prosgal73

Hi everyone! Congrats to all on getting this amazing car! Test drove it today and loved it, but waiting to see what the new ES350 looks like before making a decision, but I'm sure it won't be the same. Practical versus fun is the decision I have to make. Is the F Sport worth the extra money? Sure does look nice! Appreciate any feedback or advice on your experiences

Liferules

Depends on what you want. I wanted the features that either F-sport or Luxury were offering so then the choice was which look was I wanting? More refined or more sporty? I chose sporty but that's a very individual decision. The car is great, that's a given! I think Luxury and Sport drive very similarly, just the interior trim and exterior front and rear spoiler...

ECL

I plan to keep mine for ten years or longer, so I ordered an F-Sport with ML. The ship docked yesterday, and I hope to have the GS next week.

matt2421

I'll throw my 2cents in. I previously owned an '06 GS 430 that i loved. I did a few after market upgrades to her, wheels, brakes were the most costly. I was kinda preturbed that my GS model wasn't compatible with some of the Lexus F Sport upgrades so when i was in the market this time around i figured the F Sport was the way to go. As you know there are 4 versions to the new GS, premium(55K), FSport(58K), Luxury(59K) and Hybrid(61K). For me, the hybrid model was out as i didnt really want to spend the extra money for it, the premium package was out as it does not have the S+ mode. So that left me with the FSport and the Luxury packages. Again, i thought for sure it was going to be FSport all the way but after comparing the two, the differences are FSport: front grille, front bumper, wheels, rear spoiler, brushed aluminum trim, sport pedals, black headliner, brakes, F Sport badging (probably a couple more).Luxury package: fog lights, wood trim interior, 18 way seats (head rest moves forward and back not just up and down) 3 climate zones, few more creature comfort for both the front and rear passengers. Other than that they are basically the same car. I already have aftermarket wheels and while the brakes are bigger on the FSport they are not dimpled or slotted. My opinion, i think both need to be upgraded to give it a sportier look. I prefer the wood trim of the luxury over the brush alunminum trim of the Fsport but i prefered the grille of the Fsport over the grille of the Luxury. I actually put in an order and bought an Fsport model from a dealer but upon delivery it had the wrong color interior, what a let down. So i went to another dealer and they had the black on black combination i wanted in a Luxury package so i bought it. Overall i am extremely happy with my new car and i figure any of the FSport touches i didnt get with my Luxury package i can add on after market. Cant say that the other way around as you cant put the 18 way power seats, rear heated seats/audio controls, passenger memory seats, wood trim, etc, in an FSport.

prosgal73

I plan to keep mine for 10 years or longer too so maybe I should seriouly consider the F sport... What's ML? Hope you get that car soon! Thanks!

natnut

ML = Mark Levinson Sound System.

Here's a summary of the differences between F-Sport and non F-Sport. IMO I would get the F-Sport with DRS (Dynamic Rear Steering) :

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/7246375-post11.html

peteharvey

The F Sport has different suspension settings altogether, including spring rates, damper rates and roll bars.
The F Sport also has 19" wheels with different tires, and upgraded brakes.
The F Sport also has electronically controlled electric power steering, and active rear wheel steering.
On Sport+ Mode, not only do the dampers firm up, the steering firms up as well, and the rear wheel steering kicks in for greater rear end stability at high speeds.
The F Sport also has different exterior and interior trim.

The Luxury has 18" alloys and tires, and electronically variable dampers that firm up when Sports+ is selected.
The Luxo also has fancy seats, and dedicated rear air conditioning controls etc.
There is a whole long list of other equipment in the Luxury version too.
The exterior and interior trim eg wood, is different.

ML stands for the Mark Levinson hi-fi option.

The Hybrid has LED lights...

prosgal73

Realized that the Dark Graphite wheels are standard on the F sport and you have to pay for the Liquid Silver option. Hmm....I wonder if the Dark Graphite is a passing fad...and might not look as good depending on the color car you choose? More to think about....thanks again everyone!

Outrage

When I was comparing the AWD F Sport and Luxury models I realized that the F Sport provided no hugely significant performance advantages. According to Lexus's specifications, the suspension is "F Sport-tuned". The only other tangible difference is 19" wheel and tire package. Everything else seemed cosmetic.

