Lexus GS 350 F Sport 2013 Long-Term Test - 2

Price Guide (as tested): $102,900
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): See text
Crash rating: N/A
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.7
CO2 emissions (g/km): 225

Reading about the GS 350 F Sport is an intimidating experience. There are just so many acronyms!

DRS, VGRS, EPS, AVS, VDIM, LDHS, LKA, BSM, PCS, LRT, TPM, ABS, EBD, BA, TRC, VSC, PCS, DFM, HUD, ACC, AHB, DRL, SPDS, ACIS, DRAMS, USB, HDD, RDS-TMC, PCB, PCSB, PCB, ECT… LOL, OMG!

No wonder Lexus dealers offer new GS owners up to three briefings on the car after they lay down their cash!

But the experience behind the wheel of motoring.com.au’s latest long-termer is actually less intimidating than the layers of tech (and their attendant acronyms) would suggest.

In conceptual terms this is still a traditional definition of a luxury saloon -- big engine up-front driving big wheels down the back, with a sizeable and luxuriously appointed cabin in-between.

Okay, so hidden from view by fine quality stitched, stamped and welded materials are many sensors sensing and much data crunching, all helping make this big (4850mm long) and bulky (1740kg) sedan behave with a real sense of confidence.

But I can’t say I ever felt the rear steer, variable gear steer and multiple drive modes -- plus much, much more -- were delivering a drive performance that a sports sedan with a well sorted orthodox suspension couldn’t at least match.

I am going to get phone calls, dropped off the Christmas card lists and accused of a hopeless local bias for saying this… but please go and drive a Holden Calais V and you’ll understand what I am talking about.

The 3.5-litre V6 under the F Sport’s bonnet has its fair share of techno-trickery, boasting both port- and direct-injection, variable intake and exhaust valve timing, double overhead cams, all alloy construction and outputs of 233kW and 383Nm.

But it doesn’t have the same efficiency as the new breed of European forced induction four-cylinders such BMW’s excellent turbocharged 2.0-litre N20 family.

The big V6 gets up and honks no doubt, but it also manages to chow down on premium unleaded too. At a rate of 10.6L/100km it’s well off the pace (the claim is 9.7L/100km). The aforementioned 180kW/350Nm version of the N20 in the BMW 528i averages just 6.8L/100km.

Still, there have been some recent hints dropped now that new generation of downsized Lexus engines are on the way. Let’s wait and see what happens.

Speaking of visualisation, put your hand up if you actually like the new Lexus spindle grille? To me it’s a contorted face for a straight-laced body. The spindle can work (check out the LF-Lc concept for stunning confirmation of that), but it needs more power and aggression to support it than the rest of the GS exterior delivers -- even in F Sport form with standard 19-inch wheels and low profile rubber.

Inside the GS delivers all the quality expected of a Lexus -- great stereo, great seats, great stitching on the leather. All that accompanied by the usual hush and plush, like being upstairs in an Airbus A380.

There are annoyances; the electronic parking brake is hard to find (it’s hidden down low on the dashboard rather than being easily located in the centre console), the centre rear-seat is next to useless and the bench doesn’t split-fold to grow passenger space.

But the biggest irritant is undoubtedly the active cruise control, which continuously disables itself in wet weather conditions. That’s done intentionally for safety reasons and you can swap to an orthodox steady-state system quite easily.

But the system is fallible. On a dry day after overnight rain ACC happily engaged and cruised for a while only to jump on the brakes when fooled by a wet patch of bitumen. No other cars were anywhere around to baulk the system or -- thankfully -- to be caught out by a Lexus emergency braking for no apparent reason and rear-ending us.

Otherwise the GS spent two trouble-free weeks with us and it was a pleasant enough experience. However, I’m not sure ‘pleasant’ is what you are looking for when the admission price is circa $100,000.

Unarguably though, you get your money’s worth when it comes to acronyms and the sophistication they represent.

Related reading / viewing:

Lexus GS 350 F Sport Long-Term Introduction

Lexus GS 350 F Sport Long-Term Video

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