natnut

The 2013 Lexus GS 350 F SPORT has been named the Best Large Car over $60,000 in the 2012 Australia’s Best Cars Award, the country’s most prestigious motoring awards.

The GS 350 F SPORT received the maximum score for performance, handling and safety, and beat out the BMW 520i & Audi A6 3.0 TDI for the top spot — judges said that the GS “would have easily fared well in one of the sports car classes.”

(thanks to lexusenthusiast.com for the find)

http://www.australiasbestcars.com.au...large_over.htm

spwolf

why are you comparing two different cars with two different engines?

Even here it is clear what they did - you have one extra gear between 3rd and 5th and longer end.

If you check RX with 6 speed and 8 speed, but same engine, 0-60 is exactly the same. I am not sure why would they concentrate on 0-60 as some measure of performance that they have to reach with 8 speed.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

^^ great australian win for gs.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Bravo Lexus!

natnut

My affair with the 2013 Lexus GS350 F-Sport happened as most affairs do: the unplanned result of many moons spent without satisfaction.

It happened like this: I was at the MPG Track Day at Fontana Raceway; a buffet of cars with a track as the plate; Get in car, get 3 laps on the track, come back in, grab a new car, repeat. I did, as quickly as possible. Track time is an infrequent occurrence in my life, like a shower for a hobo. I hadn’t had any in months, so I was going to make this day count. I descended on the fleet of press cars like Ashton Kutcher at a casting for breasts. I was power-walking from car to car.

While some people stood in line for the Audi RS5, M5, or Roush Mustang, I took Matt’s advice, “Jump in any empty car, doesn’t matter what it is.” I did just that. I was as selective as American Idol choosing new judges. There could have been postal trucks there and I would have taken them on the track.

Walking into the Lexus area, I got in the first car that had a “Track Drive” sticker on the windshield. I got in so fast I honestly didn’t even know what I was driving. I knew it was a 4-door sedan, a bit bigger than the nearby IS-F. As I buckled in I noticed the nicely designed interior, and felt paddles behind the nicely shaped wheel. I found the wheel to select “Sport+”, the button to disable TCS, and I was off.

“Pleasantly surprised” isn’t adequate. By the 3rd lap, I was honestly laughing like the Hobgoblin. It was tucking toward apex cones confidently, sliding mid corner if asked. I surged down the front straight, impressed at the 306hp/277tq. 3.5L V6’s power band. It sounded good! I was practically driving a RWD Camry, but the way this car moved had me feeling more German than Japanese. The revised 6-speed helps it rev quickly, and although the shifts aren’t DCT-fast, they’re quick enough, and it blips on downshifts. The steering was heavy and quick, the brakes were good, and thanks to 2-degrees of rear steering, it slipped around chicanes like a much smaller car.


After passing a poorly driven Roush Mustang, I cackled and shook the wheel, “I PASSED A MUSTANG IN A V6 LEXUSSSSSSSS! WHAT THE ****?! MWAHAHAHA!” Big Lexus sedans aren’t supposed to induce this kind of infantile behavior! What the hell was happening?

Pulling back in, my introduction to Lexus PR’s Bill Kwong was filled with grateful surprise, amazement, and expletives (me, not him).

I wasn’t simply surprised that Lexus had made a car that was sporty; I had driven the IS-F, have a soft spot for the old IS300s, knew all about the LF-A, and drooled over the upcoming LF-LC.

But any company can make a flag-ship sports car. Put stiff springs and big power in something, and we in the “enthusiaverse” (copyright pending) will like it. That’s easy. Do it with a more pedestrian motor and you’ve really achieved something. I was chasing Mustangs and SRTs, in a car that was basically packing the same firepower as a Camry. And I wasn’t the only one to be surprised that day. After my drive, I emphatically told Matt, “Go drive the GS350.”

“Really?” he replied, a bit confused by my enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I know, just go drive it.”

He did, and shared my surprise and enthusiasm.


But judging a car based on 6 (total) laps on track is like judging your marriage solely on the honeymoon week in Hawaii. I had to take the GS home for a bit, and see how it handled civilian life.