F Sport additions over Base (not found on Luxury):

• F Sport front bumper
• F Sport grille
• F Sport spoiler
• F Sport-tuned suspension
• F Sport 19" wheels and tires
• 16-way power driver's seat
• Perforated leather steering wheel
• Aluminum interior trim
• Aluminum pedals

Luxury additions over Base (not found on F Sport):

• Adaptive Front Lighting System
• 18-way power driver's and passenger's seats
• Upgraded leather surfaces
• Wood trimmed leather steering wheel
• Upgraded interior wood trim
• Three-zone climate control
• Rear side window sunshades

On a RWD models, the F Sport offers additional performance advantages over other trim levels such as larger front brakes and staggered wheel and tire sizes. The Variable Gear Ratio Steering and Dynamic Rear Steering are options on the F Sport (RWD only).

dseag2

I went with the F Sport because of the suspension and steering changes that take place in Sport+ mode that really do make the car hunker down when driving fast. I also wanted the Cabernet interior, which I love more everytime I get in the car and (unlike some others) I thought the aluminum trim was really sharp and lended to the sporty ambiance. It also looks great under the ambient light when driving at night. I could have lived without the F Sport grille, but now that I have it I love it.

I drove a Premium loaner car until my F Sport arrived, and although it was very capable it just didn't like to dance as much as the F Sport does.

mehran888

I got the F-Sport AWD over the Luxury AWD. I had originally wanted the Luxury AWD - mostly because of what Outrage stated above. The Luxury was only $1K more than the F-Sport and had many more "functional features". The rear side shades were the most important (one toddler in a car seat and hoping for another soon). The climate controls/heated seats in the back would have been nice, but with 1 (maybe 2) carseats - they would have gotten almost no use over the next 3-5 years.

So I didn't originally order an F-Sport because I felt silly paying a premium for purely cosmetic changes, even though I really like the F-Sport rims, the aluminum interior, and the grill. Anyways, on my original order my wife gave the ok and I ordered a white on black luxury.

Then my broker told me it'd be up to 3 months of a wait for my car. So a nice fellow on ClubLexus suggested a dealership that would match broker prices.

I walked in, and the first thing I saw was my red on cab F-Sport. I spoke to the salesperson, and 2 hours later we had a reasonable deal worked out. And I got delivery 2 days later.

Now I love all the F-Sport cosmetic changes, including the grill. I'm kind of glad I don't have foglights because they take away from the look of the car.

That's my story. And sorry if it makes no sense. Long day .

Regardless of what you choose, you won't be disappointed.

dseag2

It makes perfect sense. Seeing and driving the F Sport typically = buying the F Sport.

natnut

I think it comes down to Premium vs Luxury vs F-Sport.

IMO, the biggest difference between Premium and Luxury/F-Sport boils down to the adaptive dampers in Luxury/F-Sport. They make a huge ride/handling difference.

Then the difference between Luxury vs F-Sport lies in more convenience/luxury features (in the former) vs more performance features (F-Sport RWD). If your're getting AWD, then the differences are mainly cosmetic between F-Sport and Luxury. It's in the RWD configuration where the performance advantage of the F-Sport becomes significant (VGRS, 14.1 inch brakes, DRS, staggered broader rear wheels).

I'm not sure why Lexus didn't include the bigger brakes,VGRS and DRS in the AWD F-Sport. That's a mystifying decision penalizing those who live in regions with snow.

mehran888

natnut: +1. I can understand no dynamic steering - but I feel we should get the bigger brakes.

As a note, in Toronto - we do have an option for a RWD F-Sport or other models. It's just no dealership orders them and it's a longer wait. Normally I'd have waited for the RWD, but with a growing family, common sense and safety take precedence over all the other selfish reasons .

FYI: My AWD F-Sport came with heated steering wheel. It's not listed in the brochure - so I think of that as a nice bonus, not sure if it'll be standard in all AWD F-Sports.

Sevn86

I would go with GS350 F-Sport. It's a personal decision. Only u can decide.