Sport sedans are so aggressive these days that you’d swear most of their buyers spend every available Saturday steaming around the Nürburgring. These cars tend to have tons of turbocharged torque and all-wheel-drive launch aggression, with performance packages and track modes that just scream competition.
Lexus had a different idea when it launched its IS500 F Sport Performance version, although with that kind of name, you’d think that it, too, would be a weekend weapon. It did come with a 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 turning out 472 horsepower, quad stacked exhaust tips, and a telltale raised hood, but Lexus wasn’t trying to one-up those German performance sedans directly, it was trying to tell a different story.
Many buyers, though, were judging it by the wrong rules, and that led many people to misconstrue the company’s intent.
The Sport Sedan Race Changed What Buyers Expected
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance front quarterLexus
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance
Engine
5.0-liter naturally aspirated 2UR-GSE V8
Transmission
Eight-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic
Drivetrain
Rear-wheel drive
Power
472 hp
Torque
395 lb-ft
When the idea of a sports sedan first took hold, the formula typically meant a compact luxury four-door with sharper handling and a stronger engine. But these vehicles gradually grew to become more like track-capable performance cars that happened to have usable rear seats. Buyers pored over the numbers when they were choosing and wanted to see all the information about launch control and acceleration. They might agonize about features like adaptive chassis sophistication, even though many of them would never put those particular features to a real test.
When the IS500 arrived, shoppers tended to approach it the same way. After all, it looked like it belonged in the same category as a C63, M3, or RS model, but underneath, it really wasn’t. Lexus wasn’t trying to win the sports sedan arms race by trying to copy its rivals with this IS500. The company was just giving the familiar IS platform a large-displacement naturally aspirated engine, and trying to turn out a fast, refined road sedan that was more about sound, durability, smoothness, and ease of use.
The IS500 Didn’t Want To Fight The M3 On M3 Terms
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance front quarterLexus
Many people wondered why Lexus chose to give this particular IS500 an aggressive name. After all, the words “F Sport Performance” suggested that it sat between some of the company’s appearance-led F Sport models and its most serious F cars. Buyers approaching the car might expect something ready for maximum attack mode but could be a little underwhelmed when they take it on the road.
Still, the numbers were serious enough, as its 5.0-liter V8 turned out 472 hp at 7,100 rpm and 395 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine sent its power to the rear wheels via an eight-speed Sport Direct Shift automatic transmission, and it could reach 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.
At 3,891 lbs, this IS500 was only 143 lbs heavier than the IS350 F Sport, despite its larger engine. But while the IS500 may have felt quick on that favorite twisty back road, it certainly wasn’t ruthless. It delivered its torque peak high up by modern turbocharged standards, so it didn’t “get up and go” as efficiently as many boosted rivals. The engine had a lot of character and good throttle response, even if it didn’t take particularly well to short shifting.
The chassis tended to follow the same philosophy. It had adaptive suspension, larger brakes, a Torsen limited-slip differential and upgraded steering. But it was still clearly leaning toward comfort and refinement, and not toward fastest-lap attempts. One CarBuzz reviewer suggested that the IS500 often majored on comfort rather than performance. They observed that “putting the IS500 F Sport performance in Sport mode doesn’t ruin the ride as the chassis gets firmer, but it does become more nimble”. So, in essence, this was a very Lexus interpretation of what a fast luxury sedan should be.
The 2UR-GSE V8 Gave The IS500 Its Real Depth
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance V8 engineLexus
The 2UR-GSE V8 has always been one of the most defining powerplants to come out of the Toyota and Lexus stable. It stretches back to the IS-F, which was certainly a credible high-performance sedan from the world of Lexus. It also powered the RC F and GS F, representing a naturally aspirated alternative to the forced-induction route that many competitors would follow.
In the IS500, the engine took on a different role again, injecting the character of the company’s higher-performance V8 cars into this smaller sedan. The IS500 didn’t come with more extreme chassis development, the wider bodywork, or the more aggressive F positioning you’d find in earlier dedicated performance models. Instead, this was a more subtle car that used that V8 engine as its defining feature.
Drivers found the 2UR-GSE to be smooth-revving, responsive, and old-school in the best sense. It featured the company’s D-4S fuel injection system, and overall, it delivered a character that many current performance sedans struggled to replicate. While it certainly wasn’t as fast as every rival, it didn’t need to be. Instead, it was trying to carry a proven Lexus V8 lineage into a compact luxury sedan when few others were viewing the challenge that way.
Scarcity Changes The Way The IS500 Appears
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance V8 engineLexus
Lexus appeared to be hedging its bets with its IS500 project by not producing these particular vehicles in large numbers. While it’s hard to pin down exact sales totals, some within the Lexus community suggest only 931 IS500s went on sale in North America in 2022. More traceable listings elsewhere show a US sales total of 21,386 for the broader Lexus IS for that year. If all those figures are accurate, it underlines how small the IS500 sales tally was in terms of the IS total.
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In any case, the IS500 was never going to be a mainstream performance sedan, but rather a low-volume V8 that Lexus was using to test the waters. It was going in a different direction when most luxury performance engines were smaller and turbocharged.
When the 2025 Ultimate Edition arrived, it added a layer of drama to the IS500 story. This appeared in even more limited numbers, with only 500 for North America. It would be a sharp sendoff for the idea, including Brembo six-piston front calipers, 15-inch front brake rotors, forged BBS wheels, and Circuit Red and Black interior trim. Buyers would also get exclusive Wind paint, red seat belts, serialized badging, and an LFA-inspired steering wheel. This would become the final interpretation of the Lexus IS500 as a particularly rare V8 sedan for those who value character as much as acceleration.
The Final Chapter Spread The Confusion
2022 Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance center consoleLexus
With its Ultimate Edition drama, Lexus ended production of the IS500 in November 2025. The company would build a more simplified lineup around the IS350 in North America, offered in F Sport Design and F Sport grades, leaving the V8 idea behind. And that left the IS500 in a rather unusual position, as something that had been quite difficult to assess through any standard comparison test lens. Its chassis was nowhere near as aggressive as the most focused German alternatives, and it sat on a relatively old platform. The interior architecture may have been familiar, but the rear seat wasn’t too generous. And overall, it may not have been the sharpest compact performance sedan in the world.
Still, the IS500 may start to look quite interesting as a long-term ownership proposition today and, for those who are not track demons, it offers a good level of daily usability. After all, it combines rear-wheel drive, a conventional automatic transmission, and that naturally aspirated V8, and it certainly features Lexus build quality. For those who spend much of their time commuting but may also enjoy an early-morning back road, it might actually work rather well.
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Many might think this car’s raised hood, quad exhaust, and 472-hp rating were over the top, especially since Lexus was not trying to create a hard-edged M3 rival. But instead, Lexus was trying to answer a different question. It wanted to know whether a compact luxury sedan could still be fast, naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive, comfortable, and pleasingly mechanical when other OEMs were going for boost, electrification, and chassis aggression.
Whether that particular position translates into future collector value remains to be seen. But enthusiasts can certainly take into account its low-volume status, V8 excellence, and 500-unit Ultimate Edition sendoff. And all of those points may yet combine to make this IS500 far more interesting than a more predictable M3.
Sources: Lexus, GoodCarBadCar