Over the week, the looks of this car really grew on me. At first I thought they were too aggressive. But that’s really what Lexus is doing nowadays, a necessary method to resetting their image. The LF-LC and LFA certainly aren’t conservative looking. Even beyond Lexus’ own personal mission, I came to really like how this car looks. BMWs and Mercs are the ritzy roaches of L.A., so different is good. But this car’s design speaks to me personally; it’s intense, and looks a little pissed off, even if it’s pacing you in traffic. Like me, while it’s obeying the laws and flow around it, it’s not happy about it.

I also like the inside just as much. Stitched burgundy leather, soft plastics and (fake) aluminum bright-work create a world that-for the most part- feels modern, expensive, and flowing forward. It makes me think of an Italian red leather briefcase that holds a fine aluminum watch and black cufflinks. The seats are great. Comfortable. Supportive. Sporting. Optional adjustable bolsters are really the only way for a manufacturer to make a seat that will fit everyone. The back seats had lots of leg room, with bolstered seats as well, so your passengers won’t be flung about.


The shape of the steering wheel and drilled pedals just make you feel like breaking laws. The clash of earthy red, deep black and (fake) brushed metal acts like a pheromone for fun. A cape for a bull. I felt like I should be out with a girl with black hair and a few piercings; The girl that draws out our most mischievous side. The kind that suggests a night of trespassing and some rooftop romance rather than go see a movie. Quite the unexpected emotion from a V6 Lexus, no?

Underneath stitched soft-touch plastic lies the panoramic media. If you can’t read or see something on the screen, you just can’t see, period. This car has the Lexus “mouse”, which I didn’t like when I used it in the CT200h and IS-F. In those cars, the mouse was both inaccurate and hyper-sensitive. Nothing like hiring a skittish Parkison’s sufferer to perform brain surgery while moving, right?

However, the system has been improved. The mouse has a nice bit of tactile resistance, like a soft gearshift, which makes it much easier to use. The system responds quickly and is easy to navigate, but it needs a re-design, because it looks much older than it acts. It looks a bit too Windows 2000. But because of the movie screen shoved in the dash, you basically get 1.5 times the space of other cars. So switching to dual display doesn’t sacrifice legibility.

Visibility out the front is great, and the HUD keeps your eyes up. Shame, because I like the gauges. Simple, big, clear, glowing an icy blue. These days are seeing more and more information stuffed into the cluster, so the simplicity here was appreciated.

Quick gripe: steering wheel buttons. Not all of them, only the two ‘UP/DOWN’ buttons next to the volume controls. If you’re listening to a CD, and hit ‘UP’, it goes to the next track. Good. That’s what it should do.

But if you’re listening to satellite radio, and want to change the station (For example, from 44 to 45), it seems to reason you would hit the ‘UP’ arrow, right? But, hit that button, and all the sudden you’re listening to AM580. Why? Because that button is genetically related to your presets. It’s like changing from ‘TV’ to ‘DVD’. Should be an easy programming fix, I just don’t get the logic behind it. At least don’t put it right next to the volume control. You wouldn’t put an unmarked pump of Fast Orange hand cleaner between the Ketchup and Mustard.


The other issue I have with the interior is more general; the pairing of a new style with old hardware. Look at the center stack and you see a big screen tucked under a cornice of upscale stitching, above a sharp-looking clock. The leap-frogging of black-to-silver looks great. The doorsills look nice, the way the various materials intersect looks great. But then you move past the CD slot (a bit invasive, but the market for this car probably still listens to CDs) and land in a wasteland of buttons that look 10 years old, at least. It’s a cardboard shanty town in the lobby of the W.

It’s not that I want the buttons gone, I like buttons (as opposed to a system like Cadillac’s CUE, or Jaguar’s omnipotent touch screen). I just look around at the beautiful environment the designers had created, attractive and modern, being tarnished by hardware from another era. A brand new kitchen with 70s appliances. I feel like I’m seeing an interior that’s almost there, and is just being held back. But evolution takes time, and I think (and hope) that the next refresh will have an interior that is wall-to-wall greatness. Those complaints aside, everything worked as it should.


So she’s pretty and has chops on a track, but what about when life turns “normal”? If there’s one thing you expect from a Lexus, it’s that it shines in “civilian life”. This brand was built on helping you lead a serene existence, and for the most part the GS did. Road noise was minimal. A drive to Orange County and back revealed what I would call “taut solitude”. Picture having a body guard that’s also a master of meditation. A commuter’s cocoon that’s ready to battle a mountain detour should you ask

The ride can be altered by turning the wheel between Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport+. As expected, these modes alter throttle and steering sensitivity, and the shock dampening, and the differences are quite noticeable. ECO basically puts a layer of molasses between your inputs and the car. Normal is, well, normal. Sport+ is part of the F-Sport package, and replaces the molasses with highly-conductive gold. Put it in Eco on the highway for a smooth ride and 28MPG, move the wheel to the right to let off steam, or make good time.


