After introducing the IS 500 F Sport Performance all the way back in February, Lexus has finally released pricing for the V8-powered sports sedan. The car will start at US$ 56,500.
After the base model there’s the IS 500 Premium. That starts at US$ 61,000, and features a Mark Levinson 17-speaker Premium Surround Sound Audio System, a navigation system, a panoramic view monitor, triple beam LED headlights, and a power rear sunshade. Finally, there’s the IS 500 Launch Edition, which starts at US$ 67,400. It comes with everything included in the Premium trim, plus the bonus of being limited to just 500 units for North America and featuring lightweight BBS wheels and exclusive trim and upholstery.
Despite its competitive pricing, the IS 500 actually makes similar or more power than the Germans, although it does fall behind a bit on torque. With the Lexus’s 5.0-liter V8 pumping out 472 hp and 536 Nm of torque, the BMW M3 makes 1 hp and 15 Nm more for an extra US$ 13,400, the Mercedes-AMG C63 makes 3 hp less and 114 Nm more but is US$ 12,100 pricier, and the Audi RS5 Sportback makes 28 hp less and 64 Nm more and will set you back an extra US$ 18,900.
With all that being said, many might be willing to overlook the IS’s lower torque for its naturally aspirated V8 character, which none of the Germans can claim, and a starting price of over US$ 10,000 less than any of them. The IS 500 F Sport Performance is expected to start hitting dealerships some time later this fall.
