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Meet the 2016 Lexus GS-F.
If you know what an "E-ticket" means, you're ready for the perfectly sensible road rocket.
If not, you're probably too young and shallow to even begin to comprehend it... 

Lexus has been ultra-busy producing a huge line-up of new cars practically replacing the entire fleet over the last couple of years, starting with an all new NX, refreshing the IS, GS, and ES, then launching with huge fanfare, the RC coupe and using the attention to slip the all new RX and some revamping of the LX F-Sport package.

For the enthusiasts of driving emotions, however, the attention must go to the RC-F and this brand new sibling, the GS-F. Both cars have been a topic of controversy among the general buyers in the market for such disproportionately powered monster super-sedans, touting it as bloated or geeky in shapes. I, however, feel that beyond the marketing taglines, and fan-based gossiping, that the RC-F and GS-F are two of the most boldly planned cars that traditionally conservative Lexus brand has ever carried to date. The IS-F which the concept lends back to, launched in 2008, was the first iteration of the monster super-sedan. The IS has almost been a backbone for constant evaluation of both mechanical design and testing the market waters for such cars.

Despite the astronomical costs of launching a new car on a unique non-shared platform, with it's own engine variation is not something even Toyota can laugh about. Today's regulatory commissions of first world nation comes with extreme overhead costs of meeting these rules, from EPA to DOT, to reports of independent studies, and the list goes on and on, and by the time these are all checked and met, the company would have invested in excess of $50~100 million for each platform.

The GS-F is such a car. It's exclusive to a thousand and few hundred owners globally, and are hand-assembled like the RC-F, to each order by the dealers or customers. Like the RC-F and the IS-F before it, it boasts a v8 engine converted with high strung cams, and programmed to respond. So much so, that the cars are also equipped with equipment to keep monsters at bay so that the spouses and kids can drive it to the mall in rain without the risk of self-propelling the car into a ditch.
The monsters I state here is in the order magnitude of say, nearly three times the power of a Camry, and if you look back at history, more power than a Ferrari Testarossa had in Miami Vice chase scene.  Unlike the RC-F's personal size styling and use features, the GS-F does have a proper 5 passenger seat configuration and rear doors that truly make it a "E-Ticket" ride for 4 eager passengers. (Yes I said E-Ticket, and that's how old you'd be to understand this car. )

Despite this, the public cries it loses in numerical power spec to the Mercedes Benz AMG. Everything is about numbers I suppose but as for me, I rather feel that having already this much power, and curtailing it just enough to have the fuel use figure that slips by a hair under the "Gas Guzzler Tax" in the USA seems, well, sensible. Yeah, this RC-F and GS-F does pass under that silly Uncle Sam invoice, so that you're not paying that extra several thousand bucks in registration and ownership. That sensible side of Lexus is what erks most passionate folks, I suppose. But you know, I think that's a choice really, and if one wants to be passionate and financially responsible (given you're already nuts for choosing these F cars), so be it, and Lexus F cars here are the clear choice.

Bulky and heavy? Sure, but even the 400lbs lighter super-sedans from competition is still heavy compared to a true sports car like the Lotus Evora by a few hundred slices of the best prime rib. I don't really see it as a car you'd buy based on raceway agility in other words, if you really do know how to drive sports cars. That goes for the entire category of these big-power land missiles. You shoot down the interstate in these, and carve passes with glorious noises of the wide-overlap V8, not dice with Fiat 500 Abarth and Miata on Sunday tracks.

Just reserve one, and buy it, if you can afford it. It is the most exciting Lexus you can buy, and it isn't the F-Sport that slips under the radar at family gatherings, these RC-F and GS-F do make a loud presence in your instagram feed. Don't worry about it.

It is a PROPER SUPER-SEDAN.

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Las Vegas Motor Speedway, December 9th, 2011

Lexus GS350 F-Sport Dynamic Driving Experience

It's a winner, because it can tuck nose, shake the tail, and smoke out
of a corner easier than a BMW5 for the first time in GS history.

It's not about speed, any car today with enough power and sticky tires
will pump out numerical specs.

What I mean is that the handling, balance, and tactile feel, as well as responding of the driver inputs, predictability, precision of the resulting inputs, driving manners, all correlate to the fun and safety factor of things that can't be expressed in numerical specs.