Around town the car felt solid, very stable, and fairly smooth. However, really bad pavement will make its presence known, through your eyes and your ***. On our “suspension test area” known as Vista Del Mar-which is covered it shattered concrete and poorly installed steel plates- those bumps went right up through the tires, making the cabin kick up abruptly. The only car with a sporty bloodline to handle this section better was the ZL1, and it uses magic shocks.

But no one should complain about the ride in this car. Nothing fun will (or should) ever float over pock-marked pavement with the smoothness of heavy cream, because driving is about having an experience through a vehicle. If this thing rode like a Mulsanne, it wouldn’t have given me track-side giggles.

On that same trip to Orange County, I went into the canyons with Jeff Glucker, to film his V12 Vantage loaner. The road, made up of medium-sized sweepers, confirmed what I remember from the track. In Sport +, the steering ratio speeds up, so turn-in is fast, just the way I like it. The engine pulled me from corner to corner with the smoothness of a centrifuge. This car would be excellent on the Autobahn. The 19” summer tires (235 front/265 rear ) are pretty sticky, but .89g of lateral grip keeps this going beyond a spirited driver to a true super sedan.

The GS does stumble in the steering dept., which feels separated from the tires. Without that feedback, you’re left to drive with your eyes more than your fingers. It’s disappointing because while the car does everything expected (in terms of pitch or slip), and behaves like a sports sedan, it doesn’t feel like one. The steering weight is nice, it’s RWD, blah blah, but it’s just missing that final piece that we covet so much, that truly elevates a car from the pack.

That pack that this car runs in is a strong one: Audi A6, Inifiniti G37, BMW 5-series, Jaguar XF… All good cars in their own right. All can be had for the $60,349 sum required to buy our optioned-up GS 350 F Sport.

But then I thought about something I rarely do: reliability. Save my STI, all my cars have been projects of questionable fortitude. Drive the Miata 400 miles? Uh, sure, I’ll give it a shot. Lemme check my AAA membership first. As an immature car nut, my gut instinct is a car with the most power possible, the best performance, the most character, or sex appeal. Usually those things require a sacrifice in reliability or longevity. Such is the case with the Jaguar, which I would love to lease, but never own out of warranty. Same is true for any of the Germans, which also have more reserved designs than the GS. But the Lexus has a Toyota V6; what lasts longer than that? I would wager you could buy this car, and keep it for 15 years, without more than routine oil changes. If I like a car, I’d like to keep it, and do so without having to save a college fund’s worth of maintenance money. This car would probably be a trouble-free executive hooner for decades.

What this car does for me is combine honesty and fantasy. Honesty: adults want a daily driver comfortable, efficient, and reliable, without feeling like they’ve lost their individuality. Fantasy: that part of me that thinks daily driving a Caterham would be great. The Lexus GS350 F-sport satisfies both. I can admit practicality is necessary without totally casting aside my inner trouble-maker. It’s cheap on the highway, comfortable throughout, and will probably run trouble-free for decades. But there’s also an edge (or several) to it’s metal that people will notice. When I buy a full-size sedan, unless I can afford an AMG, that’s what I want. This combination of old Lexus stability with a fire of motorsport could be a very good thing for us, and a bad thing for the competition.


http://www.thesmokingtire.com/2012/r...gs350-f-sport/

TerrySmith

Thanks. That's exactly the way the IS F works but I was not sure about the GS F-Sport. I now have a Porsche and so am considering trading the F for something a little more practical but still fun to drive like the GS.

BTW, the aspect of paddle shifting that I dislike the most is not being able to down shift more than one gear directly - as in you suddenly need to accelerate but have to wait while you sequence down through the gears to get the RPMs up. Not really a problem on the track since you should know when to shift in advance of each turn. Also, no problem going up through the gears for me.

Thanks again.

Squirrelz

LOL, I absolutely loved that article and their style of writing. The analogies they use made me laugh for sure.

LexFather

Took her for a quick spin tonight... So fun to drive... We love it!