It’s nice to know that you will still be able to get a big rear-wheel drive V8 once the Australian car manufacturing industry ends at the end of 2017
That it’s a Lexus might be a bit of a surprise
that it’s north of $150,000 on the road probably isn’t
Here’s the latest instalment in our long term test of the chest-thumping – and ass-shaking – GS F
Damn we have devoted some cyberspace to the <a class="iompba0 iompba4 _1lalutrg0 _1vzaghk4 _1vzaghk5 _1vzaghke" target="" href="https://www.carsales.com.au/research/lexus/gs/?__source=editorialArticle&amp;driver_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link">Lexus GS</a> F at motoring.com.au this year
If there is an overall theme that emerges from all that experience it is that the GS F is a very nice car … the only problem being not everyone wants ‘nice’ from a $150,000-plus V8 rear-wheel drive sports sedan
either dial this sucker up and have a real crack or wind back the aggro and deliver us a traditional high-performance saloon
Perhaps key to achieving both those things in the one package is adaptive damping
The GS F really could benefit from being able to click around to a more compliant setting for everyday driving and then dialling up the firmness for the fun bits
So much else is adjustable about this car it’s puzzling the shockers have been left alone
You can turn the eight-speed auto from slushmatic to feral
you can fundamentally alter the behaviour of the torque vectoring differential
you can retune the weight of the electric-assist steering (although that variance is less detectable to me)
You can even change the appearance of the dash depending on the drive mode that has been selected
As it is the GS F rides along every quietly – it is a Lexus after all – but too firmly on motorways and country highways
and the car doesn’t feel sharp and focused enough to do the job in a convincing manner
Look, it’s not a million miles away. But as our recent comparo against the much cheaper <a class="iompba0 iompba4 _1lalutrg0 _1vzaghk4 _1vzaghk5 _1vzaghke" target="" href="/editorial/details/lexus-gs-f-versus-hsv-clubsport-r8-sv-black-2016-comparison-103531/?__source=editorialArticle&amp;driver_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link">HSV ClubSport R8 SV Black Edition</a> demonstrated
if you’re being out-done by a car half the price then you might as well be
Having missed the bullseye when it comes to the core objective
the GS F still has some appealing attributes
The 5.0-litre naturally aspirated engine is strong and enjoyable – if a little quiet – and the Brembo brakes massively effective
too much drilling down and a lack of intuitiveness makes the GS F a frustrating car to interact with
I’ll look forward to the next attempt thanks
2016 Lexus GS F pricing and specifications: