New cars: What the critics say

AutoWeek

The new F is “so powerful it doesn’t even get a number in its name.” Earlier attempts by Lexus to compete with the BMW 3 Series all went wrong, but this monstrous 416-hp V8 with rear-wheel drive finally gets it right. The world’s first eight-speed Sport Direct-Shift automatic transmission is so perfect “you don’t even care that there is no manual.”

Motor Trend

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What does the F stand for? How about “fenomenal”? The black sheep of the pedigreed Lexus family, the F is “a carbon-spewing, tire-vaporizing mutant” with 19-inch forged-alloy wheels, quad tailpipes, a menacing hood bulge, and a transmission that can change gears as fast as the Ferrari F430’s F1. Other goodies include surround-sound stereo and radar-guided cruise control.

Road & Track

This bona fide hot rod is “the most un-Lexus-like Lexus ever put into production.” The power comes not just from the 5.0-liter V8 but also from other unique features, such as aluminum cylinder heads, a variable valve system, and above all the dual-intake system that goes “from Lexus-quiet to raunchy V8-loud” at 3,600 rpm. “We love it.”