The art of marrying luxury and performance

Photo courtesy, Toyota
The Lexus GS F does not run the streets. This great sedan high performance is a model of exception which is aimed at a specific buyer: a fan of sporty driving.

Jacques Welcome

Sunday, 25 march 2018 23:38

UPDATE
Sunday, 25 march 2018 23:38

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The Lexus GS F is one of those exceptional cars that are selected for qualities very sharp — impressive performance and dynamic driving qualities are undeniable in the case of this large sedan.

The Lexus GS is not the car to be the most popular, nor the most well-known. The 328 best of this luxury sedan sold in Canada last year confirmed it. This number has relegated this great sedan (hence the GS) at the 242nd largest canadian sales of light vehicles, and a top which are a little more than 270 models of all types.

This failure is easily explained. Since it is an auto, it does not have the appeal of an SUV, the type of vehicle that currently has the favor of the buyers. In addition, its niche in the decline is already very crowded. You can include up to twenty models rivals. This does not grant them a lot of visibility, all the more that the Lexus brand offers, itself, a range very (or too ?) diverse, bringing together more than a dozen models.

A model of exception

This does not prevent this ill-fated benefit of undeniable qualities, starting with the high quality of design and construction peculiar to the products of Toyota. Because, remember, the Lexus brand brings together the luxury vehicles of this great japanese automaker. And among these products, there is a exception model called the GS F : a sport sedan with high performance with an engine full of power. If you think of a wolf dressed in a lamb-skin, you have it all figured out. His silhouette is understated makes it easy to go unnoticed. A trapezoidal grille in the shape of an hourglass, the symbol of the Lexus products, framed for this model by imposing the cavities, which are used to catch air, is the only excess of design that distinguishes it.

With the GS 350 and the GS 450 h, GS F, is a trio of sedans for buyers interested in the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and other models of the genre.

Photo courtesy, Toyota

The Lexus GS F has a safe large and well finished, proving that even a sport can have a practical side.

For those who are looking for a luxury sedan, without more, Toyota offers two ways to make with a V6 and a power of about 300 hp. The GS 350, first, offers a formula that has become a classic with a V6 3.5 L delivering 311 hp to all four wheels through a gearbox 6-speed automatic, and awd. This is an entry-level model all the same enticing.

Then there is the GS 450 h. This model-there is banking on the appeal of a hybrid drivetrain a little greedy with all the same power net material. A variant of Atkinson cycle with the same V6 coupled with an electric motor delivers all the same 286 hp. And as for all the other hybrid vehicles from Toyota, this box is a cvt that transmits power to the rear wheels of this sedan, which displays the best odds of consumption of the range, starting with a rating average of 7.5 L/100 km. The GS 350 can do better than 11 L/100 km.

Horses to no end

The GS F is in a league apart, where consumption hardly counts. This is logical because it is associated, by its design and performance, the Fuji Speedway (hence the F), the famous racing circuit japan, which has hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix from 1963 to 1979, and then again in 2007 and 2008.

Its a V8 5.0 L is expected to achieve an average fuel consumption of 12.5 L/100 km, ” says the builder (13.3 L in our case). However, it has not been chosen to shine under this angle, but rather to make this sedan a car capable of competing with models of high performance are comparable : the AMG E43 Mercedes-Benz, the M550i of BMW and the S6 from Audi.

Designed by the engine manufacturer japanese Yamaha, this engine that it shares with the cut off RC-F and LC-500 delivers 467 horsepower, and it drives its rear wheels through a automatic transmission Sport Direct Shift 8-reports. The paddle shifters attached to the steering wheel give the chance to the driver to fully exploit this power. Because this V8 allows the GS F to accelerate in a flash : 4.6 s him are enough to go from 0 to 100 km/h. It is one second less than the other two GS. But this liveliness is expressed more by the times to be particularly bright (80-115 km/h in 3.0 s).

The driver can exploit the power of different ways thanks to the five driving modes of the system of management of the engine : Normal, Eco, Sport S, Sport S+ and Customize. The Sport mode S+ will appeal particularly to lovers of the performance. It makes downshifting faster, and maintains the engine speed, the higher the Sport mode S, while making the settings of the steering and suspension more sophisticated. The mode Customize even allows the driver to give a personalized touch to all these settings.

Added to this is an electromechanical steering system with two modes (Normal and Sport), which harmonizes effectively with the different driving modes, as well as transmitting to the driver of accurate information on the nature of the coating.