What the 2013 GS is about is all of this, it isn't fixed on the general marketing, and shoot out of specs in catalogs. It is what German cars have always had, and now the GS has surpassed in comparison in my view, to the E350 and 535i.

Mercedes Benz E350 felt as it should. Very predictable, confidence inspiring, but at the same time, classical in safety-oriented mild pushover setting, a lazy and slow steering that is perfect on a long
interstate. I mean it's forte isn't a short racetrack with rolling and sequential corner, but I can imagine it will be one of the most comfortable and perfectly tuned cars for the interstates in the USA.
Again, I know traditionally, the E-Class also has a tuned weapon package in the name of AMG...And we didn't have one here to shake down.

Of course, the larger, wider, sticker tires and BIG 6.3L V8 will take care of speed issues, but will it respond and communicate with the driver as well as the new 2013 GS?

I doubt it.

 BMW 5 series have been one of my favorite sedans for slapping and shaking on a track as far as 4 door boxes go for the last 20 years. (And probably longer for those who's had their track skills longer and older)... And this time, it still does exhibit a fair amount of fun like it always has. Same amazing road feel, same rock solid chassis that keeps the alignment straight and true. However, I guess the technology and tuning on these cars didn't feel too different than it has had in the past. Great, mind you, but the Lexus just seems to have taken a giant leap forward and came out ahead of this. I really can't criticize the BMW 5, as this is more a flavor and character BMW perhaps wanted to seek, leaving the HOT LAP duties for the big muscle M5, for which Lexus does not offer a counter attack at this time..... yet? (GS-F???)

Not twitchy,but quick to change the nose vector, and able to sustain a really high rate of change at that. So even with a fairly abrupt steering motion, the car will instantly respond, with a strong, confident grip level, which seems to not fade away in gradual under steer.

It just plants and goes. At the same time, the rear contact patches stay really manageable and tame, and only when you ask it for a even faster rate of rotation, it will very predictably rotate the car, with a very even axis, somewhere around the front seat area. There's not much wiggling or rocking until the VSC cuts you off from the antics and stupidity, (if you didn't turn the feature off), and gradually rock the tail back in place and kill your
throttle until the car thinks its safe to let you use the gas again.

But overall, and humor aside, everything happens faster, easier, and with more precision than ever before in a car of this weight class.
The F-Sport just seemed to be a bit stiffer, and exhaust louder, but there isn't a huge change in SPORT and SPORT + modes in terms of character at the limits. What I do notice more is that Normal modes provide the same level of assurance and agility, but with a bit more soft and full-stroked  manner of wheel movements. I almost think the SPORT (all GS) and SPORT + (available in F Sport and Hybrid) modes are the natural chassis character of the car, while NORMAL is the truly advanced system setting, that makes all this happen in LEXUS comfort and quiet...

I like the Standard GS350 just as much as the "F Sport" equipped one. The F just adds a bit more flavor to those who prefer it, to something that's already excellent.

One note, the Hybrid GS, though it seems to shoot out of the line just as aggressive and tenaciously, does carry a bit more weight? (I'm not sure exactly how much more) but I did feel it to be slightly more taxing on the tires. So what happens in an instant, for any vector change, the Hybrid took a tiny fraction of a second more, and with tiny fraction of a numerical G-force less in any direction. However, probably not enough for most drivers to notice unless when comparing them at such limits and side by side one after the other among the three models.

In 1990, The 1st GS was born with Toyota Crown refinements packed in a European styled body.

The 2nd GS in 1998 came with more luxurious and stylish cues with a bit more practicality.

The third GS completely revised the package to fit the millennium standards.
This fourth GS, takes all that was great about the previous three, and solidified all of it cohesively and carefully into a billet stiff chassis, which in turn, probably allows for softer spring and damper but suspension able to keep a more rigid dynamic alignment in order. This and the software side of bushings, valvings, and sub-frame mounts re-tuned to a new level of driving pleasure, and crosses past the line that was once set by Mercedes in safety, and handling manners reserved and once dictated by BMW.

True driver's car, now. the 2013 GS. Even without the F-Sport package.
If you are in the market for a mid sized luxury driver's sedan, hold off and buy this one next year.

You will not be disappointed.
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
This result was more shocking to me, than I really preconceived.

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