Let's get this out of the way: The Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance is not an IS F. If it were a new IS F, it would just be called... IS F.That sedan, which went on sale in early 2008, launched the luxury brand's full-court press into the sports-car space. And that opened the door to the l the GS F, RC F and, of course, the now-beloved LFA. These days, though, Toyota City has re-focused its performance ambitions on the mainstream brand, rather than the luxury one.
The current third-gen IS entered production back when Macklemore's 'Thrift Shop' was atop the charts, and it's showing its age inside. Lexus's accursed trackpad is still in attendance, although the infotainment screen now supports touch. So the only worry is accidental elbow grazes. There are plenty of physical knobs and buttons, but many are the size of a sliced Chiclet. The electrostatic swipey-swipe climate controls are a curse from an earlier era.