Lexus GS F 2016 Long-Term Test - 3

Lexus GS F
Long-Term Test (Update #2)

Anyone's opinion of a vehicle is directly influenced by their frame of reference: chances are a $40,000 sports car is going to come up wanting if the driver concerned also has the latest Ferrari in the garage.

This author, however, is approaching the Lexus GS F from the other end of the spectrum. For one who primarily tests trucks and light commercials, the Lexus was always going to impress – if only for its exhaustive list of high-tech features and sheer performance more than its payload capacity and towing ability…

The GS F is born to scythe along on winding roads, so it was unfortunate that our time behind the wheel was spent during the weekly commute – in this case a daily tally of 100 kilometres, over a mix of open motorway and traffic-clogged city streets.

Slipping into the driver's seat is made easier by the auto retraction feature – the electric seat slides back and the steering wheel lifts up whenever the driver's seat belt is undone.

It's one of many creature comforts that make driving the GS F a joy. The seat offers a wide range of adjustment and up to three settings can be remembered to accommodate regular drivers. There's full electric adjustment for the steering wheel too, which – like the front seating – features electric heating.

Push the button to start and the GS F rumbles into life with a muted note that only hints at the potential within. The instruments and the large multimedia screen also come to life, placing all sorts of information at a driver's fingertips.

To be honest, it's too much information at first, and it takes a while to acclimatise and work out what controls what on both displays. To the left of the large tacho the display is quite busy, but with a little time it all becomes manageable enough.

We're not a fan of the haptic controller for the multimedia screen, however – the joystick for selecting commands and menus is overly sensitive, which meant the screen demanded more of our attention than we would have liked when on the road.

There's an electric sunroof for sunny days and the seating is comfortable and supportive, with lumbar support an added bonus. Adjusting the rear-view mirror was a bit fiddly due to its close proximity to the headlining, but it and the side mirrors offer a decent, distortion-free view.

The interior finish is superb, with a very classy mix of leather and suede, carbon fibre and chrome highlights – and minimal plastic. Amid all the infographics and modern lines, the analogue clock in the middle of the centre stack looks a contrived anachronism.

On the road the GS F delivers impressive performance and all the dynamic ability you'd expect of a sports V8 at this price point.

Plant the accelerator and there's a momentary pause before the power kicks in, but when it does the rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres scrabble for grip as the car rockets forwards. The traction control does a brilliant job of keeping things tidy, rain or shine, while preserving plenty of the thrills of a rear-drive V8.

Several drive modes are on offer, selected via a dial/button control on the centre console. We bypassed Eco mode in favour of Normal and the first of two Sport modes, and found there was a marked difference between the two. It's neat how the colour TFT display surrounding the circumference of the tacho changes theme to suit the drive mode.

We spent most of our time in Normal mode, which still delivers plenty of oomph for quick overtakes and exploiting gaps in traffic. However, engaging Sport mode definitely takes the adrenaline up a notch – under acceleration the GS F really shoves the driver back into the bucket set, the speedo needle doing its best to emulate the tacho as it sweeps around the dial.

We have no idea what the GS F's top speed would be but the speedo is calibrated to 340km/h – sheesh!

After a few days and 300 kilometres of commuting, the GS F's trip computer was reading an average of 11.7L/100km – quite a bit under the 15.2L/100km recorded by colleague Ken Gratton, who we suspect spent a little more of his time in either of the car's two sports models.

A stiff chassis and quality suspension combo add up to a winning dynamic package. The ride is on the firmer side but bumps and dips are soaked up well, while the GS F's handling through corners inspires confidence. It begs to be taken to a track day, or even just punted along a winding country road…

Needless to say, on the daily commute we didn't sample its various Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD) settings.

The Lexus GS F is very, very good in so many ways. The only thing is, all its tyre-torturing fury comes wrapped in a cosy blanket of refinement. The cab's noise suppression is so good it effectively mutes a good deal of the V8's roar – even when the red mist descends and the vehicle pumps up the engine note. Not that this was a common prospect on the way to work and back…

No, the GS F is thoroughly civilised when prowling the urban jungle, where its amenity, its comfort and features like the radar cruise control come to the fore. The latter makes any highway work a pleasure, although we noted that it deactivates once you dip below 40km/h (unlike the equivalent in, say, the Mercedes-Benz C 250).

Is it too refined? Only the potential buyer can make that call. Certainly there are more visceral, raw V8s around and some go for a far cry less than the GS F's price tag. But for a fully equipped package with this sort of performance on tap, some won't mind the fact this back-street brawler has learned some table manners…

Related reading:
>> Lexus GS F Long-Term Update 1
>> Lexus GS F Long-Term Test Introduction
>> Lexus GS F Video
>> Lexus GS F v HSV ClubSport R8 SV Black Edition Comparison

2016 Lexus GS F pricing and specifications:
Price: $151,490 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.0-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 351kW/530Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.3L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 262g/km (ADR combined)
Safety Rating: N/A