The settings of the independent suspension also agree to allow the claims undeniably sports of this sedan and enables the driver to chain the maneuvers with transitions, predictable and precise. Huge Brembo brakes provide the stopping power expected. This is to optimize the cooling of the front brakes, in the event that they are abundantly requested, that the manufacturer has provided these large air intakes integrated into the front grille.

Inside sports

As if to confirm his status as a racing car, the instrumentation of the GS F includes a large tachometer at the centre of the dials, a monitor for the differential distribution vector of the torque, an indicator of the strength of lateral acceleration and a on-board chronometer, inspired by the world of racing.These accessories are of course to impress the gallery, but the system display ” head high “, which shows different information on the base of the windshield on the driver’s side (speed, navigation information, etc) proves to be truly useful. On the screen of 12.3-inch, in the center of the dashboard, it allows access to the audio controls surround-Mark Levinson — a feast for the ears !

Photo courtesy, Toyota

The interior shines with an impeccable finish and the instrumentation is used well, putting aside the touch-screen interface Remote Touch, which is much too sensitive.

In contrast, the touch interface Remote Touch, on the center console, is too sensitive and unpleasant to use. This accessory, one forgets quickly, because the driver selects the GS F to its dynamic qualities, its chassis rigidity is exemplary, and its sports seats are superbly snug primary concern is more of the pleasure he draws from his conduct.

Lexus OWS : for the urban explorer

Photo courtesy, Toyota

Lexus OWS 250h F-Sport 2019.

The opposite of the imposing of the GS F, Lexus will soon be added to a new utility of small size ; a new entry-level model cheaper than the NX, which will be called UX. A vehicle that people from the Lexus is aimed at the urban explorer.

Built on a variant of the platform of the Toyota CH-R, the UX will allow the dealerships of the luxury brand of Toyota to offer an alternative to utilities such as the BMW X1, the Audi Q3 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA, but also to small luxury cars like the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and the Audi A3.

The manufacturer will offer two versions that are differentiated by their mechanical respective. The UX 250h will have a hybrid powertrain (gasoline/electric) focus on a new 4-cylinder 2.0 L. Offered with two or four-wheel drive, its net power reaching 178 hp.

The entry-level version UX 200 is simply the 4-cylinder engine, which will transmit 168 hp to its front wheels.

These two versions have an automatic gearbox, a continuously variable and a set F Sport including, among other things, suspension settings sport, will be one of their options. The Lexus UX 2019 will be on sale at the end of the year.

Lexus GS F

Base price

• 63 500 $ (GS 350 4WD.);
• 69 700 $ (GS 350 F Sport 4WD);
• 70 350 $ (GS 350 Executive 4WD);
• 77 300 $ (GS 450h);
• 98 850 $ (GS F).

Transport and preparation

2045 $

Powertrain

(GS 350 4WD) V6 DOHC, 3.5 L, 311 hp at 6 400 rpm, 280 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm; (GS 450h) electric Motor + V6 DOHC, 3.5 L, 286 hp at 6 4000 rpm, 257 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm; (GS F), V8-DOHC, 3.5 L, 467-hp 7 100 rpm, 389 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm. Gearbox 6-speed automatic (GS 350 4WD); automatic transmission continuously variable (GS 450h); automatic transmission 8-speed (GS F). Rear-wheel drive (GS 450h and GS F); all-wheel drive (GS 350 4WD).

Features

Four-wheel independent Suspension. Disc brakes to all four wheels. Anti-lock braking system series. Tires : P255/35R19 (front) and P275/35R19 (rear).

Ratings

Wheelbase : 2 850 mm; length : 4 915 mm; width : 1845 mm; height : 1 440 mm. Weight : 1 830 kg. Volume of fuel tank : 66 litres. Trunk Volume : 399 L. average Consumption (test; GS (F) : 13.3 L/100 km.

Competition

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifolio, Audi S6, BMW M550i xDrive, Cadillac CT6 V-Series, Infiniti Q70 Sport, Jaguar XF S, Maserati Ghibli SQ4, Mercedes-AMG E43, Volvo S90 T8

Strengths

• Fun-to-drive
• Impressive performance
• Impeccable finish
• Excellent bucket seats

Weak Points

• Touch Interface Remote Touch review
• Rear visibility reduced