lexus ISF 5.0. Any platform that can harness this beefy V8 like the 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 is a success.
Imagine what Lexus has in-store for the new RC line.
Over the next several days, TFLCar will be putting the 2014 Lexus ISF 5.0 through its paces. High altitude testing, high speed and low speed runs mixed with real-world driving is coming your way.
I can’t wait.
Speaking of high-powered luxury…
