the higher end perf cars dont make much money, but important for the brand image. If every car decision was was to make money alone youd have something like Honda, zero brand excitement

 

I just want to say that motor trend needs to keep these guys employed! One of the best and most enjoyable to watch comparos i have seen, which is all thanks to their awesome banter and realistic views on the cars. Are these guys only on motor trend? Do they have their own youtube channel?

 

Agree and disagree. Higher end performance cars and I mean the gateway category vehicles like the GSF and RCF are in are an experiment of engineering and performance. The sales success of these models dont make or break Lexus as a whole since their bread and butter come from cheaper CTs, ESes, NX, RXes by the crapton. However what makes or breaks them is customer adoption, non-brand loyal conquests, and of course good ole level of lunacy.

For instance what makes the typical high end performance buyer choose a GSF type vehicle over a mundane GS350 F sport type vehicle. Its got a have a strong engine, its gotta have crap tons of power, suspension that can cut corners and then some, got to have superb shifting transmission, exhaust the list goes, basically tl:dr you want something that is absolutely bonkers to look, drive, and feel. If you meet those visceral requirements, then Lexus can command any price it puts on the sticker and then some. Right now, the GSF as a product doesnt really completely meet the visceral requirements above. Its got lots of things going for it, like a ride that wont destroy your spine, and a V8 thats got the cylinder count but not the gobs of power, the easiest to handle ala wont kill ya and tbh those things are good and dandy, but what else. If you need a vehicle that wont destroy your spine, and a v8s good, step into a 550i.

Basically until they up the power game, the takers for these cars are going to be those who recognize that the perf per dollar ratio on these with incentives is amazing and take this over a M4 or M5 where dealers are commanding sticker due to low allocation units that sometimes get sold out in advance.

 

I thought it was a great review. In the end we may like the looks and even the styling of the GSF , but when objectively compared its a blood bath in terms of performance. The GSF still seems to have that balance but 173 extra hp is hard to ignore......actually impossible. The only people who are going to buy the GSF will be fan boys like myself, previous ISF owners, and others looking for an 85k NA V8 sedan that many will call ugly. At least the ISF was competitive

 

If you have Netflix, several episodes of Head 2 Head were recently made available for streaming.

 

I don't know about that - it's not like IS F sales were great either. To be honest, Lexus doesn't sell enough of these in the first place to make depreciation an issue. Just as it never was an issue for the original IS F. When initial supply on these is so low, secondary market demand will always seem high relative to secondary market supply.

What Lexus seems to be depending on for F marque sales these days is people who want Lexus reliability or simply want something without a German badge on it (although in my case, I suppose Lexus' gamble lost). Even Chris Harris said not having a German badge was what the RC F had most going for it.

 

and Epic Drives and Road Kill, if you're into junk yard conversions and drag racing. Not my cup of tea

 

I agree! It's like watching Top Gear BBC but without the trio. Top Gear America should of employed Carlos Lago, Jason Cammisa, and Johnny Leiberman. Their stig can be Randy Pobst.

Anyway, back to topic. The GSF is gonna have a hard time selling at that price range.

 

Depreciation and more importantly residuals are always a concern to get those deals in right for the market. For the F moniker its time to reel in those buyers with attractive lease deals as well as the trunk money currently offered. I think the GSF started with sub 1k leases and now down to 849 lease. Its getting there but who knows.